Church service began at 10am this morning which somehow translates to waking up at 6:30 to my dad. Despite the early start to the day, the service inside the church was wonderful. The music was my favorite part of the service. I have no clue what they were singing but they sang with such passion you couldn't help but be in awe.
Willem had asked a few members of the team to share a message at the church and my dad was one of them. My dad was nervous due to the fact that Willem didn't ask him until this morning if he'd share. My dad was able to scramble up the shortest sermon I've ever heard from him, but he still did an excellent job. You could tell he had done this before as he and Willem had an excellent back and forth rythm as they both stood at the altar. It took a moment for the whole scene in front of me to sink in my brain. I was watching my dad preach (with the help of a translator) at a church in Haiti. NEVER in my life would I have thought that sentence would've been possible. Right now at this point in his life, he is the happiest I've ever seen him. He has a personality now that draws people to him and I know it's because of how happy he has become. I am incredibly proud of him.
After the church service Willem took us to see Port-au-Prince. He took us to the "tent city" which is located in one of the poorest parts in all of Haiti. Words and pictures will never be able to capture what I witnessed. The first thing you notice is the smell. Raw sewage is not something you can describe, either you know what that smell is like or you don't. This smell is suffocating. It fills up your nose all the way into your lungs. You want to open your mouth to help you breathe, but then you are afraid you will almost be able to "taste" it if you do. The river/stream that ran through this place was all raw sewage. People's homes were built next to this river. You couldn't escape this smell as we drove through. The next thing I noticed was the amount of people living there. They were everywhere. One lady said she had a family of 8 living inside her tent with her, the tent was big enough to fit maybe 3 somewhat comfortably. Goats, dogs, and chickens wandered the streets and inbetween homes. Piles of garbage laid beside houses and tents. There were over 60,000 people living in these conditions. Kids would come up to the truck holding their stomach and pointing to their mouths asking for food. We were given very strict orders to NOT give anyone food while we drove through the town. If one person tried to give someone food, it could literally cause a riot.
We had all been cracking jokes and talking on our way through the city, but when we drove through tent city, the mood in the truck changed. A silence fell over everyone in our truck. It was a feeling we all shared and it swallowed all of us up. Heartache. That feeling of helplessnes as we witnessed how some people have to live. It makes you feel guilty and grateful at the same time. It is a feeling that I hope I will never forget. Seeing this unbelievable amount of poverty is something I'm glad I was able to experience, even if it was one of the most difficult things I've ever seen.
After leaving tent city we drove around the areas of Port-au-Prince that were hit hardest by the earthquake. It looked like a war zone. Buildings were in shambles, debris and rubble littered the streets and sidewalks, yet the people of Haiti were still going. There were no clean up crews or heavy machinery aiding with the recovery, just men using wheelbarrows, pick axes, and shovels. They were doing what they could with what supplies they had at their disposal.
Thankfully we were able to end the day trip on a positive note, although it was bittersweet. We stopped by an orphanage ran by a woman who had translated at the clinic during the week. I'm a sucker for kids. I had been looking forward to visiting the orphanage all week long. After seeing the things we saw earlier that day, I think everyone was excited about seeing the kids. The orphanage was home to 6 children ranging from newborn to somewhere inbetween 1-2 years old. Before the earthquake, there were close to 20 children living there, but after the quake the process was expedited and more than half had found a home. One little guy and I became buddies. I feel terrible that I never found out his name. He was between 1-2 years old and had just received some peanut butter crackers from a member of our team. He was sitting on my dad's lap but he made his way over and found a spot on mine. I think the real reason he moved was so that he could get closer to the tv to watch his cartoons, but in my head I like to think it was because he liked me more than dad. (jk pops) He sat there letting me hold him while he was watching Tom and Jerry on the tv. After he'd finish a cracker, he had these big eyes that would look up at me letting me know he was ready for the next one.
When Willem told us it was time to go, I told the little guy I'd come back to visit him and I handed him the remaining crackers. I picked him up off my lap and stood him to the left of me so that I could get up. As soon as his feet hit the floor he came back over and sat on my lap before I could get up. It was one of the sweetest gestures that has ever happened to me. It was one of those things that only kids can do. Kids can't always express themselves verbally, but they can do little things that will melt your heart. I may be blowing it out of proportion, but it meant a lot to me. I was a stranger, someone he had only just met, but he was comfortable enough with me that he wanted to be on my lap. (the food probably helped) I have no children of my own but it's little moments like that I'm looking forward to experiencing the most.
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