Emotions

Today was a great day. Difficult, but great. At group time, there were a lot of emotional stories and shared tears. This morning we visited the Home for the Sick and Dying. The hospital has been restored and there was a lot more space to maneuver in and it didn't seem as dark in the rooms as it did last year when I visited. There were plenty of children in desperate need of love and comfort and I immediately jumped in. First I brought four children out to the swingset where there was a swing big enough for all four of them to sit. I had them all belly laughing when I would swing them back and forth and tickle them under their arms, on their bellies and all over their necks. I wish I could have recorded the sounds of those beautiful children laughing! I met a nice young man, Chris, who is a Haitian that was volunteering at the home while on his break from medical school that he is taking over in the Domincan Republic. He was very helpful in telling me what the children were squealing on the swings, and was telling me that he is studying orthopedics. His father was an orthopedic doctor as was his grandfather. What an amazing young man!

After the swings I took over for a teammate who was struggling with a sad little guy. He was quite the spitfire I soon found out, but he really enjoyed when I took him over to the statue of Mary and started making beep noises when I touched the nose. Oh did he ever giggle! I would touch the Mary statue's nose, then his nose and make different toned noises.  It was very similar to what I do with the toddlers I work with at the Y.

At lunch time I had the privilege to feed Pierre. He was a toddler, but extremely skinny and most definitely malnourished. He ate every last bite of the food given, which was a mixture of rice and bean juice with half of an egg with it. After Pierre was finished eating I sat and snuggled with him outside and prayed for him. I prayed that God would give him a future and that he would become healthy soon and be able to do good things for himself and the people of Haiti. I knew our time was coming to a close and I also knew that walking away from that place is extremely difficult for me. I brought Pierre back inside and gave him a drink of water, washed his face, changed his diaper and laid him down in his crib. I rubbed his belly and helped him begin to fall asleep as silent tears began running down my face. It was time to go and my heart was broken. It was during this time that I began wondering, "What is God trying to teach me?" I am still reflecting on that and will hopefully learn what that is.

Stay tuned for part two about our afternoon at Gertrude's, you won't want to miss it :)

Blessings from Haiti,

Alicia