A side note, this was written several days ago, but couldn't be posted until now due to lack of internet.
From Port au Prince, we drove on a wonderful paved road to
Mirebalais where we were greeted by Msgr. Laveque. It was great seeing him again. His rectory
and church are right in the hub of town with all the hustle and bustle of the
marketplace just outside the door. Lunch
of fresh avocados, rice and goat sauce, bean gravy, fresh vegetables, and fried
plaintains was fabulous! We toured the
primary and secondary schools and met two supervisors including Pierre Lafleur
who is now recovered from his terrible motorcycle accident last year.
Life in Haiti is so very different from the life we know in
Virginia. It is so very simple yet so
very rich in lessons. The weather is hot
so by the end of the day a cold shower feels amazing. A storm developed later in the afternoon and
was a welcome “cool down”. But as the
shower ended so did the water and electricity for the rest of the night. The very things we take for granted were not
available. To us this was an
inconvenience and a conversation piece.
Of course we would survive one night without these necessities but to
the Haitians these are luxuries that are so often not available. Life goes on, laughter continues, streets
remain filled with the sounds of music, talking, horns blowing and always much
laughing. There may be electricity
tomorrow and probably water but we are so alive. I sat and listened to a young
man tell me about his dream to become a lawyer.
He wants to study in Haiti and give back to his country. He doesn’t care that I haven’t showered and,
neither do I. I was listening to a young
man’s hope that would not be dampened by life in the poorest country in the
Western Hemisphere. I saw a Haitian with
the determination to make his dream come true.
I saw one man who will make a change in his country. I share his hope today.
Kathy Dowdy
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