Reflection: Bonnie Collier

 

At the beginning of the week I was unsure if I would ever make a return trip to Haiti again. I shared with my group the feelings I was having and they seemed to provide me with some advice. They reassured me that my heart would tell me what was right. Over the next several days I seemed to fall in love with a few children I have become close with here in Haiti. I talked with them and spent the day with them learning about each one. I learned who each one was and what their life was like and what ambitions they were working towards. The love that these kids have to give is like a gift from god. All they want to do is have somebody there to comfort them and talk to them and make them feel wanted. There love is like a gift from god it is so pure and innocent. The kids from the United States are so immersed in how American culture tells them they should be and how to act. But here in Haiti the children are not influenced by the pressures of their society and they can just be kids and have a simple life. They put God before everything else in their life and they are not afraid to discuss their faith. Kids in America usually do not talk about their religious beliefs the way the Haitians do. I came here to try and help these children and make their lives better however I think they changed me. I learned once again true meaning of love and friendship. I was able to learn more than I ever imagined about God and the bible from these children. They have opened my mind to the different cultures that exist in the world other than my own. I was always able to believe that other cultures existed but you can never truly grasp what that means until you see it for yourself. As we drove through the woods of Haiti what you see is truly primitive. People were living in small huts with tin roofs sometimes there were three to four or maybe more people living in one small space. These were the types of things I you only see in movies but never can truly imagine exists. I spent a lot of time just looking out the windows and trying to take in everything I was seeing. Several kids have really touched my heart over the week and I want to form life long relationships with them. I want to know what happens to them and how they grow up and what becomes of them. I definitely want to return to Haiti and also consider going on other missions around the world and learning about other cultures.