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| Successful first day of serving! |
Hello, this is Jaycie Gerding here:) I am 20 years old and this is my first trip to Haiti and wow has it been quite the experience in just two short days. Today our mission was serving the people in Cite Soleil, where we would deliver water to the poorest villages with a water truck. Man, was this experience eye opening. We roll up into a certain village in our "tap tap" and kids surround the vehicle smiling, yelling, screaming "hey you". You would never tell by some of their faces that they are in such awful poverty. As I got out of the truck, there were multiple kids just begging to be held. It was very hard for me to even turn one kid down. The want for love there is extreme and that is all I decided to show today; love. As I was holding my first kid, the village was playing a powerful song by Celion Dione and I couldnt help but let the tears flow. It was a beautiful, God sent moment. I know I was meant to be here. Not only was I making a small difference in their lives, they were making a huge one in mine. Young boys kissing my cheek, girls holding my hand; at one time I had five kids fighting for a spot on my lap. I hope that paints a picture of desperation for love. As you gave it to them, they showed it right back with their beautiful faces. While all that mayhem is going on, the water truck is distributing water into the hundreds of buckets the people bring out. If you saw the look on their face and the effort they made to get the water, you would realize how scarce it all really is. This isn't a game. Even people getting violent... this is real. You don't know how real, until you experience it first hand. They live day by day off of things we can "hopefully" provide them. A lot of times we do not realize how fortunate we are... taking our love for granted, the water we have for granted, the unlimited supply of food.. taken all for granted. These Haitian people cherish every bit of that, with the tiny bit they have... and STILL have a smile on their face. Why do I get sad about a boy? Why do I care so much about the best thing to do this weekend? Why is there any drama between friends? I am done taking things for granted. I will love til I die, because at the end of the day, that is all that really matters. A little love goes a long way. Having a heart goes a long way.
Sidenote: *Sydney wore her sunscreen Kathy Borys.. she says she loves you!
* I miss my family but the love I feel here is undeniable.
* Our team has grown so much in just two shorts days.
* I already know I'm coming back here.
Goodnight <3
