God shows up here. Not that He wasn’t with us the entire time – we just begin to feel His presence as raised voices quiet and the mob starts to disperse to their own houses. Soon, Markes is back on the bus checking to see if we are okay and apologizing for the scene. He is awesomely calm after what has just ensued. He explains to us that scenes like this are about status quo in Haiti. Guilty until proven innocent, no matter the explanation.
Soon, Bodeler arrives with very armed Haitian police – he fled to the police station immediately after the mob formed. We are blessed he made it there and back safely. We were told after the incident that the presence of police was the only way the mob would have allowed the bus to leave. We are calm and praising God for his immediate delivery. What a worship service! What if I spent everyday crying out to God that desperately?! What if we had more instances where we could truly only rely on God to get us out of situations, if his angels were the only barrier between us and evil?
Unfortunately not everyone escaped the incident unharmed. One of the villagers that was frying food under the shack received severe burns on his feet when the pot boiling oil tipped over, and a woman who jumped from the shack to avoid it falling on her gouged the inside of her thigh open. Besides the damage to the structure, this of course upset the townspeople. The orphanage had to reach a settlement with them to keep us safe, and for them to allow us to leave. On an already tight budget they are having to pay $400 USD for repairs, plus the cost of medical expenses.
Team Reckless is working with the orphanage to see if there is anything we can do to help aid in the costs incurred. If and when we receive information we can relay to our supporters regarding how to help, we will keep you informed! Many thanks, we are looking forward to a month of learning about the children here and having the opportunity to show them God’s love.
