If I had to describe my first day in one word it would be comfort. Going into this I was a little unsure of what to expect going to a third world country. I was a little nervous about what it would be like when we first arrived. I prayed about it during the plane ride that God would give us peace and he definitely did. When we got to Haiti, right away I could tell that God was with us and I knew that everything would be okay. Everything fell into place and suddenly we all knew what we were doing. It was really fun riding around Haiti in the tap-tap observing Port-au-Prince and seeing all of these Hatian people who have nothing, yet they still wear a smile on their face. Once we got to Guest House 2 (around 5pm), we were welcomed by a couple of stray dogs and our loving staff for the week. They prepared a delicious Haitian meal for dinner. We then had team time as we talked about our favorite child hood memories. We were then invited to play a game of soccer with local kids. We got our butts whooped. They're pretty good! Overall, our day today was really comforting and God definitely moved through all of us. All of the Hatian people we encountered today were very accepting and they were all excited to hang out with us. It was really fun seeing kids wave and smile at us and randomly come up to us and introduce themselves and they would just love on you even though they have never seen us before. God definitely did a lot today and it wasn't even a full day. Thankfully he brought us here safely and we are all really excited to see what God has in store for us this week. Prayers are appreciated! We will keep you guys posted throughout the week!
Devon's word of the day: Everyday
Today, I learned what today means to Haitians. After we had passed through customs and baggage claim in Haiti's compact airport, we were bombarded by men whose regular everyday life is asking people if they need help with their bags in order to earn tips. After we got our bags into the tap-tap, we crammed ourselves in the truck-like vehicle and started our first drive through Haiti. Crowds of people lined the streets, and as my team member, Emily, said, "every hour is rush hour." Turning a corner revealed one-armed men standing on the median looking for donations. They were used to the rhythm of heat and honking as though they did it everyday.
Later today, after a delicious meal cooked by our Haitian staff, much of our team went outside to play soccer with the neighborhood kids. Ally and I headed up to the rooftop of Guesthouse 2 to watch for a while. The rooftop provided an amazing view of everyday life for this country. Houses were built up the sides of hills and mountains, crammed together to provide as much housing in as little space as possible. I stood in shock at the unfinished appearance of their cement and mortar houses. There was trash laying around the yard where the kids were playing soccer. Yet every single one of them was so happy that these new American acquaintances wanted to play with them.
One of my prayer requests for this week was that God would show me or teach me something new. Within a few hours of arriving in Haiti, He showed me that today or everyday to a little Haitian girl has a completely different meaning to me. To her, a smile means the world, when, sometimes, I'll ignore a smile, if I'm grumpy or not paying attention. The initial impact of Haiti has made me so excited to see what else God has in store for us.
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