Haiti October 15, 2014

Report by Teresa Stultz

After an interesting flight, we arrived safely at the mission house last night. Praise God, we were able to help another missionary who was in need and get him safely connected with his group today. This morning I had the pleasure of talking with Brother Chuck about God’s love. We were talking about how we love because He first loved us. Showing love to others is so natural. When we love others, whether it be a person, dog or cat, they show us love in return. Children and animals are sometimes taught to hate. A smile and showing someone love can go a long way. Showing love, grace, and mercy like we were shown is what we were made to do. Brother Chuck says it a lot more eloquently than I do.

I got to go inside the schools this morning and observe numerous classrooms or different age levels. It is very reassuring to see the teachers using the supplies that we gave them back in June. As always, the locals have been very accommodating and friendly. It was also heartwarming to see that some of the outdoor classrooms have new walls and are becoming enclosed. The teachers are doing an excellent job with their students. The students seem eager to learn. Despite being crammed into small spaces with nowhere to put their belongings, the children are eager to absorb all the material they are given. They diligently take notes and copy from the chalkboard verbatim. Not all of the children have the textbook material, and they must record every word. The age range in the classrooms varies; it is not as segregated as we are used to. I just cannot stress enough how good we have it in America. We complain about our school systems, yet we are so blessed to be able to give our children the education that we are able to. Here are people eagerly soaking up all they can, and it pales to what we are able to offer American children. A trip to Haiti will definitely open your heart and mind to how blessed we truly are.

During recreation time, the children were playing with a very tattered soccer ball on their soccer field with a picturesque view of the mountains in the background. They clung to the tattered ball as if I were going to take it from them when I attempted to take a photo. Of course, getting to play with the children on the seesaw and interact with them is my favorite part. I even got to meet my sponsored child and give her a few gifts. I hope to be able to go to her house tomorrow or Saturday and see where she lives.

It is now lunchtime; I am off to eat and then observe secondary classes. I am so glad to have the opportunity to watch how they teach in order to be able to better help these schools when we return.