Thank You Haitians

I feel as if I have not expressed my thankfulness to the Haitians whom have blessed my life with enough joy to last me a lifetime. This blog is a thank you to every Haitian whom has touched my life and graced me with a love I wish could experience every day of my life. I hope that my words will somehow fill you with the joy that I experience.

The other day I was walking to grab a quick breakfast before going to teach when I noticed one of my students named Jessica on the corner sobbing. I went up to her and asked her what was wrong and she replied that she had been told to leave school because she did not have the proper color shoes. After questioning her further I discovered that her family could barely afford food let alone a new pair of shoes. I took her to the school and asked the principal if he could let her go to school for the day, granted that I would take her that afternoon to buy her new shoes. Yet he could not oblige my request since he had told her the day prior that she would not be allowed in if she did not have proper shoes like the all the other students. Therefore, Jessica and I ran around until we finally found a pair of black shoes. When she tried on a pair that fit, her face lit up like it was Christmas morning. She thanked me and tore off towards the school with a smile that everyone could see. The rest of the day was bliss as I remembered her face as she ran off to school.

Yet the blessing did not end there. This Thursday I helped out at the clinic and I saw a women there keep looking at me with such a warm and personal smile that I could not help but feel as if she was my own mother welcoming home her beloved son. She had two very sick children and after she saw the doctor she waited in the courtyard until the clinic finished. Then I saw Jessica walk up to the door and asked me to come with her. We walked over to the women holding her sick child and I remember vividly what she was wearing: a beautiful orange headscarf, blue dress, and a smile that relaxed every muscle in my body. As I walked up to her she explained that she was Jessica’s mother and I told her what a good student Jessica was in class. She thanked me and told me that she had to get back to her house. Yet before she turned to leave she stood on her tip toes and whispered in my ear so quietly that only I could hear, “Mesi pou soulye a” (thank you for the shoes). I was so overtaken with joy and we both smiled at each other so warmly, we could quite possibly be adding to global warming issue. I pray God allows us to meet again soon.

Stories like these are what I will remember about Haiti forever. One day I was walking home from work and suddenly two street boys came along side me smiling and asking me question after question. I then pointed up to the clouds which were a magnificent red from the setting Caribbean sun saying “Se bel, wi?” (It’s beautiful, yes?). They both looked up and for a moment did not utter a word, but just started into the awesome scene. Look up at the sunset tonight and share in our joy, share in our humanity, share in a love for one another that runs deeper than the surface of our skin, but rather to the depths of our hearts. May you find solidarity with us there.

The Butterfly

Tired from another day in the hot Haitian sun, I wearily walk back to my house stumbling on the terribly maintained roads. I remember thinking all I wanted was to make it back to my bed so I could visit some naturally gorgeous place in my dreams. Yet as I turn the corner who was there to greet me but a beautiful butterfly dancing happily at my feet. In looking at it, all the rubble around me seemed to dissolve away as the setting sun lit the unsettled dust with a golden glow. I walked the rest of that street with a sense of how much beauty this one butterfly had, examining its multicolored wings and gentle flying pattern. It seemed as if it followed me the entire length of the road before disappearing into the underbrush. As I went to sleep that night, all I only wanted was to dream of walking next to that butterfly again.

The other day I was talking to the Ivens (school principle) and Sussette when Sussette asked Ivons how his day was yesterday. Ivens shook his head saying “not very good” in a way that made me feel as if he had been sick. Sussette asked what went wrong and Ivens explain that his friend Jeff had been murdered the night before and the people in the community called him to identify what was left of the bullet torn body. He told us the story of what had happened saying Jeff wanted everyone in his tap tap (Haitian bus) to pay before going to his or her destination, which is about 10 goud (25 cents). When one of the passengers refused to pay he gave everyone else their money back and stood on the wall deciding where he wanted to drive to next. The man who refused to pay then came up to Jeff, shook him by the shirt, told him he could not tell him what to do, took out a gun and shot him. The crowd then dispersed at the sound of gunfire and the man was never caught. After Ivens had arrived, Jeff’s mother came to the scene and immediately began to scream and convulse on the ground at the sight of her son’s body. Ivens said it was a terrible thing to witness. Jeff leaves behind a wife and newly born child.

Ivens told the story without tears in his eyes and without conviction in his face, yet a sorrow that runs to the depth of his soul. When I replay him telling the story I find thoughts swirling in my head such as: where is justice, where is dignity, where is there a place for a man to earn an honest wage. I want the man to pay for what terrible act he has committed. Why is this man granted life when he takes an honest mans. I want to understand why he would do such a thing so I can in some way forgive him, yet what about the family he leaves behind? What about the little girl who will grow up without a father? Thus, I ask you all a favor, do what I struggle to do; pray for the man who killed Jeff. May he one day realize what he has done and be shone what joy there is in loving others.

In Haiti, sometimes all you can be thankful for are small things, such as a beautiful butterfly. Working at Child Hope I see children being raised to become responsible citizens. I am honored to be a part of each one of these children’s lives and I see a hope for Haiti in their smiles and selflessness. May their dreams be filled with prosperity, love, and a simple butterfly.