Samuel
Samuel is one of my favorite people in the world!
He was the first Haitian I met and we quickly bonded.
I remember sitting in a hotel lobby, talking to Samuel for 3 hours the first evening we met. He sat patiently with me, answering all of my questions with raw honesty.
He sat there, as I wiped tears, and explained in great detail how “real life” in Haiti is. It was hard to listen to, hard to understand to the degree that I was able to at the time. It was my first trip and I was still quite vulnerable and wet behind the ears.
One of my most favorite memories of being in Haiti is sitting outside in the late evenings after clinic and just talking to Samuel about God, our faith, life, our hopes and dreams; his heart is made of pure gold, and he is honestly one of the best guys I’ve ever known.
Julmis
Name 5
Madame St. Fleur
This little lady opened up her home to us on one visit, Madame St. Fleur.
She sang, she danced - like no one was watching.
A beautiful little soul, she was.
Sadly, Madame St. Fleur passed away shortly after our visit.
I will always remember this smile and her kindness.
Jimmy
Trying to teach Jimmy some southern talk was one of my most favorite times in Les Anglais. He is hilarious and not afraid to laugh at himself.
There’s something I can’t explain about Haitians. Their tongues do not work like ours, and our tongues do not work like theirs. The Haitian Creole language is beautiful and they talk FAST. I am trying to learn to speak Creole (“Kreyol” in Haiti), and there are just some sounds that are more difficult than others.
One afternoon, we went to deliver some food to the widows up in the mountains. For some reason, I decided to give Jimmy a lesson in “southernese” - you know. English with that slow, souther drawl that we are famous for.
I have NEVER laughed so hard at someone. “Hey, y’all” came out more like “hay yaw” - that “L” just wasn’t coming out of his Haitian mouth. And then there was “sweet tea.” Oh my goodness. I was done; couldn’t talk for laughing at Jimmy.
Brenda
Brenda. Beautiful little Brenda.
With every trip to Les Anglais, she seems to find me and will always come and sit by me. She likes to play with my hair, rubbing her hands through it, braiding in (when it was long enough to braid). She is very soft spoken and doesn't speak English so we do not get to talk much - but she is stunning and so very photogenic.
Jean Claude
Jean Claude is a sweet little guy who works in the treatment room on clinic days. He has such a gift to be able to talk to and comfort children. I’ve seen him sing with then, play with them, and laugh with them, but he always gets the job done. Jean Claude has polio but that doesn’t stop him! He’s so smart and can work circles around anyone who’s in his way.