A Warm Welcome and the Power of Simple Smiles

I am 3 days in to my first visit at the HATS base and I am thoroughly enjoying my time with Karen, Luc and the rest of the children. It is exciting to finally be here and meet all of the children and visit the school that I’ve been hearing about for years.

I received such a warm welcome from the children when I arrived at the compound on Tuesday evening. It was so special to meet all the children and see Karen and Luc in their home environment. After dinner we spent some time playing with the children and it was a precious time. Some of the children were quite interested in my hair and it wasn’t long before the HATS hair salon was up and running and my hair was combed, braided, twisted, etc. It was a wonderful way to be welcomed into the HATS family here.

Day 2 involved a morning prayer with the children before they went off to school and then devotions with the HATS home staff. It was a special way to start the day, singing and praying together. The littlest children joined right in and Luc kept the beat with his feet – such a beautiful picture of what worship as family can look like.

We then went over to the school and the church. It was great to meet Luckner and meet many of the students. I was reminded many times throughout the morning (and in the last couple days) that even when you can’t speak the language, there are many other ways to communicate and a simple smile can say so much. We wrapped up our evening with one of the infamous walks by the canal that I’ve read about so many times on the blog. The little bit of rain that we had during the afternoon cooled things down enough so that it was just the right temperature for an evening walk.

Day 3 started with devotions at the school. It was such a blessing to be in the church, filled with 350 primary school students singing, clapping and praising at the top of their lungs. It was an energizing way to start the day! The devotions were followed by the raising of the Haitian flag. It was a really neat experience to be a part of.

Being here without a team has meant that I’ve been able to have a lot of really good conversations with Karen and Mariah about life in Haiti and stories I haven’t heard before about and the early years of ministry. I’ve been able to see the home where it all began and it is a beautiful thing to see where HATS has come to today.

I am looking forward to the next few days and I already know that I’ll be sad to see this time end.

~Sara-May Cardy