DAY ONE: Greetings from Port-au-Prince! Our flights were a bit delayed, but we all made it. After more than 12 hours traveling we were happy to arrive at Wall’s International Guest House, where we are lodging. For all the missionaries, this is their first mission trip here. Our staff, Fr. Thomas Murphy, LC, Katelyn Moroney and Marial Corona have been here several times.
We had some time to settle in our rooms and start organizing all the supplies we brought – our families and friends have been very generous. Then we had supper, followed by an introductory talk where we learned about Haiti, and about our work here as missionaries; we were invited to greet all people we meet with respect and seek to encounter them where they are. The day finished with the Celebration of the Eucharist. We are ready for a good night’s sleep so we are fresh for our service tomorrow at the Children’s Home.
Please, keep us in your prayers, and know that we have you in ours!
DAY TWO: We had a wonderful first day at the Children’s Home. The Children’s Home is a place run by the Missionaries of Charity (the religious order founded by Mother Teresa of Calcutta) where parents can bring their sick or malnourished children to receive treatment; it’s meant to be temporary care until the child is strong enough to go back home. Most of the babies are under two years old. They also care for some orphans.
Since it is Sunday, they have a big Mass with lots of children. Even though it was in Creole and we couldn’t understand much we were inspired by the beautiful singing of the children and the fervor of the people. After Mass we went to visit the children; they have such a need for attention and love! After a few minutes each of us was holding a baby or playing with a toddler. A couple missionaries were very touched because they were able to have a lively “conversation” with the toddlers even though they really couldn’t understand each other’s language – our capacity to connect is much deeper than words.
During our lunch break, when we can’t visit with the children because they are supposed to take a nap, we planned some English classes and games for older kids. During the afternoon some of us stayed at the Guest House to build a pew – we’ll be going to a village on Tuesday, there we will be building some pews for a Parish Church We wanted to make sure that we knew how to do it and had the necessary tools before going to the country side where nothing is accessible. After four hours, we got to sit in our masterpiece.
At 6:30 we had dinner and afterwards we had a moment (a long moment) to share our experiences of the day. We finished with Fr. Thomas’ blessing, praying for each of us, our families back home and those we got to serve today.
We keep you in our prayers and we ask for yours!
