"Hold on and jump!"

Bonswa! I’m currently seated on the third floor outdoor porch at Sandra & Nixon’s home in Jacmel. A beautiful sunset is taking place behind one of the most beautiful mountain ranges I’ve seen in a long time. There are noises of people walking up and down the streets, of bikes racing through town, and lots of horns honking! (Note to self: ALWAYS honk when approaching a vehicle while in Haiti) ☺

Anyway, Travis asked me to blog tonight so here I am! Our team had our first full day in Haiti today after traveling all day yesterday. Thank you for praying for safety in travel! We not only got here safely, but also smoothly. What a huge blessing! Sandra and Nixon are the most fabulous hosts any team could ask for. We had a family style meal last night after unpacking, took some nice cold showers, had devotional time, and headed to bed. I have to thank everyone who has prayed for me. I am a VERY light sleeper and sleep was definitely a worry I had coming into this trip. However, in spite of all the noises, I slept like a baby. God is awesome. I think the whole sleep issue has definitely been something that God has allowed to happen so that I can learn to trust in Him and rest in the fact that regardless of how much sleep I get, He is sufficient enough for me.

Today we hung out at the Haitian Children’s Home, took a tour of the land, and then went to the beach. The land is absolutely breathtaking! What an awesome experience. However, I’ll be honest—I was a little nervous and unsure about how the kids were going to react to meeting me. There are quite a few people on my team that have been here before and know the kids, so they had a bond I didn’t have. I was scared that I was going to get there and while everyone was having a grand reunion, I’d be sitting in the corner. I was a little apprehensive at first, but after a little bit, I decided to go up to one of the younger girls who was playing with the chalkboard. Since then, Slendia has been attached to my hip. She’s the beautiful daughter of one of the live-in nannies at the HCH. She is six years old and has such a bouncy personality. One memory that I think will stay in my mind forever was today at the beach. We were all out in the ocean and Slendia insisted upon me holding her while we jumped waves. There was one wave that was MUCH bigger than all the other ones and so I yelled, “Hold on and jump!” She held on and we jumped and made it over the wave only to get splashed in the face by the next smaller wave. Slendia came up laughing hysterically. She had the biggest smile on her face and we both just sat there cracking up. It was a beautiful moment for me to sit there and see this beautiful young girl having an awesome time, and realizing that thanks to so many people who make HCH go round, that she is able to have a hope and a future.

It’s absolutely amazing being in Haiti and I wouldn’t trade this experience for the world. I’m making lifelong relationships and just staying open to what God wants to show me. I have no doubt that the rest of this week is going to be awesome! Time for dinner…Pasta Mangine tonight! ☺ God is SO good.

- Nicole Duncan