Fifteen new high-school graduates arrived yesterday in Haiti. I forgot how full of life and excitement teens are. (The last group was all juniors and seniors in college.) After an introductory talk about Haiti and the mission, off we went to Arc Tent City. What a way to start the mission week!
A mobile clinic with Doc Mario was taking place. Our job: To keep the kids entertained! After a few minutes of awkwardness, the missionaries started to loosen up and soon we had jump ropes, Duck Duck Goose, and a couple of hand-shake games going on. It took them about 15 minutes and suddenly they were all surrounded by children wanting to just hold hands, embrace them or walk along with them.
After a couple of hours we had a “mission”: To deliver four of the 10 beds made last week. We didn’t know what was coming. 97-degree weather, uphill and four heavy wooden beds to deliver, all while being followed by 20 kids.
Walking uphill on a busy road was hard but okay. Then we took a turn and arrived at the top part of the Tent City and the challenge began. Narrow, rocky and steep pathways. The first family to get a bed was Shiranda, a 4th grader at the school and her three siblings. The smiles on their faces when they saw us coming were priceless. What about us? The smiles were fading away when we entered the hut, a two-by-two fairly empty tent with only a few pots and pans, some clothes hanging around, and that was it. No chairs, no tables, no desks, nothing, nothing at all!
We needed to continue. With three more beds to be delivered, the excitement was wearing off. Walking through the Tent City carrying those beds was shocking. We could barely walk; the tents were so close together, kids coming out from everywhere, women sitting down doing laundry with one bucket of water, clothes lines from tent to tent.
Misery, abandonment, destitution…all those words where coming to my mind. My heart heard again those words from my first trip back in 2010: “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” So much suffering, so much pain, so much to take that it hurts.
That plea of Christ resounded again and again: “I Thirst”. I thirst for justice, for mercy, for generosity, for help!
Here I am, Lord! Can’t do much, but I can do one thing: Love and help these young girls to do likewise. Once again I lay down my life for you, my Lord, and commit once more to satisfy Your Thirst.
