First Baptist Update 12/31/10
When I was told it was difficult to sleep in Haiti, I have to say I came prepared for the worst…after the first night I was completely stunned at how well I slept and how little noise there was. And then came night number two, most of us fell asleep early when it was relatively quiet so I assumed I would just sleep through the majority of the noise…but boy was I wrong. First the rooster started. I’m pretty sure roosters in Florida only crow when the sun comes up like an announcement that it’s time to get up, but in Haiti roosters crow all night long I’m not sure if they’re confused about the time or if they think the burn piles are the sunrise, either way they start around midnight and go all night long which results in every single other animal in Haiti apparently thinking its daytime as well. I don’t think I ever knew that donkeys, chickens, cows, goats, even cats could be so loud. It’s like you have an entire animal farm in both ears… but even none of those can compare to the orphanage dog that resides right downstairs from the girls bedroom, This ‘security’ dog barks all night long as loud as a dog can possibly bark I’m sure…I think it would be one thing if perhaps it was warning us about danger but it barks over absolutely nothing. Let’s just say I’m pretty sure none of us would have been completely opposed to having dog for breakfast the next couple of mornings & I don’t think it would’ve been hard to catch since Anda was determined to feed it chocolate bars.
Playing with the kids here has been more than I ever expected, In America I play with kids all day long, but the activities and toys that keep these kids occupied are things that at home kids would never even think to use as a toy. I’ve seen kids occupied for hours with one balloon, with a string tied around a can, with marbles, with a broken stroller, string & beads, plastic cups, and even old shampoo bottles filled with water. And the way they know how to play soccer is beyond me, in fact I was told twice I only got asked to play because they knew they could score on me, but I’m okay with that. Being here while all the kids are out of school at first seemed like it would be overwhelming because your with them all day long but they occupy themselves for the most part with all kinds of games and even if your just watching all they want is a little bit of attention and to feel like there’s someone who cares about them.
Being inside these orphanage walls for just five days has taught me so much and this is all these kids have ever known. There was this one moment when it hit me that I take so much for granted, things that are so easy for me to get and it’s something that they have probably never even had. For example, candy, any day I chose I can pull into the jiffy store at the end of my road, walk inside and buy a bag of peanut m&m’s. This normal day activity to me is something that the kids here can never even fathom. We were all sitting at the table eating chicken salad sandwiches and happened to have two of the older boys from the orphanage up here with us Wilguens & Christopher (Jennifer Phelps brother) just spending some time with them and giving them some special attention away from the babies. I got up and grabbed a bag of m&m’s that I brought over with me from the states and sat down at the table and started sharing the bag with Anda & Christopher. I was about to throw the bag away and there were a few more in there so on my way to the trash I tried to hand the last few to Wilguens who hadn’t had any yet, I was completely shocked when he turned them down because that isn’t a common occurrence here at all. He mumbled something and then I realized that he wanted me to give the rest of the m&ms to Christopher. I have to say this was something that caught me completely off guard. Even though they all really care for each other when it comes to food and especially candy they are usually fighting each other for it and he completely turned them down without a second thought so his friend could have them. I resorted to the fact that maybe he hadn’t ate or maybe he just wasn’t hungry but when we made them chicken salad sandwiches and both had one both boys ate them as if they had never tasted anything better. Even with my sisters or closest friends we all fight over the last piece of candy, or potato chip, or roll at the Texas Roadhouse…and Wilguens gave up this thing that he may or may not have ever had, but certainly not had often just because he wanted to make sure Christopher, his friend, didn’t go without.
Even in Haiti there are so many things I realize that I see as necessities that the people here may not even know exists. As much as I wish that I could pack up every child here and take them home with me I know that they aren’t missing a thing because life inside these walls are all they’ve ever known and I feel deprived because I can’t use my hair straightener. I know that I could never have fathomed what life was like for these people and you never can until you’ve seen it. I’ve been introduced to a whole new world and a whole new passion that I’ve never known before…Even though we can’t change this country if we can give these kids even a glimmer of hope that there is something better and someone who will always care and love them no matter what, I feel like we’ve done the best we can.
Beka
3 Responses 
Leave a Reply 
Awesome look into the week thanks for sharing Beka!
Wow… wilguens is a special young boy indeed… when i was in Haiti last Oct. we spent alot of time together… thanks for sharing your story!
Well said Beka…I will keep the country and the orphanage in my prayers. The kids were great.