Beach Day

EVERY DAY IS LIKE CHRISTMAS OR YOUR BIRTHDAY IN HAITI...

I know this is a completely confusing statement to make, but I truly feel this way.  This is my second time in Haiti and it was an unexpected gift to be able to come this time. I only  jumped in on the trip about 2 weeks prior to leaving when God opened the door.    

One fun blessing is that a neighborhood boy that I am close to (and had heard had moved away) was here.  He is still going to school in the neighborhood and so I have been able to see him in the afternoons.  The best surprise was today, finding out HE was going WITH US for beach day with the neighborhood boys!  So Tulce and I got to spend the day along with all our friends splashing and playing at the beach!. I asked him on the way to the beach which bible story we should read together to the group- as we have a creole and an English Children's Bible.  He chose the story of Zacchaeus who didn't have ANY friends!  So while the kiddos were eating on the beach, my buddy Tulce read part of the story in Creole, then I would read in English. It was such a privilege to read with him out of God's Word.   Another gift to me. Another unexpected blessing was getting to take all the boys on a boat ride. We all got to go up and down the coast to see how things look from the ocean with the boys. On the way home, we visited about school, our families and I told him I would be praying for him.  He told me his favorite verse is John 3:16.  Another gift to me.  I am always way more blessed by the Haitian people than anything I do serving here.  Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday to me :)               Kelly Aakhus

Hello from Haiti! Today was our first day not physically serving, instead we took the neighborhood boys to the beach. This, in its own way was a way of serving. These boys don't have much, but they have each other and seeing the bond they share and being able to be a part of it for a little bit was a huge privilege. Their vibrancy and generosity is contagious, and it was so wonderful to spend time with them today. Not to mention the beach and the ocean were beautiful and refreshing after a long week. That beach was honestly a slice of heaven amidst the usually rough looking terrain of Haiti. This entire week has been amazing and I feel wonderfully blessed to witness this beautiful culture and how God is a part of these people.       Laurie Linscott

 

Today was another beautiful day in Haiti; It is truly amazing how such a poor place could be so beautiful. The people specifically are what makes Haiti so beautiful. They don't have much but live in a more positive and fun loving way than most people in the United States. Today we took the neighborhood boys to the beach which is something they only get to do twice a year. These kids are the kindest, sweetest boys I have ever met. They are a tightly knit family and take care of one another. Some of them are orphaned and most of them only have one parent, but regardless of their circumstances these children have a very strong passion for God. You can see God working through them in everything they do. They even taught us some of the common Creole Christian songs on the way to the beach. It was a very hot day but we were blessed by these children and their love for God. I wouldn't have wanted to spend it any other way.                      Caitlin O'Leary