I Don’t Want to ‘On,’ I Want to ‘Delay’

June 30^th, 2014 – 9:20 pm

Get it? Like ondele … I honestly don’t know how to spell that, so I apologize. Just deal with it. You know what I mean. Like, let’s go kind of …

ANYWAYS. This morning, all of us met on the rooftop before breakfast to have our devotions groups. We got into our groups and got to know each other a little better. But you know, it’s early in the morning, and I’m in a group of teenage girls… So you can guess how that went.

After that we had breakfast we all hopped on THE KING OF THE ROADS. For anyone who read last year, or has family members who went, you know how exciting that is. Literally, it’s a cantor bus that just makes life worth living. It’s all open and you get a breeze and people have to stand and it’s just… fun! Jeremy and Courtney (our interns) took us to meet up with our translators and Village Champions, and we were off to Source Matelas. I found out – and I honestly don’t remember if I knew this last year or not – but the name of the village stands for water mattress, because when Haitians originally settled there, water came up everywhere they tried to build, so they were like, sleeping on water. It was something like that at least.

We took the bus all the way up the side of a small mountain (and this time, we did NOT get stuck!) and parked on the top with the most beautiful view. The pictures we all got are sure to astound! We took a bunch of group pictures and had fun, enjoying both the view and the breeze! But the heat got a little overwhelming for some of us and we went back to the bus for shade and water. Basically the translators explained a bunch of stuff about Haiti, and more specifically their village and wanted everyone to ask questions. I think we were all dying from heat though, so Papitas didn’t really receive all the questions he was expecting.

 

After that, they took us back down the mountain and we toured Source Matelas just to see all of the water sources. It’s crazy how awkward the whole situation really is if you think about it. I mean, you’ve got thirty white people walking into a village and watching random Haitians bathe, and then going to the next place, watching more people bathe… Like, it’s weird. But they don’t seem to mind. It’s also kind of sad, because all you see is large groups of people getting drinking water, bathing and washing their clothes all from the same pool of water. It’s disgusting and rather sad. I don’t know how people live like that. But as Papitas pointed out, God must really be watching over all these people, because it’s a shock that they’re all alive. It seems like they would get sick and die out by now, but they haven’t. And thank God too, because they’re some really awesome people!

So, I don’t know if like, the village kids are over all the American people after all these years or what, because this year has seemed very different from last time. I swear, less kids are coming out to play, and those who are out are barely interested in us. It’s kind of sad when they’re basically the best part of the entire trip.

When we were at the final water source today, it was very slippery. Susan Dare actually slipped and fell! She got a rear end covered in mud. All the Haitians LOVED it. They clapped and laughed when she got back up. I swear, they love seeing us mess up or do something ridiculous. It’s like we’re entertainment.

Then we came back for lunch, which was some kind of corn mash. That’s not really what it was, but that’s kind of the idea. It was really questionable looking, but it was surprisingly good. There was also this sauce with potatoes and carrots that literally tasted like my dad’s cooking according to my sister (I didn’t have any on account of an upset stomach). Props to the cooks ‘cause my dad makes some gooood potatoes!

So, I’m going to be honest with you. I don’t know whether this next thing happened today or yesterday. Everything is kind of blurring together and I can’t keep anything straight. When you’re in a place like Haiti, teenagers find really strange ways of entertaining themselves. Thus, “What Animal Do You Look Like?” was initiated. Here’s what it comes down to:

I look like a llama.

Haley and Mike look like sloths.

Ed actually looks like Sid the Sloth from Ice Age. Minus the waddle.

Emily looks like a monkey.

The three Mac sisters look little monkeys. Like capuchins.

AshLee looks like a parrot. Probably because of the colorful eye shadow.

Evan looks like a hedgehog.

Collin looks like a turtle.

GiGi looks like panther.

Daniel for some reason got moose.

Joe looks like a chipmunk.

Seth looks like a prairie dog.

Yeah, that’s what we did for a good half hour. Likely longer.

After lunch, we went back to Source Matelas, this time breaking into smaller groups so that we could each take at least one translator and go into peoples’ houses to speak with them. Sorry for those of you who weren’t in my group… I can mostly speak for myself, although I promise to poorly share the stories I overheard.

The first house we went into, there was an adorable old woman. Well, it wasn’t really a house, it was more of a store. She sold soda and water and shoes and clothes. She was the sweetest thing ever, and it was really ironic that we went in there to evangelize to her, because she’s been a follower of Jesus for like, forty years. We actually sung happy birthday to her, stumbling over the name part – Haitian names man, impossible – because her 54^th birthday is on Thursday. She was actually very passionate, and when we went to pray for her, she actually got on her knees as we all put our hands on her. Dave prayed aloud over her as Jeffney translated. She thanked us all for coming and we were on to the next house.

The next Haitian was a very similar case. She was also an older woman, and she invited us into her house so kindly, telling us about how she also follows Jesus. This time, Susan Dare prayed for the woman, and then we were off again!

The final house we went into was the house of an elderly gentleman who was actually a tailor. He went on and on and on about his story. It was rather hilarious. He apparently came from a different country, his father kicked him out when he was 17, he came here and somehow learned how to make and fix clothes and made a name for himself. He literally made a life for himself from nothing. It was incredible. What’s even more incredible is that he has like seven kids, and some of them are in Canada and in the US!

Ok, now for other stories that I overheard. Basically some people had conversations in homes where the people promised to be at church the next day. That’s pretty cool! And another group actually went into the home of someone we all recognized from Sunday’s service. He had been singing and dancing passionately with his baby daughter in his arms. He was obviously hard to forget. But they saw him and he actually recognized a bunch of them since we had all sat around him, which was really cool. Basically, it was a cool experience for everyone. Well, cool isn’t really the right word. Nothing is ‘cool’ in Haiti.

Just like last year, today seemed to be the day people dropped like flies. People were not feeling well. I think it’s at least partially because of the insane heat. Haley, Joe, Caitlyn, Mike, Emily all stayed at ‘home’ at least once and Colleen was on a medical program all day.

Everyone kind of reconvened around dinner time which was awesome: spaghetti noodles! Loved it! After dinner, we all went up for group time. Basically all the groups that are staying on this campus got together for a little praise and worship time and different groups shared their stories from the day. One group actually reenacted their reenactment of the David and Goliath story. Apparently all the Haitian kids had loved it as the translators translated the story. Pretty amazing stuff!  

Then we got into our group of like, 34 I believe and we had our own group time. We talked about our stories from the day. Catherine told us how she was holding a little boy in one of the homes and she decided to ignore the language barrier and whispered into his ear, “God loves you.” He broke into a huge smile and she thinks he actually understood what she said. She also told us how she was missing her mother and Papitas actually lent her his iPod for the night so she could log into Facebook and get in touch with her. Ryan commented on how amazing the translators and village champions actually are for taking the first step. Sure, we get to leave in a few days, so it really doesn’t matter what they think of us, or our message, but they actually live there and will have to deal with the rewards and consequences of every encounter we have. Think about it: Would you walk around your neighborhood, knocking on the door just to talk about their life and their relationship with Jesus? Scary, isn’t it?

The teens also got some praise tonight. Ruth commended Kenzie for her prayer today at one of the houses. Apparently it was amazing, and I wish I would have been there to witness it. Melissa also pointed out Daniel about how proud she was that he decided to support a Haitian child and put them through school with his own money. Ed jumped into the conversation saying that he could barely commit to a gym membership at his age.

 

And to add to that, little Noah actually walked by Tami all day to help her walk, since her ankle is so messed up. She just held onto his shoulder. I don't think she would have made it if it wasn't for his small but very needed act of kindness.

Tami basically held a little service for us during team time as well, focusing on how we need to stop and pay attention to what God is telling us, reflect and get involved with others to hold us all accountable.

After team time, I found my soul sister. Everyone, I love Danni. She is literally the blond version of me. It’s crazy how similar we are, and I love it. It seemed like we talked forever. Random bit of info, but this is kind of my journal, and I want to be able to look back and remember! Plus I know her mom will appreciate that… Hi Kathie!

But basically everyone did what we do everyone night. We bonded, hung out, played games with each other … And best of all, we didn’t have power for like forever. I was actually terrified that we might not have it all night. I couldn’t connect to the internet, I couldn’t charge anything, there was no light and NO FANS. AGH. The terror!

Anyways. I’m done for the day guys. It was a really hot, exhausting day. Leave comments! Group members keep asking if they got new messages. Hah! Goodnight ya’ll!

Katie Coming to You from Haiti