I want to share a few things from our trip to Haiti this past weekend. We were only there from Thursday afternoon through Sunday morning, so it was a quick one. But, honestly we could have stayed 2 weeks and it would have been too quick.
When we arrived in Port au Prince on Thursday afternoon, Jesula ran to me, yelled “Popi”, and grabbed me, and I mean grabbed me, and would not let go for what seemed like 10 minutes. That moment alone was worth the cost of the entire trip. It took Jesula a little while to turn her attention to Shawna, who she had never met. But soon enough they were like two peas in a pod. We spent Thursday evening with our gracious friends Ricot and Mona at his home in Tabbar. Ricot brought Jesula down from the orphanage in the mountains to the city to see us when we arrived. Mona cooked a wonderful dinner of chicken, beans, rice, potatoes, plantains, and slaw. After dinner, the three of us spent the rest of the evening trying on new clothes, playing, laughing, and just spending time together.
Friday morning we took a road trip to visit the Christ the Redeemer Savane Pistache Church and School. Our home church is supporting this church in rebuilding their facility which was destroyed in the earthquake. I was there back in August, so it was great to see the kids again. They were so excited to see us and they look so good in the new uniforms we provided them.
Friday afternoon, after picking up our wonderful friends, Kevin Rudd and Lorie Johnson at the airport, we headed to the orphanage in the small mountain community of Camatin. Jesula was very unhappy that we were going back to the orphanage. She had enjoyed having peace and quiet and better food in Tabbar. She also does not travel well in the truck. With all of that she was quiet most of the day and not nearly as affectionate, particularly with me. Of course that worried Shawna and I. Kevin and Lorie reassured us everything would be fine. We trusted God's plan, and in retrospect we think He wanted us to see all of her emotions as part of the learning and bonding process. That first evening in the orphanage was great. There are 26 girls there that are all so sweet and starved for attention. We played and chased after kids all evening. Jesula gave many of the snacks we had given her to the other girls. In bed that evening, Shawna fell asleep early, but Jesula and I played with my droid. We recorded the sweetest videos of her singing. She can sing "God of Wonders" in English, word for word. She has the most beautiful voice too! We laughed in bed for a couple of hours before she finally fell asleep.
Saturday morning, we took a small group to visit the remote mountain village of Coq Chante, nestled high above the city of Jacmel. This was an emotional time for many reasons. There is a memorial grave site there for Mona's husband, Pastor Nicolas Louis Juste. His life work was the Poor Children’s Assistance Project, that his son Ricot now facilitates. This project oversaw a church, school, and orphanage in Coq Chante. Atanie, a beautiful 4-year old girl, and the youngest of 18 little girls living there, was killed when the orphanage collapsed during the earthquake. Lorie, who was in the process of adopting Atanie, was our guide for the day. I encourage you to take the time to visit Atanie's Hope website (link on the bottom right of this page) and read the entire story. While in Coq Chante, we also walked down a little path to the edge of some woods to meet Onise's family. Onise is being adopted by our dear friends, Stacy and Sara Cox. Meeting Onise's mother and five siblings, seeing the tiny, remote, one room shack they live in, and then praying over them was surreal.
We returned to the orphanage around mid-day to meet Jesula's grandmother. Jesula's parents are deceased and her grandmother raised her the last few years. She left Jesula in the orphanage full time in January of 2010 following the earthquake. It was emotional and wonderful to meet her grandmother. She had apparently walked there to meet us. Jesula seemed happy to see her and gave her some food that we had brought as well as a new pair of shoes. We made a few pictures and had a nice time together. My next blog post will be in regards to Cite Soleil where Jesula grew up.
Saturday afternoon we loaded up 26 orphans and made a trip down the mountain to the beach in Jacmel. As soon as we got there Jesula ran to the beach, yelled "Poppy, Poppy, look", and wrote her name in the sand. While playing in the ocean, she had a little ball and would throw it and we would race to see who could get to it first. She would sneak up behind me and poke me in the back and giggle so loud. Jesula was so happy. We treated the girls to a wonderful meal under an ocean side pavilion. For a couple hours, all of the chaos and brokenness in Haiti seemed to fade away, drowned out by the sound of laughter and playing. We played in the ocean with them and watched them sing as they splashed and danced. It was truly a time to remember.
That evening back at the orphanage, we handed out donated gift bags, dolls, and clothes that we brought. It was amazing to see how excited they were by things that we take for granted. We had a nice dinner that included chicken, beans, rice and plantains. When Jesula finished eating we excused her from the table. She gave us a kiss on the cheek and we assumed she went to play. We socialized around the table for a little while. About 8 PM we went up stairs to find Jesula sound asleep on the bed. Shawna and I were exhausted from the day so we turned in as well.
Sunday morning we had to leave about 7 AM to make the 3 hour drive to the Port au Prince airport for our return flight home. Shawna and I were up about 5 AM and prayed and watched the sunrise on the roof top. We finally woke Jesula up about 6 AM and she rewarded us with a beautiful smile. She and Shawna had girly time in the bathroom getting ready. Jesula put on a pretty white top, skirt, and white shoes, as she was going to church after we left. She was so beautiful. We made a few "photos", shared several hugs and tears, and then just like that, it was time to leave.
Seeing Jesula on Thursday afternoon when we arrived was one of the best moments of my life. Leaving Jesula on Sunday morning was one of the toughest moments of my life. In between was the fastest, most emotional, truly wonderful, 63 hours anyone could ever experience. And for that I praise God.
The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. Psalm 126:3
