Haiti - Day 4 (Wednesday)

Our entire team agreed that Wednesday was the best day so far.  I think a big part of it was the cloud cover that kept the sun off of us for most of the day, but it was also the interaction we had with the children and the families in the community we're helping.  We went back to a shelter we put up Tuesday to finish installing the bunks and found some kids playing soccer in the adjacent field.  Don was the first to drop his tool belt and join in.  Rick and I followed right behind him and we had the most fun you could possibly have in Haiti.  We were all amazed to see kids playing soccer barefoot on this small field with rocks scattered everywhere, but they still showed us up.

When the game died down, the kids all gathered around Don for a break and Rick got to tell them all how God made them and how God's son Jesus loves them.  We were encouraged because it wasn't the first time most of them had heard that message.  Overall, Haiti has been well evangelized through the years.  Everything from big trucks to buildings along the road are plastered with creative designs that incorporate God in some way.  My favorite was the ATM labeled "P. Eternale Banc," P for "Pere" or Father, "Eternale" for...well, you get the idea.

After the Bible story, our local friend Reggie led the kids in a song; I even heard Don singing.  He shared later that evening that he was particularly moved by a seven year old boy we met named Baba.  We learned that Baba's father had left a long time ago, and that his mother had been killed when the poorly assembled shack they lived in collapsed during a storm.  Baba lifted his shirt to show us the scar where it seemed something had punctured his side in that accident.  Now he just follows the other kids around the village and the community takes care of him.  His story was especially relevant because we are building shelters for families whose homes have been destroyed.  I imagine that the structures we're building now might have withstood the storm that killed Baba's mother.

Baba is in the white shirt under Don's left arm.

You can see all of the pictures from Thursday by going HERE.