I’ve been here less than five days, but these few days have been jam-packed with experiences, meetings, friends, language barriers, laughter, frustrations, and lots of dreaming and planning for the year ahead!

I traveled to Haiti (and am spending the week) with a couple of women who champion and advocate for the Eldercare program in Titanyen, doing all kinds of behind the scenes work and coordination in service to our elders.

Our first full day was spent focusing on the new Eldercare program in Cite Soleil with the two pastors of Hope Church, Kathy Witte, who works closely with the Hope Church pastors, and a handful of other Healing Haiti missionaries and Haitian staff members.

We spent time meeting with the pastors, hearing their heart to care for the elderly and vulnerable members of that community, and learning what the church members were already doing to meet their needs. We then had the honor to go on home visits with the pastors to each of those elder’s homes, where they were given a basic health assessment by a nurse and prayed over. High blood pressure is a huge concern here, affecting many of the elderly people, and often left untreated due to lack of education or access to healthcare. We are putting together a plan to get those with dangerously high blood pressures seen by a doctor as soon as possible.

The past three days have been a whirlwind of introductions, as I am attempting to meet and connect with each elder (about 30 of them) in the Eldercare program in Titanyen. Vanya, the woman who runs all the daily aspects of the Eldercare program, has been gracious to embrace me and happy to have me come alongside and serve her. She has been teasing me, making me carry the step stool she sits on between our elder visit stops. I will have to work hard to move up from stool-carrier to whatever position is above that…? It has been eye-opening to say the least to meet each person and tour many of their homes.

One woman shares a tiny concrete room with 11 children/grandchildren – one corner is filled with the charcoal she sells at the market, and a small bed fills about a third of the room. At night, the children sleep either on the bed or on the two small patches of concrete floor. The low, wooden rafters are hung with clothes and school uniforms, as she is the sole provider for her family.

The poverty is incomprehensible, the need immense, but there is faith and hope and love. There is much more to come. Much more to say. Many pictures and so much hope and heartbreak here. But for today, know I am blessed to be here.

“We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I favor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me” Colossians 1:28-29