Today was Day 6 of our mission to serve in Haiti and also our second attempt at celebrating Alex's (my) birthday! After fighting off a sickness and being blessed with better health today, I was lucky enough to wake to an amazing team ready to celebrate - a team that had managed to decorate our guest house and tap tap for the occasion. God's plan couldn't have been more perfect this year for leading not just me, but this whole team to Haiti.
We started the morning traveling to Haiti Deaf Academy where we communicated in the universal language - LOVE. One person's inability to hear or speak in your language does not remove their ability to smile, laugh, or show compassion. From the moment we arrived, children of every age were all smiles. We played, had some arts and crafts time, colored, and even learned a little sign language as we spent the morning playing and having fun. We even had the opportunity to purchase some items that were created by the students themselves!
Next, we visited "Rosie's" - an ice cream & gift shop combo. So yes, we continued our trend of doing a little shopping each day supporting this growing Haitian economy, ice cream in hand. Every store we have visited has always had inspiring stories and abundant personalities behind them, and Rosie's was no exception. Every item was hand crafted by a Haitian where you could see the care and hard work that went into making it a beautiful piece of artwork. It was so easy to find joy buying some great pieces - knowing we were supporting more Haitian families.
From Rosie's we returned to Grace Village, where we spent another few hours the children - playing soccer, blowing bubbles, making some Jesus bracelets, and singing a few favorite songs (of theirs AND ours). Our team likes to hope that playing with the children there brings as much joy to the them as it does to us. Grace Village has become an incredibly special place in all of our hearts as we learn about and witness the impact it is having on the community. We know that as Grace builds up the children, they build up Haiti's future. We are so thankful to Healing Haiti and what they are doing here.
We finished off the night at Fleri Restaurant/Bakery enjoying some team fellowship and pizza, continuing to hear how the Bakery started, how it is truly flourishing - and it's exciting to know they hope to double their Haitian workforce from 25 to 50 by the end of the year. Truly another great example of job creation. The pizza was fantastic, and our Leaders (Carol, Sara & Jessica) were amazing surprising me with a Haitian made birthday cake. Was a great way to end the day.
HIS HANDS. HIS FEET. HIS WORK. HIS LOVE.
Alex (& Kristi)
Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Romans 12:10
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