Psalm 116: 1-2 “I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live.”
That was today’s verse on my Daily Bible Verse app. It reminded me of my mission trip to Haiti and of the hardships those in Caracol have had to face and are still facing. Like in the bible verse, Caracol cries for mercy and the Lord turns his ear to them. Although those in Caracol face poverty, they are enormously enriched by their love of the Lord. Everyone I met was always smiling, generous, and happy.
I made a lot of new friends in Haiti and I developed a special bond with each one. One of the best experiences I had while in Caracol was meeting my little friend Stanley. I want to say he was around 4 years old. I met him the first day we arrived in Caracol when the children came to the church to welcome us. Stanley also attended VBS, where we spent every day partnered up in games. One morning I was sick and couldn’t go out for games. I took a short nap and woke up a couple hours later feeling better. Instead of helping with games, I went to Stanley’s group which was in the church. He saw me and immediately came over and sat on my lap. Even though I was sick and miserable that morning, I knew I couldn’t spend an entire day in Haiti inside. At the end of the week, when I started realizing I would soon have to say goodbye to Stanley, I started leaving games to check on him in his other stations. Spending time with him, holding his hand, getting hugs, and giving hugs was the best.
Haiti was a life changing experience for me because I realize we are very spoiled here in America. And somehow, we still find something in life to complain about. I admire that Haitians are capable of living in what we would call poverty, but still have such a positive outlook on life. I hope someday soon I can go back to see my new friends.