Written by: J. Michael Blackston in Disaster Response, Distributed Journeys, News and Inspiration on August 16, 2010

When you think you’ve seen it all in Haiti ... our Thursday turned out to be quite eventful. We started the morning out very early with a 6 a.m. devotional led by A.J. We had to leave the house by 7 a.m. because we went to the mountains about two hours north to visit a school/orphanage. We planned in advance to take a “tap tap” (a common transportation mode in Haiti, which is basically a truck that has a topper on it for shade). In order to get to the orphanage, we had to cross a river, which has a strong current now due to the rainy season. We successfully crossed the river but then found ourselves stuck in the mud. The team had to evacuate while the guys on the team, as well as some of the local Haitians, helped to push the truck to safety. After a 20-minute delay, we finally arrived to our destination with muddy shoes ... and some good laughs.

Our time at the orphanage revealed the sharp contrasts evident here in Haiti. Unlike the previous orphanages, the campus was lush—green grass, a large mango tree, with the beautiful mountains of Haiti as a backdrop. The living conditions were more than adequate, and the children were well nourished and taken care of by the adults. This scene was very encouraging to our team. We sang songs with the children, taught them Bible stories, and played a fun game with them afterwards. I never get tired of seeing the joy in the children’s eyes and their absolute love for life. One of the highlights for me was during lunch when I heard one of our interpreters recount her experience of when the earthquake hit. With tears in her eyes, she shared about losing her aunt and how much she still misses her. Our team has grown to love our interpreters, Leo and Bathalie, so hearing Bathalie’s personal story broke my heart and reminded me of how personal the earthquake is for the Haitian people.

Leaving the children is always difficult, but we packed up and began heading home. As we were driving through a small village in the mountains, we witnessed a terrifying scene. A boy had just been hit by a car and was laying in the street. We stopped, and Mick, our resident medic, tended to him. The scene was quite chaotic because the boy was in shock and had an enormous gash on his head. The local Haitians were rapidly gathering around and so the other men on the team were trying to make room for Mick to care for the boy. Normally in Haiti the person responsible for a car accident leaves the scene without stopping. However, because we stopped and helped, the car responsible for the accident felt safe to stay and then volunteered to take him to the hospital, which was only 10 minutes away. We were all a bit shaken up after the situation, but we were mostly thankful for God’s perfect timing. Had we not been there, the boy would not have gotten the timely medical care he needed. His injuries were not life threatening, but we continue to pray for his quick recovery. Tomorrow morning we will be visiting an orphanage close to where we are staying. Among other activities, Mick will be training the older kids, as well as15 interpreters, in First Aid.

On a daily basis, the Haitian people are teaching me a thing or two about living life to the fullest. They know something about the Gospel that I will never know. They are a generous people. They are a thankful people to God for their lives and for each new day. They truly depend on Him for their daily bread to sustain them ... for the rain that brings momentary relief to the heat ... for the opportunity to worship God with their loved ones and friends. They are thankful for the simple things that I so often take for granted. Though they have nothing, they have everything. I was warned when coming here to Haiti, “Don’t drink the water.” But I say drink it! The Haitians so powerfully testify to the Living Water, the water that Jesus gives and promises that “whoever drinks will never be thirsty again.”