The Last Day in Haiti

I was so tired after our last day in Haiti that I didn’t take the time to write about it while we were there.  In addition to being so tired after a VERY busy day, this was also the night that we needed to pack for the trip home the next day.  Due to my newly learned bartering skills, we had several new things to bring home with us, so packing was not just a matter of getting our clothes back in our suitcases.  There was some pretty strategic stuffing, folding and cramming going on.  Also, Shad and I got into a really good conversation with our team leader, Frank, that I did not want to miss out on.  This morning I have looked back through my pictures of that last day to refresh my memory and now I feel like I can recap it.

After spending the day before priming the hallway of the Women’s Education Center, we came back the next day to put the color on the walls.

Before lunch we got the entire first coat up.  So to whomever the next team is coming with Heartline Foundation, beware, you may just be finishing what we started.

Just after taking this picture, Frank turned and walked off with my camera.  I didn’t think much of it because I needed to go change out of my sweaty paint clothes. 

This is what happens when Frank walks off with your camera. 

OK, he did get a good shot of what the walls look like with paint and without paint.  It’s pretty cool to think that the ladies that go to school here left for their break with these gray, institutional looking walls and came back to be welcomed with the shiny khaki walls.  The color made the hallway so bright and cheerful and I hope it brought smiles to the ladies’ faces.  Painting walls seems like such a menial task, but that act of service was one of the most rewarding things I got to do in Haiti.

Next we had lunch with the guys from the Men's’ Discipleship Program.

This is on the same property that the Women’s Education Center is on.  We had lunch here three different times.

These guys are some of the sweetest guys.  They are taught by the fellow in the white shirt.  They learn about God and how to be Godly men, English and they learn the skill of baking bread.  We had a lot of fun visiting with these guys at lunch each day.  They seem like a tight knight group of guys and they laugh together a lot.  Each time we ate with them, we were invited to ask them any questions we wanted and then we would invite them to do the same.  This day was full of some deep conversation as one of the questions asked of Shad and I was “what signs do you see in America that tell you that we are living in the end times.” 

After lunch, we packed up in the Canter and drove across town to deliver food packets to another orphanage.

We didn’t stay super long this time, but we did get to color with the kids and play some soccer and Frisbee.

Our final destination of the day was the beach. 

A very small fishing community lives here.  They build their boats, crab traps and fishing nets.  They eat what they catch and whatever is left over, they trade for other goods.

After bailing water out of his boat, Tigue was kind enough to give us a ride.

Shad stayed behind and played soccer with some of the local guys.

Unfortunately, this is the only picture I took of Frank the whole trip. 

Sorry Frank.

The fellow in the front is Tigue.  He is clearly a leader in his small community and works very hard to provide for them.

(I honestly have no idea if I am spelling his name correctly.  It’s pronounced Tea-gay.)

It was so beautiful down by the water.  You could feel the salt and moisture in the air and it was slightly cooler here.  It was a welcome respite from the heat, smokiness, exhaust and crazy business of being in the city.

When we got back, Shad and the guys were still going at it.

Oh look!  There’s another one of Frank.  And one of the most adorable little girls ever.  It was quite easy to fall for all of the beautiful kids in Haiti, but Frank definitely has an extra soft spot for them.

 

It was an honor to spend some time with Tigue and his family.

I love that we got to spend our last evening in Haiti watching the sun set over the water.  It was a perfectly peaceful end to a very busy day and week.  I thank God that He gave us the opportunity to spend a week in Haiti getting to know the country and the people.  Shad and I are both forever changed by this trip.