Back For a Week

We've been back from Haiti for a whole week and not a day has gone by that I haven't thought about it. I couldn't have asked for a better trip, everything went smoothly and the team got along really well. It's exciting to see how we bonded as a team and how we interact differently at school now. Although it was my second time going, there were still so many new experiences to take in. Leaving Haiti this year was much harder than last year. Although I am confident that I will be back one day, I'm not sure when that will be. Haiti has and always will hold a special place in my heart. Every day I catch myself looking through photos or thinking of something I did or someone I met on the trip. Being in Haiti is something that I will never forget and I am thankful that I had the opportunity to visit that beautiful country two years in a row!

-Brittany

Home

It was very difficult to leave Mission of Hope this year, even more so than last. In 2014, I knew I was coming back within the year. This year, I knew that I would be back in Haiti one day, but I didn’t know when that day would be. And that’s hard. It’s hard to say goodbye to a country that has had such a huge impact on your life, a place that you fell in love with and never wanted to leave.

But eventually, we have to. We have to leave places we love and return home. The funny thing is, sometimes it doesn’t feel like home at all. The one word that comes to mind when I think about how I felt in Haiti is "peace". There’s something about removing all of the distractions that seem to take up so much of our time here and focusing on prayer, worship, thankfulness, togetherness, and service.

I’m inspired by the honest, unflinching faith of the people we met in Haiti. Often, they would randomly insert sentences into our conversation like, “I trust God to provide for me”, or “God is capable of doing anything”. That kind of complete reliance is something that we as Canadians, living in a country where clean water and shoes and medicine are taken for granted, will never be able to fully understand. But I hope that I have learned to be more grateful for the things that I have and more willing to sacrifice for others.

Haiti will always be close to my heart, whether I am there or not. I will never forget the stories of the people I met and the experiences I had in a culture so different from my own. I am incredibly thankful that I had the opportunity to go twice in two years, and I appreciate the overwhelming support I received from my friends, family, church community, and even people I barely know. My prayer for everyone on both teams is that we find ways to carry on the passion for service we developed while in Haiti, and that we recognize that our mission is never over.

-Lydia

Returning to the Abnormal

It is crazy to think that a week ago we were building relationships with the Haitian people, playing with kids, and strengthening our faith. Personally, I really appreciated the morning devotions and the evening reflections as a time to pause and think about everything that was going on and thank God for the many ways we saw Him at work. We talked a lot about how we can apply our experiences in Haiti to our lives back here in Canada. I titled this post as returning to the abnormal because we shouldn't act like the trip never happened and go back to our old ways. We are called to use the incredible experience of living among a new culture as a way to enrich our lives. We had the opportunity to serve people far away, but now we have the opportunity to serve people in our own communities! In this first week back, I have missed the reflection times because our lives here at home are busy and hectic, leaving little time to pause, think, and pray. I have also missed our team, as even though we see each other every day in the halls, it is in a completely different setting. I am so thankful for the time that we could spend in Haiti, and I pray that God will show us how to continue serving Him here at home.

-Abby

Mwen Kapab (I Can)

It's been just about four days since we've been home from the trip and every once and awhile during class I'll think "What would we be doing at this time in Haiti?" My tan is vanishing much more quickly than preferred. I never thought I'd say this, but one of the things I miss the most is the Haitian heat! The last few days of the trip were relaxing from being at the beach and spending time reflecting on how we grew as a team. Our plane rides went fairly smoothly, although Nicole's suitcase got left in Miami (it was returned). If that was the least of our issues, then we were certainly blessed. During the past few days we've been asked by family and friends how our trip was. It's been fun sharing all the stories and looking back at the photos. It's hard returning to Canadian culture where everything is so civilized and fast paced. I think many of us are still trying to process everything that happened throughout the quick week. Please continue to pray for all of us that we might wrestle with what it looks like to continue serving at home. Among many things I've learned from the trip, one of the simplest but very important things has been how much that we have been truly blessed with. In Haiti it was so easy to count our blessings each day; for health, food, shade, rest, friends, Bibles, and clean water. These are things we tend to overlook on a daily basis! Although there is much poverty in Haiti, there is much work that needs to be done here in our country as well! I'm excited to see what lay in store for each one of us as we continue to seek God's will through our passions. 

-Victoria

Home Again

Being back home gives mixed feelings. It’s good to be back and to see our families again, but I miss Haiti so much. I miss the beautiful mountains and the picture-like water. I miss the kindness of the people and the smiles on their faces. I miss the excitement of the kids and the hugs they never seemed to run out of. I’m so thankful for the group of people who went to Haiti. We had so much fun while we were down there and our relationships with each other have grown so much.

-Nicole H.

Take Me Back

We are back in Canada. It was so hard to leave the beautiful country of Haiti. I miss it already. The experience has shown me how truly blessed we are to live in a country as well off as Canada. Being in Haiti last year and this year made me appreciate things in life that we typically take for granted, like clean water, hot water, not having to worry about having enough to eat, or worry about finding a job. This trip was a blessing to me and help me grow in my faith. I couldn't have asked for a better team. Our team was so great and I was blessed to have gone down to Haiti with them. Our reflections on the roof along with games of Mafia made my nights. I love Canada and it's a beautiful country but I think I left my heart in Haiti, and I can’t wait to go back.

-Ashley

Back from Haiti

Hi everyone!

Due to technical issues, we were not able to post on the blog while we were in Haiti. However, different team members wrote down our experiences every day and those have now been posted. We will also continue to post on this blog for a little over a week, reflecting on our time in Haiti and our thoughts upon returning to Canada.
A huge thank you to everyone who has supported us before, during, and after this trip. Please continue to pray for our team as we make the difficult transition back to regular life here in Canada.

-HDCH Haiti team