Yesterday and Today
We got back from Haiti about 4:00pm yesterday afternoon. As I went through the rest of the day and as I’ve gone through today all I can think about is how different life is just 24 hours later. So I thought I’d write down a few of the huge differences.
Yesterday we heated water for Sophie & Elijah’s baths so it wouldn’t be too cold and used store bought water to bathe them in because we aren’t sure our tap water is safe to drink.
Today we turned our faucet on and clean, hot, running water came out.
Yesterday after we bathed the babies, I put bug spray on them to keep them from being bitten by disease carrying mosquitos while they were sleeping.
Today I put on lotion.
Yesterday I got Sophie & Elijah out of bed and we went down to the kid’s house for the morning walk to school surrounded by goats, cows, chicken, and friendly Haitians calling “Bonjou”.
Today we woke up in our apartment and quietly had breakfast together.
Yesterday the kids came to our house to play Xbox but for most of them it’s really a reason to come and play with Sophie and Elijah.
Today it is just us here all missing the kids together.
Yesterday night I put Sophie & Elijah to bed and then carefully tucked their mosquito net around their crib and prayed that they wouldn’t be too hot and that no mosquitos would bite them.
Today I put them in their cribs without the net and in air conditioning.
Yesterday I was in a country where the majority of people are not sure where their next meal is coming from.
Today I am in a country that is taking part in “Black Friday” and the average American will spend $935 on retail products. This could feed a large Haitian family for over a year.
Yesterday I got up, checked to see how much battery life our electricity had before making a cup of coffee and then realized I had to wait until the sun came out and the solar panels started working before I could make coffee.
Today I programmed my coffee maker and had a hot pot of coffee right when I got out of bed.
Yesterday I ate my last pack of cookies in Haiti because we had carefully rationed them down to our last day. You can’t just go to the grocery store there.
Today I needed something and Matt went to Target and back for me within 30 minutes.
Yesterday I threw our bag of trash into the trash pit in our backyard and our security guard then burned it because there is no trash removal in Haiti.
Today I put a bag outside our apartment where a “valet” trash service picked it up.
Yesterday 19 beautiful and amazing Haitian kids who have had the world up against them almost their whole lives came to my house and we ended the day by reading the Bible together, praying, and singing.
Today it will be just the 4 of us.