We are coming close to the end of our trip here in Haiti and I am incredibly amazed by how today was exactly what we needed after such a hectic, emotional, and chaotic week. It’s silly though, as the way God works should really never surprise me. I have seen how He works and this week, He has shown once again how we are just a small part of His plan, and only pawns in His game. We are not running the show. He is the teacher and we are the students.
Today, we visited two orphanages. After having seen several orphanages this week, we noticed a difference today. Almost all of them have the littlest of resources available to their children, but the ones before today seemed to have a stronger sense of desperation and survival in the air. We’ve struggled with not having enough arms to hold the children who were wanting/needing our love and with not being able to give them the physical things they needed to survive. But one of the hardest things, was saying goodbye. The feeling of making a child feel abandoned again in their lives was heartbreaking.
The orphanages we visited today felt different. There was more hope in the air, especially in the last one. The children weren’t as starving for attention as in the others. They seemed so much more content and eager to learn. It just proved to me how much leadership and a little hard work can do. Okay, a lot of hard work. But still, it brings hope. The man in charge at the second orphanage is also a pastor and he had such a sense of peace about him. The children could definitely feel it and I could too, from the moment I stepped in those doors. It was a great way to end the day. Having the ability to see that we can make a difference and WILL continue to make a difference as the years go by. We also were blessed with the gift of visiting the church that was located at the second orphanage. We sang a song, said a prayer, and then walked around the room saying a prayer on the seats for the future church goers. It was beautiful and the main reason why it felt so beautiful to me is because we were able to do all of this with the orphanage’s children right there with us. They not only heard us praying for them and the people in their community, but they could feel God making changes right in front of them. That brings hope to the future generations of Haiti.
After our last orphanage visit, we went to a very special dinner at a restaurant that served delicious pizza (woohoo!), and then back to our guest house for some prayer and worship music.
All in all, a great day. God knew what he was doing with this one. The whole week has been life-changing…and I’m not talking about the kid’s lives, but ours.
Hope everyone is well at home. Sending you all love. (I am missing my kiddos so much and so am going to give them a special shout out now- also I have the computer so who is going to stop me? :-) — I can’t wait to see you D, T, & B and give you all extra hugs and kisses when I get home, love you so much. Sleep tight. xoxoxo)
Mikenzi
