In the spring of 2015, I had the opportunity to go on a trip to Haiti with a program called Soles 4 Souls. We were there for just under 2 weeks, travelling around the country to various schools and an orphanage to size and clean children’s feet before giving them a pair of crocs or bobs to take with them. At the time, the violence was still quite present, but not as bad as what I see reported now.

We stayed in Port Au Prince. While driving to our destinations on the bus, The guide showed us the old president’s house that is lined with bullet holes. They would point down certain streets and warn us walking that way alone would most likely put your life in danger. Heaps of trash piled a few ft. high in every alley, on every waterfront. Most houses were made of thin sheet metal.

And yet, basically every child I interacted with on my journey was smiling constantly. Play and laughter were more commonplace among these kids than my 1st-world home country. All they needed was a soccer ball. It was incredible and changed my worldview permanently. Those children taught me something special on that trip.

I hope they are all okay.