Dare's Orphanage

July 6, 2016 - Joy. Indescribable joy. Uncontainable joy. This is what I felt today at Dare’s, the whole time I was there, I was filled with a light, a sense of peace, hope, and joy like none I have ever experienced. This may seem like a weird feeling for some, as Dare’s is an orphanage for children with special needs, but for me, all I saw and felt spelled out love to me. At the door we were greeted with a big smile and a sense of welcome by a boy who is blind. As soon as I got in the doors, some very silly boys found me. They honed in on me and clung to me. One of them was the most adorable little guy who was missing an eye. He did not let that get the best of him though, and we soon realized that he was the “go-to” guy if we had any questions. The boys and I were outside on the patio, but I felt a sense of needing to go inside, so I had the boys lead me in. There, I discovered another silly and rowdy boy. It struck me that I needed to play with them just like I would play with any child, just because they have special needs doesn’t mean that I should treat them any differently. So of course, I started tickling them, we were laughing so hard, and soon another girl joined us. So there we were, the five of us tickling each other and giggling. The boys then lead me outside, where they showed me some toys and we played for a bit. Something was calling me back inside, I wasn’t quite sure what, but I decided that I needed to follow my heart. I went inside and said hi to two of the kiddos, but still I knew there was something else I needed to do. I turned around, and I knew it. Him. The boy who completely and totally captured my heart. I sat down next to him and started rubbing his arm, he let out the best laugh and showed me the most beautiful smile I have ever seen, his overbite, his crooked and gapped teeth … I have NEVER seen anything so beautiful. He leaned in to me, smiling and laughing. I looked at him and I just thought he needed to be outside, I wasn’t sure how often people take him outside as he doesn’t walk well or even appear as though he can walk. I knew that was why I was I had felt pulled to be inside, to get this boy and bring him outside. So I picked him up and brought him out, I carried him around and danced along to the neighborhood music. Then I noticed that some of the people I was with were pushing the children in wheelchairs and having races. So I got a wheelchair for him and we were ready to play. Cue the most beautiful smile in the world, again. I had him and one other girl in my wheelchair, we were zipping down, doing fun turns and the kids were yelling “ALE! ALE!” (let’s go, let’s go) and “beep, beep, BEEEEEEEEEEP!”. It was wonderful, full of laughter and joy and smiles. The mischievous boys I was playing with earlier were of course in one of the racing wheelchairs, yelling louder than the rest. It was wonderful. After the races, I sat down next to my guy and remembered that Kathy (one of the women on our team) told me he loved to sing. So I started to sing, immediately he smiled, and started clapping. Members of my team joined in, another child pulled up a chair to join, and the children all over the courtyard started singing. It was absolutely amazing, my heart SWELLED. The children taught me some songs in creole that I didn’t know, and my blind friend that greeted us at the door came over and taught me even more, plus some phrases. He asked me if I was born again, and when I asked if he was he said “#1 is God, He is my life”. Between songs, I kept blowing kisses or making kiss noises at my little guy, eventually he started making them back at me. He would pucker, I would pucker back, and he would lean back with this belly laugh … and oooh weee. If I had not already been in love with this child his laugh would have done me in. I will never forget that laugh, in all of my days. I will never forget the beauty, the peace and the joy on the children’s faces as they sang songs about a God who loved them. At some point while singing, two things hit me. First, that these kid’s knew God, they knew of his love and they had felt his love. Second, that I needed today more than I ever knew, that today was a defining moment in my call to serve in Haiti. If all of that didn’t prove the second thing, I can tell you what did … After we said our goodbyes, and my guy got brought inside, our blind friend asked if he could pray for us. We circled up to pray, and as he was praying I looked back inside, and there was my guy … Kissing in the air.

Jezi Remen Tout Timon Na
Tout Timon Nan Le Monde
(Jesus Loves the Little Children, All the Children of the World)

-Chloe Hofstad