Final day in Haiti…and I’m wiped out. We just took the longest hike of my life (7 hours) and spent time with some incredible kids and one really wonderful pastor. The progress on the school being built was great to see, too.

What I took in the most was very similar to the themes of my other trips: Being poor does not mean that you can’t be generous. After our hike to Plik, the pastor and his family offered us food that truly cost him something. He gave us papaya, wonderful coffee, and fresh baked bread. Afterward, he invites us outside for some coconut water from coconuts that his family climbed up trees to get and then the pastor hacked each one open with amazing precision and have us all we could drink. Each coconut has around 20 ounces of water in them and all 9 of us drank a whole one then asked for more for our journey back home. He immediately sent his son back up the 40 foot tall tree and dropped more coconuts down and repeated the process. All in all, he have us at least 18 coconuts. All this from a man who couldn’t make more than $2/day. Unbelievable and humbling.

The same pastor escorted us back on our walk about 2/3 of our distance home. He just wanted to make sure that his guests were ok. He went the extra mile when he didn’t have to. He didn’t have money but what he had, he have to us. He modeled generosity to me today.

Lord, may this trip stick with me and change me into the person you want me to be. Thanks for loving me enough to shape me through the poverty of some of your beautiful people in Haiti.

Peace,

Neil