The Power of a Shoe

So I am pro shoes. I love to wear all kinds and when I heard about Tom's, I was all for that. One for one. Buy one pair and they give one away to someone else when they do a shoe drop. But I never realized the gravity of the statement "One for One" until today.

During camp as I was walking around and talking to the kids, I saw shoes that looked familiar. I looked at them, and looked at them but couldn't place them. Until I saw the little blue and white flag on the back of them. At once there was this overwhelming sense of joy in me as I realized at once that they were shoe drop shoes. I had never seen them before and I was thrilled that they had come here and handed out shoes. I was thought that this is what it looks like when this mission comes full circle. A little girl in earthquake devastated Haiti wearing the same shoes that I have on my own feet at that very moment.

It was a moment to keep in my heart place.

The Feilds Are Blue and Gray

I can honestly say that I never imagined that seeing the tent cities would be so emotional. As we were driving to the beach yesterday we saw many. Some were in the city, near civilization. Those were not the ones that I found to be so heartbreaking. It was the ones that I saw when we got past all the cars and all the buildings. The ones on the beach road. We stopped at a gas station and I have to say that I wouldn't have seen them if I hadn't been on top of the cage truck. I seemed to have the perfect view of them from where I sat.



They were shocking. Sitting there gleaming in the sun, dots of blue and gray. Somehow they were horrifying. You looked at them and knew that they had moved out here. Knowing that the nearest town is several miles in either direction was part of the horrifying feeling the gripped me. I began to cry. Those people left all they had left behind and moved out of the city, where buildings could fall on them, to a place that seemed to be the middle of nowhere.




My heart began to hurt as we pulled away from the gas station and I could see just how far the blue and gray dots went. So many people displaced. Forced from their home, if they even had one left to begin with. I wanted to stop and talk to these people. To ask them why they had really moved so far and to see how far they had come to be right here. I wondered if any had come form down town knowing, that it would be safer out here with no unstable building for miles.



What hurt the most was that, on the way back form the beach it was raining or threatening to...it wasn't, isn't, fair. I felt bad that I got to go sleep with a solid roof over my head and a soft bed under my back and all they had was the tent or plastic tarp to sleep under and maybe nothing to sleep on. To think about the fact that there is nothing I can do hurts my head. Makes my heart cry and my eyes weep.

Then as we were driving and it began to rain, the Lord reminded me of the song that I always find to be stuck in my head when I am in Haiti. Here are the words that came to me:

You are my strong melody
You are my dancing rhythm
You are my perfect rhyme
And I want to sing forever
That you are beautiful my sweet, sweet song
You are beautiful my sweet, sweet song
You are beautiful my sweet, sweet song
And you will sing again

I began to cry once again. Knowing that it is going to get worse before anything gets better. Knowing that there is nothing I can do to fix the houses. Know that soon He will erase the dots of blue and gray and Haiti will sing again.

Business as Usual

Grace and I made it safely to Haiti. Just to update everyone. We are safe and sound at the Tlucek's house. And got to sleep on the balcony with an amazing breeze and very little bugs...yeah thats right be jealous.

But on a serious not as I was getting in the car after our escapades inside the "little airport" (which is really a little room with a baggage conveyor belt and lots of people...), people were still standing outside trying to get you take take their taxi, which is obviously the best one to take...and there are still people hanging off the fence asking you for money. The thought that kept coming to me was "Business as Usual". There has been this horrible event that took place and when you look at the people, it seems as though nothing has happened. They are just here doing business as usual.

Blurb is the word

So just a quick little blurb.

If you don't already know I am leaving for Haiti on Friday. I am going to be gone for 10 days and will be working with Byron and Shelley Tlucek doing English Camp. I am also bringing in fabric for the sewing program and will be working with Heartline Ministries (who also oversees English Camp...) bringing in supplies such as birthing kits, for their full time clinic/birthing center that they are hard at work setting up. I know? Awesome right? So I will be doing all of that and who knows what else.

Oh and for any one that cares...I get to spend from, roughly, 10:30 am to 4:00 pm in the Miami airport...I know you can just see me leaping for joy. This is the time that people watching will be in full swing...pictures to come be looking.

Word.

Remembering Sarah

This is an old video that I made a few years ago. I watched it today and balled my eyes out.

We are...

Haiti 2010

So I have a plane ticket. Leaving June 25th, 2010. Coming back July 6th, 2010.

It is kinda leaving a bittersweet taste in my mouth. It has been two years since I have been to Haiti. I was there for English Camp. I am going for English Camp this year as well. I wish that I could say that it was going to be the same as the past years. 60 kids in 60 kids out, for six weeks (I am only going for the first week this time) and done. It is crazy enough as it is that way. This year there are a few new factors. Haiti is still having aftershocks. They just hadanother earthquake not to long ago. So the ground is still shaking. Shifting. Changing. So English camp has to change. I am pretty sure that means the workers have to change and not expect what has been before.

So I will be in Haiti for 11 days. Pray for me. Keep me in your thoughts.

Lamou Vire Tet.

Luke 7:47

Alyssa