Characters
So it’s my turn… I am slightly intimidated. I am here to tell of my delicate thoughts so far on this journey in Haiti. But “I” get in the way of myself often. Let me begin by stating the title of this blog- “Characters”. Okay, I said it. Now in your mind you are probably thinking of Joey from Dawson’s Creek, Jonas from the novel The Giver, or Mariner from the post apocalyptic film “Waterworld.” In actuality, as unique as those characters may seem, the characters in the adventure we are on are equally peculiar. I will name a few of the main characters and follow by a brief description:
Bedouins: Soft, city folk who are love-stricken by cheeseburgers, streetlights, and air-conditioning, they seem to believe that the world revolves completely around their comfort and pleasure. They find themselves utterly distraught that nothing works out as planned in the new culture, and miss their mommies a lot. (I love you mom.) Yet they are searching after the will of God in their journey through Haiti.
Anne and Stephanie: The mother and daughter duo that asked Bedouins to join them on a mission to move Haiti in the right direction by providing the centerpiece to transformation- education. Anne is eccentric and appears to be excited about almost everything. She is eager and refuses to give up on the beautiful Haitian people despite MUCH opposition. She often uses phrases such as “Are you kidding me?!” and “WOW!” to name a few. Stephanie is the daughter Anne dreamed of having; she is narcoleptic and very well educated, but most importantly- her heart is wrapped around the idea of a Haitian economic revolution. Anne and Stephanie are so genuine, which draws others to them. Although they find themselves very frustrated they never surrender.
Alan: Often called “Superman” because of his ability to be at the right place at the right time. He is a lifetime Haitian with a knack for leadership. Although the Americans make fools of themselves amongst the Haitians he never lets the Haitians bully or bad-mouth them. He has a beautiful heart. He is the caretaker for the uneducated, and gives all he can give. He is found either exerting every bit of energy he has for the good of others or feeling utterly exhausted; sometimes a combination of both. He is the bright beginning to a challenging but hopeful future for Haiti.
Ok so if you haven’t noticed, these all seem like the good guys. Well it just so happens that I don’t have time to tell you about the bad guys yet. I will tell you about them next time… possibly. But I need to tell you what we did yesterday before I close.
Lets see. We went to a clinic that Anne and Stephanie support. Stephen, Paul, and Jessi watched a young boy from the newly discovered village we were telling you about in previous posts have his arm cut open for the infection to drain out. Yuck. I can’t watch that stuff. It kills me. The boy was brave and didn’t shed a tear. I know I would have. Soon after we took the boy and his mother back to the village, which is a two hour drive there and two hours back. So that pretty much encompasses our day. WAIT, something extremely important happened- Stephen was baptized in the Caribbean! Yep, our dear friend Landon led the ceremony. So congratulations Stephen! Anyway, I’ll finish the whole character thing soon. The bad guys I would say are a lot more peculiar. I think I will consider this post a teaser.
-Roger
