It’s so hard for me to even try to sum up my recent trip to Haiti… but here we go. One of the coolest things about the trip was God setting up so many times for me to play with the kids. I was disappointed at first because we didn’t have enough excess “support staff” (i.e. non-medical people) to always have people outside playing with the kids. In Kenya, there were usually a few doing that, and I thought that it was really important to just play and love on the kids. Well anyway, most of our support staff was needed in pharmacy taking vital signs, guarding doors, and giving out clothes and flip-flops. 

The first time I had opportunity to just play with people and make them laugh was while taking blood pressure. It became more and more evident to me how important greetings are to the Haitians. They won’t talk or look at you until you greet them. I didn’t want to just relate to them like a doctor taking their blood pressure but also as someone who seemed to care. So, I made sure to say, “Hello, how are you?” and “God bless you” in the best Creole I could manage to each person. But then still, it felt like they are patients and I’m a doctor (which I am not J). I then started making a fool of myself to make them laugh. I wanted to make it clear that I wasn’t so high and mighty that I couldn’t be laughed at. I would make weird faces and make-pretend different things for the kids. Needless to say, they would smile. 

In most of the clinics there were plenty of kids to try and entertain. One time, when we had enough people passing out clothes, I started a short soccer game with maybe six kids and soon attracted a crowd; few of which I could persuade to join us. They could all whip me, of course, but it was still fun. In another clinic, Martha (our physical therapist) and I made balloons out of rubber gloves and handed them out. This started some balloon passing games and somehow kids started multiplying. I got them doing imitation games, which consisted of dancing, clapping, running around, falling over, and making funny noises. 

One of the most amazing things about being on the mission field is the complete reliance on God. In everything that I did while in Haiti, I was forced to rely on God and that is really quite a treat. Sometimes at home, I get into the easiness of life. Stuff is always handed to me, and I try to think that I can live for God in my own strength. But in Haiti, it was just awesome to be surrounded by so many spiritual warriors and mature, passionate believers. Everything we did, we knew it was only by God’s grace.  

I also found that even though so many of the Haitians were so clearly devastated and had lost all hope, so many more had found hope, and were praising God. It was such a blessing when I encountered these people. They just had such a tangible joy about them, such a peace. It was most amazing when I was able to pray with them. They would really enter into prayer with me, praising God in Creole, and blessing me in the meantime. Their faith is so strong, and their love and hope and joy and peace are an encouragement to me.