One of Halloween's biggest appeals, I think, is that for a day we get to be something different--a TV character, something from a movie, or a superhero. We have a real life superhero on our staff, Coach Nancy Kroll, who returned from a mission trip to Sainte Suzanne, Haiti last week. Here are some of her thoughts about the experience:
To start, I want to thank my husband who was the one to give his blessing to go on quite a unique adventure.
My expectations began very mixed. As Hurricane Matthew devastated western Haiti, I was nervous and apprehensive. However, educating my loved ones to the geography of Haiti and the fact that we were flying to Cap Haitien relieved some of their nervousness--and mine.
 |
My first impression was the contrast of the country's physical beauty to the devastating level of poverty. After making our way through Customs, we took a very bumpy ride to our St. Suzanne church "compound." We were greeted with welcoming arms by Father Volvick, Mrs. Boehm and Mrs. Tanis, who had arrived two days earlier. The women's quarters were apartment-like with a living room, small kitchenette and two bedrooms with an adjoining bathroom. The men's quarters were on the top floor of the rectory. The rooms were equipped with several bunkbeds and mosquito nets. No alarm clock needed--the church bells are rung heartily at 5:30 am and 6 am, accompanied by dogs barking.
One thing I dreaded and was warned about was the food. Breakfast was served at 7 am and dinner around 6 pm. I tried everything cooked and was very pleasantly surprised... Delicious. Refrigeration is a luxury so we did not have any milk or cheese products. We did have fresh mango, papaya, avocado and banana at most every meal. Rice was a staple at all dinners, and I tried the fish, chicken, goat and beef.
Throughout the trip I grappled with many different emotions and thoughts swirling in my head. I had the opportunity to tour two schools and received royal treatment--a creole welcome song (see the photos below), with visitation to each classroom. It felt like home and was fun to interact with the kids. One thought: it does not matter where you travel or the level of wealth, kids are the same. They are just kids. They do not know they are missing electricity and many other "necessities" of our Americanized way of life. To me: unimaginably disadvantaged; to them: just another day at school.
The students were extremely well behaved and polite. I told a few of my PE classes we could learn from their example. Our CKS 3rd and 5th graders wrote pen pal letters to the students and each one was answered back. They exchanged their favorite classes, their favorite meals and their favorite way to play--futbol, tag, hide and go seek were very popular.
The medical/dental mission trip was also a success, especially when you look at the numbers -- and we are all impressed by numbers! We served close to 1000 men, women, and children in the medical and dental offices and chairs. I assisted the pharmacists with 677 prescriptions being filled. This was over the course of three and a half days. At the end of each day we were exhausted by the heat and happy to have a fan or two in the evening. We were buoyed each day by the people we served, who very appreciative and gracious.
My overall impression and the very shortened version of my trip: It's like the story of the boy on the beach with the starfish. Thousands and thousands have washed ashore and an old man is watching the boy throw the beached starfish back in the ocean. He finally says to the boy, "It doesn't make a difference; you can't possibly throw them all back in." The boy looks at the man and answers, "It made a difference to that one."
We did make a difference! Thank you to all our students who filled our suitcases with supplies and prayed for our safe trip and who continue to support our missions!
No comments:
Post a Comment