Day 4 Scott/Loween Team - Grace VIllage

Carolyn's Story

Today we had the opportunity to visit Garce Village.  Inside the gates is a school for 500 children, Grace Church, an operating bakery, a clinic, and family housing.  These family houses consist of a “mother and or a father”  who care for orphaned children. They take care of as many as 9 plus children. These God honoring adults selflessly care for these children being role models, showing them what a family looks and feels like so that they can emulate these skills when they are able to leave Grace Village becoming self sufficient adults. They teach them that they are valued and prepare their hearts for accepting God’s love. Today God wanted me to see that we are all responsible for leading and loving all God’s children.  T

We then went to visit some elders that live in neighboring houses.  These elders live in their own simple houses with very little provisions but have expressed that they have everything because they have God. We hoped to able to be a little joy in their very hard life, yet they gave far more joy than can be expressed.  The joy on their faces lit up the dark shanty's they live in. The gratitude shown was a light in the darkness. They sang songs of worship to our Lord that reached the heavens above.   

The simplest acts of kindness make their hearts sing. Today God wanted me to see that all my stuff is getting in the way of truly knowing that I have it all, because I have Him. He wants me to see that when I am so self sufficient, it hinders my needing to rely on Him.  Today God broke me through the elders.  What a gift they gave me. Today I went to serve the elders, to shine a light for God but instead I received.

Our last stop was to the Mass Grave Site.  This memorial was built to honor the 300,000 plus victims of the 2010 earthquake, which devastated Haiti.  We were honored to hear a personal story of survival from one of our hosts. We all were touched so deeply by his story.  This devastation is so imprinted on the Haitians.  We could feel his pain. He was so sure of his faith that he knew if he died that he was ok because God knew him and he knew God.  Today God wanted to show me that  He is with His children through everything.  

Peace and Blessings,

Carolyn