• Wednesday •

The start of a new day in Haiti. A day we get to go meet families and children and see who needs sponsors. We get to go back to see Smeralda and Claudia again because we have bags of goodies for them. But, lucky me...Diane decided to share on the last day we're in Haiti that she has a video camera! Hellow! I could have smacked her. lol I took the opportunity before breakfast to roam around the grounds and in a sense "stopped to smell the flowers". I took pictures of the flowers and the beauty I see in Haiti. The things that have made this home for us for a week. I want to cherish every sound, smell and site possible before I go home. Maybe if I stop long enough it will stay in my brain, in my heart longer. I know there is a time and a season for every purpose under heaven. There is a time for us to go home, but I'm just not ready for it yet. ;o)

So, after breakfast we're off! Before we see the girls there are a few stops we're going to make. We get to meet Michael (Myko). He's a little boy that Diane sponsors so he can attend school. She met him once at the school but never at his home with his family. I'm videotaping the trip so forgive me if you get motion sickness from watching. I never claimed to be a good videographer. lol Pictures are my forte. ;o)

Meeting Myko was a bit different than meeting the girls. He lead us from the street where he was playing with his friends to him home. Through dirty paths, past other homes. He was happy to meet Diane again and was excited it seemed to show us him home and his family. Which he does seem to have it a bit nicer than some of the other families we've seen. Was it a shock to me to see that Claudia slept on the floor in dirty laundry with all her siblings in one little dark room with no windows and a dirt/rock floor....yes. But not as much of a shock as discovering that Myko sleeps on the floor under his moms bed. There was no blanket, no pillows, just dirt and rock. Which in a sense, after considering the lifestyle is probably a good safe place for Myko. He's away from the bugs, the sheet dangling from his mother's bed probably acts as a mosquito net of sorts. He's dry if the roof leaks, and, Myko looks healthier than most of the kids we've seen. He has his belly full at night when he lays down to sleep. It was nice to meet his family, play with his baby sister (who was left home alone with him to supervise). We woke her up when we found her in bed alone. She's 4 months old. And so adorable!!! Taylor is falling in love with the children here. Someone who never wanted kids and she never ceases to amaze me. ;o) (Maybe that's my mommy goggles talking but she and Kevin are super with all the kids. I think Kelsey is still in shock mode at times and just wants to take everyone home and away from all the hardship.)

Diane and Michael (Myko)

Taylor and Michael's baby sister

After we left Michael's house we walked through the village meeting seeing children. We soon had our own little parade! There were kids giggling and following us and talking (of course we had no idea what they were saying, except for a time or two when a child would join our little group and ask for a dollar....Roberto would send them away telling them not to beg from us and they needed to go to church).

Everytime we stopped at another house to look for someone in particular that Roberto wanted us to meet, we would acquire more kids to our parade. :o) They were so cute and so loving. Walking along you can't help but smile and as they look up at you with those adorable little faces I couldn't resist reaching down to take hold of the hands of the little boys at my side. Talk about a chain reaction! It was like giving them all permission to release their inhibitions and take hold of the Americans! They all started scrambling to be the first to grab the hands of those left, and if they couldn't find a hand to hold they were holding our shirt tails or our pants legs. They were so happy to be accepted and loved by total strangers. We began singing songs and swinging our arms. Taylor and Roberto started their usual tune. ;o) Kelsey was taking photos and sharing her review screen with them (which is amazing to them!), Diane was sharing her sunglasses as they got to take turns seeing through her dark eyes. It was just incredible to see how far we had walked and how many children we accumulated! When we finally got back to the truck we had to say good-bye. I didn't think we'd ever get Taylor back in the truck. We were all in and waiting for her to load up and she said we could just leave her there and come back for her later. lol

Taylor's parade buddies. ;o)

The two little boys on the back of the truck were my groupies. :o) At one time when someone else had let go of my hand the little boy closest to me had to keep pulling his pants up and the little boy in the pink shirt snuck in and took over. They started fighting over who was going to hold my hand until I showed them, "Hey, I've got two!" Just like home. Separating my boys, don't fight, I have enough hands and enough love for both of you. :o)

We were headed to our next stop which was Oshiani's house, another girl that Diane and Kevin's family have sponsored for many years. She is where we would consider in the country. Like the outskirts of the village. It was quite a little hike and jumping a few creeks but no one fell down today so all is good! Oshiani's house is two rooms, they have a nice yard area where they do their laundry and work. Her house is well equipped with a table, a couple of chairs and a small cot in the living room area and one bed in the bedroom. This small two-room house is home for 9 people. Can you imagine sharing a one bedroom house with 8 other people? It's clean by Haitian standards and has a cement floor that is well swept and free from debris or rocks. I even felt the need to remove my dirty flip flops before taking the tour she offered of their home.