Monday, June 06, 2011

We arrived to the guest house Saturday afternoon as an amazing series of events was unfolding; it is something only God could orchestrate. In the past week, 60 orphans and their caretakers were rescued from a flooded tent orphanage in Cite Soleil, a slum outside of Port au Prince. They were brought to temporary housing as those working tirelessly on their behalf searched for a more permanent home. The temporary housing happened to be the guest house where we will spend our week. It was a joy to hear the sounds of children coming from the upstairs! To be here at this time, to witness God at work through many people, to see God's immense love for and faithfulness to His people, it is an extraordinary blessing.

God provided a permanent home for these children. Yesterday, it was ready. Our first task was to drive to Cite Soleil and load the orphanage's belongings onto a truck for transport to their new home. Before we began, we visited Pastor Jude's church. It was a busy Sunday morning at the church and we had the honor of presenting brand new sound equipment provided by Billy Crain and friends. Thank you, Billy! We spoke with the pastors, enjoyed some of the service, then continued to Cite Soleil. Once we arrived, we climbed over a gate to enter the property that was the tent orphanage. Many of the tents were washed away by the flooding but several remained. It was still muddy and there were many small pools of mosquito-infested water. Needless to say, the living conditions were appaling. As we waited for a key to the storage
unit to arrive, the Haitian men with us cut and peeled sugar cane for everyone to enjoy. We also had time to take in our surroundings to more fully understand the place from which these children came.

We delivered the belongings later in the afternoon and toured the new home. It is beautiful! After several bumpy rides between the home and the guest house, everyone was present. It is a moment none of us will forget: we watched as these orphans and their incredible caregivers were introduced to their new home. To have seen the area where they lived, a muddy patch of land where they slept on burlap sacks, and watch as they looked through their safe, dry, new home, we were humbled and blessed. Following is a video of the "ceremony" that unfolded at the new home.

Today we are preparing to return; Pete is going to perform physicals on the children. Some of us will help him and others will return to Cite Soleil to retrieve the remainder of the belongings. We'll post pictures tonight.

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