Tap Tap (n) – a truck with a separate truck bed attached with a rod iron covering, and if you’re lucky some shade. Filled with approximately 5-15 individuals, similar to a Taxi, only when you are ready to get off you hit the top of the truck cab.
I have been coming to Haiti for three years; I had yet to ride in a tap-tap, until today that is. Imagine yourself in a taxi with about 10 other individuals and only 3 others speak the same language as you, this was a bit how I felt today. However, the experience was not near as terrifying as I thought it was going to be. Emi invited Cameron and I to go with her to visit her friend Lucson who has neighbors who carry staph infection that Emi was able to treat. Today was one of those days that I will remember forever (which is how I hope most days are here). With a slight wave of Emis hand a tap-tap stopped to pick us up, we climbed on in and grabbed a seat on the benches in the bed of the truck, the tap-tap wasn’t completely full yet so it was not to uncomfortable, a bit unnerving since you cannot see ahead of you, but nothing to extreme. We stopped about 6 times to either attend to the slight wave of a hand in the road to pick someone up or the not so slight knocking on the back of the truck cab to allow someone to get off the vehicle. Cameron, Matt, Emi & I took the tap-tap to Caye Jacmel to meet Luckson on the road and from there he would take us down some dirt paths to first his house, then many houses in between. We arrived at his house and his sister pulled out a chair for each of us and insisted that we “Shita La” (sit there). The walk was not short by any means, but it was not long by any means either, however, we did not want to be rude and reject their hospitality so we sat down in their chairs in front of their cement homes with sheets for doors and windows. Luckson asked “ou sho?”(are you hot?) and we responded with yes, it is a bit warm, so he went inside and found the only paper plate he had and brought it out for us to fan ourselves! Can you say hospitality? I was blown away….. On the way to the neighbor’s home ( these aren’t neighbors, like you would find in the US, everyone in your ‘village’ is considered a neighbor and you pass by many homes before you get to the one you are looking for). We stopped at a couple of homes in between to check out some medical issues that Luckson was aware of, at each house that we stopped at the family offered us each a seat, even if that meant borrowing one from their neighbor or giving up their own! I could not get over their hospitality, it made me wonder if I would do the same for 4 individuals from a different country that just showed up at my door, would you have given up your chair, or searched until you found one so your visitors had a seat? The little things say a lot…. We arrived at the family of the little girl who had a staph infection on her back and Emi gave her some ointment to treat it, the family was so thankful they wanted to pay us in either “anana” (pineapple), or coconut. Of course we said no, we have access to plenty of pineapple and coconut, and caring for the sick is a part of what we are called to do! After many “Mesi Anpil’s” (thank you a lot) we left and headed back towards Luckson’s house, we made three more stops on the way, one to a young lady who had a cut on her foot that someone had stitched with a sewing needle and piece of shirt thread…needless to say it was infected. We made our last stop to check on a little boy who they thought may possibly have TB he was losing a lot of weight in addition to having a nasty cough, Emi took out her stethoscope and listened to his lungs, with a cringe on her face I knew it was not good, she said it sounded like popping popcorn, that is almost a definite sign of TB…poor little boy, she told them that we would be back next week to do an official TB test so we could then take the results to the government and basically beg for some antibiotics, the even more frustrating thing about it is if he is carrying it, most of his family probably has it as well, this boy is only a year and a half! Pray for this young boy and his family, that we will be able to help him find treatment, and if the Lord wills that he will be healed. Luckson walked us back to the street were we sat in a ‘restaurant’ and ordered sodas (I drink more soda here than I do in the US, not sure it’s a good thing ). There is a part of this story that I have yet to mention, which is maybe the most fabulous part…If you have been following my blog and if you read my short novel from my trip in February you may remember a trip that I took to Sisters of Charity, TB clinic for the terminally ill. Well, I met Luckson in February in the clinic for the terminally ill; he was dying, not given much time to live on this earth! He was the man who told me he thanked God for bringing us to him, to visit him in that place!!!! Now, here he is taking us to those who are ill in his community, because we were able to offer him help, he wants to share it with others! It brings tears to my eyes as I sit here in write this…I knew that being with him yesterday was a miracle, but as I sit here and process the reality of the miracle that I have witnessed, I can’t help but sit here and cry.
On our way back from Lucksons village we hopped back on a tap-tap and I sat in the very back, with nothing under my feet but the open road, I was able to watch fly by as we drove…eek, that was a tad intimidating ha-ha. But on our way back Cameron and I were talking and we both just sat there with ear to ear grins on our face, I wondered what was going on his mind. I looked at my younger brother and was so proud and thankful to be serving with him! I had another “is this my life moment?” I was reminded I was actually in Haiti, serving because we have a God and Savior who called us to serve the least of these. I asked Cameron, “five years ago, is that what you imagined your life would look like?” He laughed, “No”. It is amazing how GREAT Gods plans are and how they far outstretch our minimal thoughts and plans for our life! The even cooler thing about it, is even though the rest of my family is not here, I could see each and every one of my siblings riding in the back of that tap-tap with me, serving our Great God, humbled that He has given us this opportunity! I even imagined my parents there. It made me thankful for parents that raised us in the church, and thankful for a family that supports the bigger picture of Christianity, and thankful for brothers and sisters who are selfless and willing to serve in whatever capacity that looks like.
Today, I am thankful.
Continuing the Journey,
Much Love,
Bek
I love you bekah and cameron.
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