Attention: - Jan 12th

When the day was coming to a close and we sat down I pondered (yay big words) and thought that the word- attention would be a good ‘Word of the Day’ word. I chose this word because really made me think that everyone wants to be loved and everyone wants to be noticed. There are many hurting hearts out there that are just dying for someone to reach out to them and give them attention. The kids here will do anything just to have you look their way.

Today we started off with pancakes again! But no smiley faces ones because Amy wasn’t on top of her game J Then we headed over to Gertrude’s Orphanage. It was an orphanage that took in around 30 kids. Many of them were handicapped. If I thought that yesterday was hard… today was worse. I was touched by so many today. When I walked into the gate to the orphanage this little boy came up to me and just took his two hands and placed them under my chin. He stood there and stared at me straight in the in the eyes with a little grin on his face. I saw God through this precious boy’s eyes and knew that he was in our presence. Then this other little boy named Michael ran up to me and just hugged me and wouldn’t let go. Instantly I fell in love! Not kidding you I am going to adopt this boy someday. When he smiled for pictures he didn’t just smile, he puckered out his lips like he was pressing them up to a window and showed his teeth. It was adorable.

^(This isn't the puckered lips, but the wrinkled nose is adorable!)

There was this other girl that really defines my ‘Word of the Day’. I met this lovely lady when I walked into the back room. She was just sitting there in her wheel chair staring at the other kids. When I went up to her she just looked at me and smiled. As I tried to use Creole- the little that I know- I soon found out that she was incapable of speaking. I just took a few minutes and sat there and smiled at her and rubbed her back and arms. When she looked up and smiled and laughed at me I got the goose bumps. She reached out her arm and just held on and hugged me. Let me tell you GOD IS GOOD. It was just another time of the many that I knew that he was in our presence today.

Every one of these kids are adorable and beautiful inside and out. Being here you can really tell that God loves his little children. All the little children of the world!

After the orphanage we went to a service that was filled with many amazing people that have given up everything to be here and help out Haiti. To be honest they seemed like famous people to me. If someday I inspired to be half of what they are I would be SO grateful. They said a little phrase today that really stuck with me ‘God is the solid rock when the earth shakes.’ Being here on the one-year anniversary of the earthquake was truly amazing to see. It is mind-boggling how great God is and how so many people have one- on-one personal relationships with him. Today the churches were filled and people were looking up to and relying on the Great Alpha and Omega to get them through.

To sum up today: It was wonderful, impactful and heart breaking.

Ohhh and mother I am going to adopt Michael. But… here is the thing he has two other brothers so it’s a package deal!!!

I am having an amazing time and I wouldn’t change these past few days one bit!

- ALANA