Day 5 – May 23rd «

Day 5 – May 23rd

June 6, 2009

Day 5: The sun came up on Saturday morning and I awoke to sounds of Haitian women singing Creole hymns. This was the day we were going to throw a huge dinner for all the church and sponsor kids along with the children from the orphanage. About 600 kids in all.

Before we started setting up for the dinner the whole group took a walk out to the Fort. It was still early morning and the sun was slowly rising above the horizon. Looking out on the bay the morning sky reflected off of the water in a way I had never seen before. It made for some great photos (check everyone’s out on Facebook of the bay, they are beautiful). While at the fort we got to hear a little about the history of the town and why the fort was built, etc. I am a history nerd so I enjoyed learning about the past of the city

After our trip to the fort we spent the morning in the courtyard carrying benches and tables setting up the area for the dinner. This didn’t take too long and so the rest of the morning was spent hanging out down at the orphanage.

A few hours later the time came and the madness of the dinner was about to unfold. It didn’t take long for the 600+ kids to fill up the courtyard. As the kids waited Colleen and Johnny, one of the local kids, led the children in songs. The songs were all in Creole and the only one I recognized was the old Sunday School song, “Father Abraham.” Even though I had no clue what they were singing it was a blast to watch them clap, dance around, and have a good time. About 15 minutes later the food arrived and the assembly lines were formed to distribute the food to the children. It was awesome to see so many children who most likely get very little to eat daily feast on huge portions of chicken, rice & beans. After all the food and drinks were passed out the madness began. It was time for candy! Brenda Rosier, one of the ladies on the trip with us decided she wanted to put together enough candy bags for all 600+ kids. So in the days before the dinner, time was spent filling up ziplock bags with 5 or 6 pieces of candy. One day while filling up the candy bags Brenda told us of how people back home said she was crazy for going through so much effort to give the kids just 4 or 5 pieces of candy. She said she tried to tell him that though it might seem like nothing in America, these 4 or 5 pieces were a big deal to the Haitian children. I knew what she was saying was true, but until I saw it with my own eyes I didn’t quite realized how much the candy meant to the children. The excitement that was caused by the candy could be comparable to a small riot. Children climbing, reaching and grabbing over one another all for a bag of candy. Seeing this first hand, I began to realize the luxury that I have in America. How often would you see children cause a riot for a couple pieces of candy?
While there is so much still to say about this one meal, I will stop. I don’t have the words to explain the beauty of this simple act of feeding and loving children. All I can say to you is go and see for yourself. If you haven’t been to Haiti, go. Go stare in to the eyes of children who haven’t had a hearty meal in perhaps months. Hand a plate overflowing with food to one of the kids. You will be changed. You will see the world in a whole new way.

Go.