One afternoon, Poyis asked Michelle, one of the American volunteers on our team, if she wanted to go with him to pick up the kids from school, and take them home on the school bus. These are not the children from our homes, but the kids who live in the surrounding neighborhood, all of them about three or four miles from the compound. Each day, someone drives the school bus to pick up these more than ninety children in the morning, and around 2:30 each day, takes them home to their families.

I asked Michelle if she would share with me what she observed on this bus ride, and I am so glad I did. Listen to her story—

We pulled up in front of the Children’s Home, and the kids were already on the bus. The little kids sat in the front, big kids in the back, and it was packed. There were no extra seats, so I stood in the front. Poyis started driving and the first thing I noticed was that he honked at everyone as he drove. I was curious about why he was honking so much, so I asked him—he told me he did this because he is the pastor of his church and is well known in Onaville, and people would know and be hurt if the pastor wasn’t paying attention to them. So he honked.

We dropped off some kids at the first stop, and Poyis laid on the horn as the moms met their children at the bus door. It was a sweet scene: some of the kids were tiny, two kids had fallen asleep, and they were all tired. One of the teachers on the bus carried the kids to their moms. The principal and some other teachers were also on the bus, and they would get off at the stops closest to their homes. I especially admire the principal. He was the same man who led the choir at church on Sunday, and you can tell that he really loves the students because of how he talks and jokes with them.

Six kids got off at one of our next stops. It was fun for me to sit at the front, because I could get out at every stop and say goodbye to them. The kids loved saying goodbye in English; they were so cute. There were about twenty stops total between kids and adults, and the trip seemed to go smoothly from start to finish. What makes C2M’s school unique is that it offers this bus service at all. Other schools in the community don’t do this, which means our school is rapidly becoming one of the most well-respected schools in the community.

I had heard stories about how kind and social Poyis is, but I got to witness his heart for the community firsthand. It was a lot of fun to see him use his God-given gifts in this way. Poyis knew every child that got off the bus, and he knew all of the moms also. He’s like the mayor of Onaville.

I appreciate Michelle sharing her experience. It’s moments like these where Americans get a view into Haitian culture, catching a glimpse of the ministry work that goes on every day as a result of our school and Children’s Homes. Praise the Lord for His work through the church in Haiti.

Wiley Kennedy serves as Director of International Ministries with Connect 2 Ministries. To learn more about Wiley, visit Who We Are, and to learn how you can make a difference, visit Join an Outreach Program.