A Mile in their Shoes

It's been said that you never really know a man until you've walked a mile in his shoes. We didn't walk a mile today, but we spent time today in the footsteps of the Hatian people. Our day started bright and early (5:45 AM!) with a trip on the tap-tap to a local Hatian church. The church met in a huge warehouse-like room that slowly filled with people. The preaching was quite energetic and passionate (and all in Creole), and the congregation was really amped up. A small worship team performed several worship songs as well. It was a lively service-quite different from a typical Sunday at St. Michael's!

The team at church

After the service, we had the opportunity to walk back to our guesthouse along the city streets. We took a shortcut through a tent city and it was humbling to see the meager dwellings where the people lived their lives. It made us appreciate our beautiful, clean guesthouse even more.

We ate a delicious breakfast, then began our next adventure. Our main activity of the day was taking a group of neighborhood boys to a beach. Some of the kids had never been to the ocean before, and it was a fascinating experience to take them. Because the boys would barely all fit in our regular tap-tap, we hired a second tap-tapt to lighten the load. The drive to the beach was an experience in and of itself. It was over an hour long and took us outside the city. We saw a lot of the city as we drove, from nicer areas to industrial facilities to tent cities. We got stuck in a massive traffic jam-our driver was definitely a pro! Beaches in Haiti are typically privately-owned, and once we got to the beach we had to pay a fee to get in. The beach was small, but the water was a beautiful blue.

The kids were a blast in the water! Even though some of them had never been to the beach before, they all got the hang of it pretty quick (with the help of some donated life jackets). The water was nice and warm but still provided relief from the heat-perfect for learning to swim. Everyone had a ball (literally) playing catch with a soccer ball too. We also brought along some inflatable water toys that many of the kids loved. In addition to the kids we brought along, there were plenty of locals at the beach too, and some of them got in on the fun as well. The beach atmosphere was ramped up by massive speakers on the shore blaring rap and techno-it made it a real "beach bash!" It really felt like we were in the community and getting a look at the true Haiti.



The team and kids playing in the water

After a sleepy tap-tap ride back to the guesthouse, we were getting ready to say goodbye to the kids. But first, we took a picture of each kid with a whiteboard that had their name and shoe size on it so that we could buy shoes for them back in the US. It's a really cool gesture of kindness to the kids.

Normally this blog would finish up now, but we had one final experience today. For dinner, our wonderful Hatian helpers cooked up an authentic Hatian meal! We tried all sorts of really unique foods, like plantains, Hatian style meatballs, vinegar-soaked cucumbers, and rice and beans covered in a delicious potato, onion, and veggie stew. This meal really capped off our wonderful day well.

When we go somewhere different, we're often separated from the local people. We follow our own plans and don't stray from the beaten path. But this mission trip is different. We don't hide from the people-we come to them, and we experience life from their perspective. We see how they really live and what life is like for them. Today was full of events like that-church, the beach, and a meal. It sounds simple when it's written out as three words, but all three of those experiences were so rich and full of life. Today we walked a mile in Hatian shoes, and I don't think any of us are going to forget any time soon.
Posted by Andrew W