It's Sunday in Haiti so we started our day at church. Haitian church is so amazing to be a part of. Their passion shows greatly through their worship and in their preaching. I feel truly renewed after leaving service (and I didn't even understand it!) but being able to witness true faith, love, and dedication in the midst of some of the most extreme struggle I have ever seen is inspiring.
After Church, we ate at Mama Yolti's. James and I have been hearing about this restaurant for 2 years now. Everyone talked it up last year but we never got to go. Well.... it did not disappoint. Chicken, rice, beans, and plantains. Can't really go wrong! OH! and coke in the glass bottle.After lunch we spent the afternoon visiting orphanages.
Our first stop was The Lighthouse. This is a home with the ministry Jesus in Haiti. We stayed with them last year so it was fun seeing all the kids again. Plus this ended up being a scouting mission for projects later in the week.
After that we went to Harvest Care. This is a very nice orphanage. They are supported by Back to Back ministries. The goal of Back to Back is to take one place and really work to transform it physically and spiritually. The kids are happy, the place is clean, and the house parents are so nice.
After visiting Harvest Care we all loaded into our bus and headed to EBO. This place is one of the sole missions of our trip. EBO is an orphanage that Murph (our mission pastor) found a few months back. This place is extremely poor and houses about 40 children. Several needs were identified, one of which being more leadership on the part of the teenagers that lived there. This orphanage is run by Mama Louisanne, she is elderly and has some health concerns and the need for help on their part is great. So, while we were home; James, Murph and I (Marie, I'm the writer this week) created a survey to find the strengths of the older kids and try to assign them roles to help make everything run smoother. We then want to teach on a couple of skills such as honesty, respect, and stewardship.
Prior to traveling to Haiti, Murph prepared us for EBO. We saw pictures and learned a few of the stories of the kids. After all that prep, my heart still broke the instant we arrived.
We pull into the compound, and the first thing I notice is the dust. You can't get away from it. The yard is not paved so when the wind kicks up it's like your surrounded in little white dust tornadoes. And yes, it is white... which gets everywhere and doesn't come off too easily. They have dorms off to the left side which houses the majority of the kids. Off to the right is where Mama L. lives and one more room of bunks. Next to that is their eating area and kitchen. Along the back wall of the compound is a bathroom and showers. The showers do not have running water hooked up to them so I'm sure they are not used to often. The bathroom was actually pretty nice, but we quickly found out that there is a plumbing issue and so when you use the toilet it doesn't really stay in the toilet.
They have a large area out front where they can play soccer (all Haitians love soccer, I have yet to meet one that doesn't) and jump rope. Murph has been working here before and was able to build a swing set on a previous trip, so that is off to the right for them to use.
This group of kids are not like some of the others. Earlier in the day we walked into the other orphanages only to be greeted with smiling faces and hugs. At EBO, they were more reserved. Kids are kids and they warmed up but there is a different feel there. They are a rougher and tougher crowd.
We also met two amazing souls. Cassandra and Moises are two of the children there and are both special needs. I don't think they have ever been diagnosed with a specific condition. The thing that struck me about them though, is their smile! 
James and I are really excited and eager to get to work at this place. We're not sure exactly what this week and training is going to look like but we are ready to give this project a shot. 
