Returning to Fond Blanc this past summer was so much different than my first time. This time, I knew what to expect. This time, I had the opportunity to watch others experience Haiti for the first time. I got to be the one who they came to when they needed to talk about the things that they had been experiencing. God also gave me the opportunity to go as a leader on this trip. While this time around I knew what to expect, much had changed in Fond Blanc. On our way into Fond Blanc, we were able to see the finished road. It was the very same road that we had been working on the year before, but it had been washed away in a hurricane and had to be rebuilt. It was huge! The school was huge! When we left in 2017 there wasn't a ceiling or inside walls. When we returned in 2018 there were classrooms and it was so cool to see the changes! One of my favorite parts was seeing how much the kids had grown. My best friend from the previous year was up to my height (possibly taller), and her sass levels had tremendously increased which I find hilarious!
Our schedule for each day stayed the same, but our project this year was the front patio of the orphanage. You know what that means? More passing buckets of rocks! We had to get bucket upon bucket (or pail, or container depending on the day) from the riverbed behind the orphanage, up to the front of the orphanage. Once we had enough rock we used the concrete mixer to make concrete and then began passing bucket upon bucket of concrete so that we could pour it where the Haitians told us to make the patio. The patio was a needed asset for the orphanage because many of the children tend to run around barefoot and the patio prevents them from hurting their feet on the rocks. It also makes the perfect spot to play a mean game of soccer!
Despite all of the hard work that we were doing during the day, I couldn't help but feel at peace. It felt so good to finally be back where my soul longs to be and where I know that God has called me. Worship in Haiti has to be one of my favorite things. I don't know what it is, but worship in Haiti always seems so much better than worship anywhere else. During my free time this year, I spent a lot of time with the kids as always, but I also spent a lot of time with my teammates and a few of the interns. On Thursday we played an American vs. Haitian soccer match and this year we actually scored a few goals, but most of them were scored by Haitians who took pity on us and joined our team.
One of my favorite memories was one day when it rained multiple times. The first time that it rained was during the day while my team was on a break. We turned on some music and danced on the roof while we let the rain cool us off. The second time that it rained was during worship. This particular worship session was very emotional for me and one of my friends and I sat on a counter near the window with our arms hanging out so that we could feel the rain. Another fun memory was when some of my teammates got bored late one night after the generator turned off and they decided to give the rest of the team a song and dance performance. The opening act was none other than the amazing seashell sandy performing I'm a Little Teapot.
While I wanted to climb the mountain again this year, I injured my ankle during soccer the day before and was unable to go. It ended up working out perfectly though because someone who wanted to go needed to borrow my shoes and then I was free to spend the morning alone with God watching the sun rise over the mountains from the new roof of the school. Eventually, one of the interns woke up and joined me, but we simply sat together writing the notes to my teammates and enjoying God's beautiful creation.
This year we were able to sit on the roof of the new school so our late night conversations moved from the bench to the roof. This was pretty cool because then we could lay down and look at the stars. Someone taught the kids how to play slaps and my hands were raw all week, but it was worth it to see their smiling faces. I somehow managed to befriend some of the older girls who typically don't talk to Americans and they taught me one of their jump rope games which was super fun, but I definitely do not recommend playing barefoot. Church was amazing as always and I learned a new song this year. Before we loaded onto the bus to leave Fond Blanc on our last day I got my phone out and let the kids play with snapchat (the voice changing filters were their favorite).
Overall, my second trip was amazing! God taught me a huge lesson on this trip (stay tuned for a separate blog about it). It was so amazing to get to see how much the orphanage and school had changed throughout the year. At this point I am not sure when I will be back to see the beautiful children that live at the orphanage, so, for now, I will have to stick with writing them letters and watching the Fond Blanc Foundations Facebook and Instagram for updates.
