Haiti: Beauty, Love, Strength

“Nothing works in Haiti, but everything works out.”

This wasn’t my first trip to Haiti. But in a way it was a brand new experience.

Let me start with the lesson we learn with every trip there: You can’t control the circumstances, but you can control your attitude. After spending an extra hour at Bishop Airport making sure all of checked bags made it all the way to Haiti, well… let’s just say we could have spent that extra hour doing almost anything else and been happier.

When we arrived to the Port-au-Prince airport -- now air conditioned! -- we were missing nine bags and one person. Oops. All were stuck in Florida. But what can you do but move forward, right? And all were safely returned to us the next morning.

See, everything works out. And it was all worth it in the end.

We spent three hours in a van driving around curves, over mountains and past more beauty than I’ve seen in Haiti before. We had the opportunity to spend a few days in Borel, Haiti, which is a rural area filled with lush mountain sides, farm land, dirt roads, trees, coastlines and unfortunately many mosquitoes.

There we partnered with Water Project For Haiti (Check them out on Facebook). They took us in with open arms, taught us more about the beautiful country and paved the road for us to install more than 50 water filters in two days!

I want you to take a moment and think about the water you use on a daily basis. Brushing your teeth (was not safe for us to do out of the faucet in some places), showering (had to keep our mouths shut), drinking (no).

One filter the size of a trash can. 100 pounds of sand. Two bags of rocks. $80. Separate those things don’t seem like anything. But put together they create a better life for a Haitian family. It brings better health and hope.

Even our team could forget that at times. We did our job. We installed the filter. We prayed for the family. We went on to the next home. One home was a little bit of a hike over some hills, across a stream and through what seemed like a field of corn. The view was amazing. But what stood out more was when we went to leave, the man of the household came to each one of us and made sure to clasp one our hands with both of his.

To him, this was more than a filter. It wasn’t worth $80. It was priceless.

I love Haiti. It’s because even when it seems like they have little, they still have appreciation and hope.

“Nothing works in Haiti, but everything works out.”

So even when it seems like we are doing simple acts, we could be making a huge impact. A lesson I don’t think should stay in Haiti.

Let’s not forget about the children, the adorable, heart capturing children. We spent time at three orphanages and a children’s hospital. Spending time with the kids, playing with them and communicating even when we couldn’t speak the same language.

One little girl, Fetna, didn’t speak at all really. But she stole my heart and I spent hours with her just hanging out and taking selfies on my phone. Yes, every child loves a good selfie.

We asked ourselves one night, what difference we were making. We aren’t really there long enough to form a solid relationship. We, like other groups, are coming and going just as easily. But we reminded ourselves that we become a few more drops in the overall picture. 

We chose to show them love when others didn’t. We chose to take the time that we had and have a little fun with them, play Legos with them, kick around the soccer games and yes, take more selfies. You would really be amazed how long they could take control of your phone J

How you spend your time makes a difference. Whether in Haiti or in Flint or wherever you are.

I could go on and on. But one of the things that made this trip different that last year was simply the number of different sides of Haiti we had the pleasure to see from a giant waterfall we got to climb to a private beach we had all to ourselves to a memorial for those who died in the earthquake to a traditional Haitian market to a church service spoken almost entirely in Creole.

Even among an area most people see as damaged and in despair, there is beauty.