reflections.

Fighting. Pushing.  Pinching.  Yelling.  These were all reactions from kids at the orphanages we visited in Haiti: not because they were in a fight with each other, but because they were fighting for our attention.  These children were starving for someone to give them a high five, pat them on the back, or pick them up. 

I tried my hardest to leave for Haiti with no expectations.  Even though I managed to keep this goal, what I did experience is something I will never forget. 

I have been on several mission trips and have even visited three other third world countries.  In each country, the poverty is astounding.  However- there was something different about the poverty in Haiti. In all the other third world countries where I’ve visited, there were large pockets of poverty but there were always sections that weren’t as bad. An oasis in a land of the poor.  In Haiti, however, there was no oasis. There is no “poor part of town”, because to have a poor part, there must also be a nicer part. That kind of disparity doesn’t exist in Haitian villages because they are all desperately poor. In fact the longer we traveled the more reality sunk in that all-- every bit-- of Haiti is desperate.

 
As we traveled each day to a different village run by Global Orphan, we would pass thousands of people and children on the street with nothing to do.  The nicest homes were made of a few sticks with tarps on the roof.  We passed several cities that were literally made up of tents- hundreds of tents.  It was overwhelming to pass all of this on our way to the orphanage.  In my weaker moments I began to let my thoughts wander:  There is no hope for this place.  Even if we do help 40-100 orphans, what will the kids do when they are too old to stay at the orphanage?  Will helping a few orphans even begin to make a dent in the massive problems that exist in this country? This is way over our heads...

It wasn’t until I saw the smiles of the children that I realized I couldn’t focus on the thousands of children no one is helping. Instead, I had to stay laser-focused on using my life to invest in the few lives that I can impact.  The children in the orphanages are taken care of by “mommas”, where they have food to eat and a school and church to attend. But one thing was missing: the love only a mom and dad can give.  God clearly revealed to me that my job was to love on these children and show them the love of Christ through simply being in the moment.  I could not change their life circumstances or give them things that would make their pain go away.  However, what I could do was tell the mommas how much I respected them, listen and pray with the local pastors who have taken in these orphans, and provide two arms to pick up children who needed to feel love. 

In the coming days I will blog more specifically about what we did while were in Haiti.  But for now, I just wanted to focus on the emotions that I experienced while I was there.  Now that I am home, I am even more passionate about what Global Orphan is accomplishing and I am ready to be partnered with a church so we can start providing for more of God’s children in Haiti.