I left off on my last blog at the moment we arrived in Bombardopolis. It was a short night -- the only electricity is by generator. To save money, no light switches were installed in any of the bedrooms. There is just a cable and a naked light bulb in each room - too high to reach - the ceilings are higher to allow for hot air rising.
So, the generator isn't turned off until everyone in the 3 home compound is finished with their work, and that wasn't until 2:30 a.m. It was a short night.
The first morning we opened our bedroom door to the outside air and were welcomed with a fresh breezed - it was glorious.
That morning we ate avocado and oatmeal for breakfast and set to the task of orienting our minds and bodies to this new reality we would be experiencing for 5 days.
We were surrounded by trees - something I didn't expect in Haiti. A lot of the trees were avocado trees - hence our breakfast. We had brough with us crates of fresh drinking water, but we enjoyed seeing where all other water came from: a big concrete water collection tank. One of our hosts has to climb a ladder and dip a bucket in the tank to collect water for things such as cooking and baths. The ladder was homemade from tree branches and rope.
Our days consisted of running a medical clinic for the children at the Good Samaritan School - this is the school our church has sent school supplies to in the past.
The children we saw were underweight and some were malnourished. It was a rude awakening to the hunger and poverty that exist.
But the JOY we saw was amazing. I can hardly put into words the resilient, funny, and joyful character of the Haitian people - I'm generalizing here, but honestly, when you look at what surrounds them every day of their lives, and then look at their character, it's awe-inspiring and, well, inspiring.
We spent four unforgettable days in Bombardopolis and the other days traveling. What this trip did for us and for my church is a big deal.
My church, Shades Valley Community Church, located in west Homewood, Alabama, has been back to Haiti two more times since that first trip. Our little group now flies on a charter plane to get to Bombardopolis - takes about 2 hours instead of 16. Great improvement!
I can't wait until I can visit again. We are scheduled to go the summer of 2016. Come and join us!