Day 10 | Shannon Robison

Until this morning, I was unaware of how sore one’s wrists could be from sifting. Trust me, by the pain experienced by merely waving my hands, I am now fully aware of the toll sifting can take on a person when done for multiple hours. Regardless, I was the first person awake and walking around this morning, excited for the day ahead of me. My team worked at the church site today. To get to said site, we stood for almost two hours in the bed of a dump truck as it conquered the rough terrain of the Haitian mountains. Going to the site was occasionally bad, but coming back was much more treacherous. The views throughout the ride were beautiful, though. Compared to yesterday, today felt like a lazy day for me, but I absolutely loved it. I sifted more sand, helped carry buckets of cement for the church’s new floor (which the men completed today), helped with Vacation Bible School, and played with the local kids. During VBS, I helped the kids play Bingo. Unlike the regular Bingo we know, this Bingo consisted of things that “good Christian children” should and should not do. Seeing the kids play Bingo and sing songs was awesome. We also jumped rope with the kids, blew bubbles, played hand-clapping games, played with the spray bottle (it was a huge hit once again, Mom), and took a lot of photos (they LOVE to have their photos taken). I wish I knew French Creole so that I could really talk with the kids, but they were content to hold my hand and sit on my lap, which was more than satisfying. Those kids are very special. They have so little, yet they are loving and happy. Seeing the smiles on their faces warmed my heart. One of the older boys asked me what my name was and then told me that he loved me. I wish I could spend every day with those kids. One boy (probably in his mid teens), Vilcient, knew English very well. He talked with the girls on our team and tried to teach us some words in Creole. He asked me if I would come back to the church on Monday, so I hope I get to see him again before we leave. Once we made it back to the compound, we had a special dinner known as freedom soup (or pumpkin soup). Every Independence Day, all Haitians eat this. The majority of our team seemed to dislike the traditional dish, but I had three bowls followed by cake. After dinner, we had a very nice Bible Study. Bill put a lot of things into perspective. He said that the kids we met today basically had a vacation playing with us and that they may not have the opportunity to experience another such “vacation” for a long time. All kids have a special place in my heart, but I am extremely thankful for the time I have with these Haitian kids. After Bible study, I made my way to the shower, during which the power went out! That was an adventure all its own since no one else was in the bathroom and I neglected to bring my flashlight with me. Tomorrow, we will go to a local church, which I am looking forward to. Thank you, Mom, Dad, Lauren, and Bryson for leaving messages for me! :) I love you all!