It has been quietly unsettling to come back from our quick visit to Gran Sous, Haiti. The lives of the people are, in some ways, simplistic but in other ways so harsh it is hard to wrap a thought around their daily existence. The village has formed their own development committee that is sophisticated in knowledge, needs and planning yet with so little resources it is uncanny how they even realize what it is they need. Their hope, desire and faith is infectious. In my life I have met people who have beat themselves down because they feel their personal struggle is not worth the ends. Yet the people in Gran Sous, I can now call my friends, acknowledge what is and use their struggles to move ahead. The experiences I have so clear in my mind doesn't make sense in the reality of my day. The worlds don't compare in any way. Our fast pace and individuality is of little to no importance in Haiti. Their community living and extended families is what makes the lack of their materials seem less then important. The children are hungry in body but full in the safety of what they know. How can one visit such an impoverish area and can not wait to return? One has to go there to find out.
