I am not an expert on suffering, but I am certain the children of Goniaves, Haiti have suffered much and have been marked by it. There is no certain way for me to know each of these children pictured have been used in the manner I am about to describe, but the scars seem to speak for themselves.
We did not have a translator in Goniaves and none of us spoke Creole and only a few spoke broken French. We had no idea the condition of the city, the orphans we lived with, or the spiritual climate. All that we knew was that in a city devastated by water, we found ourselves in a desert continually covered by a layer of dust.
About halfway through our time in Haiti a medical mission team came through our orphanage to inspect the children and train hygiene. We were glad to finally speak with people who knew the area and spoke our language. I conversed at length with one of the women regarding the city, its people, and the spiritual climate of the area. One of the many things she told me regarded a Voodoo practice that churns my stomach and raises anger in my heart.
Every so often a Voodoo priest dressed as an intimidating monkey will abduct a child (usually an orphan or street child) and use them in a ritual to distribute a blessing on a household. He would take the child and cut into their forehead over the eyebrow, remove some facial muscle, cook it with spices, and present it to a family to bless them. These children are then left with scars on their faces, showing the physical, spiritual, and emotional abuse they have encountered by the hands of the evil one.
I became friends with two of these children and encountered many at our orphanage. The two closest to my heart were Leson and Esther (Esther pictured right, Leson pictured below the text). Both are extremely quiet and shy. When we first met they would stand on the outskirts with the other children and quietly avoid eye contact. I was naturally drawn to them because of this very fact. They both resisted being held or singled out at first, but when I gained their trust they would simply sit on my lap and be content for long periods of time. No other children I played with seemed to love to simply sit with me the way these two did. My heart melted to them.
I write this to ask that you might pray for the protection and restoration of the children of Goniaves, Haiti. They are some of the most beautiful children in the world who have been viciously and unjustly used. I would be a continuation of the injustice by remaining silent on the issue.
Leson (pronounced Lay-soh-n) by himself, as usual (left), close of face and scar (middle), and another boy’s scar (right)
