The thought of visiting a third world country for me was filled with nerves and excitement, I honestly did not truly know what to expect. My only perspective of third world countries was from a cruise I went on about four years ago. In my mind I was preparing myself to be awakened however I never could have guessed what was going to happen inside of my heart.
The first day we arrived to Haiti, we drove through Port-au-Prince, the city was filled will people who had needs beyond anything I could ever imagine. Children hugging fences pleading with us to help them by giving them money. Children climbing up our bus trying to get inside and convince us to give them money. These children where in need, you could see it in their faces and the stomaches that where very empty.
We often forget how much we have in America, the clothes and the roofs on our houses. In Haiti there was something that was very common, buildings and houses that never were completed, most of them were without roofs. This was a reality that I understood the most when John Mazur, Mike Keane, Jim Spitnale and I put a roof on a young man's house. This young man and his younger brothers lived in a house with a tarp for a roof and with rainy season currently going on it was not a good combination. The thing that I found most rewarding was seeing the thankfulness in his face, he came up to all of us and gave us the biggest hug and was beyond thankful.
My favorite aspect of the trip was traveling to villages, I enjoyed the VBS we would put on, but I thoroughly enjoyed talking to young adult's of the villages. I sensed a connection with many of them, I was greatly moved by the thankfulness that they had for the little things. They would show us their houses, wives and children and the light of God would reign from their face. Haitian Christian's showed a level of love and contentness that if we had in our lives I believe things would be different. I'm beyond thankful I was able to go on this trip and be changed forever.
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