Haiti Day 6, Part 1: Pillowcases Without Pillows, a Sliced Arm, & Lobster

Haiti Mission Trip, Day 6 (Thursday)

Thursday would be the last full day in Haiti for the Colonial Hills Church 4theVoiceless team.  The last day of a mission trip is usually reserved for sightseeing, purchasing souvenirs, relaxing, saying good-bye, and preparing to return home.  As I have written already, this team was so task-oriented that we had determined that at least part of Thursday would be a work day.  Our later-than-expected arrival the previous Friday had turned Saturday into a relaxing day, so we told Fenel that we wanted to work on Thursday.

As it turned out, the paint team had used all but a gallon or so of the paint.  Also, all of the HoA kids would be out of school for Easter holiday on Thursday.  As a result, Jim, Gary, Dusty, and Josh returned to the work site to hopefully finish out the work on the roof, and the rest of us prepared for a craft we had brought for the kids to do.

Pillowcases Without Pillows

We had brought pillowcases and fabric markers for all of the kids to create their own masterpieces to cover their pillows.  They went to work diligently and had a blast personalizing their pillowcases.  Somewhere amidst the joy of the work (and I don't even know how she discovered this), one of the ladies on our team told me that the kids did not have pillows to sleep on but that they were to be getting some soon.  You would have never known it by the way the kids poured their hearts into their works of art.

Robbie, Jodie, & the girls sharing ideas.

Ethan enjoying a welcome into Widly World.

Luciana's pillowcase nearing completion.

I like the thought of my "hand" holding Tchi's head as he sleeps.

Roberson was full of joy with every craft we worked on all week . . . what a joy!

Thirteen precious children will lay joyful heads down on those pillowcases, and thirteen precious children will at times cry tears of sorrow into those pillowcases.  Hopefully, they will think of us -- a team that showed them each the love of Christ -- when they lay their heads down on their pillows at night.  Even more importantly, I hope they are reminded that no matter what tragic life experiences led them to the House of Abraham, there is a God who knows them by name and loves them very much, as I reminded in these lyrics:

 I have a Maker
He formed my heart
Before even time began
My life was in his hands

I have a Father
He calls me His own
He'll never leave me
No matter where I go

He knows my name
He knows my every thought
He sees each tear that falls
And He hears me when I call

"He Knows My Name" by Tommy Walker

Along with the pillowcases, the HoA children will also have personalized towels brought on my previous trip that have been put up until after the move to the new house.  One of the things my small group purchased with our Change It Now money was a "Welcome" mat.  It, too, was put aside for the new house.  As if a new house wasn't enough . . .  Reminds me of my Father, who lavishes on me way more than I deserve or could even ask for and who has stored up for me treasures unimaginable . . .

A Trip to Didier's

The "pillowcase team" was also able to walk down the road to meet Didier's (pronounced like D.J.) family.  He is part of the House of Abraham staff who moved from one one the many tent cities that were in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake into a house that one of the IsleGo teams built.  He is incredibly proud of his home and his family.  Hospitality, like kindness and play, transcends language barriers.  It was an honor to be welcomed into Didier's family's home.

Didier & family

Robbie's new friend, Didier's family dog.

 

 

 

 

An Unexpected Turn of Events

I was in my room when the roofing team returned a little earlier than we had expected.  I asked Josh how it had gone up there, expecting that they had finished early.  Instead, he said that they would have gotten finished if Gary hadn't tried to cut his arm off.  Turns out a gust of wind lifted up a piece of sheet metal that gashed Gary's arm, maybe somewhat short of cutting his arm off but a pretty significant cut, nonetheless.

Our "arm repair team" shifted quickly into action.  Heather and Jodie, a pediatric nurse and a pediatric physical therapist, respectively, are well trained to take care of injuries to kids like Gary.  Jim joined in, carefully cutting the hairs our of the wound.  Gary winced a few times but was a model patient.  The nurse that he saw when he returned to the States was very complimentary of the job our team had done on his arm; the only thing she added to his recovery regimen was a healthy dose of antibiotics.

Oh, and the roof was almost completed.  Fenel and one of his workers would be able to finish that work in just a couple of days.

Nurse Heather goes to work as Gary winces and trusts.

Nurse Jodie joins in with steady hands.

Nurse Jim does his part; this time, Jim and a blade were a good thing.

All patched up, nice and neat.  A permanent souvenir.

What Gary Missed

Gary, understandably, decided to stay at the house and take a nap while the rest of us enjoyed one more trip to the beach and one more souvenir run.  Fenel took us to a different beach this time, one that I recognized from my last trip, one that included this!

Lobster, conch, & bottled soft drinks!  Fenel knows how to reward a hard-working team!

When you love missions & love the beach & love your spouse, it doesn't get much better than this!

I will save the good-byes and wrap-up of this mission trip for tomorrow.  Let me just say that even days' worth of writing about a trip here or anywhere else doesn't do it justice.  I'm just one-ninth of the team trying to write from both a team and a personal perspective.  There is so much more that I simply don't have room or time to write and so much more that others experienced that they would add.

There are already those from this trip and others who have been to Haiti -- and even some others who haven't been yet -- who are already looking ahead and even saving ahead for next year.  What about you?  Where will you serve -- both near to home and far away?

Previous Days from the CHC Mission Trip to Jacmel, Haiti:

Day 1: The Team's Unexpected Challenge
Day 2: Boaz, Super Ninja. Who Knew?
Day 3: Accomplishment! (and the Return of Josh's Man Card)
Day 4: A Hurtling Battery, Barbie, & Team Determination
Day 5: Puddles, Suncatchers, & Ethan Befriends a Goat

Sponsor one of the House of Abraham kids here.

Thanks for reading. 

 4theVoiceless,
Al