Totino-Grace Day 5

bòn nwi! We have had such an amazing day today. As we settle in for a good night’s rest, we thought we’d update you on our adventures.

 

This morning we woke up at 5:30 (yes, you heard that right, your kids woke up at 5:30) and headed to a nondenominational church called Church on the Rock. There, we got to experience a type of worship none of us had ever seen—the Haitian people walked around, sang, and hardly sat at all during the sermon. It was truly amazing getting to see a different culture express their faith in such a unique form.

After service, we walked back to our guest house, and it was perfect weather. When we arrived back, we ate a pancake breakfast and prepared ourselves for a big day—water truck day.

Getting into our neon green shirts and hopping on the taptap, we were full of excitement and anxiousness for the day to come. We stopped at a total of 3 spots, and with the help of a large water truck, delivered water to the people of City Soleil, the poorest slum in Haiti. Immediately, we were greeted by “Hey you! Hey you!” by all the kids, and the second we got off that taptap, they all shouted “Porte me!” which means lift me up. It was like none of them had ever been held before—they didn’t want to let go. Sometimes, we were holding 4 children at a time on our shoulders, back, and one in each hand.  We sang songs and played with them, while also carrying buckets to homes. It was both amazing and exhausting. We also got to see the ocean from the pier. It was equally devistating and beautiful, as there was a lot of trash and poverty within the stunning blue water.

 

After our day of serving, we got a tour of Fleri Farm, a farm created by Healing Haiti. We not only got to see plantain, mango, and coconut trees, but also got to drink the fresh water from the coconuts.

To end our day, we ate a delicious Haitian meal of rice, stew, chicken, and plantains made by the women in the guest house.

 

Superlatives of the day:

 

Most likely to successfully hold seven kids at once: Eric

Most likely to accidentally tell a little Haitian girl that Gabby and Mr Morcomb are her mom and dad and then just go with it: Alani

Most likely to be a strong advocate for socks and keens: Tom

Most likely to become a firefighter: Henry

Most likely to meet a town of “Sarah’s” in Haiti: Sarah

Most likely to accidentally BE the grounds of a fight: Jake

Most likely to be mimicked by a little Haitian boy: Nicole

Most likley to join a Haitian village and move to Haiti: Ellie

Most likely to be an ozzy osborn doppleganger: Natalya

Most likely to be called an elephant: Noah

Most likely to burst out in a Creole Christian song: Grace

Most likely to choke on water on the tap tap: Lauryn

Most likely to become a photographer for Ozzy Osburn adverstising Nutella: Kate