J'ai dit oui, biensur!

I can't believe that today was already our last day in the villages. Our team has had the chance to go to many different villages over the course of the week, but everybody's favourite seems to be Mesaye. It is a beautiful, quiet village with lots of shade and friendly people. 

Nicole touched on the experience we had with the elderly blind man, which was a very emotional moment for many of us. In our culture, the elderly are respected and cared for, but in Haiti, they are often pushed to the side. It was extremely affecting for us to see this man and walk away knowing that we could do nothing for him.

Of course, we also had some happy moments today. We met a man in Mesaye who worked for Mission of Hope as a security guard. He was disappointed that he didn't know we were coming because he would've given us a coconut. It floors me when the people we visit want to give things to us, because we never know how much it means for them to give us a papaya, or a coconut, or even a chair to sit on. We were also able to serve a lady in the village by helping her with her laundry, even though we weren't very skilled in that area. 

In the afternoon, we went to the Transformation Village to play with the kids there. I met a little girl with a very long name - Condalisa? - who stayed with me for the entire afternoon. She would wipe my eyes when they started to water from the dust and gave me kisses on the cheek. I gave her a huge hug when we left and she blew me kisses through the window of the bus. It's hard to say goodbye to kids when you know you're never going to see them again, but you just have to trust that you've brightened their day the way they've brightened yours. 

It is very bittersweet to think that we're leaving Mission of Hope in a couple days, especially because I already have an idea of how hard it is to return to Canada after a week here in Haiti. I hope that our team can find ways to continue serving on the mission field at home. 

Shoutouts to my parents, my friends coming home from Florida today, and Monica, for her wonderful letters that we look forward to every day. Please continue to pray for our team as we head to the beach tomorrow and home on Saturday.

- Lydia