Living Water

Haiti – Tuesday, Day 1

Today we were “scheduled” to deliver water first thing in the morning and we were up as planned, filled with a fine breakfast prepared by our guesthouse hosts and eager to get on with things.  The water truck broke down before we got started and we spent two hours “stranded” at the water pump station.  First off, it appears our schedule for the day was not God’s schedule.  And our view of being stranded was God’s plan for us to spend time with people that we wouldn’t have otherwise met.  Some on our team helped a woman prepare items for a meal for her family.  Very cool. 

The water truck did get fixed and we were on our way.  Three stops and 5000 gallons of water (5 gallons at a time).  City Soleil has indeed changed in the two years since I have been here.  It is incremental improvements, but improvements nonetheless.  Garbage is still everywhere.  People are still living in tin sheds.  The smell is still horrible.  But fewer tents exist.  The streets felt a bit cleaner.  And the children were still excited to play and smiles reached from ear to ear.  Some of us have experienced this before and some saw it for the first time today.  As we debriefed this evening, it didn’t matter if this was new or you had seen it five times previously, the emotions were still strong.  We all simply struggle reconciling the comforts of our lives back in the US with the conditions that exist here.  As one of our teammates said tonight, “no sane person can experience this and shrug it off”…not a reconcilable situation.

Before we left City Soleil we walked out to a ridge of garbage looking out into a garbage filled field.  Behind us were the tin sheds where people lived.  This is a spot where Healing Haiti plans to build a church.  There would be a thousand easier places to build a church in Haiti, but God doesn’t always go with “easy”.  This will be a huge challenge for the organization, but one that presents an opportunity like no other.
Please pray for this church, those that will organize it and every person that will walk through its doors.
Day 1 is in the books.  We were two groups of strangers just 48 hours ago.  We are now a single group of people who are laughing and crying together and doing our best to serve the wonderful and beautiful people of Haiti.

A really really good Day 1.  Tomorrow brings a new “schedule”.  May we be open to the plans He has for us and not get ahead of that in any way shape or form.

Rick Jones