Busy Day & Guest Post

Wednesday, June 26 

Since we had spent all day Tuesday painting and prepping for the onslaught of guests that were due to arrive Thursday and Friday, I had organized for Nicole to spend a day at my friend's orphanage today, and Jayden, Justin and I had plans to spend a final afternoon with friends before they moved back to Canada. 

The morning didn’t quite go as planned though; but then again, when in Haiti do things ever go as planned? First we ran out of water, then when I turned the pump on the batteries died and the inverter quit. Then when I started the generator it only sputtered on the last bit of diesel before shutting down as well. Certain that I had somehow fried our expensive inverter system I called Jason who explained how to reset everything. I breathed a sigh of relief when the flashing red lights turned to a solid green again. 

By now I was running late, but I still needed to spray outside for mosquitoes. With a bandana over my mouth, and a pair of surgical gloves on, I checked the wind direction and got to work fumigating the grounds. By the time I was finished I was dripping with sweat. We still didn’t have water though, and since I didn’t dare turn on the pump again I made a cloth wet with our drinking water and wiped myself down as best as I could. 

It was after 10:00 a.m. before we were finally out the door. Thankfully the route I needed to take which was often blocked due to road construction was clear and we were able to arrive at the orphanage in record time. I introduced Nicole and then spent ten minutes or so talking to my friend Dora before leaving for the Broersma's house. 

Unfortunately the road back was now blocked and it took me the next 55 minutes fighting impossible inclines, narrow crumbling ledges and twisting roads to travel the 1 kilometer distance to my friend's house. If today wasn’t the last day I could spend with Mindy and her kids I would have gone on home from there! 

The day got better though. We had a delicious cheese burger at the Baptist mission and the kids enjoyed the new playground there. On the way home the road construction was just finishing up so there was no need to take the 55 minute detour again! 

Nicole also had a wonderful time at the orphanage and below she shares a little about how much she enjoyed her time there.

"Today I got to do what I’ve wanted to do for a very long time; visit an orphanage in Haiti. I arrived at the Rainbow of Love orphanage in the morning and as soon I walked into one of the bedrooms I was mobbed by adorable little children.

One little boy immediately caught my attention as he looked like a younger version of one of my Haitian friends in Canada. 

Another sweet little boy also grabbed my attention as he always wanted to be in my arms and wouldn’t let me put him down. 

In the afternoon I brought out the balls I had bought for the kids and they loved them. One of my favorite parts of the day was being able to make the kids laugh and seeing their faces light up with huge smiles. 

When I was leaving I really wanted to take those two little boys who had captured a piece of my heart home with me, but of course that wasn't possible! Being able to visit the orphanage was a dream come true for me and I am so thankful to have had this opportunity!"