Living Intentionally: Two Days of Adventure

Weekends are weekends. I didn’t have any scheduled meetings, so I took advantage and had some fun. Dom picked me up yesterday and brought me back to see the temporary mission house. After touring the house (it’s nice, but fairly empty), we walked down the street for ice cream.

The Haitian Ministries folks came back just before dinner. We ate Jean Baptiste’s pizza, relaxed, and let the art therapists experiment on us. Jen and Josie had us each draw a person picking fruit from a tree. Then they explained that it’s one of the best standardized assessment tools in their repertoire. We each got to chat about our drawings, but they spared us the analysis. (Phew.) The told us about the projects they planned to do with the kids, and we were in awe. Then they invited the mission house staff to draw. Suzette, Jean Baptiste’s wife, probably had the most fun. She admitted that she has never drawn/colored in her life! Just another example of how different life is here.

I spent the night at the mission house, went to church with them in the morning, and then we went out to visit Sacred Heart’s twin parish in Gran Boulage. While the art therapists traced the kids hands and let them color, Chuck, Emily, Greg, Dom and I sat down to meet with the parish’s representatives. They told us about the damage from the earthquake. About 1500 homes were damaged in their region, some are reparable, while others are rubbish. 253 people died, mostly in landslides. We also talked about the schools, the health situation, and the water problems.

I can’t help but reflect on how different life is here… and I’m talking about pre-earthquake life. At least three kids die in Gran Boulage every year of “broken necks” from carrying water up steep treacherous paths. Their parents are too worn down, so this dangerous job is designated for children… Life isn’t easy here, and I don’t think it ever was.