Fowler Group Day 5…

Hey y’all (shout out to our friends from Texas Tech) today marks our 5th full day in Mole St. Nicolas and I can honestly say that each day brings new eye opening experiences and more joy than I could have ever imagined. Life in Haiti is much different than it is back in the States, but I’ve found comfort in the commonalities I’ve seen between the Haitian people and my friends and family back home.

This morning we started off our day by working at the clinic. During this time, Jamie, Michael, Mr. Fowler and I became “pharmacists” for a few hours, Mrs. Fowler took the blood pressure of all the patients, Abbey cleaned their ears and Bethany, Taylor and Emma entertained those in the waiting room by painting nails, holding babies, handing out candy/stickers and praying for those in need.

At the clinic, anyone from town is welcome to come get checked out by the nurses and receive the medicine they need. Working at the clinic was not only fun, but also a huge reality check. We met with 65 patients between 9:00am-12:00pm, they ranged from infants to school aged students all the way up to the elderly.

After lunch we had the opportunity to do something that quickly became my favorite thing we’ve done so far here at the mission. We got to pass out new shoes and synch sac backpacks to all 35 of the orphans. Not just any shoes however, they’re specially engineered shoes called The Shoe That Grows, which as the name implies, are shoes that have several different sizing options so they can be sized to the owner as they grow.

The looks on the faces of the kiddos as they came into the cafeteria to see their brand new shoes was enough to bring tears to my eyes. After watching the orphans and kids from town walk around bare foot on hard rocks, through mud and often times miles to and from their destination for the last few days, I’ve realized truly how blessed I am to have a closet full of shoes back home that I can choose from each day, something that I often take for granted.

Now, knowing that the sweet kiddos will have a pair of shoes that they can wear for a few years as their feet grow at the rapid pace they do, brings our team so much joy.

For the remainder of the afternoon Mr. Fowler and Jamie met with several Pastors from the community while the rest of us got to help out in Susan’s special needs classroom. This was a really great time for Emma and Taylor, our 2 special education majors to use the skills they’ve learned and put them to use.

Today we had 4 students in attendance and for 2 hours we got to play, jump on the trampoline and sing with them. While special needs class was happening, right next door there was a sewing class for the student’s mothers and other women from the community. This is one of the only times in the week that the moms get a break, and have the chance to not only relax but learn a trade and enjoy adult conversation with their friends while knowing their child is safe and happy.

This is my first trip to Haiti but I have no doubt that I will be returning very soon, the impact that this place has had on me in only a few days is unexplainable. Coming into this week, I tried to have an open mind and open heart to what the Lord was going to be teaching me while I was here. Among many other things, I feel that He is teaching me how to love His people unconditionally.

This is something that I have learned from the Haitian people. The way the kiddos latch on and squeeze as we walk through the gate to the orphanage, the pleasant “bonjous” coming from everyone we pass in town and the hospitality from the families whose houses we’ve visited have shown me that truly, the only thing we can do is love each other.

Haiti holds a special place in my heart and everyone else on my teams. As we go into our last few days here in the Mole I am excited to see what else God is going to be teaching us, and we are all looking forward to the time we will be reconnected with our family here in Haiti.

Thank you for the continued prayers and support!

Addison Huss