Driving through Port Au Prince was another experience. The destruction, of course, was everywhere and there was a dismal overcast sky and light rain. Some people were trying to go about their daily lives and others were overwhelmed by the despair. Our drive out of the city resembled something from a chase scene in a movie with people driving on the wrong side of the road and sometimes head on. This began our long night’s journey into the rural mountain area of Fond Des Blancs where we would be serving.

It was an interesting drive through mountainous rough roads in a tropical setting. There wouldn’t be much to see when we arrived late that night. We went to sleep that night, in our meager digs, to the sounds of drums in the not-to-far-off distance. It was later explained to be either a voodoo ceremony or a church revival. We never really found out for sure.

The daylight revealed a beautiful, tropical mountain landscape. A road passed by the house on the property and there was a steady stream of traffic. There were donkeys, dogs, chickens, goats, oxen and people. Mostly there were people on donkeys and most of them were heading to the river to fetch the day’s water. The “traffic” to the river never stopped.

For the next few weeks we worked on various projects to restore and rebuild. Some of our work was close by and some took us to outlying areas. We met with English students, other local people and attended church with them.

I found French to be quite useful and managed to pick up some Creole. It was wonderful to be able to communicate with the very friendly people of Haiti. We’d travel down the road in the back of our truck with a “Bon Swa!” for everyone we passed. Those drives were some of the best parts of the trip.

One common theme rang throughout rural Haiti. Poverty. Most people were lucky to have one meal per day and asked for food more often than money. Electricity, plumbing, and public garbage disposal are largely non-existent. Dependable healthcare is virtually non-existent. It is not uncommon for children to die of curable illnesses. Most of the services provided in the communities we visited were facilitated by Church organizations. Most law and order in Haiti is provided by the UN or in the outlying areas; local justice.

The Haitian people keep a distance at first and then are warm and welcoming. As a mom, I couldn’t help but be affected by the children. One can see a brightness and joy in the faces of the youngest of children. They make a game of jacks from simple stones with young scarred hands. We saw one young boy playing with a toy car that had been fashioned for him from an old motor oil bottle. That brightness fades from the faces as you observe the generations that have come to realize how small their hope is on their corner of the earth. It is easy to forgive them any bitterness they display.

In 15 days, I managed to get very far from home. I was overwhelmed at some of the abundance when I returned life as I know it. I want to be a good steward of my resources and I am evermore conscious of my blessings. Try this. Write out your blessings today. Be sure to get a lot of paper.

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I’m back in the garden and will be getting those garden blogs out again soon. Thanks for following me on this journey.

Happy Planting!

Annie