Haiti is a Dichotomy
I see a little 3 year old boy naked in the neighborhood. He is barefoot walking on sharp gravel and has a runny nose. I wonder what will this little boy’s future be? Haiti can break your heart.
I am sitting across from our steel drum maker and he has delivered a prototype of a sign we want made. He tells our translator how much each sign will cost. He waits to see what I will say. His price is fair and I tell him how many I want. He smiles and says yes he can do it. We shake hands and he is so happy. Haiti can fill your heart to full.
A pregnant artisan has been told to have bed rest for the rest of her pregnancy but she continues to come to the workshop. She is told she will continue to be paid but she still shows up. What is her home life like? Maybe she is in better conditions at the workshop then at home. Haiti can crush you.An artisan who was selling bags on the side of the road is given a job at the workshop. He is given an opportunity to create a prototype based on a not so great drawing and he produces a beautiful backpack. We are all so excited. As I move about the workshop, he catches my eye and gives me a shy and beautiful smile. Haiti can make you stand up and cheer.
Haiti is such a dichotomy of pain and beauty. The broken down roads, lack of infrastructure, and mounds of trash in the landscape make you want to give up on her. But then you see joy and potential in someone’s eyes when they are given a chance, you wipe the sweat from your brow, and you tell yourself you can continue to do this. My experience in Haiti was filled with so many emotions and will take me so many months to unpack and process. Haiti can be quite overwhelming. What I walk away with is this, I am not responsible to change an entire country. I am called to make a difference in the life of the person God puts in front of me.
While I am home, a part of me remains in Haiti. It’s the price of traveling and entering someone else’s world. They are no longer an unknown. They are now a person with a name, with feelings, and with dreams and aspirations. As the new products roll into The Marketplace in the next couple of months, I pray that you would link arms with us to change lives in Haiti with THREE CORDS HAITI and ViBella Jewelry. Pray, purchase beautiful hand made products, and tell their story. It seriously is that simple.
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