Beach Day: May 26th

Today, Saturday, the GLA staff took us to a private beach 3 hours away from the orphanage! The GLA staff only takes this beach trip once a year and they don’t always take volunteers, so we felt very privileged to be able to go! We left GLA around 6:00 a.m. and started the trek to the coast. One of the staff members, George, and his wife drove us in a van. I was so glad we were able to ride with George because he is a funny guy and a good driver! He and his wife also know a lot of history about Haiti which also made the trip interesting. I thought I’d be able to sleep on the drive but the roads were very bad for the majority of the trip. Plus we drove through some really interesting parts of Haiti so it was impossible to sleep because I just wanted to take in everything.

Once we got out of Port Au Prince we drove through a more wealthy area of Haiti. Honestly, it didn’t look that much different from Port Au Prince to me, but there were less people on the streets and the goods being sold on the side of the road seemed nicer. We then drove through a much poorer area of Haiti where tent cities were still located. Tent cities are literally just huge areas of tents that Haitians live in now after their homes had been destroyed in the earthquake. Some of the tents consisted of tin but still the enclosures were small and they looked very ragged. It breaks my heart knowing that even though the earthquake occurred in 2010, Haitian families continue to live in these tent cities. I couldn’t imagine living in a tent for 2 years…let alone living in a tent with small children or elderly people.

 It is so unfortunate and unfair that in Haiti there are so many people living in extreme poverty, while a very tiny portion of the population lives in excess. How does a Haitian child stand a chance without food, water, or parents? Even with the basic necessities (food, water, and love) how can these children be expected to break the cycle of poverty when they have no opportunities or resources to further their education or obtain a decent job? GLA is doing an amazing thing for many of these children by protecting and nurturing them and connecting them with families who can provide the love and opportunities they so deserve. They also help prevent poverty by providing excellent paying job opportunities for the Haitian community. Despite the awesome ministry GLA is providing in Haiti, there are still many more children and families who need help. My heart aches for them…I wish there was a way to quickly heal Haiti and stop the cycle of poverty; but I know that it is not that easy and it will take time for Haiti to recover and thrive. I know God is in control…I pray that He will put the children/orphans of Haiti in the hearts of more people worldwide so that more people will feel called to serve here. Haiti is just so different than the United States...I can’t even begin to explain how different it is. I am beginning to realize that I take so much for granted in the U.S. I’ve never completely understood how blessed we are to have been born into a free country with ample opportunities until now. Even though our healthcare system is very flawed…I am so grateful for it now that I have seen Haiti. If someone had a heart attack in the U.S. they would be immediately treated and taken to the nearest hospital by ambulance. If someone had a heart attack in Haiti…there may not be anyone around with a phone…the ambulance probably wouldn’t be able to get to person even if they were called…and health insurance is too expensive to afford so most Haitians could not afford to be treated even if they made it to the hospital. It is very sad…but I know God has more in store for Haiti than this and I know He will use His people to revive Haiti.

 Anyways, I got sidetracked from the original purpose of this entry. We went to the beach for the entire day…it was a private beach club. It was interesting to see the difference between the Haitians visiting the beach club and the Haitians I had seen a day earlier. Honestly I felt pretty guilty for being at the beach while in Haiti but all the staff members at GLA deserve a break once a year and it was a really good time! I got badly sunburned though. I think I may have 2^nd degree burns on my shoulders…they look really bad and blistery and hurt miserably when anything touches them. I’ll survive though…nothing a little aloe and a lot of solarcaine can’t cure. Haiti has a very beautiful ocean though and I took some amazing pictures of it. Some of the GLA staff members were talking about how people should vacation to these beach clubs in Haiti to stimulate the economy. Some of the volunteers I was with said the beach/ocean in Haiti was even more beautiful than Hawaii. The water was clear and sparkly…the only issue with vacationing in Haiti would be the airport…maybe once they get that fixed we could sell the idea better J

   I’ll end this entry by sharing a story and one of the thoughts I had on the drive home from the beach. As we were driving through a very busy and poor area of Haiti on the way home from the beach there was a little boy (he couldn’t have been more than 7 years old) wiping down cars as they passed by for money. He started to clean our car but none of us had cash on us so we told him to stop but he wouldn’t…he just kept trying to clean. George explained to us that these little boys were managed by either an older group of children or adults and they were severely punished if they did not bring in enough money at the end of the day. Punishments often ranged from not getting dinner to being beaten. We gave the boy some food we had in the car but I was still worried about his safety. I’ve been trying to pray for him every night. Can you imagine being a child forced to work and being severely punished if you did not produce enough? I sure can’t. What a scary and dark way to live. I know that things like this happen everywhere but it still blows my mind whenever I see it.

Being so tenderhearted has major disadvantages when it comes to this journey…everything gets to me much more than I imagined it would. I think I will toughen up eventually. I imagine that if I had been born in Haiti, my life would have been considerably different than it is right now. I don’t understand how God decides where a child will be born and what family they will be born into…but I believe that God has a plan for each and every child here in Haiti and I pray that He will watch over and care for every last one of them. Thanks for all the love and prayers…I miss you all!