Student Day 4 // Grace village and Elderly Visits!

Robby // Eagerness 

Lydia // Lindor 

Skylar // Communication 

Tyra // Cling 

Annika //  Life 

Michael // Growth 

Sara //  Acceptance 

Megan // Content 

Soph // Perspective 

Gabrielle // Beauty 

Chris //  Development 

Sophia // Feeling 

Mitch // Shalom 

Steph // Justice 

Lea // Compassion 

Austin // Pray 

Grace // Vulnerable

Today, although less hectic and more focused, was deeply meaningful. First, we visited Grace Village, a Healing Haiti community home to 39 children. It provides many needed services for these children and their families, including daily meals, school, a family home setting, clinic, bakery, fishery, and garden. They are most interested in empowering the Haitians and have thoughtfully considered all aspects of their organization. For example, if a child is brought into Grace Village, get an education, and return to their families, that child's brothers or sisters also get an education paid for by Grace Village. It is amazing how focused they are in the importance of family structure for the transformation of society. Personally, my favorite moment was when our tour guide, Solomon, showed us the recently built library containing 6,000 donated books. They were in French, Creol, and English. After that, we went out of the school and the other Healing Haiti group (who were much more enthusiastic than us) took a group picture. Our group felt obliged to take one as well, so Solomon snapped a photo of us in front of the beautiful shoreline. 

After that we went to visit elders. The first person we visited was named Eliphant. We went over to her house and started washing her feet and giving her massages. I gave her a back massage, and could feel her breathe deeply with emotion. She was very frail and bony, but happy. The other two elders we visited were Meme and Lindor. They loved the music we played with the keyboard, and neighbors gathered in the houses and were happy for them. When Lindors nails were cut he said now I look like a Christian and everybody thought it was hilarious. He has 3 goats and they all are named the Creole word for God, which I thought was super cool. 

After we visited the elders we went to the ocean to baptize me ( Sophia K). It was a beautiful experience. The only thing that I wish was different is that I wish my mother was there to see it. I was dedicated to Jesus, but never baptized because my mom (Shoutout to Joanna) wanted me to do it when I felt most on fire for God. I had this gut feeling that that moment would come here and it did. Lea and I planned ways to make it possible to do it here. We even concidered bringing a blowup kiddy pool if we had to. Lea and Grace came in the water with me and with the searing temparatures, the cool water felt that much better. I went in my thrift store Hatian looking dress and it was AWESOME! Haiti isn't what you think it is. It's a bittersweet place you can never fully describe without being there, and I'm blessed to be able to come here. Merci Jesus <3