In our first three hour training block, I asked all of the coaches to lead their own 1 hour session with the group, and all three knocked it out of the park. The players and coaches responded well and the morning training session was a huge success.
At lunch we went down the street to the fast food restaurant where we had eaten the previous days. We savored the food, but even more… the air conditioning. The entire group was dead tired, but at the end of the meal, we all looked at each other and knew that we had to finish on a positive note. We took a minute, got fired up and headed back to the court.
The last session was filled with 6-on-6 competition. About half of the players had been with us for all three days, and it was rewarding to see how much they had improved over the course of the clinics.
The final competition was USA vs. Haiti. The four of us coaches battled against the top players of the clinic in a fun, competitive match, and we narrowly escaped with a win. At one point, I dished Tracy a slide off of Becca’s dig and Tracy, in her competitive instinct, buried a swing down line. It was impressive!
As we all began to shake hands and hug our goodbyes, you could feel reality set in among the players. The couple hours of an oasis that we had created on that court was about to be over. It was back to the everyday struggles they encountered, and you could see a subdued sorrow return to their faces.
We handed out USA hats to those who hadn’t received one yet, and ended with a “Haiti” cheer and a team picture. Before we grabbed our bags, Tracy offered to pray with anyone who was interested. The entire group raised their hands. She led a very meaningful and positive prayer on the volleyball court and was thanked by everyone for such a wonderful gesture. She had connected with Haiti’s main medium of hope – prayer.
We piled into our van and Mike, our director of security, drove us to meet up with the rest of the Child-in-Hand group that was working on the other side of the island (the administrators and doctors). As usual, we encountered plenty of close calls and near accidents on the drive due to the lack of street laws. We drove by one of the largest tent cities in Port-au-Prince, which consists of thousands of back-to-back tents as far as you can see. No electricity, no plumbing. More than 100 people were lined up at the well, holding plastic jugs to fill and bring back to their families for needed hydration.
We met up with the rest of the Child-in-Hand team to visit three orphanages on our final night in town.
The first we visited was right next to the tent city. The orphanage was a small concrete block structure filled with bunk beds. All 30 children were all taken care of by one man and his wife. The orphans greeted us at the door and sweetly serenaded us with three songs in French.
We offered them a volleyball and taught them to pass and set, and before long a couple had spread out in front of the group passing and setting like they had been waiting their whole lives for that volleyball.
We were introduced to the man who ran the house, who had a young boy in his arms who was wide-eyed and captivated by the volleyball. He told us the story of this little guy’s arrival, who they had named Moses. Moses was a little baby who had been orphaned, or possibly deserted, by his parents. Sadly, this isn’t too uncommon, as families struggle to get by and provide for those children they already have. Someone had found Moses drifting down the river in a basket and had fished him out. Upon hearing of the baby, the man set out to find Moses, bring him to his orphanage and provide the life that was almost taken from him. Moses was so adorable, and we all got a chance to hold him.
During our visit we learned that the house had been out of rice and beans for the past three days. They had no food. Imagine being those parents who had turned their small house into an orphanage, and having 30 hungry children looking at you for food you can’t provide. But help had arrived. The Child-in-Hand program took care of the problem, as it has for so many orphanages around Haiti. When asked through our translator how he had endured the worry of the last three days, the man responded, “I knew that God would provide.”
We drove to a second orphanage which had a huge wall with barbed wire and broken glass bottles cemented to the top to keep out human traffickers. We stopped only long enough to drop off needed clothes and shoes for the kids. We felt a pain in our hearts as we drove away so quickly, but in reality, the donations are what they need more than anything. It didn’t make it any easier, but really, in Haiti you feel a constant tug about what you could/should/would have done more of.
We next stopped at the Haitian Sports Federation complex which is a group of double-wide trailers on a large piece of property. The Child-in-Hand program is helping the Haitian Volleyball Federation build a brand new volleyball/basketball facility. The cement block is already poured and the lines are already drawn. A Canadian family is donating the building that will cover the court. We stopped just to see the great work taking place, and to see where we’ll likely be working if we’re able to come back for future clinics. It was reinvigorating to see something that will provide so much positivity to so many Haitians. A simple gym will offer them a refuge, a distraction, a joy, and an oasis. It was uplifting to see the beginning of something that will make such a positive impact.
Our last stop of the trip was to one final orphanage that moved locations due to an increase in the number of children.
We pulled into a house that had another high wall, but inside we found a nice, large yard filled with trees. The house was very small and they used mostly tents behind the house for the children to sleep in, but you could tell that the yard was where all the action happened during the day.
It was dark out, but the adults were running a class outside. There were 12 benches filled with kids sitting attentively while the owners of the orphanage brought them through a lesson. We swooped in, gave a lot of hugs, and dropped off the remaining clothes and shoes. We spent less than 30 minutes at this orphanage, but by the time our visit was over, I was covered in mosquito bites. I couldn’t imagine how all of these children could tolerate such vicious bites day in and day out, but then I realized, there’s simply no alternative other than to tolerate it. It put my own discomfort in check, and I almost felt guilty for itching.
As our fourth and final orphanage visit came to an end, I found Tracy and Becca dancing with some of the kids in the yard. We were all so physically and emotionally exhausted at this point, it spoke volumes to see the energy they were mustering up for the eager orphans. Every single one was smiling, laughing and dancing along without a worry in the world.
This trip was truly an amazing, life changing experience. It made all of the little worries that I encounter every day seem meaningless. The people of Haiti are wonderful, caring and loving people. Even with the devastation of the earthquake, they all have a positive outlook on life.
But despite their positive outlooks, they need help. I plan on returning to Haiti one day soon to offer whatever I can wherever it is needed. I could run 100 volleyball clinics in the U.S., but nothing will ever touch the lives of people more than in Haiti.
I hope that you have enjoyed my five day journey, and if nothing else, I hope that it might inspire you to give to those in need when an opportunity presents itself. The people of Haiti certainly gave more to me than I gave to them.
No comments:
Post a Comment