The misery caused by the January earthquake in Haiti invaded our eyes, our ears and our hearts. Millions around the world gave of their time and money to help.
Last month, I had the amazing privilege of entering the country to help build transitional houses with a team organized by R3International, a group that provides disaster relief worldwide.
Haiti, a mere eight months after the quake, was a surprise.
Arriving at the airport in Port-au-Prince, the city was abuzz with activity. People were selling wares, driving, going to market. Though there were whole neighborhoods created out of tents crammed together in unlikely spaces, much rebuilding has already been done.
My team members and I traveled out of the capital city high into the mountains to a village called Petit Harpon. There, we began our work of building one-room homes, carefully stepping around yards that had become plots full of corn, bean, sweet potato, and watermelon plants. Terrace gardens cut into the steep hills could be seen from the roads, and every possible inch of space was used. The unstoppable sprouts pushed themselves upwards around rocky, yet fertile, soil.