Hi! My name is Cynthia and I live in Jacksonville, FL, and serve on our Board of Directors for Cabaret Haiti Mission. I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and work at a local hospital.  I wanted to write and share about my experience serving in Haiti almost five years ago. This was such an influential time in my life and I reflect back with such gratitude.

Taking it back to 2013, I was invited to join another local church on their mission trip. Our project was digging a sewage system for the future school at Ten Nwa. It was very tough work and I enjoyed every minute serving and connecting with the children and staff at the orphanage. At that time, I was committed to attending the University of Central Florida in the fall and looked forward to newfound freedom. As I approached my graduation date, God kept providing me with validation that He was nudging me toward long-term missions. Mike Snider (director of CHM), who attended our church, shared that they were looking for a young person to help mentor the upcoming 15-18-year-old girls. I gained confirmation from a few mentors around me and God orchestrated all the little details (job role, funding, delaying my school admission, and more). I hopped on a plane shortly after and committed one year to serving at CHM.

It took me some time to adjust to life in Haiti. As you can imagine, things are vastly different from routines back at home. I knew I needed to acclimate quickly so I spent every moment with the girls and employees of CHM. After three months of living there, I was able to communicate in Creole effectively and built very strong relationships within the community. I definitely credit the nannies and cooks for helping me learn their language. I would often hang out with them while the children were in school and try to absorb all of their banter. They were so gracious in teaching me how to cook and do my laundry (the Haitian way of course).

The transitional program was in the beginning stages so I focused on building trust and connections. The girls and I frequently bonded by sharing new words and phrases as most of them also spoke English. We loved watching movies on my laptop, going over their homework, and relaxing in the afternoon. I was able to start a regular bible study and talk about difficult topics with them. We dreamed of our futures and plans together. To date, each girl has forged a path forward during difficult times and I am privileged to still keep up with most of them.

Flexibility is key when living in Haiti. You make a plan in your mind and often pivot based on the needs you see around you. I was certainly put to the test when a young infant arrived at the gates of CHM needing refuge.

… to be continued in the August post.