Friday, February 1, 2019

Haiti truly touches your heart


Now that we are back home, I have begun to process our time spent in Haiti last week.  Serving in Haiti with Reiser Relief was a truly amazing experience.  Our leaders had been to Haiti many times but the rest of us were first timers, not exactly sure what to expect.  We were in it together and ready to help out in whatever way we could!  As we left the airport we realized (as was said in previous blogs) “This #%*@$ Just Got Real.” 
Haiti touches all of your senses. 
Sight:  There is still clear evidence of the devastating earthquake in 2010 yet there has also been much rebuilding that has occurred.  There are many areas where garbage has gathered uncollected for long periods of time, rivers and ditches filled with waste, goats, pigs and chickens wandering the streets. This stands in contrast with the beauty found in the countryside and mountains. 
Sound:  The noisiness that comes with a large city.  Honking horns is a common way of communicating to other drivers! Music from the clubs in the evening, dogs barking and the sounds of everyday life.  The sound of the wind as it blew through the tree branches in the mountains.
Smell:  A busy city complete with the smell of diesel exhaust and rotting refuse.  The fresh air found in the mountain allowing one to smell the mint and herbs growing around us.
Sensation:  The sun shining down heating us all up, using our hands to provide healing touch, holding babies to provide comfort.
Taste:  Eating Haitian style food prepared by the staff at the guesthouse, fresh fruit, spicy peanut butter, hot sauce.
Haiti also touches your heart.
Throughout our week in Haiti we served at facilities run by missionaries from foreign countries to provide care for “the least of these my brothers”, providing humble service to the poor and neglected.  They were truly examples of love in action- selfless people making a difference to those that have literally been discarded. We also served in facilities run by Haitian nuns working to provide care for the elderly who had no resources to sustain themselves and no one else to care for them. We met Haitian educators that run schools and community centers in the most impoverished neighborhoods to help provide better opportunities for the younger generations by providing education and safe places for children to be in the midst of a danger zone.   We experienced how the ill are cared for in a hospital.  We were also traveled outside of Port Au Prince to an ecological preserve in the mountains.  Here they are working on ways to build structures using recycled materials such as Styrofoam food pods transformed into building blocks and insulation.  They are also providing education to the younger generation in order to show them that there are other ways to do things.
Our team was a diverse group of people brought together in the spirit of volunteerism.  Each of us had our own fears and hopes for our time in Haiti.  However, all of us were focused on helping out in whatever way we are able.  We learned at Kkottongnae that serving in this way takes courage.  Whether or not is was courage, blind enthusiasm, God working in us or a little bit of all 3, our team jumped in without hesitation to feed a child, wash feet, provide massage and range of motion, hold and comfort crying babies and young children, provide “spa” treatments, dance with the ladies, play with the children or prepare and serve a meal.   No task was too small. It was an amazing experience to be with this group as each of us stepped outside of our comfort zones for the purpose of serving others.
It seems that the things we were able to offer were small, yet, being present with each person we touched provided a positive moment in the space we shared with them.  The team felt these moments as we were rewarded with smiles, laughs, giggles, hugs, dancing and so forth.  Being present in the moment was important and impactful.  Through these experiences we were able to see the nature of the Haitian people.  Friendliness and curiosity abounded.  Happiness and joy were ever present.  Hope shined through those even in the most extreme situations.  The human spirit is remarkable.  Gods grace was present with us. It was an honor to be with these people and provide what we could.
We had special moments within our team as well. We celebrated Ellen’s birthday.  We also celebrated Gail’s baptism.  It was a moving experience to be with our Haitian hosts and our Reiser Relief team sharing a moment of rebirth in Christ in such a peaceful place.
Throughout this trip, I needed to be intentional in setting aside my US lenses and to have an open heart to be able to see Haiti without judgment, as it is, impoverished but rich with people proud of their history, devastated by natural disasters countered with the spirit for persevering and rebuilding, lacking in resources but abundant with people working creatively with what is available, a place where many are cast aside yet filled with people working to provide education to the younger generations to be different than the past, people experiencing true suffering touched by the selflessness of those working to alleviate the suffering.  I learned about the strength of faith and small deeds and how those can lift the human spirit.  Haiti has taught me that being present with someone in humble actions can be impactful.  I learned that there is happiness despite struggle and above all, there is hope even in the most desperate of circumstances.    
Yes, Haiti truly touches your heart.
Rachel Dvorak