Andy's June 30th Blog

(Posted by Andy Ysalgue)

Not sure where to start. There has been so much to process. The week has been amazing thus far. We have bonded with the children of Source Matles. It is a small village where we are helping to build a home. Today, I gave the children coloring books and crayons. They absolutely loved it. It was awesome to look at their faces as I handed it to them. They sat around the majority of the day coloring. Of course, I did not have enough for all the children in the village, so I had them share the books and crayons. They had no issues with this. They were happy just to be coloring Mickey Mouse or Strawberry Shortcake.

We have seen many poor and hungry people. The Haitians we have had contact with have nothing (material wise), yet they continue to have smiles on their faces. These kids have the most radiant smiles I have even seen. I often find myself thinking, "What can you possibly be smiling about? You have no shorts or underwears on, a ripped t-shirt, and broken shoes." Although the pain, hunger, and suffering is evident everywhere you go in Haiti, you would never know based on the people's attitudes.

Back home, when things get tough or don't go as I think they should, I often think "God, what have I done to deserve this?" The real question should be, "God, what did I do to deserve being born in the United States rather than a place like Haiti?" We often take things for granted. Things such as cold water, air conditioning, electricity, washer machines, nice schools, food, warm showers (indoors)......... I will tell you one thing, this trip has changed my life and I thank God for this experience. I miss my family tremendously and I look forward to sharing my experiences with them when I get home. I want to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers. Love you all.