Ayiti Cheri (Dearest Haiti)

The sound of kids giggling everywhere as I sit in my classroom grading papers. The wet kisses on my cheeks and the hands that pull through my hair as it gets twisted into braids. The child sleeping on my lap. The girls yelling “cassadee, kazi, casy” to get my attention. Little faces speaking Creole, and bigger ones attempting words on my walls in English. These are the things that make my heart happy. These are the reasons I am here. 

I have officially lived in Haiti for two years. It has been the most challenging thing I have ever done in my life. I sit here trying to find words to explain what these two years have been like and the only thing I can think of is that is has been an honor. An absolute honor. 

I am honored to be apart of this ministry. I am honored to be part of their lives. I am honored to have lived these two years with these people by my side. I am honored to be their teacher, their counselor, their staff member, their daughter, their sister, even their momma at times. These kids, these people mean the world to me and have drastically changed my life for the better. 

I am not the person that I was two years ago. That girl was merely a caterpillar. I am not saying I have it all together, I definitely do not. But God has used, and is using Haiti to drastically change me. I would say, Haiti is my cocoon. Haiti makes me grow. Haiti challenges me. Haiti breaks me down to where I am my most vulnerable and allows me to build myself back up, with the help of the Lord. 

When I moved here, I didn't know what I was coming to exactly. I knew I was coming to work on this orphanage with these kids that I had already loved. I knew I would help them grow, experience hardships with them and we would have fun together. I hadn't realized how much they would hope me grow. The hardships that they would always stand by me through, and the fun that we would have together.

This place is where my soul is at rest. My heart feels the fullest and I hear God at every turn. God is everywhere here for me. He is in the whisper of the wind. He is in the giggles of the preschoolers. He is in the stars in the sky. I see hope within every face here, hope that the Lord has given them. 

I will be forever grateful for these first two years here in Haiti. I am waiting with an eager heart to see what else the Lord has for me here. Haiti has become my home, it has become one of the biggest parts of me. I cannot wait to continue serving, loving and learning here.