What in the world?! How has the week come to an end already?! Today was an adventure to say the least! We went to Kaliko beach....which we thought would be a relaxing day. The journey there was two hours in a bumpy tap-tap. One cant help but get lost in the beauty of this city. God's heart was evident throughout the drive. We experienced a first today: a Haitian fender bender (AKA horrific accident). This is Christi typing so the story may or may not be exaggerated. Another tap-tap used our tap tap as their breaks. It was very loud but we were all OK.
The Kaliko beach was nothing short of a tropical island off of the National Geographic channel! The ocean water had every shade of blue, and you couldn't help but feel you were in an old Elvis Presley movie laying on the beach drinking from a coconut. Although the beach was beyond refreshing and the beach volleyball tournament was fierce, our minds couldn't help but wander to the orphanage. What were the children doing today? What will they be doing a month from now? Ten Years? We were lucky to have met these children, and they will have a lasting impact on us as we return home to our daily live's and jobs.
While driving home we passed the earthquake cemetery. Over 300,000 Haitian bodies were placed in a hole. You couldn't help but think for a second. My mind began to be amazed with the Haitian race, and their faith in God. Nothing rattles it. Makes you wonder what they are doing right? Or what we may be doing wrong in America? Or if anyone is wrong? I think about the amount of time I watch tv, play on my phone, etc.....and wonder if these distractions have affected my faith at one point in time throughout my life. This trip can definitely make you think, yearn for God, and crave the amount of faith Haitians have on their thumb.
Today is bittersweet. Even though we are dripping with sweat while sleeping and miss our five star showers, we can't help but start to miss Haiti and think about coming back and seeing the sweet faces of the orphans again.
Two additional thoughts: Upon preparing to leave the kids on Thursday, two of the house mamas circled them up and prayed over us. Each child prayed aloud and it was sweet, sweet music. Needless to say, there was hardly a dry eye in our group. We will never forget that moment. The other unforgettable moment was on our trip back from the beach yesterday evening. We were negotiating the typical slow, bumpy ride home when we were passing through Sandro's community (He is one of our translators). Two Haitians right outside of our tap tap were in a bit of a scuffle (that's code for an aggressive fight) - maybe over a goat or who knows what, but anyway, another Haitian who was witnessing the scuffle decided it would be a good idea to fire two gun shots into the air, just feet from our tap tap. We were told he did it to calm the crowd, but let me tell you, calm is not at all how I would describe the moment. This unseasoned group of Americans hit the floor of that tap tap so quick our heads were spinning. The drivers started to slow down (why on earth? I do not know), so we "politely" demanded, "Keep Driving!!!" Once out of what we thought was harm's way, we sat up and assessed the situation. NO, we were not being fired at, but still a little too close for our liking. Once again, praising God for protection and peace. We laughed our heads off after the initial shock faded and we all have a good story to share. No telling how big this "fish tale" will get as it is passed along, especially if you get Christi's take on the whole thing. Her laughter and comical "one liners" have kept us smiling through every crazy moment.
We are now on the plane in Haiti, about to take off. Bye sweet Haiti------ we do love this country and its people!!
-Christi, Becky, and Robin
