Obentia In Haiti

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In Haiti, funerals are very important. If you cannot have a “nice funeral” for your loved one, you are shamed. The Haitians say, “Shame is heavier than a sack of salt.” The day Obentia’s family laid their father to rest was the “worst day” of their lives. They buried him in a shallow grave not far from their hut. Tears streamed down the faces of the children, especially Obentia’s. She was her father’s favorite. From that solemn day on, the children would have to do all the work themselves. The Large Pilon and the Skinny Little Girl. The picture of Obentia you see on the front of the envelope is not the “Obentia we first met.” When our team first saw Obentia, they thought, “This is the saddest little Haitian girl we have ever seen.” Her eyes …show more content…
They watched as she lifted the heavy, wooden “manch” (pole) high up into the air and then slammed it down to grind the corn. You could hear a slight “crunch” as the heavy wooden manch pounded the corn. Sweat poured down her face as she did this again and again and again. hoping to grind enough corn for herself and her siblings. However, since there was just a tiny bit of corn left, she reached down, grabbed the remaining few grains, and quickly ate them. “I have to go and wash my clothes,” she said. “Then, I must look for dry sticks to sell before it gets too dark.” Bare Feet, Thorny Bushes, and Saltwater Soup! Obentia wrapped a bundle of dirty clothes inside a cloth and balanced it on top of her head inside the circle “twoket” she formed from a dirty rag. She had to make her way through the dry, tall, thorny trees called “pikan,” which means “to pick you.” She often came home with sharp “pikan” thorns still stuck in her feet! She hated looking for dry sticks and walking barefoot through the thorny …show more content…
On her way to the water hole, she thankfully found some dry sticks to bundle up. Obentia and her siblings thought about food all the time. They could not go to school because their mother had to save any little bit of money they made for food. When Obentia walked to the little water hole to wash clothes, she had to pass by a Christian School. The ladies were always cooking food in large cooking pots called “chodié.” The black smoke from the charcoal fire filled the air, and as she smelled the food cooking for the children, she thought, “I wish my mother could send us to school. That way, we could at least eat ‘one good meal a day!’” But her mother was extremely poor: there was no money for food, let alone for school. And if they did not find any way to buy a little food quickly, all they would be getting for supper would be “saltwater soup” again. In Haiti, mothers often feed their children “saltwater soup” to ease the pain of hunger when they have no food. Saltwater soup is nothing more than water boiled with a little salt and wild leaves. But. You Made a Wonderful Miracle Happen! Earlier, our workers had heard about this village, so that is why they went to