“And they were
bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked
them. But when Jesus saw it, he was
indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them,
for to such belongs the kingdom of God” Mark 10:13-15
We started this morning out by attending a Haitian Church on
the Rock. It was amazing to see the love
that these people had for God. Most
locals spent the service standing or walking up and down the isles with their
hands raised in praise. Although the service was all in Haitian Creole, it was
still very moving to see the passion that these people have for our Lord.
Next for the day was the Metal Market. It was here where we saw metal transformed
into beautiful pieces of art. The
Haitians rely on the sales of their artwork to support their families so buying
from them was a win/win situation for all of us. While some of us waited for the others to
finish, we took out a soccer ball and started playing soccer with a group of
young kids who had gathered outside the tap tap. The smiles on their faces as they played were
priceless.
We had scheduled 2 visits to local orphanages: Monfort and
Dios. Monfort is an orphanage and school
for the deaf. Upon arrival, we were given
a tour of the farm and the classrooms.
The animals on the farm were raised for the purpose of feeding the
children of the orphanage. And finally
what we were all anxiously awaiting…..playtime with the kiddos! We had brought soccer balls, jump ropes, and
dry erase boards for interacting with the children. They were so curious to know our names and
ages and to write (in beautiful cursive) their names and the names of their
friends. We played tic-tac-toe, drew
pictures, and some of the kids even had us doing math problems. We wrapped up our visit at Monfort with one last
visit through a room housing furniture and other wood products made by the
these very talented deaf kids.
Last visit for the day was to Dios, an orphanage for children
with special needs. We brought along a
craft project to do with them—a foam visor and stickers to put on them. The kids had fun putting the stickers on
their visor, themselves, and others!
After completing the project, we took out the soccer balls, which is
always a hit with the children.
Disabilities? Did someone say
disabilities? We watched as they kicked
the ball back and forth with us and others.
To watch one child play while on crutches was amazing! The children in wheelchairs got in the action
too by throwing the balls back and forth to us.
We wrapped up our visit with singing.
One of the little girls had the voice of an angel as she sang, “Lord, I
need you.”
We are here to help the people of Haiti as best as we can. Our team stay is short and our impact minimal
relative to the need in Haiti as a whole.
The reality is that the beautiful people of Haiti have no idea how they
have forever impacted us.
Glwa pou Bondye!!
Glory to God! ~Tammy
