Haiti: The Village of Canez

Haiti. Where do I begin? The trip was absolutely amazing and life changing. I saw so many things, good and bad, that I am not sure where to begin. I think most of you who read this blog, with the exception of my mom, have already seen my photos on facebook. With that in mind,I am going to spend some time sharing the stories behind some of my favorite photos or moments.


I think the most moving day of our trip was visiting the village of Canez. The village sits on a brackish lake that borders the Dominican. The people of this village walk an hour and a half to get drinking water and go to church. This village was only 25 miles from where we were staying, but because the roads and traffic are insane in Haiti, it took us almost 4 hours on an non-airconditioned bus to get there!


Isn't it beautiful? This picture does not do it justice, but the water was aqua blue and the mountains were gorgeous. Can you see the huts? They were made out of sicks, mud, and grass.

This is how most small children looked. No pants and red hair. Why red hair? It is because they are so malnourished that their body's are taking protein from their hair for extra nourishment. Almost every child I saw had red hair!


The huts were tiny. Large enough for a sleeping space and the family to gather inside. The only furniture I saw were large plastic buckets. The bathroom was the lake and whatever bush you chose. Sometimes, I saw animals wander into the huts.


We walked hut to hut, witnessed, and gave away family bags. The family bag was a drawstring bag filled with about $15 to $20 of grooming items, used shoes and clothes, new underwear, small toys, and school supplies. This was a huge blessing because most of the people in this village only make $20 in an entire month!

This is a photo of Richard witnessing. Our large group was split up into small groups of 6. We followed a guide and took turns knocking on doors. We asked if the person and their family was converted (that's how you ask in Haiti) and everyone our group spoke to was. Then we asked if we could pray with them and what their needs were. What amazed us was they did not ask for material things, but instead joy in the Lord, more faith, Christian fellowship, or to keep Jesus in their hearts.

This was very humbling. These people had nothing and were starving. They could of easily asked for food, clothes, or a "better life" but they didn't. They wanted their relationship with Christ strengthened.



This is William. I asked if I could take his picture and then showed it to him. I began showing him all of my pics and he would say "oui, oui, oui" over and over. Then Brent, our leader, walked up and asked him if was converted in Creole. William started talking a mile a minute and all I could understand was love and Jesus. He was pointing at the sky, grabbing his heart and there was so much passion when he spoke. It was really cool because even though we spoke different languages, we were able to understand the joy each had in the Lord.


This is our awesome translator Cindy. She and 5 others work for Brent and spent the week with us. I love her shirt.


At the end of the day we gave each family a 50 pound bag of rice. That added up to $3600! If you supported us financially, you helped buy this rice.

Can you balance 50 pounds on your head and carry your child?

I loved this man. When Richard prayed with this old man, he removed his hat and dropped to his knees.

I left that village a different person.

I saw what it meant to "need" something and "want" something.

I realized I don't need much of anything but want everything!

I saw God work in ways that I never had.

I saw scriptures come to life.

I saw love and trust in the Lord like I never have.

I saw what it meant to "wait upon the Lord."

I saw extreme physical poverty.

I saw extreme spiritual wealth.

I was blessed!