Fowler Group 2019… Last Day

Once upon a time in a far away country…

After a scrumptious breakfast of cinnamon rolls and fruit, we split into two groups. Half went to do more hut-to-hut visits out in the community and the rest of us spent our morning in the clinic. In hut-to-hut, the ladies danced, painted nails, and prayed with the Wadnise family.

In the clinic, some girls entertained in the waiting area with coloring pages and nail polish while Liv cleaned out some ears (so crusty so amazing) and Rob took vitals. After the groups, we spent some time playing outside with the orphans and then went to lunch.

Lunch today was chicken, rice, and beans. Post-lunchtime, the Our Generation dance audition took place for a couple hours. We couldn’t believe the talent and commitment of the dancers who came to try out and as the audition closed, the group members were announced and they celebrated with chest bumps and high fives (as well as lots of whooting). It was harder for some to say goodbye to the Haitian dancers at the end of the audition, but all were thankful to be a part of the process. 

For dinner, we all went to the beach for some saltwater, a sunset, some roasted hot dogs, and a devotion led by our very own Jody. Heart-wrenching as it was, we all left feeling motivated and thankful for everything we’ve experienced here in Haiti. We feel honored to have made so many new friends and to have learned so much about a small part of our large world. We went back to the cafeteria thereafter to do some hair braiding and to prepare for our travels tomorrow. 

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Wow. This week has been WYLD. Going hut-to-hut was really cool and sad. It seems like everything about this trip happens in paradox. A woman that the hut-to-hut group met was upset to have to say goodbye to Emma. The woman said she would miss Emma dearly, but Emma promised to visit again in May. It was beautiful. Liv got to clean so many ears of little tiny nuggets and of big larger humans. As strange and slightly terrifying of an experience as it was, Liv felt washed clean herself as each patient smiled as she walked them back to the waiting area. It reminded her of Holy Week at home with the annual washing of the feet. Liv finished cleaning the ears early and went to play with the kiddos. Turns out there was a little miscommunication and she somehow assumed responsibility for 34 sprinting little friends. Oops. She was pretty overwhelmed but laughed so hard to the point of snorting. 

Anyway, today was also the last day of the Our Generation audition and Sara and Caitlyn helped judge who would be chosen for the group. It was hard to choose because there were so many conflicting opinions between judges as each person auditioning brought their own unique style to the dance. It is sad to cut people because you want everyone to have the opportunity to dance, but watching the final group come together was amazing. 

Now, the bonfire tonight was so fun. Our little buddy Fabi was struggling with the many sharp shells in the ocean but wanted so badly to be in the water. Meanwhile Levi had Liv’s shoes and Izzy was giving Sara some snails. The devotion however, we agree, was the best part of tonight. We were encouraged to continue to be the face of Jesus as we enter back into the states and to our normal lives. The devotion was delivered with personal examples and passion that will sit with us hopefully throughout our lives. We want to be changed by this experience, not just momentarily inspired. We hope to pour out joy and the heart of Christ to the people we come in contact with in the present and future.

This has been a collaborative blog post by Sara Grace Harris and Olivia Marie Panozzo 🙂

Thank you so much for following our blog and going on this journey with us!

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