Sunday, July 1, 2018

Final Team Blog - Nokken Parent Child Trip 2018


Blog for Sunday, July 1st



Sunday – a day of rest.   For the team, a bittersweet mix of much-needed time for relaxation; with an understanding that our serving time with the orphanages and Cite Soleil water stops is done.   We had some surprises today – a late change resulted in missing our church service, and another stop was unsuccessful due to the timing impact.    But, this team didn’t miss a beat and still had a wonderful day.  Wahoo Beach provides an amazing reminder of the beauty and possibility of Haiti.   White sand, beautiful water, green hills partially covered in mist, and plenty to do (jetskis, snorkeling, trampolines, freshwater pool, etc.).    Great times, and the travel there and back was shortened by good company and a lot of laughter, along with SIGNS game of course.

The last 24 hours brings to mind an overarching thought (courtesy of Scott):   the human condition is common.    We had a great time “salsa dancing” (quotations used to denote the fact that Jean is really the only one truly salsa dancing) and visiting the Elite hotel.  A wedding party was at the hotel as well.   Eating, dancing, enjoying each other’s company, and celebrating the love of a new marriage.    Today, we saw families relaxing at the beach: kids playing, parents scolding, people laughing.   Earlier in the week, we saw the pure joy in young eyes from simple pleasures, kids seeking comfort and rest sleeping in laps, sport competition (mostly futbol), pain, the struggles of advanced age balanced by grace and strong spirits.    In many ways, this is what Jesus nailed better than anyone before or since: how to perfect the human condition throughout life, no matter what it brings.  

What a great week for this team – so many different people coming together and forming permanent bonds.   Thank you to everyone whose hard work makes this possible – the nearly 200 Haitian employees of Healing Haiti, the long-term missionaries serving so faithfully here, and our wonderful team leaders!   

Mike