>> One Tuesday, my roommate and I learned how to cook a Haitian meal of rice, beans, and chicken. I was in charge of the chicken (my favorite as mentioned in my previous post) and it was delicious! Actually, the entire meal was great and it was the first time that some of the family joined us to eat. They were so excited to see us cooking and couldn't wait to try it...a great deal of bonding happened that day.
>> Making a breakthrough: I didn't first check for cockroaches before going into the bathroom. In fact, I didn't look the whole time! It wasn't a conscious decision, either. I only realized after I got out that I hadn't looked!
>> One day, our head translator organized a team activity to hike up a mountain to see where his parents grew up. It was a very difficult hike, and I'm pretty sure it was the hottest day here we've experienced, but the views were gorgeous, and the people we met were so welcoming! It was worth it! We also got to see Mona's parents, who live up there. We'd met Mona's mom (pictured below) several times before when she's been visiting Mona or her other daughter, Merlynn. She is one of the sweetest people ever.
>> One morning, while we were still in bed, my roommate and I were discussing what our favorite breakfast is that Mona makes. "Eggs, bread, coffee, bananas..." And in walks Mona with zé (eggs), pen (bread), café (coffee), and fíg (bananas)! That breakfast was amazing!
>> Over the past five weeks, we've gotten to develop a relationship with Mona's sister, Merlynn, and her 3-month-old daughter, Merlyva. Merlynn has such a positive attitude, and is constantly smiling or laughing a beautiful, infectious laugh. She doesn't speak English, but love is a universal language and it radiates from her! Merlyva is the cutest baby with the most adorable rolls and softest hair. It has been such a blessing seeing them one or two times each week, helping Merlynn with Merlyva or in the kitchen.
>> In the past two weeks, I have grown closer to my host mom, Mona. We definitely do not speak the same language, but we get by, with the few words we do know in the other's language, and a lot of hand signals. The other night, she crawled in my bug net with me and I showed her pictures of my family and she told me where all her cousins live. The photo below is from when Greta, Mona, and I all got in together. It was not long-lived, as it was hot and cramped.
>> Two days before we left, we took Mona and our friend Junie out for ice cream. We had such a good time! Junie is between Greta and I, with Mona on the far right.
I mentioned in my first blog post from Haiti, that I was nervous about what to tell people back home what I was doing. Because a lot of what I'm doing isn't tangible. I'm building relationships, not houses. I'm BEING, not DOING. As a team, we're going through the book "When Helping Hurts" by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert. I actually read this book for school right before I first went to Haiti in 2013. The book outlines many of the ways short-term missions can harm a community, no matter how great their intentions are. Last week, it was explaining the different stages a community's needs will go through: Relief, Rehabilitation, and Development. This chapter explained a lot to ME, as I wrestle with what to tell people. In 2010, Haiti was in need of Relief. They had just gotten hit with the massive earthquake that killed hundreds of thousands. But relief needs to be temporary. Once the "bleeding" stops, rehabilitation is in order. "[Rehabilitation] seeks to restore people and their communities to the positive elements of their precrisis conditions." (pg. 100) Many organizations have worked hard to help rehabilitate Haiti. "Development is a process of ongoing change that moves all the people involved-both "helpers" and the "helped"-closer to being in right relationship with God, self, others, and the rest of creation." (pg. 100) Now, six years after the earthquake, we are here to develop relationships with the people of Haiti, hoping to encourage them to pursue a purpose-filled live with Christ, using their skills and abilities to assist their own communities. We will be doing the same in Jamaica and Belize. I hope that helps give you a glimpse of the purpose of this trip.
I am learning so much on this trip! What I'm learning in these six months will definitely carry over into the rest of my life, wherever God takes me. God is using this trip to chisel and sculpt me into the Christ ambassador I am purposed to be.
Thank you all for your continued prayers!
Sierra
