We have all been looking forward to today with the kids at the Brakeman junior school. The plan was to visit two or three classrooms and share a number of craft exercises with them. We brought materials to make bead bracelets, colorful crosses, and hand puppets. We have been told that on a mission trip to Haiti, flexibility is the first requirement – and that was evident today. School ended yesterday for Easter break and the children came today only to see us! But the teachers took advantage of the opportunity to sleep in, so we were largely on our own with 125 or so children from 4th and 5th grade, and we had them all in one group!
While it was a bit chaotic we really enjoyed the experience. Children everywhere are the same – they had more energy and enthusiasm than we could believe. They loved every activity and were constantly smiling, laughing and engaging. This certainly took us a bit out of our comfort zone, but it also allowed us to really interact. Some of the kids touched our hearts and helped us navigate the chaos.
After that it was back to sifting, hauling, and cleaning tile. We’re starting to see progress, the classroom looks fantastic with the new tile!
After dinner we shared more about our thoughts and how the experience was affecting us. One of the best aspects of the trip is the bond forming among the team!
We have felt privileged to play cards with Maude and the Dorceley girls. Paula won every game of spoons we played and Annie won Uno. Sarah helped paint their nails and left a gift of all the nail polish materials one could ever want!
Bedtime comes early with all this hard work. 