Bonjour Haiti

Isn’t it interesting how the things you plan for sometimes never work out, but then the unexpected and unplanned things can become a reality in 2.5 seconds? This is what happened to me last week.

Before I graduated, my grandparents invited me on a cruise to Alaska with them as a graduation gift. I spent hours and days trying to figure out schedules and timing between moving back home and connecting with my sister, who was to attend the trip with us too, but it never seemed to work out the way I wanted it, and just became a hassle. So my grandparents thought it best to postpone trip to another time. It was definitely disappointing.

Well, after a few weeks of being home, my dad mentioned that he was going to be taking a trip to Haiti for missions. I expressed interest in going with him, but didn’t think it would ever happen. Within two days, my sister’s ticket and mine were purchased, and before I knew it, we were on a plane to Haiti.

We were only there for two and half days, but it felt so much longer. We connected with an organization there called “Love A Child.” They have been helping Haiti for over twenty years. From the long, bumpy drive from the city of Port Au Prince, to the outskirt villages, all I saw around me was poverty. It was so strange to see the ocean water and beautiful mountains, yet at the same time, hundreds of people on the side of the roads reaching into our van asking for food, water, or money.

We stayed in an orphanage with seventy children. We were welcomed with hugs and our hands grabbed by the little ones. We got to join in on their worship night led by just the children. We walked to school with them and sang songs in Creole, which is like relaxed French. We visited a voodoo village to feed the people rice and vegetables we had brought. Before they ate, they made us join in with them as they danced and sang. As I looked around at the children half dressed with cracked bruised feet, I was amazed at the joy in their smiles, the energy in their little singing voices, and the love they shared for each other.

They had nothing, but still sang. They lived in tiny concrete huts, yet still danced. They knew they would never see us again, but still chased our van for minutes as we drove away. I won’t ever forget the moment of their hands waving as we drove off. How blessed I was to have the unexpected opportunity to visit the people of Haiti.

If I had cruised it with the grandparents, I would have missed this heart-changing trip. Like Romans 8:28 says, everything always works out for the good to those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose. So, next time your plans fall through, be encouraged that something even more magnificent might be just around the corner.