This past summer, 40 students and 10 leaders from Christ’s Church of the Valley (Royersford, PA) experienced Haiti through a work team. One of their leaders blogged their trip for the parents at home and below is an excerpt from their last day. (Reprinted with permission)
If I had to summarize this trip into one thought, it would be “a new perspective.” I feel like students and leaders alike are going home with a new vantage point than they could have ever had before. Many times before you have watched commercials with poor third world country children looking lost with flies landing on them. However your world changes when you are holding one of them in your arms. Your world changes when you know the name of that child. Things can’t be the same when you leave that family a permanent house that will last them for generations. These are just a few of the thoughts that our group has shared each night throughout the trip. Today really put everything together and put it all into perspective for us.
Today was the day that we presented the three houses that we built to the families. It’s hard to describe what it is like leaving it for them. It’s also hard to describe what it’s like seeing fifty students and leaders lay their hands on the house and pray over it. At each ceremony today we also gave them a Haitian Bible with a short note of encouragement in it. It’s special because tomorrow we will be home, and they will still be here. They will still be here with a house, and God’s Word. Both give them all the foundation they need.
Among the houses, a few groups also did home visits and layettes. What both of those activities did was brought us into the homes of the people we have been serving the last 9 days. It was special, heartbreaking, hot, difficult, hot, shocking, beautiful and did I say hot? It’s brought us all to an attempt at the question “how is all of this going to matter to me when I go home?” This has been the topic of conversation today. Be warned parents, your teen may not be the same. Some it will last for a week, some it will last for the rest of their life.
When you are in Haiti, it changes you. When it isn’t just a country, but names… it changes you. When you wake up at 4AM to pray for those people, it changes you. When you walk into someone’s house that is smaller than every student on our trip’s bedroom… it changes you. I believe these changes are for the better. Tonight we got the opportunity to lift up people that encouraged us or played a role in that change. It was really special to see the difference between nine days ago and now.
I’m sure that your teen will be excited to share all of their [photos] with you (after they sleep for 48 hours probably.) We are all torn in between being excited to get home and wanting to stay here and keep working. I couldn’t have asked for a better group. Thank you all for your prayers and trusting us with what is most precious to you.
Thanks for a great trip.
Until next year,
Adam
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