WOW! That was my first reponse when I walked out of the Port Au Prince airport! You must realize that I have been very sheltered. I have only flown twice in my life and never out of the country. I have never seen devastation like this. Matt Allman proceeded to tell me that this was the "rich" part of Haiti. I could not imagine we were about to see worse. But we were. My daughter had been to Haiti now twice and I was never able to understand the emotions she felt once she returned but I was sure God would open doors for me while on this trip.
As we traveled to St. Louis d'Nord via plane and "tap tap" I tried to hold back tears but was unsuccessful. I began to realize that while I had always thought I was thankful for the things God had blessed me with I actually took alot for granted. And my heart ached because of it. I could go on forever about this trip, I do not want to get off track, but God worked miracles in my life the 10 days I was fortuante enough to be in Haiti. God placed people in my life that made far greater of an impact than I could ever imagine I had on them. God taught me true happiness while in Haiti. It is not defined by what type of automobile I drive, how expensive my home was, or even the clothing I wear. The Haitians that I encountered were happy! Happy even though they walked miles to work in the market, happy washing their clothing in the same water the animals grazed in, happy for whatever food was available. The definition of happiness changed for me in 10 short days.
After returning my daughter and I decided that we did not want to just visit Haiti once a year on a mission trip. We wanted to continue to impact those we came in contact with. So we first signed up to sponsor two orphans, both of which we were able to meet while we were there. Now we are planning a dress drive for the girls at the orphange in Sailines Mayette. Myself, my daughter, and roughly 10 other women (some of whom are in my Bible Study at my place of employment) are sewing handmade dresses to go to Haiti. We cannot wait to get started and plan on this being an annual summer event for us. Our goal is to make 150 dresses.
I cannot wait to return to Haiti next year and hope to get to reunite with some of the individuals who made such a lasting impression on me.