It’s Party Time
Children in the school yard.
The final orphanage we went to visit was one that is managed by Pastor Prophete’s son. It was located in the heart of the mountains, which meant a two hour trip. It took about an hour to travel outside the city and an hour to travel up the steep mountain. Although I thought that the mountain area would be more rural, there were, actually, several small towns that we passed through.
When we arrived at the orphanage, it felt like it was about 150 degrees outside. This was the hottest day yet! The kids greeted us as they assembled into the chapel. We enjoyed doing different crafts with them, jumping rope and singing songs. We also went on a tour of the orphanage. The conditions were not good; in fact, I think they were the worst out of all the orphanages that we visited. This made me really sad. However, I’m glad we were able to spend some time with the kids and brighten their day.
Flip-flops that were given to the staff members.
That evening our team hosted a staff party at Haitian Christian Mission (HCM). This was one of the best things that we were able to do. The adults and compound staff are sometimes overlooked on mission trips. Although helping out kids is great, many adults need assistance and love too. Plus, they are the ones who manage everything on a regular basis, and when mission teams come in, they do extra work. For the party, we cooked an American-style meal for them that included hamburgers and baked beans. An observation I made was that no one really ate the buns; they removed the patties and ate them separately. We also gave away several items that had been donated by various people, churches, sororities and other organizations. Some of the items were t-shirts, flip-flops, toiletry kits, nail polish and purses. And I’m talking about nice Coach, Dooney and Bourke and Burberry handbags. Thank you to everyone who donated these items and all of the other items that we have given out. This trip wouldn’t have been as successful without you!
T-shirts!
We also had a photo booth that I helped out with. We even made different props that included cartoon word bubbles with Creole phrases. Then we had line dancing — because it’s not really a party without line dancing — and traditional Haitian dancing. Overall, the staff members had a great time, and I was glad they enjoyed themselves.
Handbags that were given to the staff members.
Miss Gabrielle Bellamy 