Water Truck Day
“Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, ‘Anyone who is
thirsty may come to me! The Scriptures declare, Rivers of living water will
flow from his heart.’” John 7:37-39.
No words can describe the desperate need for clean water in Cité
Soleil. Cité Soleil is 8.4 square miles and is estimated to have around 300,000
to 500,000 people. It is considered one of the poorest and most dangerous areas
of the Western Hemisphere and is also one of the biggest slums in the Northern
Hemisphere. The mortality rate is very high due to diseases such as AIDs, or
from violence.
Our impact today was so small and yet so helpful. Our first
stop this morning was to see the water truck filling station – so many trucks
filling water to sell. What a sight to see! Through generous donations, Healing
Haiti is able to provide free water to several districts of Cité Soleil. A gift
of life – both physical and spiritual!
After our water truck was full, we headed to our first of
three stops in Cité Soleil. We took turns holding the hose, filling buckets of
water, hauling the filled buckets to the residents’ homes, and playing with the
children. They constantly wanted to be picked up and held!
There were so many people in Cité Soleil. It was humbling to
see their living conditions. They don’t have much, but they’re resilient and do
what they can with what they have…what a beautiful thing to play a small part in
their everyday lives.
Between water truck stops we met the children at Hope
School, which is a school recently started by Healing Haiti. They have 70+
kindergarteners who are sponsored by donors. The children are adorable and so
joyful! “Souri” (Creole for smile) is a great word to sum up our experience at
Hope School.
Fleri Farm was our last stop of the day. Fleri farm is owned
and operated by Healing Haiti and is one way they provide jobs for Haitians. Healing
Haiti’s Purpose Statement is “The world is a better place when families are
strengthened.” The organization does as much as they can to help Haitians help
themselves so they can keep their families together.
We capped off the evening with a worship session with all
three mission teams here this week. It was awesome to meet new people and sing
together. What a blessing to be able to openly worship in such a beautiful
place! Although this was not one of our song selections for the evening, the
song “Overwhelmed” by Big Daddy Weave sums up our day. Here are a few phrases:
I see the work of Your Hands
Galaxies spin in a Heavenly dance
All that You are is so overwhelming
I hear the sound of Your Voice
All at once it’s a gentle and thundering noise oh God
All that You are is so overwhelming
I delight myself in You
Captivated by Your beauty
I’m overwhelmed, I’m overwhelmed by You…
Blessings to all of you reading our blog. We hope you will join hands
with Healing Haiti if you have not already done so.
Take care!
~Nora
