Village on a Hill

Visiting a CSP program in Gonaives

Just got back from a long but amazing day.  We started off with some breakfast at the hotel.  We had a quick devotion and prayer before heading off.  There are 20 of us along with three Compassion staff members and two translators -- Mark and Kebdia.  They are siblings.  They are really kind and helpful.

We drove an hour and a half to Gonaives to the Child Survival Program (CSP).  We were greeted as we walked off the bus and were each given flowers to wear.  And then all the kids were there to greet us.  They all had matching uniforms on.  Little boys and girls.  They kept waving at us and clapping!  We talked with them and I passed out some of my stickers which they loved.  They stuck them all over their body!  Haha.  They were the cutest looking kids!  I wanted to take them home.

Loving on some kids at the project

We then had a church service.  We met the staff of the school and church.  There are nine staff members.  We sang the national anthem of Haiti and of the United States.  Then each staff member of the school spoke.  After that, each member of our Compassion team said their name and where they were from.  We then greeted the moms and babies.  Then we went out in the courtyard to talk to the moms and their children.

I spoke with 4 of the moms and asked how I could pray for them.  They said health, strength, faith, and for God to open doors.  I prayed for them and Mark translated.  It was really moving.  I then spoke with two moms who were cousins.  They were 32 and 33 years old.  They each had two kids.  Their kids were really cute and so small.

Two mothers (and cousins!) in the CSP program

We then ate lunch -- rice with beans, bananas, french fries, turkey, and plantains.  We sat outside and watched the kids stare at us while we ate.  They were so intrigued by all the white people eating.  After lunch, we prayed over the staff members and they prayed over us.  We then took the bus up the road to a village on a hill.

We broke out into small groups and went to four houses.  The house I went to had two rooms.  A kitchen/dining room and a bedroom.  It was nice compared to the other houses.  The parents were married with three kids -- 2 boys and 1 girl.  They were very welcoming.  The father said it is hard for him to find work.  He is a carpenter and wants to use his skills.  They hope to one day have a home with a room for each child.

The family we got to visit

The family's house - 2 rooms and hopefully 4 later on

They asked everyone in our group where we were from and what we do for work.  We prayed for the family and their little son also prayed and the dad prayed.  It was incredible to see that the parents were both Christian and married.  We took the bus back to Club Indigo -- about an hour and a half.  We dropped off Mark and Kebdia at their home.  Liane and I talked about Holland and the type of food they eat there and things to do and about religion.  She lives in Notre Dame, about 30 minutes from Amterdam.

We ate dinner and talked to Jackenson and Jeannot (our trip leaders).  We had a group debrief.  I talked about how radiant the kids were when we walked in.  Their faces were full of life and beaming with happiness!  Lots of Haitians practice voodoo.  One of the mother's entire family practices and she is the only Christian in her family.  I found it interesting that Kebdia rides the tap-tap (pick-up truck that you pay to ride in) and motorcycle with anyone.  If we did that in the States, something bad would probably happen!