Sunday, February 8, 2009

10 Days...

Lord willing, in 10 days, I will be flying to Orlando to meet all of the team I will be traveling with. In 11 days, I will be setting foot on a land that became part of my heart 9 years ago - Haiti. I am excited as I will be seeing a different part of the country and meeting new people, but I know some things will be the same. Poverty. Dust. Children yelling,"Blan! Blan!" ("White" or "Foreigner"). Dirt roads. Crowded vehicles. Mud and stick homes. A different language.

It probably doesn't sound too appealing to most of us. If I could, I would have every American high schooler take a trip to a third world county before graduating. It would be an eye-opening experience. Perhaps one that would help them realize how many blessings they have in the US.
Perhaps they would move beyond the generally held "me first" mentality and realize what an impact they could have on another life. Perhaps they would come to realize that it isn't material things than mean the most. Perhaps....
This is how you do your laundry where I went before - you go to the nearest river or steam, scrub your clothes, and then hang them to dry on cactus. It's hard to see, but the white is clothing hung over the cactus rows. Don't we take our washers and dryers for granted? Even clotheslines if that's what we use.

I wonder if I will see the same sight this time...

2 comments:

Ginny said...

Jamie, I've passed on an award to you! See my blog for details!

Whimsy and Wonder said...

I have read hints in old housekeeping books about hanging teatowels over rosemary bushes to make them smell nice. Made me smile to see the washing on the cactus!

Enjoy your trip.

Jen x x x