We learned right away to go
with the flow. Our initial plans for the day didn’t come through and we ended
up starting our mission with our first water truck day. I remember hearing
Pastor Kris give a sermon about water truck day. She talked about the kids
chanting “Hey you” behind the truck. Sitting in the congregation at Easter
Lutheran Church on that Sunday morning several months ago, this really struck
me. In all honesty her sermon is the reason I said yes to this trip. But water
truck day way much harder, much more emotional and draining, than I imagined. It
was also incredibly inspirational.
We waited at the water
filling station as truck after truck was filled with water. Once ours was full
we followed in the tap tap to our first stop at Cite Soleil #27. Just as Pastor
Kris had told in her sermon, people started following the truck carrying their
buckets. We could hardly get the doors open with all of the kids clamoring to
reach out and touch us. The moment our feet hit the ground sweet little boys
and girls were climbing into our arms, asking names and ages, touching our
faces and hair. I spent that first stop keeping watch over Annika and Sophia
and talking with a few people who were very interested in where we were from
and if we were all related. Many of us helped carry buckets as well.
While we waited for the water
truck to fill up again, we stopped at the Healing Haiti farm. There were
bananas, papayas, mangoes and other crops. Stevenson gave us the grand tour and
it was clear that he is proud of the work he is doing. He used his machete to
chop sugar cane for each of us to try. It doesn’t get more organic than that!
Our second water truck stop was
in the poorest part of Cite Soliel. Tracy and I manned the hose from the truck.
I saw little else beyond buckets being shoved in front of me and hands trying
to pry the hose out of my arms. I would fill a bucket and move to the next only
to have someone pull the hose back to their bucket for another half inch of
water. I quickly realized that every drop of water matters. This is what they
use to drink, to eat, to clean, to wash their clothes. There is no faucet to
turn on for more. What they get from the water truck is all they have for the
week.
While the water truck went to
be refilled, we went to Hope Church and School. Built two years ago, this is a
free school for the kids from preschool through high school in neighborhood 17,
the poorest part of the city. There were very few kids attending today as
school just started back up yesterday and Jonas, our translator, explained that
it takes a week or two for kids to come back to school after a break. But the
kids we did see were wearing uniforms and were well behaved. The school is
built on an old garbage dump, a plot of land that was deemed unusable, and is now
an invaluable asset to this neighborhood.
Our last water truck stop was
just outside the school. We were once again surrounded by kids asking to take
“photos.” This morning I prayed that God would use me. I prayed that I would
see His work in these places. If I am being completely honest, I had to look
really hard. The garbage, the filth, the stench, was overwhelming. During the
third water stop I kept thinking, “I just want to get out of here.” But it
occurred to me that all of these people can’t get out of there. This is their
home. This is their life. I started to see God in the faces of the kids. I saw
God in the hard working people carrying heavy buckets of water so their family
can eat and drink. I saw God in the playful moment between a mother and child
in the cool spray from the water truck. God is here. I am excited to see more
of Him throughout the rest of our stay.
Written by Sara Anderson
