Reflections on Haiti- Part three

While returning to the comforts of home has been wonderful, the lessons I learned and the people I meet in Haiti are still in the forefront of my mind.

This is a sweet little boy. I think his name is Dooley, but my Creole is not great, so I might be a little off. Dooley lives in the mountain with His grandmother. She's the lady standing behind him. Dooley used to live in the city with His mother and 8 brothers and sisters. He was the only one to survive the earthquake. This little boy has stayed in my mind as I think about the survivors of the earthquake. How did he make it out? What did he suffer through in order to survive? What will his life be like? I pray he will grow into a wonderful man. I pray that the tragedy he has suffered will make Him tender towards God, not angry.

Haitians are such a resilient people. They suffer well. Sadly it's because they have struggled just to survive. They bear up under their hardships in a way that is amazing. I watched so many people like Dooley. They only spoke words of thanks; never did I hear any complaints. There was a deep sadness that some shared through tears. Most everyone had lost a relative or friend. I was able to talk to one lady who had lost her two children. My heart broke for her as I tried to imagine how deeply sorrowful life would be if I lost my two children. I just held her hand and cried with her. Trying to offer whatever love could be communicated without words.

You can see what a beautiful countryside Haiti has. You can still see the ocean from some spots on this road. Yet this place only holds sadness. This is the mass grave yard for the earthquake victims. Over 200,000 people are buried here. These two crosses are the only markers.

Our compounds was about 5 miles away and we passed by this site daily. If our drivers wouldn't have said anything we might not have ever known we were so close. I never saw anyone there. I can only imagine it holds such deep sorrowful memories that people do not want to go visit.

As I share these memories it is with the hopes that We will be able to return to Haiti, To these people who have so deeply impacted my life. I see things differently, and will be forever changed.