Report by Logan
“Haiti: A Trip of Gratefulness”
This trip has shown me so much. Even though it’s not over yet, it has still opened up my eyes to so much, from playing with the kids to praise and worship. This trip altogether has been one of the best trips I have ever been on. I have made so many good relationships just in these past 5 days. All the kids here always have something to smile about, even though they have so little they always seem to have a reason to smile. Seeing one of them smile always brings joy to me. Lately God has shown me to try and really take into account how much I have – how much He has given me. It makes me sick to my stomach to think that I thought I didn’t have enough clothes; or when I say, “Mom, we have nothing to eat.” I look back on that and say to myself, “are you kidding me? I really said that?” I just hope whoever is reading this takes into account how much they have. From now on, I know I will.
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Report by Kaitlyn
“HE Deserves my Everything”
My time in Haiti has been life-changing. The Lord works in marvelous ways. When we first drove through Port au Prince the chaos and poverty was overwhelming. It immediately changes your outlook on things in just the first hour of being in Haiti. At that point I knew that the Lord was going to be working in miraculous ways this trip. The next morning I went and played with the Haitian kids. I built so many relationships in just the first morning, especially with Stevenson, a 7-year-old boy who was hungry, shirtless, moneyless, but at the same time so joyful. It immediately hit me then that these kids were more grateful to see me than I ever have been to receive any kind of expensive worldly object in my life. I went to bed knowing that I needed to change my gratitude for the many things I have. After two days of bonding with Stevenson I gave him a necklace, and the look on his face made me speechless. He repetitively said “thank you.” He then took me by the hand and took me to the far bench away from all the children. He looked at me with a grieved face, held on to me tightly and laid in my lap. He stayed there for about 15 minutes until church. My heart was broken. I couldn’t believe that one necklace meant so much to this kid. It was truly unbelievable. The compassion he showed toward me finally gave me that gratitude that I saw when I first handed him that necklace. This week I have realized how blessed Americans truly are. I am so blessed to have shelter, food, clothes on my back, an amazing family, and most importantly a loving God. The Lord cares for me more than my mind can fathom. He deserves my everything.
