It was truly amazing to see a skilled healthcare worker enter homes in the poverty-stricken areas of Santiago to teach home practices to parents of severely ill children. It was truly awesome to join a community gathering of children, teens, and adults as they learned ways to ward off the number one killer, diarrhea. It was amazing to meet the Haitian nurse who walked five hours to pick up immunization supplies before hiking the hills and trails of the surrounding villages.

It was also awesome to see the effect of each new relationship on the Albion students: Hallie, Brittany, Tony, Mary, and Nicole. They struggled. They blossomed. They met the challenge and they carried the love and transforming cross of Christ.

Thank you, Albion College and International Child Care for this trip. Thank you Tom Hunsdorfer and Keith Mumma for inspiring leadership. Thank you for inspiring a middle-aged heart. Sometimes only a few words suffice. It was awesome. And amazing. When do we go again?

Rev. Lynne Austin

It is not easy to see a small child in an intensive care ward who is suffering terribly from tuberculosis and AIDS, and who may not live out the week. It is not easy to understand how some of us are blessed with abundance, good health, and supportive families, while others in places like Haiti or the Dominican Republic (or even Albion, Michigan) struggle with hunger, disease, abandonment, or abuse. Asking questions about what we are called to do, about our values and priorities in the face of the very real, persistent poverty of so many of those with whom we share this planet, is a complicated, difficult task.

There is a Haitian proverb that says “Little by little, the bird builds it nest.” My impression from the Albion College students and staff who shared in this journey with International Child Care and the people of Haiti and the Dominican Republic is that our trip allowed us to see how progress is possible, however gradual it might be. An eight-day trip doesn’t build a whole nest, but it is a start in the process of gaining insight and building relationships that can enrich and connect us all.

Tom Hunsdorfer

Anyway, after plenty of coffee we headed over to Wings of Hope, a home for mentally and physically challenged children. Unlike the other sites we have visited, the residents remain at Wings of hope for the remainder of their lives. The children we very happy to see us. We spent about 45 minutes playing with the children and taking photos (we found out that they think cameras are very amusing).

We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing and getting to know the boys at St. Josephs. In the evening the boys performed for us in their “Dance Theatre”. They are all remarkable dancers and their were three excellent drummers as well. The best part of the performance was when Soni, one of the residents of Wings of hope, performed a special dance for us. Before his performance we were told Soni’s story. He had once been a victim of severe cerbrial palsy, unable to leave his bed. With the help the the boys at St. Josephs, however, Soni had learned to walk and eventually dance as well. Today he performs all over the world. After the show, the younger members of our roup played cards and holo2 with the boys before going to bed. All in all, it was another fun filled day.

Mary Robey

Peace to all at Albion - Tom H

Nicole Flood

The drive in and of itself was once again a great snapshot of life in Haiti. I was very excited to see the presence of horses for the first time since leaving Albion and I was struck by how they seemed to keep themselves contained. Horses, however, are only the beginning of the animals present here in Haiti. During the drive to the hotel we observed cattle, goats, chickens and donkeys just to name a few.

As shocking as it has been to see the way in which both the Haitians and Dominicans live it has also been quite remarkable to see the effort that goes into making life at least a little better. One particular advancement here in Haiti is the road conditions. Throughout our journey we ran into road construction fairly often, which is nothing new to those of us from Michigan, however here it is an amazing occurrence. By paving the roads, travel time has been decreased and road conditions are tremendously improved from before.

It has been another long day of traveling and we are all looking forward to our program visits tomorrow. Hopefully we are all able to continue to keep our minds open as we continue our journey.

Brittany White

Our day was filled with visits to several homes, all people involved with ICC DR, which is the organization we are with here with. We learned about the many programs they have set up here in the area and we were able to meet with individual families to see exactly what type of training is given to the parents of the children that the ICC DR provides care for. We also were able to visit a home for abandoned children. This large house was filled with beautiful paintings as well as many smiling faces which all welcomed us as if we were longtime friends.

Lastly we sat in on a meeting run by the ICC . We were able to participate with the mothers and their children in a variety of songs as well as follow along with the presentation on how to avoid and treat diarrhea. We also were able to watch some of the children be weighed. By looking at their past weights that had been tracked on a chart, we were all able to visually see the dramatic progress of each child.

This first day in the DR has been a great experience, showing us first hand how the programs of the ICC DR change individual lives. The people in charge of the programs as well those affected by them all have stories to tell and things to share. Hopefully we will all use our time wisely and listen to what they have to say.

Halley Sissom

Tom Hunsdorfer