I love photography. I love to look through travel books and magazines looking at amazing photos and reading fascinating stories. I love to travel as well. And as I prepare to go to a new country, I love to read about the country, look at documentaries and read books. But you can look at a thousand documentaries, read a dozen books and look at hundred of photos, but if you do not actually go to a certain place, you will not really know that place.
Yesterday afternoon we took a walk around the surrounding community of the Haiti Arise compound in Grand Guave. It was eye-opening. I have seen poverty before, but this was as bad as I've seen. We stopped at a house (a wooden shack) where a couple lives, with their 9 children and 4 grand children. The shack is smaller than my bedroom! It was not the only shack of it's kind in the area. A number of families live like this in the area. Alma asked Marc Honorat what percentage of the population of H
aiti live like this. He answered: "About half of them". But you do not only see the poverty - you also see smiles, joy and friendliness. It always amazes me how much happiness we find in poverty, and sadness in affluence.
This morning we walked through the market, we saw it, heard it, smelled it, touched it and tasted it. It was sweet - at least the cane sugar was. It was busy, people everywhere; shouting, selling and exchanging. What a different world! No western mall is as fascinating as this!
Tomorrow we fly back to Canada via the USA. It has been a long trip, but amazing. May the Lord use us as we encourage CrossRoads Church to have compassion on the most needy; blessing others as He has blessed us.
Ami is super cool... and hot after she got sun burned in the market today. Ag shame, poor girl! And she knows that it will make Brendon mad. Buddy, have compassion.
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