Day 1! (Tuesday)

We started out today pumped and ready to go! Today was a split day, so half our team went to Home for Sick and Dying Babies and the other half went to Dari's Orphanage for the Disabled. I went to Dari's which was such an amazing experience. My last trip, we didn't have enough time to visit any orphanages for the disabled so I was super pumped this morning. Sleep wise we were all up early, probably from the excitement, heat, or just adjusting in general to Haiti. By the way, it's really hot here. Temperature wise it's not so much, but it's the humidity that kills you. So we hopped on our tap-tap with frozen water bottles and tied up sleeves. We said goodbye to half our team who left for babies while we drove on to Dari's. The first word that comes to mind now when I think of Dari's is loud. One girl in particular expressed herself in screaming at the top her lungs. She had a great laugh though. Some of the disabilities there included paralysis, visually impaired and other forms of disabilities. I think one of the harder things to see was how a child who looked seven was actually a twelve year old. I helped carry around a sweet girl with the biggest smile who seemed older than me. Her name was Nalta and she was paralyzed waist down. Towards the end of Dari's we got some of their wheelchairs out and brought them around the small courtyard. We also brought tons of musical instruments which started a full half-hour of loud worship led by Franzie, a 20 year old blind man who loves to clap. After Dari's we had a small break before we joined with the rest of our team. In the afternoon we went to Lapharre Orphanage. All of us kids created a good shepherd outline with activities and snacks for the kids. The activities went well, we only lost two pairs of scissors. Overall the kids were excited and the majority were patiently waiting their turns. After our good shepherd activities, we grabbed the parachute and jump ropes to play with the kids. Somehow we ended the day with arm wresting competitions before leaving back to the guest house. Overall, I feel that we were all stretched in some ways, giving us a good idea about how the rest of the week is going to be!

Posted by Abby Schroeder

First Day Serving

Today was our first day serving in Haiti and we went to the home of sick and dying babies. Not knowing what to expect it ended up being such an inspirational experience. Crib after crib these babies were laying there or crying just wanting to be loved and held, which is exactly what we did. The first baby that I was drawn to was a little girl who looked about three months old, when really I found out she was eight months old. Every time I'd lay this baby down she would cry and cry longing to just be held a little longer. Another young girl who was four had just been received in two days before we arrived it was heart wrenching because she sat by the door crying for her "mama." This was really eye opening because she didn't if or when they would ever come back. There were a few babies receiving IV's for malnutrition which showed us the seriousness of the situations in Haiti. This was such an amazing experience and it was so hard to leave there without wanting to take them with you. God is sure doing amazing things in that environment because the love is so strong and evident.
- Emily Leibke