Some way or another the bags that were supposed to come with us to the state orphanage on Monday didn’t make it in to the van. So we decided that we would still do the encouraging word on Monday and then return for a short time on Wednesday morning to take their polaroid pictures with their baby or with their belly and pass out their gifts and do nails. It worked out so much better this way because the girls came in just glowing. They took the morning to get all dolled up for their pictures and you should have seen them showing each other their polaroid. It was amazing how much a simple picture gave them so much joy! We also gave the bags that my friends and bible study members help to put together! We were getting down to some of the last girls and since we had counted on Monday the number of girls we only brought that many bags. Well there were more of them this day and we kept praying God would multiply the bags. I asked Pablo and Able to check the van for one more bag and he found two. We and just enough and one left over. Wow, I couldn’t believe there were just two random ones in the van, God was really looking out for us! One of the things inside the bag was nail polish, so we pampered them and even the boys jumped in and helped to paint their nails. The cool thing about the boys painting nails was that this was probably the only encounter they have had with a man that wasn’t trying to use them. There was a ten her old there who was 7 months pregnant, compassion just fell over all of us, she was so young. We really enjoyed brining them the polaroids and the gifts and loving on them through painting their nails! We ended our time with them with a large prayer and hugs.
The ten year old mom ^^
Paul joining in to paint nails ^^
Pablo praying in spanish over them while we prayed in english ^^
We were off to paradise community by mid-morning. We traveled way out in to the rural area where there were many farms and learned several things about the village life of these people. A majority of the kids are malnourished and uneducated because the family doesn’t have many resources and they make the kids stay home to help farm the land so they can make the little they do make. Because of this, there were a group of college students who decided that they wanted to help with a meal and tutoring for the kids in the village. Each day the kids can come for lunch and a learning experience. While we were there we got a tour of the place and it was so cool to hear they are even doing counseling with the kids. Our projects consisted of painting a pool and building an outdoor kitchen. Many people die early because the kitchen smoke in indoor kitchens gets all in their lungs. We saw the current one and the lady was actually cooking in it while we were touring and it was so bad. I don’t know how she breathes in there. It was awesome watching the team build it from the ground up. If I still look like a smurf when I get home it is because I can’t get the blue pool paint off my skin!
Squinting in the sun, painting quickly the gooey blue gum ^^
The outdoor kitchen, way to go guys! ^^
We then ate with the kids and passed out some of the donations everyone brought. The ten best students each got a bag of school supplies. Then they formed a line and we formed an assembly where the children could walk through and have a toothbrush, a bracelet, candy, a kazoo, and a pair of shoes if they fit them. These children were just so precious!
the kids were in love with casey ^^
waiting to see if any shoes were their size ^^
After the meal we went to four families in the community and prayed for them. The first was the cook in the kitchen. She asked we pray for her family and their health. She was so thankful for the food bag and bible. Later before we left I got to run back in the kitchen and tell her that even when there are difficulties to just know that Jesus will be her peace.
We also visited a lady that had weak legs and a cold. She was taking care of four kids. She also wanted prayer for her family and their health. She was too cute and took her food bag right in to her kitchen before we even got to pray with her.
In the next home, we met a family with some things that stood out about their children. One was awesome in school and on the soccer field, one had the most precious smile, the other was very young, and the oldest daughter, age 15, had been rapped and has a baby from it and still is experiencing some trauma. Amore gave the mom a cross and she was blessed by the meaning behind it. Then amore also gave the daughter her hat, which had a butterfly on it meaning new life. She spoke that new life over her in a healing prayer and said she would be praying that her mind would be protected by the helmet of salvation.
After we had taken a picture to remember their family, I stayed back and asked Pablo to translate something I had seen and felt the Holy Spirit speaking to me. The moment I explained the vision and began speaking truth and healing in to her life and sharing a bit of my story with her she began to cry, which then turned in to sobbing and by the end I was just holding her while the two of us wept. I continued to pray because the spirit of God was really at work. I believe she began her healing process that day. Jesus really showed up and spoke deeply to her heart, I could tell in her eyes and in the way she was holding on so tightly and crying she had been touched. Please partner with me in prayer because Haiti’s Uncle still abuses her and he lives only three blocks away. We think he is the one that may have caused the head trauma, but we aren’t sure if he was also the one who rapped her. That day God wanted her to know that he clothes her in purity and that all those thoughts of being used and worthless and dirty are lies. God sees her as whole and beautiful and pure. Those things should never have happened to her, but God will turn this around and use it for glory if she will let Him. I can’t fully express to you everything that happened in those moments with Haiti but I will say it was powerful and God continues to show me the heart he has given me to bring healing to young women.
In the last home we prayed over the mom and her kids because the husband was out driving trucks to make money for the family. They also run a little rooster coup as a business. It was really cool to get to know some of these families in the community and be invited in to their homes to see how they live and to pray for them.
That night we returned and did a devotional for the other mamas and gave them their gifts. They loved it! They also wanted a private zumba show and I just laughed because I told them I don’t perform I just teach, but I did it for them anyways and it made them so happy. Then they took me downstairs with the kids where we danced a little more and enjoyed laughing together as we made a fool of ourselves being silly.
love these mamas^^
As a team we ate dinner at Mexico Lindo and the night just continued with more conversation and laughter. I could not have come on a better week with a better group. This team was handpicked and I have learned so much from them all!
