First day back

    I returned to Haiti Monday after being gone just over three weeks. I am so very happy to be back. I wrestle with how to accurately describe life here in a way that is not disrespectful to those who live it. I can be tempted for the sake of the story, and for drama to focus on the most dramatic suffering or poverty. That part of the story can have the greatest emotional impact, and I believe it is important to share the difficult parts of how these people live. At the same time, it can be easy for those of us who are used to North American standards of living to be so overwhelmed by the harshness and otherness (if that’s a word?) of life here that that is all we see, missing the other parts of the story. Does that make sense?

   Okay, all of that being said, I want to tell you a little bit about Nan Banan, the neighborhood we visited yesterday afternoon. The area was new to me, although I had met some of the kids at our house before.   The road we take to get to the neighborhood fills with trash when it rains. Not just a few pieces here or there, but trash piles up and down the road. The public health nurse in me cringes to see it. Moreover, the people of the neighborhood were hit hard by Hurricane Sandy last fall. Their neighborhood was flooded and people lost homes and belongings. They are still recovering.

   Now comes the fun part. Kids were lining up to greet us even before we parked the car. When we got out we were welcomed with kisses, hugs and exuberance. It was so lovely to be back, surrounded by precious babies, sweating, laughing and wrestling to understand what’s going on around me. I know enough to Creole to make a few jokes with the kids now. Ed brought a recorder and interviewed a few people for his radio program last night. The kids sang a song and shared their names. A couple of adults talked about how the listen to the radio program. I made faces with the kids, we laughed. It was such a precious first visit back, a reminder of why I love it here.

    Will you join with me in thanking God for a smooth return back to Haiti, and in praying for the people of this neighborhood? Pray for them as they rebuild homes and lives after the hurricane, for hope in the midst of their struggles. Thanks friends!