Glimpses of Haiti

from Aaron Ivey's blog:

I stepped into a time machine today. I set it for 200 years in the past. it worked perfectly. when I got out, I could hardly believe my eyes. with little to no contact with the outside world, people here are in pure survival mode. there’s no planning for tomorrow, its simply living today. i’ve been to impoverished countries before. i’ve seen poverty at its lowest, so I shouldn’t be surprised to take in the sights of Haiti. however, it never gets old or routine. as we walked through the village today, I passed many children lifting their shirts and rubbing their bellies, which translates “i need food.” the only response I have is, “bonjou,” which seems like such an insult. high fives, waves, and smiles seem like such an insignificant thing to a person that really just needs a bowl of rice. but, today all we could do is smile and say, “bonjou.”

as I followed the rest of the team through the village, I tried to take in all that my eyes were seeing. most children were naked, while others had only a shirt on. adults sat outside their lean-to buildings just waiting. seems like most everyone in this country is just waiting….waiting on something. waiting for change? waiting for tomorrow? there’s really nothing else to do but hope and wait. to just get through a day is a big task, but these beautiful people are fighters and survivors. they don’t give up. they are a strong, determined people. when the only thing left in a village is pebbles, they pile them up and build mock-houses out of them. when all that’s laying around is a stick and and the metal frame of a tire, they make a toy out of it. when all that’s left to eat is flour and oil, they fry the flour and eat it. they survive.

yesterday, at Licia’s rescue center we danced with the kids. they chanted and sang at the top of their lungs. it was a beautiful Creole song that translated in English to, “thank the Lord, we’re not going to die today.”