Team 2 is safe and sound!

This is just a quick note to friends and family that Team 2 has landed in Haiti safe and sound.  It's already been the start of an amazing journey!  Tomorrow continues as we deliver water in Cite Soleil.  Look for more posts tomorrow.  Tonight we're all tired and need to get some sleep in preparation for faithfully serving God.

Reflections

It was a week that broke down barriers.

It was a week of feeling uncomfortable- being pushed out of the comfort zone.

It was a week of friendship and heartache.

It was a week of conflicting emotions.

It was a time where problems couldn't be solved, only temporarily eased.

It was a week of life changing memories.

It is the ending of a week and the beginning of a new life.

A Precious Little Girl's Longing

Saturday morning, 2/26/11, our first water truck stop was at Jeremy's Wharf in City Soleil. Some of the team was working the water hose and moving buckets, while the rest of us were playing with and holding the children.

While my teammate, Phyllis, was holding a little boy about 2 years old, a little girl about 8 or 9 years old began to hit and pinch the little boy. We were telling her not to do this but she kept on. I tried to put my arm around her and hug her but she would not let me. She backed away with an angry look on her face. A little bit later, a little boy wanted me to pick him up, which I gladly did. The little girl began hitting and pinching the little boy I was holding now, and also again the little boy Phyllis was still holding. Once again, I tried to love her up and she would have none of it. I had Fanfan come over and talk to her to tell her not to hit and pinch. Fanfan told her to behave, and he told me he thought she wanted love. I told him we had been trying to hold on to her and give her love, and it wasn't working. Fanfan tried too, and he also failed, so he saw what we were up against. In a little while, I put down the little boy I was holding and began playing with some of the other children, and lost track of the little girl who was being naughty.

When the water truck ran out of water, it was time for us to leave. I began walking towards the tap tap. All of a sudden someone came from behind me and put their hand into my left hand as I was walking. I looked down and it was that little girl, and she was looking up at me! I was blown away by this. I picked her up and kissed her on the cheek. She wrapped her arms around me and giggled. I hugged and kissed her a couple more times and she continued to giggle and hang on. Another girl about her age came over to me and was trying to pull her down from me. But she just shoed her friend away and hung on to me. I kissed her a couple more times and she was loving it. Finally I had to go so I set her down and said orevwa. She skipped away happy and content.

I kept thinking about that little girl the rest of the day trying to figure out what had happened. It finally dawned on me. That little girl was longing for the love and attention that the smaller children get. We can just pick them up and hold them. She was bigger and older and felt she was too big to be picked up and held, but that is exactly what she longed for. She longed for it enough to come after me before I left. She longed for it enough to not care if her friends tried to pull her down. I was there to give her what she longed for so desperately. Father God, thank You for letting me give her what she was longing for today.

LOVE IS A MUTUAL BLESSING

One of our prayers for our time here in Haiti was that God would allow us to be His hands and the face of His love for each of the orphans we visited. I pray that this is true, but know that THEY have been God's loving arms as they have hugged me and I have seen His shinning face of love in their smiles.

We have spent the past two afternoons at two different orphanages falling in love with BEAUTIFUL children!!! I've been reminded again and again, how much we each need love and affection, no matter how old we are!

So often with friend's kids, as they grow into preschool and older years, I hear stories of kids who only want to cuddle when they're ill, or on the rare occasion. So here, perhaps I expected the younger girls to want to cuddle or hold your hand, but the past two days, kids of all ages, boys and girls reach out for love and affection. I pray they feel loved, but know that my life is richer for the love they've shown me!

The photo below was taken Thursday as the kids were lining up to give us hugs. Some were shy huggers, but many had serious hugging skills:). As the last kid came through the line, I was overwhelmed with gratitude and blessing. God nudged me to take the opportunity to express those emotions to the kids. I asked Jean to translate and expressed my gratitude. Many of the older kids then took turns voicing their thanks to our group and Healing Haiti. One girl asked what my name was so that she could pray for me by name! I left that place far richer than I arrived!!

God's Plans Are Much Greater Than My Plans

Today we went to Yvon's Orphanage to sing, play and do some crafts with God's beautiful children. My plan was to serve and love up the children, and I did get to do that! But God's plan was much bigger than my plan. Of course it was!

As I was doing some prep work for one of the crafts, I told Carol, one of the beautiful older children at Yvon's, that I was hot. I asked her if she was hot, and she smiled and said no she wasn't. Then she told me to sit down. So I did. She started fanning my face with a piece of cardboard left over from a craft we had just finished. It felt heavenly. She began stroking my hair for a couple minutes and then said she would be right back. I got up and busied myself again to finish up my prep work. She came back with her hairbrush and said, I'm not done yet, with her warm smile. So she sat me back down and brushed my hair for about ten minutes. I've never had anyone do that to me before, and it was so wonderful. She put a little ponytail in my hair, retied my bandana around my head and poured a little cool water in her hands and onto my bandana. I was so thankful. Why would Carol be serving me? I can't stop thinking about her, God's amazing angel, and it is hard to hold back the tears. I don't even want to hold back the tears. Heavenly Father, I thank You for the glimpse of heaven you showed me today through Your faithful servant, Carol.

Heartbreak

Her eyes were beautiful. Her long lashes softening her big brown eyes. Her smile was infectious making people happy to just be around her. She was 1 year old and had been given to " Missionaries of Charity Home for Children". Her future uncertain, her prognosis unknown, she only wanted to be loved. She only wanted to be held. I spent 2 hours holding her and the time flew bye.

The babies at Missionaries of Charity Home for Children are there because there is no where else to go. The families are poor and medical help is limited. It is, without a doubt, there last chance.

How can you look in their faces and not be affected? How can you hold them without your heart breaking?

We saw babies so skinny that their diapers would not stay on. We saw babies so sick that they wouldn't cry or react when poked with a needle.

How can someone so young, so innocent have so little future?

As I left the building, her cries echoed through my heart. I'm sure that though they eventually stopped, I will hear them forever.

Humility

Today we got up and went to Titanyen; our first stop, Grace Village. It's about an hour drive in the back of a pick up, but the view was breath taking! We drove next to the mountains and past the ocean enjoying every second. We toured Grace Village and you could just feel the power that it holds. It's made tons of progress, yet still has so far to go. As we were touring the area a little boy came up to me and out of the blue gave me this incredibly beautiful bracelet that says Jesus on it, I kept trying to explain to him that I didn't have any money but he insisted that it was a gift. It was incredibly humbling knowing that the bracelet could be sold and used to buy food, yet he just wanted to give it away as a free gift. It's so beautiful I had a hard time taking it, yet I know that was God putting that little boy in my path to teach me a lesson on humility. So I will now treasure it forever.

Our next stop, Jean Gerry's School. We passed out boxes of Valentines candy hearts to all the kids and had a blast getting them all riled up! I personally got a chance to talk to one of the older student and learn a lot about life down here that you can't be taught in any other way. It's amazing how simple conversations are what each of us holds most dear.

Finally, we went to Guilliams. It was an orphanage that we went to and did crafts and played games with the kids. They were all incredibly thankful to have people come and do something with them. Sarah F. brought a soccer ball which was a big hit! One little boy even started to cry when he found out that we had to stop playing "baul". We also made zany balloon people by taking peices of paper shaped like feet so that they could color them like feet then blew up balloons and drew faces on them. We connected them and made it so the balloons could stand up. They loved them! They would play "don't touch the ground" laughing and giggling the entire time. Then we made braclets and you could just see the pride that they each had in what they'd made. It was sort of complicated so teaching them without using words was quite a challenge, but it was totally worth it. A few of the kids spoke english but not many. One was like my little translator, when I was trying to explain something to one of the kids, or they were trying to tell me something he would be our middle man. But by the end we were all very attatched to each of the kids. I looked around and everyone was extremely sad to leave them knowing that there is a chance you won't be able to see them again. My "translator", Noah, came up to me right before we were about to leave and he said, "Kayla, when are you coming back?". And it just broke my heart because I wanted to do something more than just hang out with them for the day. I was holding back tears as I told him I might would be able to come back in a year and watching the look on his face just drop.

Overall I think I can speak for everyone that we are creating alot of very special bonds that we won't be able to ever forget. It's heart breaking knowing that we can't do everything, yet still longing to do more for these beautiful people.