Love

Love...so much meaning in such a small word.

Today is our last full day in Haiti and as I am sitting here this morning reflecting back on the week all I feel is love. A love for a country that I had only read about in the paper, only seen pictures of in magazines and newspapers, a love for Haiti and its people. At the beginning of the week, all I could see is the garbage, the broken streets, the mass cluster of homes bunched together, the smells around me. Now I see the faces of the people, their smiles; the people on the streets saying "Bonjour", the children yelling "hey, you!", the people working in the market. It is the people.

God is present in Haiti and it is evident on their faces. God cares about the people. Yesterday, we made a second visit to the Orphanage of Sick and Dying Children, amidst all the babies and children were the workers. While feeding a baby, I observed the ladies that work there. They selflessly share their love to these children everyday and they come back again the next day and the next. They work so hard to give God's love and touch to these children.

All around me from the people at the Healing Haiti Guest House, those who deliver water everyday, the workers at the orphanages, you can see that they have a love for their country, for Haiti. It is on their faces. These people do not have much, but they praise God for what they do have. They are grateful for all that they recieve. I do not feel sad for these people, I feel sad for myself and hope to leave with a greater appreciation for what I have and remember that all I have comes from and belongs to the Lord. 

"Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat."
—Mother Teresa


Elena
Healing Haiti Team Member