Day 5 (June 13) Reflection

Saturday was voted unanimously as the best day of the trip, and I assume we will have several reflections about Day 5.  

The first is from Aidan (that's AN at the end - not EN)...

And then a dance party broke out!

Saturday was a special day.  Saturday was the day where it felt like we (the St. Bernard's group) were accepted into the community at Carrefour Sanon.  The Haitians threw us two parties, both in celebration of the 7 wells Rotary International and the Crawfordsville community so generously provided.  There was live music, dancing, singing, it was beautiful.  The Haitians also gave us many baskets full of fruit.





What really stood out to me, though, was when they asked us to get on stage and dance for the village.  I got to be a village idiot for a week. 

Aidan received his basket of fruit with style!

It was a strange, albeit joyful, experience.  Such a simple necessity as water, being so difficult for these people to obtain, brought so much joy to these villagers' faces.  It was beautiful.  It made me realize I take too much for granted.

We may have been given the seats of honor, but I didn't feel any distinction from the Haitians.  I could feel the racial and ethnic barriers melt away.  All the villagers knew my name, while I couldn't pronounce any of theirs.  It was a once in a lifetime experience, one I will not be able to remove from my mind.  They gave us the best they had; wonderful, fresh-picked fruit.  But what they really gave us was revitalized faith and compassion.

One family

Christ said, "You will always have the poor."  The poor don't need us.  Their salvation is assured.  It is us, those gifted with earthly posessions that need the poor.  We need them to remind us what it is like to be Catholic.  We need them to remind us what it is like to give oneself up for Christ.