Nirvana at the Beach

2-24-11

Imagine taking 18 beautiful girls to the beach for the first time in their life. We hired a bus and as we rode their eyes were glued to the windows seeing their country bustle through the ruins. We passed the crumbled Presidential Palace and they began to know their history.

We bounced along for 2 hours and finally made our way down a country road (loudly scraping the bottom of the bus) to our sandy protected beach. Shallow and calm, they made their way into the water with apprehension and a tight hold on our hands. Gradually they gained their sea legs and took off. Oh my goodness it was a churning, jumping, splashing, pod of dolphins in their element. They sang to us as they swam. Joy Joy Joy. I was smiling so much my face hurt.

It does not get better than that. Once again I could feel my heart vibrating and expanding in my chest. Thank you, Thank you for the priveledge of serving you.

We visited Marie at the orphanage next to the internet cafe, she has been there 2 months and has 17 boys and girls. Her dream was to start an orphanage, another soul mate for us. Today we have a play date there, another first for our girls to have friends. We will walk down to their house after the midday meal and bring our balls and jump ropes.

Rome was not built in a day. Today I will give all of the girls a physical exam, do watercolor painting with them, look at land to build on, do a photo project, have a staff meeting, and send you this blog. Some projects will have to wait as we return to the United States tomorrow.

Sometimes it is hard to explain what it is about Haiti. Why we have so much love for this country and all want to come back. It is dirty, stinky, crumbled and poor. I know the answer. It is the people. The gratitude, the singing, the smiles. It has been said that anyone who lives to adulthood in Haiti has good genes. That would explain why Haitian people are so handsome (especially the men!).

It looks like Ms. Jackson has let us down as she does not call us or meet with us. We have already moved on to look for land to buy. We must build our own orphanage where the girls have some soil to grow food and run free.

Love Love Love Lynn

First Picture: The hungry birdies chowing down after a long day at the beach.