Zanmi means friend.

Being here for my second time is almost more amazing than the first time. While I remain caught in between the feelings of "just you wait for what's next" for my group and trying to remember that this is their first time experiencing these emotions, feelings and interactions, I find myself feeling even more connected to the people. I feel as though my heart has been broken even more than my last trip to Haiti. While I saw a lot of poverty, devastation, and filth that always shocks me, irritates me, and makes me moved beyond measure, it was my Haitian Zanmis (friends), the people that I met during my last trip here, that broke my heart. It's unbelievable how many actually remember your face and don't forget you. Almost six months later... after meeting several dozen Healing Haiti teams.. and my Zamnis still remember me. It almost feels as though we have been connected on a deeper level than being materialistic friends; we have been brought together by a spiritual connection, one that is beyond materialistic value and the vocabulary in our human language.

It felt so great today to see our water truck drivers and have them still remember my face. I expected them to remember me since we interacted on several occasions over the course of my mission trip in January. What really broke my heart was seeing my little friend at our third water truck stop and having her run up to me immediately as I got off the truck. It was as though she knew I would be there! The minute I saw her, I remembered her face and every moment of our last encounter. She was the young girl that was trying to learn English from me and was glued by my side throughout our whole visit to the block during January. Just a half hour or so of simple play and language barriers..

Before I knew it she was calling my name and we were hugging as though we were sisters or life long friends. It was an instant attachment and bond as though I had never left. We hung out at the water stop nearly the whole time. She asked me to help her carry water buckets to her house, so I grabbed a few team members and carried her buckets. We sang Justin Bieber's Baby song together. She played with my hair and held on to me tight. The most amazing part of our interaction was that she kept taking care of me. While she was full of dirt and filth, she was so concerned about keeping me clean. She would clean my shirt, fix my shirt so that it was perfectly folded, adjust the straps on my tank top, tuck loose hairs behind my ears, and make sure that I still looked "good." It's an unbelievable experience to have happen to you; one that nearly blows your mind. This young girl cared more about me than she did about herself... after years of living in a culture where "me, myself, and I" come first for just about everyone, an experience like this, especially with a young child, just puts you into complete disbelief.

I am left speechless and nearly in tears thinking about our beautiful interaction (and trust me it takes a lot for me to cry..). This is what I love about Haiti, though. People that haven't been here can't quite grasp the full effect this place has on you. In a place full of filth and lack of essential resources, there remains some of the most beautiful people with hearts like gold.