eye-openers

These past couple of days have been amazing. The weekend overall was such a blast and also a perfect amount of rest. Here are a few eye-opening happenings and/or highlights to update you on:

1) On Sunday we walked the most incredible hike to this area of waterfalls. I was literally doing circles looking around at how beautiful my surroundings were. I didn’t take any pictures that would do it justice (I feel like there’s not even a panoramic setting that could come close to being able to do that), but it felt like we were tucked in the valley of this incredibly lush and green mountain that should be on postcards. We followed a trail to the first waterfall, and with every waterfall you could climb up over it to find more waterfalls. A few of us ventured a pretty good ways, and if we had time I would have loved to keep going!

It was pretty humorous because we drew the typical crowd of Haitians that were curious of us white folk. These precious girls followed us as we walked back, and it was humbling to have a 7-year-old Haitian reach her hand out to help me make my way down some boulders. The kids laugh at us because they practically leap down the path like it’s nothing while we stumble our way to the bottom. I’m sure it’s a funny sight to see.

2) Our hike also increased my respect for the local Haitian kids here. First, we passed kids who hike down to this water with huge buckets to do their laundry. Immediately I was convicted for ever complaining about doing laundry. Never again.

Not only that…the Haitian girls that walked back with us from the waterfall were walking back with jugs of water to take to their homes. It’s impressive enough that these 7 and 8-year-old girls were hiking to get drinking water for their families, but then Becca and I offered to carry the water for the girls while they walked with us. Now I’m no bodybuilder of any sorts, but I figured I could do what any 7-year-old girl can do, right? Becca and I laughed at ourselves because I can’t tell you how quickly those gallons of water became pretty stinkin' heavy. I think my most strenuous chore growing up may have been cleaning the kitty litter. I never realized how easy I had it.

3) On a completely different note, this Sunday I saw a mom drop off her baby at the orphanage. It was a rare situation, because her baby was born earlier that morning. The mom was dropping it off because the baby was extremely premature and it was basically her only chance for her newborn to survive. The baby was hardly any longer than the length of my hand, and I was so shocked at the sight of a human being so small. I can’t explain how unreal it looked. The baby is in an incubator and I think doing fine considering the circumstances.

Beyond that, it’s been a great beginning of the week. Mondays usually seem pretty long, but today was one of the best days I’ve had here so far. We got a new group in from Alabama today, and it’s a team of 7 people that will be here for a week! It’s fun to have them and it will definitely be a cozy fit in the house at mealtimes. We have to take car rides back and forth from the houses at night, and let’s just say we had 12 people squeezed into an SUV tonight…I actually love it. It’s kind of a challenge to see how many people we can fit!

It rained this afternoon (only the second time it's rained in Haiti since I've been here). It was refreshing considering it’s about 15 degrees cooler on the balcony when it rains. We all hung out with our babies under the covering and it was really kind of cozy. A good excuse to snuggle with the kids and spend some quality time with all of the volunteers…

My kids were all great today. Jeffy is continuing to take more steps! He laughs a lot more these days and is constantly improving. J-man is also so much fun. He had a good ol’ time in his new favorite Fisher Price car today…and his smile is adorable. He is one of those kids who I hate putting back in the nursery when the hour is up. Some of the kids are fine, but others kind of crumble and cry when you leave them. It breaks my heart. M-man, D-Love, and J-son were all great as well. These kids are awesome.

You can keep Shonnie and Bennie in your prayers. They are two of my favorites, but two that I still worry about sometimes. Shonnie still screams whenever she isn’t touching me or being held. She has come an incredibly long way since day one…she used to not even laugh or smile, but she still has some sort of detachment issues. I’m hoping she continues to improve emotionally. I think Bennie has some of the same issues. Sometimes when babies have been hurt or abandoned by people in their lives, I guess they begin to disassociate themselves from people. He rarely makes eye contact, and it’s like he tries to hold back from smiling. I make it a goal to never spend a day without getting him to smile…but it just breaks my heart that he obviously has some deep rooted issues that affect him more than I know. I love this guy so much, and just pray that he continues to heal.

God has blessed me so much here through the beauty of this place, the miraculous lives of the children, the devoted hearts of volunteers, and just the opportunity to see and serve in a world outside of my own. I hope he continues to open my eyes to His character, His love, and His sovereignty while I am here.

Sorry it was a bit lengthy…but today has been wonderful…hopefully a trend that continues throughout the week! Have a good night!!