Abundance

Today I felt hope.  Our journey brought us to Leogane…to the Village of Jesus, where we spent time with the 36 elderly women who live there.  They graciously accepted our offerings of hand, leg and feet massages, nail polish and dance music by our rhythm crew.  They sang for us and talked to us despite our lack of understanding.  What beautiful, serene surroundings the Sisters have created!  At our team meeting this evening, there were many comments about how well taken care of these women are, both physically and spiritually. 

After preparing a lunch of sandwiches, Pringles, cookies and Tampico juice for the women, we were treated to coconuts fresh from the tree.  As we approached, we saw a wheelbarrow and a man with a machete who began opening them and we were each handed a whole coconut.  We quickly learned to drink the coconut water from the small hole on top…it’s quite hot there on the coast! Paul connected to his childhood growing up on the Caribbean and downed THREE coconuts, then cracked them open and used a piece of the shell as a spoon to eat the flesh inside.   He also shared with Nick that they get the coconuts down by climbing the tree.  Nick just couldn’t resist giving it a try, and up the coconut tree he went (with the ants quickly climbing his legs)! 

Next, Sister Alta invited us to lunch at the sustainable farm run by the Sisters.  Sister Edna had prepared chicken legs, a beautiful salad platter, French fries, a pasta dish, rice with bean juice, fried okra and fried green plantains.  Our third Haitian meal in a row!  The food was abundant and delicious.  Sister Alta then showed us around the farm.  I was inspired by her knowledge of farming, and by her commitment to caring for the needy by cultivating the gifts of God’s creation.  In the space of 10 minutes we saw so many crops growing…mangoes, bananas, plantains, sour oranges, yucca, green peppers, hot peppers, green onions, corn, sugar cane, papaya, okra, eggplant.  There were cows, chickens, pigs, ducks, and turkeys.  It was beautifully lush and green. This abundance of food just two days after experiencing first-hand the malnutrition that is too common in our world painted a picture of how complicated our food systems are.  Our God is a God of abundance. The ministry of this Order of Sisters spoke to me of being called to care for creation and seek a more just distribution of God’s abundant goodness.

Ke bondye beni’ou (God Bless You),

Kris Christians