The Sky Angel's Blog

Orphanage in Haiti

It is an odd transition, coming back into the States after being in a third world country.  Especially one where there is so much devastation and destruction.  One thing I can never describe accurately, will be the smell or the sounds.  The first afternoon I was in Haiti, I went out with a couple of the guys to see what it was like on the streets of Port-au-Prince.  There are tents everywhere, and people walking around with what seemed to me, no sense of where they were going. 

It struck me in an odd way that as the day became night, the streets became busier.  We are all so accustomed to having a home to go home to, at the end of the day.  These poor people are lucky if they have a tent or any form of shelter over their heads.  They are on the streets at night because they haven’t got the comforts beyond a nylon cover to protect them from the elements.

It saddens me deeply that people are living under such horrible conditions.  My heart breaks at the thought that hurricane season is right around the corner, and the tents will blow away with the first strong wind.  It troubles me that sustainable housing has not yet been provided.  What troubles me more, is the fact there are still communities that have seen NO AID since the earthquake occurred.  How these people are surviving on no food, water, or medical supplies is beyond my scope.  It has to be by the sheer grace of God and their individual human spirit.  There are no words to describe the suffering .. or the resilience of these people.

Although entire families were wiped out in a short thirty seconds, their loved ones are pressing on and finding ways to survive.  When Sammy (he lost his mother, wife and children in the earthquake) told me he did not have a hard life because people like me come, and give him hope, I had no words to respond.  You see, I am the first one to admit that I sometimes get caught up in my own problems.  Things that trouble me deeply and make me sad or insecure. 

But what Sammy and so many others that we met did, was make me reflect .. on what I do have .. and on how great it is to share my smile and laughter with another person.  How beautiful it is to know that I can make a difference, just by showing up.  As I go about what I need to do today, I am thanking the stars above, for what I do have .. and the fact that I have a car to drive and a house to clean .. and loved ones who are all over the world .. encouraging me to be the best I can be.

Thank you all for your encouragement .. it just is weird, being back home ..

Always,

Robin

Love around the World ...

Everything in Haiti is done on THEIR time. It doesn’t matter if you are in a hurry … everything just takes time. Which can be extremely frustrating, especially when we (as Americans) have learned to constantly be in a hurry and have things so instantly. However, even this week I witnessed the negative when someone rushes. Words are not said that need to be said, people do not do what they are supposed to do, and even a project is not completed in a manner worthy of a stamp of approval.

But yesterday, it was all about timing. The tears streaming down my face at various times, were because I believe it was and is … God’s perfect timing. For those of you that may not realize it … I was not supposed to be in Haiti this week. Let me give you a little recap …

Because of a volcano, I was not able to spend my vacation in Germany visiting and volunteering with the USO Wounded Warriors. Eric asked me a month ago to find a way to get the Peace Packs delivered to him in Haiti. When I helped Ruthie package & ship the Peace Packs in S. California 10 days ago, I had NO plans of being in Haiti right now. Every day since shipping those boxes, I have been on the phone with Fed Ex to make sure there were no issues. Funny thing … the minute they hit Haitian soil, there were issues.

As I explained previously, the government is corrupt. The government wanted us to pay duties and taxes on these little back packs that were literally filled with love and prayers from children in America to the children here in Haiti. The fact of the matter is, it took alot of work, tenacity, and resolve to get those boxes out of customs without having to pay duties and taxes. It was a God moment when they let us put the Peace Packs in the car.

But yesterday, it wasn’t just one moment … it was a culmination of knowing how hard I worked to get the Peace Packs here … and seeing Ruthie’s project come full circle for her. She would not have been here, had one of my friends not given me a buddy pass for her to use. If I had not gone through, the hoops with the translator that I went through … we would not have made the contact we needed to, in order to get a much larger and vital shipment into the country (more on this later).

You see, God can see the big picture … we can’t. And although there is death, starvation, dehydration, and tents all around us … I can see the beauty of us making a difference. If different steps had been taken, the result may not have been the same … and I am thankful that I listened to that still, small voice inside … that told me to “come” … because the beauty of following … is hearing God say “well done” … and that is far better than any words can really describe …

And for those of you who don’t believe in God … take a situation where you feel a tremendous amount of JOY. Where the universe has aligned, and you are just brimming from ear to ear. That is how I felt several times yesterday. Where the love you feel inside .. the admiration .. the gratitude .. is so enormous that you explode with emotion. When you look yourself in the mirror and really like who you see.

Now that my friends, is a really good day.