Being Flexible and God's Blessings (Day 2)

Our first full day in Haiti has been spectacular. We have all decided that we are going to stay here. Forever. (Just kidding… partially) Today, we fell in love with the people of Haiti (especially the children). We were thrown a few curve balls today, and some plans had to be altered, but nonetheless, God moved BIG time!

Two members of our team (the brick oven guys) set out this morning to go to Grace Village and began working, with a team of Haitians, on the brick oven. It was a fruitful day and great progress was made!

Another chunk of our team spent the first half of the day doing water therapy with some of the special needs children from Gertrude’s Orphanage. It gave the children the opportunity to engage their muscles and move around with the help of an adult (each child was partnered with a member of the team).

The bulk of the team set out, this morning, with the intention of going to minister at the home of sick and dying babies. When we arrived there, we were not allowed to enter due to a cholera outbreak in the home. So we hopped back on the tap-tap and decided to head over to and spend our time with the children at Gertrude’s Special-Needs Orphanage. This turned out to be an enormous blessing. The children at Gertrude’s melted each of our hearts (over and over again). They loved being held and to be played with. Holding those dear little children, as they embraced your tightly, was truly experiencing Christ’s love and affection.

At noon, both groups (minus the brick oven guys) met back at the guesthouse for lunch and a little down time. After a short time, we briefly went to tour the Redemptor School and hung out with the students there before making our way to Juno’s Orphanage. The children there were wonderful and also melted each of our hearts. As we filed out of the tap-tap, we were instantly approached by one, two or many children who just wanted to hold our hand(s), jump in our arms, and just be with us. We spent a couple hours there with the children playing soccer, making bracelets, coloring, and many other various activities. The children were so joyful at the most simple gestures and circumstances. God is already beginning to alter our personal perspectives on our own lives through the experiences with these joyful children. As we were preparing to leave, the children gathered and sang us a couple songs. We were so touched and blessed when they sang in perfect English “10,000 Reasons” (by Matt Redman). Hearing these precious little children voice the lyrics, “Bless the Lord, oh my soul, oh my soul, worship his holy name. Sing like never before, oh my soul, I worship your holy name,” was an extremely powerful experience. It was a testament to how BIG God really is. It is such a big world with so literally billions of people. God knows each person with unparalleled intimacy and loves each person with unparalleled grace.

Today was a great day. God is already working in the hearts of each team member. So far, everyone is healthy and in great spirits. Team camaraderie continues to grow. We are VERY excited to see where God leads tomorrow.