Beginnings

2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV) “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

Day one brought 14 team sleepy team members from Minnesota to Port-au-Prince, Haiti. We arrived to a steamy airport where we stood in a line mixed with Haitians and other ambitious Americans ready to see what Haiti was all about. When we exited the airport we were bombarded with anxious Haitians wanting to help us with luggage. Our Healing Haiti escorts were loyally waiting for us. Our crew hopped in the colorful Healing Haiti 'Tap Tap' covered with scripture in Creole. Our ride through Port-au-Prince proved to us that we were no longer in Minnesota anymore. Haitians covered the streets with their cinder block homes in the background, plastic and trash covering the ditches. The Healing Haiti guest house is a vibrant, welcoming place housed with 6 bunk rooms, 3 bathrooms, and a well-organized kitchen. There are three women that cook for us morning and in the evening as well as some Haitian guards and the rest of the HH staff. We ate a delicious meal of some good 'ol Irish Shepard's Pie and explored the grounds with a beautiful Haitian sunset. With our long day of travel we all crashed, ready to take on the next day-the start of our journey Christ has led us to.

Day two brought water. After a tasty breakfast of eggs, French toast, oatmeal, freshly squeezed fruit juice, and of course coffee we met up with the Reiser water truck en route to Cite Soleil. The sight at stop 17 was like a scene out of a movie. There were children running from every corner of the gravel alleyways and behind each stone shanty chanting "Hey YOU!" Our Haitian guides tried to clear the way for us as we stepped down from the Tap Tap as children jumped and pulled on us. Within three steps, everyone had at least three children on top of them. As I (Allyson) held the two children it was amazing how much love and affection they desired-and how drastically protective they immediately became of the person holding them. It was as if they wanted to soak in all of the embrace possible before the inevitable end of our short stay. They snuggled their heads in and I was able to look at the scene around me. There were people lined up pushing buckets, cups, trash bins-just about anything that will hold some water- with loud voices protecting their spots in line. The truck had hoses that people use to fill the buckets to the brim, soak the people in the glorious, life-giving water, and cover the streets. There were women and men, young and old carrying buckets by the handle and top of their heads down the dusty path to their cloth covered homes.

As I looked around at my teammates, they were radiating. Playing ring-around the rosie, talking with the kids in a mix of creole and English, kids braiding hair and fighting over laps. The feeling you have is overwhelming with their desperation for water and lack of "stuff", yet there was joy that can only come in the purest of forms. The kids had maybe a shirt on or were naked and oh so dirty. But none of it mattered to them nor our team members. It was a special moment to share with them being able to show them Christ's love, for them to know they are not forgotten and hopefully to show the adults that we care. It is truly humbling to be along side of them and to realize our "problems" are quite trivial when coming face-to-face with hunger and dehydration.

We were also able to meet a gentleman who Faith Lutheran Church in Forest Lake is sponsoring through University. We met him at a school sponsored by Reiser Relief. We also were able to witness the beginnings of Hope Church being built. What struck me was the wooden cross that signified the entrance with blocks representing the outline of what will soon hold the community members worshiping God and bringing hope to the community. The most striking moment for me was simply my team member singing a song in creole while walking through the entrance to the church. It's amazing how the spirit can move through you in the simplest of times.

Our day was truly a blessing learning from the Haitians and seeing what challenges the world is faced with that brought many of us break down to raw emotion. Personally, I don't think my sprit will digest what my eyes saw, arms felt, and nose smelt for a few days but I know we are in the beginning of a large change as we walk through this week, with Christ glowing through us and the people we meet. It is just the beginning.

Allyson