Bridget Couwenhoven here, thriving on prayers and Dramamine.
This morning we took a 40 minute Tap-Tap ride up into the foothills of Haiti to a village named Titanyen. Along our drive we were able to see more of Haiti’s terrain and culture. We are told that as you move upward in elevation, the economic status is better. I would have thought that land along the coast would be the most desirable location, but it is the opposite of that in Haiti. The poorest slums are found near the water, where garbage and waste are bound to collect.
Today, we were somewhere in the lower-middle. Titanyen means “little nothing,” and is home to mass gravesites from political tyranny and natural disasters. We visited four homes that belonged to four elders in the community. Compared to yesterday, they each lived a more established style of home, consisting of metal or cinderblock materials and each had a small fenced yard. Their living spaces were not big, most seemed to be only one room.
Upon exiting the Tap-Tap, we were greeted with the familiar “Hey You!” chants of the children in the neighborhood. They don’t know much English, but have picked up this phrase because the reaction, without fail, is someone turning to them and giving them attention.
Our goal for visiting the elders is to pamper and pray for them. We began by washing their feet, massaging their neck and hands, and end with painting nails if they would like. (PSA if anyone needs a manicure back in Minnesota, Brock is your guy.) We had a Haitian member of Healing Haiti with us to lead songs and translate conversation/prayer.
After we had visited each elder, we continued up the mountain to a Healing Haiti compound named Grace Village. On this campus, there is a home for the long-term missionaries, a clinic, a school, and an orphanage. We received a tour of each from Don, one of the long-term missionaries residing on the compound.
The school ranges from Kindergarten to Grade 13. Kindergarten is 3 years long, so the kids can go to school for 16 years if they choose to. School is taught in French, but the kids also learn Spanish, English, and Creole. Recently, 48 new iPads were donated to the school, so the kids are learning technology and coding, and catching on fast!
The orphanage is set up as a family-style orphanage. The boys and girls are divided up into gender-specific homes that are led by an adult male/female team who are called “Mommy’s” and “Poppy’s,” teaching them how to live in a family environment. There are around 40 kids in the orphanage, or 10 kids in each home.
After the tour, we had some down time to play with the children or explore the gated area of Grace Village. The kids love playing soccer, swinging on their playground, or being held. Because Grace Village is set into a hill, the view is unbelievable. You look out over neighborhoods to the ocean with the mountains to either side of you. Truly breathtaking.
Our final stop today was a bakery/restaurant owned by Healing Haiti that employs locals and is called Fleri. “Fleri” means “flourish” in Creole, the common language of the Haitian people. A Minneapolis chef visited and created the menu, consisting of pizza and appetizers with ingredients that can all be purchased at the local Haitian markets. We ate well and enjoyed a taste of home.
-Bridget
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