Hey, it's Janelle! Boy, today was a scorcher!! It was our last official work day, and God must have wanted us to sweat as much as possible before we leave on Saturday! After having spent the last 3 days working in the feeding program with some wonderful ladies of the community, today was my turn to visit the medical clinic with Dr. Josh, Rebekah and Kate. I was given a quick "50 cent" tour of the facilities, from the waiting room, through the room where they take height and weight, on to the examining room, a room with 2 beds, and the supply room. I was surprised by the clinic, expecting to see a bare bones hut with a supply of basic bandages and drugs, and instead finding a fairly organized shelving system filled with medical suplies. Of course, I'm no medical specialist though!! We saw about 20 patients while the clinic was open from 9:30-12:30. Many of the patients had your basic seasonal allergies or arthritis, so we gave out a lot of Benadryl and Ibuprofen. It was rewarding to be able to provide physical help to the people of the community that has embraced us and the mission of Restore Haiti with such open and loving arms.
This afternoon we fed all 350ish kids at once during the feeding program. It was a special meal of chicken legs, which the kids came for in droves! Extra money was collected in our team's fundraising, which allowed us to be able to provide a different meal for the kids, which they loved! We were able to eat the same meal they did, whcih was fun for us too!
The most meaningful part of the day for the majority of the team was going to visit Washington's house. He is a boy sponsored by Earl on our team. So off we went over the river and through the...jungle! Such beautiful scenery on our long hike! We crossed a river that runs all the way through the city, used for bathing, swimming, and drinking. It was murky brown and hot! The expression "warm as bathwater" must have gotten it's origins in Jacmel, Haiti!! Anywho, we finally reach the home of Washington and we all stared in shock and horror. He lives in half of a small shack, one tiny room with just a double bed that is shared by Washington, his mother, and two younger sisters. All the cooking is done outside over an open fire, and it's quite a long walk to get to any community. I keep thinking about how we take so much for granted at home and complain over the smallest inconveniences, when these precious children of God struggle to survive! How can I mesh this experience of seeing poverty up close and personal with the life I live back home in New York? I'm still struggling with how to take home and apply everything I've seen this week, from the open and loving arms of strangers, to the generosity of the locals, to the community-minded attitude that permeates every aspect of Haitian life. It's my prayer that God will take these experiences and use them to impact not only my life, but maybe even yours as well!
Bonne nuit!
-Janelle :)
This afternoon we fed all 350ish kids at once during the feeding program. It was a special meal of chicken legs, which the kids came for in droves! Extra money was collected in our team's fundraising, which allowed us to be able to provide a different meal for the kids, which they loved! We were able to eat the same meal they did, whcih was fun for us too!
The most meaningful part of the day for the majority of the team was going to visit Washington's house. He is a boy sponsored by Earl on our team. So off we went over the river and through the...jungle! Such beautiful scenery on our long hike! We crossed a river that runs all the way through the city, used for bathing, swimming, and drinking. It was murky brown and hot! The expression "warm as bathwater" must have gotten it's origins in Jacmel, Haiti!! Anywho, we finally reach the home of Washington and we all stared in shock and horror. He lives in half of a small shack, one tiny room with just a double bed that is shared by Washington, his mother, and two younger sisters. All the cooking is done outside over an open fire, and it's quite a long walk to get to any community. I keep thinking about how we take so much for granted at home and complain over the smallest inconveniences, when these precious children of God struggle to survive! How can I mesh this experience of seeing poverty up close and personal with the life I live back home in New York? I'm still struggling with how to take home and apply everything I've seen this week, from the open and loving arms of strangers, to the generosity of the locals, to the community-minded attitude that permeates every aspect of Haitian life. It's my prayer that God will take these experiences and use them to impact not only my life, but maybe even yours as well!
Bonne nuit!
-Janelle :)
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