Haiti

We had a good week serving in Haiti. The drive in from the airport was tough. I felt an overwhelming sense of hopelessness as I took in the filth and poverty all around. But God is a big God and He is doing good things through His children at Canaan Orphanage where we stayed and served this week. Not only are the kids there being introduced to our Almighty God but they are reaching out into the community around them with the hope of the Gospel. Whether it's through the medical clinic or the MedicaMamba program (which uses fortified peanut butter to treat malnourished children), taking in and loving the orphans, or just interacting in the community, the staff at Canaan is definitely sharing God's love, both physically and spiritually.
Michael spent the week teaching Math - working with middle and high school age students. Jenny spent the mornings helping in the preschool classroom and the afternoons observing then teaching in some of the French classes. After school there was plenty of time for hanging out with the kids and playing.

This is a picture of the preschoolers playing on their playground. The swing sets were laying on the ground at the beginning of the week but our team was able to get them up and going.

One day after school we all went to a couple of other orphanages just down the road from Canaan. One of these orphanages had 15-20 infants in cribs. The little guy in this picture was laying in his crib when we first saw him and as I walked by he gave me the biggest smile. Unfortunately, he wouldn't cooperate for the picture. It was hard to walk away from this orphanage. There were so many babies, many of whom needed diaper changes and just wanted to be held.

The orphanage next door took special needs children. The little boy in the front in this picture has clubfeet. If you look closely you can see how twisted they are. His name is Bidiory and he actually went to Port-au-Prince this weekend for surgery to correct his feet. A doctor from the States was flying in. It was hard seeing him, too. Again, I am so thankful for our access to doctors to take care of Timothy.

This picture gives you an idea of how we traveled in Haiti. Driving was definitely the most dangerous thing we did on this trip.

It was a good trip and we are very thankful for the opportunity to go. It definitely would not have been possible without the huge support from our caregroup - especially Chris and Shaye who stayed with and loved our children while we were gone.