January 13 and 14

.....and then I joined others, and got really sick...sorry for delay. Friday was our day to shop and visit the local beach. By this time, we are a weary looking group, having weathered a few mishaps and emotional lows. On the way to the beach, Jimi (our driver) hit the van brakes HARD. We all held our breaths. Then there was a dull thud. Our hearts cracked. There was a little girl, maybe 8 or so, lying on the side of the street. Jimi and Junior (our guide) jumped out. Pastor immediately called for a prayer. Miraculously, she was up standing in a few minutes. She was crying, but using arms and legs: a good sign. You have to understand, in haiti there are people walking everywhere. The spaces between vehicles and others things: people, buildings, other vehicles, is measured in millimeters instead of feet. At all times, chaos reigns. Jimi couldn't swerve: one way would be to hit many more people, another way would hit motorcycles, which also crowd the dirt paths that serve as road.

There was an enormous crowd gathering. Lots and lots of loud conversation which we could not understand.  We felt, for perhaps the first time there, intruders into their community. For if it wasn't for our little excursion, maybe she wouldn't have been hit. Here we have been trying so hard, to work for these people, to help in just some little way, and then this. Was God trying to tell us to slow down? focus differently? And this little girl, what did the Lord have in mind for her? For some reason, on friday, our paths crossed. It changed everything.

This trip pushed us, emotionally and physically, perhaps more than we've been before. I've read that to grow, one must be uncomfortable. This trip was packed with opportunities for growth. We found strength in one another, and looked to each other for comfort and guidance. However, we come home with more questions than answers. Will we go back to Jacmel? Did we make a difference? Did we accomplish what we were 'supposed' to? To reconcile these questions, and so many others will take time, and together we will sort it out.

Our plane touched down in Chicago at 7p.m. on saturday, and we arrived home a short drive later. Hot showers, warm beds, hugs from family awaited. It is hard to express how much these things are valued (not necessarily in that order; however after a week of cold dribbling showers....ha) and how loved the families the Lord has given us, mean. Only when you leave the safety of this structure, can you fully appreciate what it means. Thanks also for reading. Will I pick this up in a year's time? Stay tuned....and answers will come in time.

Oh, and the little girl? As of the last report: she was in the hospital, with a headache, but nothing broken. A miracle for sure. Our prayers for her will continue.