Thursday, January 16, 2014

Dancing Ladies - by Marci Wills

What an amazing day.  It would be hard to top yesterday’s day at Reiser Heights, but we may have done it today.  Some of us started the day by going to Mass at the Missionaries of Charity.  Father’s sermon reminded us to keep a sacred place for our relationship with Jesus in our hearts.  Our work may be public, but he encouraged us to hold a special place for God in our hearts that is ours alone.  Good message for us today.  Our walk home was peaceful and eye-opening - seeing Haiti on foot is much different than in the Tap-tap.

After a interesting, bumpy, eye-opening drive (I think we were lost for a while, but who can tell on Haiti streets), we arrived at Foyer Sacre-Coeur.  We were welcomed in by Sr. Alta, and we walked into a small area filled with beautiful, character filled elderly women who ranged in age from 60 to 80+.  Upon arriving,  they stood and sang a song for us.  Priceless!

These little old ladies were breathtaking.  Dressed in their Sunday best, they sat patiently and waited for us to touch them - and for them to touch our hearts!  While we put lotion on their arms, hands, shoulders and legs, they put a mark on our hearts.  Wonderful, sweet women sharing wonderful, sweet moments with us.  We put polish on their nails, they enriched our lives.  We washed their feet, they smiled at us.  Although we couldn’t speak their language, we communicated in a more intimate way.  Emmanuel (one of our guides) played music as we fed the women peanut butter sandwiches and cookies.  One of the women, who we affectionately named “the Cookie Monster” hid several cookies under her leg.  They were so grateful, but it was us who received the blessing.

To finish off our time with the ladies, we all stood and sang together.  The women started dancing, and we joined in.  The joy on their faces was so beautiful.  You could just feel God’s presence and the love that was shared between us all.  My heart sang and danced as well as my feet!

Sr. Alta then took us on a tour of the facility.  Nine women slept on nine beds in the first room, and others in other rooms.  The kitchen was incredibly small, but it was filled with love.  The Sisters take wonderful care of the women - with compassion and dignity.  After showing us the Sister’s living quarters, Sr. Alta invited us to sit down and share some hot pastries and some other type of spicy food with mango juice.  We came to serve them, and they served us.

Leaving hugs and our hearts behind, we physically left the women, but will hold them in our memories and prayers for a lifetime.

Arriving “home”, we quickly changed into our active clothes to get ready for the neighborhood soccer game!  We rounded up a group of energetic neighborhood boys into the Tap-tap to bring them to a soccer field near the water stop for a game of soccer!  While Shelley, Maria and I tried valiantly to “play” with the skilled boys, it was Lizzy and Shelby who held their own on the field!  The boys were so happy to have a place to play, rather than the bumpy, rocky, uneven terrain of the streets at home.  We were so happy to watch their joy.  Playing on a hot, Hatian afternoon in the sun was very rewarding to all of us.


Today reminded me that God gives us enough - although there is not enough food, water and shelter, there is enough energy to dance and play, enough strength to carry on, enough arms to hug, enough love to share.  I hope that God gave you enough today.

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