One of my favorite things from Haiti was having dinner at Heartline's Harbor House, a home for new and expecting teenage moms. When we got there the girls were playing soccer. We got to hold some of the babies while dinner was still cooking. One of the little toddlers Jobins was so cute getting in the middle of the game. They kept trying to shoo him away, but he would come right back. Everyone was so friendly towards us. You would have thought we were new neighbors who'd just moved to Haiti, not a couple girls on a week-long trip. I would have thought nothing of it had we not been invited. We had a lovely guest house with food.
Above is a photo from another day when the girls were making tie-dye shirts. The white girl on the left is Brittany. She and a haitian woman are the "house moms" I guess. The white girl on the right is her cousin who came down to visit and teach the girls tie-dye. Not only is Brittany looking out for these young teenage moms, she also cares for her young haitian brother and sister her family is in the process of adopting. From what I've heard, I think the haitian adoption process takes two years. Because they still can't take her brother and sister home to the states, Brittany's mom flies down from Vermont every 2 months or so to be with her babies!!! I can't imagine having to leave your children for weeks at a time, or being a young kid and having to tell your mom goodbye for weeks at a time.
When we came over for supper Brittany's mom did the cooking. I'd been sick from malaria meds and had hardly eaten the day before. Haitian food wasn't my favorite and I never ate enough. It was such a surprise and blessing to go over to the Harbor House to eat American food! She had green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, pork, etc. One of the Hendrick family boys said, "we get to eat meat on a plate by itself?!" In haitian food your meat is always mixed in with rice and beans.
This is the Hendrick's family blog: allthingshendrick.blogspot.com. They have four boys, the youngest, who's three, is adopted. His little voice was so cute and reminded me of my brother's when he was that age. He kept asking if there would be cake and was so excited. When the cake was brought out his mom kept eyeing him and reminding him not to touch it. I think later he DID steal another kids piece when they weren't looking. He was so adorable! We sang "happy birthday" to one of the moms in the house. She looked so happy. It's crazy when you think about what these girls' living situation would be if they didn't have Heartline. They could be in a tent, up all night listening to their baby cry for food, scared someone will come in and rape them, ashamed as people hurl insults at them for having a baby so young (though those same people probably wouldn't have done anything to save them if they heard them being raped). At the Harbor House they have a safe place, a LOVING place to raise their children. They can get their hair done and do crafts like a girl should be able to do, while simultaneously transitioning into motherhood.
This dinner was so low-key. It wasn't a "staff meeting". It was friends and family and friends who became family, all sitting around a super long table laughing, talking, loving. Looking to my left and right, it was just ...beautiful. Though it was so hot the icing slid off the cake and our bodies expelled more sweat than we thought possible, no one cared. There were teenage moms giggling, old friends sharing stories, adopted children asking their mommy and daddy to kiss booboos. This table was filled with so much redemption and love.
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| More tie-dye! |
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| I wish we had pics of them when they were done! So Pretty! |
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| They even dyed little onesies for the babies. |
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| I have got to practice Creole for next time! |
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| Jordana with baby Sophia! |
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