“‘Bonjou’ se paspo ou.”
Translation: “Good morning” is your passport. Meaning, good manners will get you anywhere.”
The other day I heard a story that brought this proverb to mind. An American woman was walking around in a village in Haiti with another American friend. They were in search of some fresh market produce. As they strolled the streets lined with vendors a young Haitian man with a guitar slung across his back passed by and said “Good morning!” The women said hello in return and in hearing his English started a conversation. In this short exchange he revealed his happy, outdoing personality as well as his stellar English skills. One of the women insisted he walk back with them to the orphanage where they were working with a missions team to meet the people who ran the place. He did and after meeting with the pastor in charge of the orphanage was soon putting his number in the pastor’s phone. Not but two days later the young man was back, called by the pastor to come help with translation at a meeting. Within a couple weeks the young man was working at the orphanage as the children’s English teacher. And somehow, I do not know the details as to how this came about, within a couple years of working at the orphanage he moved on to be hired by a cruise ship company, traveling the open seas with people from all over the world. And to think it all began with a simple “Good morning”. A phrase that literally became his passport. 🙂
My favorite part of this story is yet to be shared though. The young man had grown up in an orphanage. Once I heard this detail images of my own boys popped into mind…Jean Fiderse…Fegens…Jude…Emmanuel…all of them with personalities and blossoming English skills that could easily lead them to be in the same situation as the young cruise ship man. I think sometimes when people hear of children in orphanages they often think, “Well, what are they going to do once they have to leave???” Will they find jobs? Will they find a place where they feel they belong? Will they have a successful life? After hearing the story of one orphan’s “Good morning” I think our kids have as good a chance as anyone to have a happy, fulfilling life. And I will pray everyday of my own life that they do. 🙂
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