With 4 days left at our orphanage in Haiti, i thought i’d write this blog to update you on what God’s been teaching me this month. He has reminded me that He is the Father to the fatherless. Most of these 78 kids have no dad or mom to take care of them. There are 3 nannies who help take care of 78 children. God looks after them & loves them. He provides for them. But i can’t help but think how hard it would be to be Charlito’s age, 3yrs old, & to grow up without parents. This is little Charlito in the picture with me. His cries can be heard all throughout the orphanage. He cries alot & has a good set of lungs on him. The other day i came in to tuck him into bed & he was sitting on his bunkbed crying. I picked him up & held him & sang “Jesus loves me” to him until he fell asleep in my arms. As i sat there holding him & wiping his tears off his cute little face, my heart broke for him. How many nights does he cry himself to sleep, with no one to comfort him & wipe his tears?It made me so thankful for my mom & dad.My mom has always beeen there for me when i was sick,or crying or needed comfort,prayers & encouragement.My dad was always there also. It hit me hard. I thought to myself “this is so unfair & sad” but God gently reminded me that he wasn’t alone & that He saw every tear that fell from little Charlito’s face. I have only been in Charlito’s life for a month, & He has known Charlito since he was in his mother’s womb. He knows every hair on his head & knows his thoughts before he speaks. He is his comforter & his Father. I needed to be reminded this. When we leave Haiti Saturday at 5am, i can be assured that God will continue to look after him & the rest of the 77 kids & trust that He will continue to hold them in His loving Hands.
God has also been teaching me patience this month. Or, showing me how impatient i can be. When i’m trying to do a craft at Vacation Bible School for 78 kids & they are all grabbing at you, yelling your name & needing help in 100 degree heat & humidity & sweat is pouring down……….i tend to get a bit frustrated! haha They start to get on my last nerve & God gently but firmly tells me “if you dont have love, you are nothing. If you do this craft & do all these things for these kids but dont have love, these things are all worth nothing.” When it’s hotter than heck & i’m tired & trying to teach an English lesson to a classroom full of Creole speaking children who have short attention spans…..i get impatient! When i get impatient with a kid because they aren’t listening or they are being stubborn/acting up……God tells me “see, this is what it’s like when you arent listening to Me!” haha Except unlike me, God loves unconditionally & is much more patient & gracious. But God’s teaching me to show more grace to myself & others.He’s teaching me to persevere & to be long suffering in my love for them. I have to remind myself not to get impatient when all of the kids are trying to get my attention. They dont have parents to show off their crafts to or to throw the ball with. Right now all they have is my team & i.
It’s NOT about me, it’s all about Him. It’s about these kids. This month my team & i have really gotten a chance to pour into these kids everyday, throughout the day. They have American missionaries come in & visit for a day or week sometimes, but rarely for a month. So this has been a huge privilege for us & for them. When i wake up tired in the morning but remember i promised the kids the night before that i’d play basketball with them at 5:45am, i NEED to follow through on my word & be patient & do it for them. That’s why i’m here! But it’s so easy to get in a bad attitude or to get lazy. That’s another lesson: do not get lazy in doing the Lord’s work. If i need to rest, i will take time to rest when i can. Not saying i should over work myself to the point where i pass out! But i know when i start forming the attitude of laziness where i begin to slack off & not put 100% into what i’m doing. In all i do, i should be doing it for the glory of the Lord. Whether it is playing sports with the kids, cleaning, washing dishes or teaching them English….i should be putting 100% of myself into it & giving myself away. I want to leave for Ireland Saturday having no regrets & knowing that i gave it my all. This is the end of month #2. We have 9 more months to go! It will be sad to say bye to Haiti but i’m excited about what is next for us in Europe! I’ll let you know more info about our ministries the next month when i find out! I am looking forward to cooler weather & less bugs, that’s for sure! We will be camping in our tents in Dublin, Ireland for the first week. After that, we aren’t sure! Please pray for travel safety for us this weekend. We will be flying from Port-au-Prince to JFK airport in New York. Then flying out Sat evening to Dublin. Thank you all for your prayers & taking time to read my blogs. I always look forward to reading your comments/feedback & encouraging words.
“Love must be sincere.Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.Honor one another above yourselves.Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.Share with God’s people who are in need.” Romans 12:9-13
