Story by Sherry Peters – Giving from the heart*
The world is my playground. I travel — it’s my job and I have been to almost 50 countries. I’m a flight attendant for a major U.S. carrier, and have been in my awesome career for almost 20 years. Part of my childhood I lived in Bolivia South America, and I’ve become quite addicted to learning about other cultures. As a matter of fact, I prefer to travel off the beaten path, but am especially drawn to third world countries. So, of all the places that I have traveled – from South Africa to Prague, India to Iceland, Portugal to Hawaii – my heart is in Haiti. Haiti, you ask? Of all places? If the world is your playground, why Haiti?
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I’ll tell you. It’s simple. It’s this little boy with the biggest smile. His smile makes my heart break and melt at the same time. His name is Rija. Simply, without a matter of doubt, this is my child. I fell in love with Rija immediately. It was my second trip to a children’s home Carrefour, Haiti, run by another flight attendant I had got to know at a fundraiser. She invited me multiple times to visit “her kids” and I decided to support her cause by photographing the children engaging in “ Art Day Celebration” – a 3-day arts and crafts event to allow the kids express themselves creatively – and which included about 100 other children in the surrounding community. Once there, I decided that I had to come back to help support her home, but I wasn’t sure how exactly? When I left Haiti that very first time there, I literally handed her all the cash I had in my wallet, saying “you need this WAY more than I do.” The experience of working with these kids for 3 days, honestly, was awesome. But I didn’t want to be one of those tourists who shows up to be a volunteer to “fulfill” my own needs— I needed to make it more sustainable for the kids. Being behind the camera most of the time, I didn’t really get to develop a relationship with any of the kids.
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It was on my 2nd trip down to Haiti that I met Rija. January of 2015. Rija was brought to the children’s home, with no mother or father. While we don’t know his full story, he had this bloated belly, totally malnourished, and looking pathetic, to be quite honest. He sat on my lap the majority of the time I was there, followed me around, always big grin from ear to ear every time that I pulled my cell phone to take a selfie with him. It was when he fell asleep on my lap that I realized I loved this child more than I had ever loved a child. My husband and I don’t have our own children. That evening, he fell asleep in my lap, and in the meantime pee’d all over me — and I didn’t even mind.
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Upon our return, my husband and I started sponsoring at least 4 of the children, and we have since become very fond of them all – but it is little Rija that has my heart. Giving, is giving of myself to these children. You see, giving money is a temporary fix. But giving my heart is forever. I give them as much love and hugs as I can when I visit, but I also give them love via WhatsApp phone calls, and they return the love by calling me on my birthday to sing to me, or call me “just because.” It makes my heart explode to see their little smiles, and how far they have come from being sad little children to living in a happy family environment at Kominote Ti Fanmi Nou (Our Small Community of Family) Diakonos International. Since all of this, I have become a huge supporter of the sponsorship program. For all the joy that these children bring ME, and especially the special relationship I have with Rija, I know there are other people out there who would also fall in love with these children after visiting them. So, giving to me, is not only supporting these children financially, but with all the love I have to offer. Rija, I will always be your “Manmi Sherry,” but someday I hope you will call me “mom.”
(type in Diakonos International
