Haiti Trip Journal-Day 2

We had a team travel to Haiti July 23-29, 2010 and various team members wrote journal entries during the trip. In case you missed it, click here for the 1st entry. Here is the 2nd entry…

Diana Parks teaching at VBS
Diana Parks teaching at VBS

DAY 2- Saturday
The team washed down pancakes, peanut butter, and bananas with hot Haitian coffee before we piled into the van and headed down the mountain from Petionville to Port-au-Prince.  Elizabeth, Sally, and Amanda wore their camera batteries down in the first 45 minutes snapping shots of the sidewalk markets lining the streets for miles on end.  Women selling chickens, men maneuvering through the throngs with classrooms full of chairs on their heads, and others carrying pharmacies in the ice-cream-cone-shaped dispensaries joined hundreds of other vendors.

After almost two hours we pulled up to our vacation Bible school site.  Before we knew it, fifty children were sitting hip to hip on wooden benches enthralled by Melanie’s story of the lost sheep.  Within an hour the number had doubled.  We made cotton ball sheep, painted fingernails, played soccer, chased each other around in a rousing “Duck, Duck, Goose” game, and drove away, dirty, exhausted, and extremely happy.

The slow moving trek back up the mountain climaxed with a stunning view of the city at “the Overlook.”  We rumbled down into the Guest House driveway with enough time to play with the babies in the orphanage connected to our lodging.  Damp diapers, sweet smiles, and outstretched arms melted our hearts.  We bounced them, swung them, and tickled them until we had to tear ourselves away in time to freshen up for supper.  Potatoes, rice, beef, and green beans justified the tall Cokes that several of us splurged on after a long and wonderful day.

Jude and Zach shared their stories during our debriefing meeting, which were devotionals in themselves.  Diana played one of her husband’s songs with Margaret’s IPOD speakers to illustrate the idea of obedience.  We ended the night playing games and painting fingernails with the teens from another nearby orphanage whom we’ll see again tomorrow.  It was a great day.

Submitted by Diana Parks

Share This

Share on Facebook
Share on Twitter
Share on Linkdin
Share on Pinterest

More Stories

A Heartfelt Reflection on Our Trips Summit

This February, a team of staff members from Guatemala, the United States, and the Dominican Republic gathered for a memorable Trips Summit. Our mission? To prepare the Dominican Republic to host mission teams, grow stronger as a unified team, and brainstorm ways to make each mission trip a truly transformational experience—for both the communities we serve and the teams that visit.

Read More »

410 Day: A New Frontier for Impact in the Dominican Republic

Every year on April 10th, we celebrate 410 Day—a day where we come together to support communities in need and fuel sustainable, Christ-centered transformation. This year, 410 Day is more important than ever because we’re stepping into a brand-new country: the Dominican Republic.

The challenges in these communities are urgent, and we need your help to bring real change.

Read More »

Sponsor a Child in the Dominican Republic for the First Time with 410 Bridge!

We have an exciting announcement — for the very first time, you can now sponsor a child in the Dominican Republic through 410 Bridge!

Child sponsorship has always been at the heart of what we do. It’s not just about giving — it’s about walking alongside a child as they discover their potential and begin to see themselves as part of the solution to poverty. It’s about encouragement, relationship, and hope. And now, this life-changing opportunity is expanding into the Dominican Republic.

Read More »

Subscribe

Get more articles and updates like this directly in your email inbox!