Bonswa America!!!
It’s been quite the Tuesday here in Jacmel! There has been so much to see and do here, and we are only halfway through the week! I am recognizing so many faces, and feel so blessed that many kids and adults remember my name. The workshops for the day were very similar, with the exception of the men being sent to begin the foundation of a new house. I dug for about 60 seconds just to help out, and that was as good as it was going to get. I am a weakling, for sure! But I am thankful that God gave me plenty of other strengths to use with the people here.
I had some great highlights, just from this morning. The first being that Rebekah, Megan, and I were painting the new house for a woman, and a random Haitian man came in to saw ‘Hello’. He seemed to want to stick around, so Rebekah asked if he wanted to help paint, and he picked up a brush, and began! It was such a great help, and he was so happy to make some new friends (including on Facebook J) Even more of a surprise was when he offered me his restroom in his house just a few feet away, just when I was ready to find a bush. I met his parents, who were extremely welcoming. I said ‘Thank you’ to his father, and his dad said ‘The pleasure is all mine.” What a great man! All I did was use his toilet! We are among great friends here.
Helping out with the feeding program seemed to go much more smoothly today. As my second day of washing dishes, things began to become a bit tedious, but I was amongst some very beautiful women, so I made the best of it. My most favorite woman, Solange, is up there in years, and portrays a very stern attitude to most people. But me, being the lover of the elderly, took it upon myself last trip and this time, to just give her a kiss, a hug, and a smile, and see how she reacted. I brought myself back from a hug, and she was smiling from ear to ear. She even gave me a fist bump today!! We see something in each other that nobody else sees. I feel a special connection to this woman, just like she is my own grandmother. She is smart, responsible, respectful, and undeniably beautiful. I wish I could give her the world, but for this trip, a hug and a smile is all I can give. But if I asked her, I believe that’s all that she would want.
Sarah
It’s been quite the Tuesday here in Jacmel! There has been so much to see and do here, and we are only halfway through the week! I am recognizing so many faces, and feel so blessed that many kids and adults remember my name. The workshops for the day were very similar, with the exception of the men being sent to begin the foundation of a new house. I dug for about 60 seconds just to help out, and that was as good as it was going to get. I am a weakling, for sure! But I am thankful that God gave me plenty of other strengths to use with the people here.
I had some great highlights, just from this morning. The first being that Rebekah, Megan, and I were painting the new house for a woman, and a random Haitian man came in to saw ‘Hello’. He seemed to want to stick around, so Rebekah asked if he wanted to help paint, and he picked up a brush, and began! It was such a great help, and he was so happy to make some new friends (including on Facebook J) Even more of a surprise was when he offered me his restroom in his house just a few feet away, just when I was ready to find a bush. I met his parents, who were extremely welcoming. I said ‘Thank you’ to his father, and his dad said ‘The pleasure is all mine.” What a great man! All I did was use his toilet! We are among great friends here.
Helping out with the feeding program seemed to go much more smoothly today. As my second day of washing dishes, things began to become a bit tedious, but I was amongst some very beautiful women, so I made the best of it. My most favorite woman, Solange, is up there in years, and portrays a very stern attitude to most people. But me, being the lover of the elderly, took it upon myself last trip and this time, to just give her a kiss, a hug, and a smile, and see how she reacted. I brought myself back from a hug, and she was smiling from ear to ear. She even gave me a fist bump today!! We see something in each other that nobody else sees. I feel a special connection to this woman, just like she is my own grandmother. She is smart, responsible, respectful, and undeniably beautiful. I wish I could give her the world, but for this trip, a hug and a smile is all I can give. But if I asked her, I believe that’s all that she would want.
Sarah