There is plenty to write about these days. I promise you there is no shortage of thoughts, feelings, or occassions to be expressed. However, I am fully aware that over a month has passed since I traveled to Haiti and I have yet to write about it. So I am reeling in my wandering thoughts for the time being and digging out my mission journal which has been neglected so unfairly.

Each day I journaled some about what we did and what I saw and thought about and thanks to the accountability of my best friend, wrote a poem every day.  So here’s some excerts from my actual journal and the poems which were all inspired by this trip. (I’ll break them into separate posts so as not to cover the whole trip in one post). I believe I wrote about the first day while there, so you can check the archives for that.

Day 2-

the journey is prettier than the destination. Beautiful mountains and breath-taking sunrise. As we drive closer to Haiti, it’s becoming less green and more dusty with more overwhelming poverty evident.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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No Man’s Land-  stuck in No Man’s Land (between the DR and Haiti border) for a while now. The government people won’t let us through. Had to go in and get passports stamped and pay bribes, but they still won’t let us through. Little kids keep tapping on my window so we’ve had to hide all the food in the car to keep from attracting more. Trying to ignore them, but it goes against my heart to turn away.

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Beautiful scenery but desolate lives. The streets are jarringly bumpy and there are people living all down the streets in make-shift shanties made mostly of scrap metal and tarps nailed to propped up sticks. Children are wading in the rivers fishing with string. Some seem to be working so hard to earn a buck while other seem to have given up and are literally lying on the side of the road. But these are the normal lives, totally unrelated to the earthquake. We haven’t reached the destruction quite yet.

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Village of Hope- Just passed a camp with a sign “Village of Hope”. A community of tarp tents with razorwire surrounding it. Doesn’t exactly fit any description of hope I’ve ever heard.

Beginning to see some visible signs of destruction in the few concrete buildings that exist here. I can’t tell if it from the earthquake or just general poverty.

I feel like we’re playing chicken with every car on the road. There are no road lines and no rules about which side you have to drive on so most everyone drives straight down the middle and sometimes i wonder if they’re gonna make room when we approach. Usually they wait until the last second. And I thought American drivers were crazy..

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We made it to the compound in time for lunch. Got settled into cots and house and immediately set to work. Its unbelievably hot and I could feel the effects of dehydration. I set the cornerstone for the tent pad foundations and began to lay the foundation of cement blocks. Very tedious work having to level the actual ground by hand and then lay the bricks all level. Wanted to break the leveler in half a few times because I just knew it was wrong.

I am no boyscout, but I learned how to start a fire in the fire pit. That was pretty nifty until all of the trash and underbrush was up in flames and I was stuck in the 5 foot hole with the flames.

Now I’m very tired, hot, sweaty, hungry, and thirsty. Looking forward to a good night’s rest tonight..

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Took a trip in the Range Rover to take Stepheneson, a Haitain volunteer, back to his refugee camp.

Although these people are living in cardboard, tarps, tents and scrap metal, the people seem friendly enough. We spent some time at the small orphanage there. The little kids were so cute. They sang Father Abraham and This is the Day in both English and Creole.

We seem to be done for the day as it is getting dark (beautiful sunset). I haven’t heard any word about dinner so I’m not sure what we’re supposed to do for the rest of the evening. I hope we get to go out and do stuff this week with the orphanage or a health clinic or something. I’m getting the feeling we may be doing labor on the compound all week though, cuz there is a ton to do.

Razorwire Hope

We guard our hope in fences
Chainlink fence with razorwire
We build high our self-defenses
Keeping a safe distance from the fire

Show me some hope with an open door
Trade the Keep Out for a welcome mat
Real hope that believes and assures
Yeah, let me come to know that

Faith can move mountains
And love is the greatest of all
But in the center, hope remains
We must tear down its walls

Show me some hope with an open door
Trade the Keep Out for a welcome mat
Real hope that believes and assures
Yeah, let me come to know that.

Take down the fences, take down the fences
Your hope is defenseless, so take down the fences.