One day we got in the bus we travel in to do ministry. We were told we were building a house. Due to miscommunication between our beloved Haitian translator, Shamma, and our American ministry host, we found ourselves in a school being happily welcomed and bombarded by joyful children. We were given the opportunity to play with them, share and react the story about David and Goliath, and just begin relationships with them.
This is one thing I love about God; we have our plans and He has His and sometimes when they misalign He can show us how powerful and so very good He is. Proverbs 3:26-27 “For The Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught. Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due when it is in your power to do it.”
This day and accidental occurrence of finding a metaphorical door to the schoolchildren of Peris, we jumped right in and it’s been the beginning of something truly beautiful. Later we found out from our ministry host that this school is in dire need of help. It used to be run by an American woman but she has gotten older and hasn’t been able to continue God’s work there. The school is doing the best they can but they don’t have the resources to pay the teachers what they are due, the children don’t all have uniforms and the ones that do have holes, missing buttons, etc., the teachers and children come to school hungry and as far as we know stay hungry. The ministry we have been working alongside knows that He brought us there for a reason and that this is just the beginning of their relationship with them and we got to be a part and a witness of that.
Our second visit there we brought a speaker for music, toys to play with, and had another Bible story re-enactment planned about the story of the 3 Wise Men and the birth of Jesus. I mostly spent my time playing soccer with boys both times we visited, but this day was different. When we were about to leave and get on the bus I saw the sweetest little girl with the most beautiful smile who looked right at me and waved. We said our goodbyes and I was hoping I would get to see her again.
Tuesday marked our third day at Peris. The Lord provided the funds for Supply and Multiply to provide bags with (5+ cups of rice each), beans, cooking oil which was enough for 40+ families! It was given to the principal to decide how they were going to distribute the food how they saw fit and just. It’s so encouraging to see The Lord is providing and this is just the beginning. We got to be instruments of Him planting seeds through us.
Tuesday when we arrived I felt tired and decided to sit down and wait for the lesson to start. Kids started to sit next to me in all directions and then I saw her! The little girl from last time who stole my heart the first time I saw her bright and beautiful smile. She came right up to me and I offered for her to sit on my lap and she did. I was so happy that God just did all the work, He knew I was hoping to see her again, and put her right in front of me! Ohhh she’s so sweet! We spent the whole time dancing and she introduced me to her older sister and younger brother. She showed me the well and how they get water (which was hilarious because she had to use her whole body weight to use the pump so it lifts her off the ground), she showed me her classroom and her beautiful cursive handwriting, I let her wear my glasses and she looked like a little movie star, she loved trying to take videos on my phone, she tried to teach me a game with clapping, we tried to jump rope together but I was really awful at it :P, and we were just silly together. There was a language barrier but that didn’t matter, we both couldn’t stop smiling and laughing. It was such a happy time.
Saying goodbye Tuesday was hard but I was hopeful because I thought I would get to see her when we went back on Wednesday. When we went back on Wednesday I was so excited to see her again but she wasn’t there. I asked about her and her siblings and I found out that they live in a different town. I assume it’s probably really hard for them to get to school. Through the sadness there was a lot of joy that day. They invited us to be there for lunch because it was a celebration and excitement to have food and feed that children. We were able to serve the children and as it was heartbreaking it was rewarding and beautiful too. It reminded me of Mark 6:39-44 when Jesus feeds the five thousand with five loaves and two fish. It seemed like the food continued to multiply and all the children were fed and a lot of them got seconds too. That moment destroyed my heart but also filled my heart all at the same time. I feel so much for those children and I pray that God continues to provide and that this is just the beginning of The Lord using Supply and Multiply to feed them, clothe them, and restore their faith in Him and His goodness.
We leave Haiti on Wednesday to head to the Dominican Republic and truly hope we get to see those schoolchildren and I pray I get to the sweetest little girl with the most beautiful smile one last time.
