Last night in devotional upstairs on the roof, Ryan led the group by talking about how we are supposed to be receptive and willing to do what God calls us to do. He shared some of his personal journey and how God has orchestrated so much of his path to get him here. Last night we were joined by a few of the older orphans from the home here as we had our devotional time. At the end of our time together, Patty asked everyone to tell the group one thing they were thankful for from the day. A variety of answers were given, and everyone took a turn (including the children). When we got to one young man, who is around 10 years old, his response was very humbling. He simply said, "I am thankful to still be alive". Another child shared that he was thankful that we like it here. How honest these children are. You can see their hearts and they certainly give you a new perspective.
This reminds me of a story Sherrie shared with us this week. The school here has started it's third Restavek class (praise God)! If you are not familiar with what a Restavek is, I encourage you to do some research. The term Restavek literally means 'live with'. Restavek children are children who are given away by their parents and live with other families who can supposedly give them a better life. This unfortunately does not happen most of the time. These children are treated as property rather than as children. They are slaves. They cook, clean, take care of the children in the house, and admittedly have no dreams for any better future. The Restavek Freedom Foundation works here in Haiti to help alleviate this problem by getting these children into school. They partner with Sherrie's school in this endeavor, and as I said, the third class just began. CNN was here a while back with Justin Dillon and the singer Common to shoot a documentary on this issue. It is truly amazing to watch! Anyway, back to the story Sherrie told us. They recently had a party for the Restavek children here at the school, where the children were told they would be the guests and the staff could serve them. It is customary in Haiti to give a toast at a party. One young Restavek girl gave a toast that brought grown men and the staff here at the school to tears. She stood up and said, "I would like to thank my teachers for not beating me when I make a mistake". Talk about a tremendous moment of "perspective"!
Today we were able to experience Haitian culture on a deeper level. This morning the children rode to church with Ms. Sherrie in the bus and a few of us walked. The last time we were here we didn't get to get out into the streets other than walking around a market for a few minutes. It was about a 10 minute walk. It felt more natural to be out in the streets with the Haitians than always riding everywhere in a truck or car.
Church this morning was awesome! On the left side of the sanctuary the first five rows of pews were full of people who are deaf. There was a group of young Haitians taking turns providing sign language throughout the service. We learned that one of the young men was a teacher at Ms. Sherrie's school and the others were students he has who attend the school. How cool! After much singing and praying, Pastor Lenny got up and spoke. Pastor Lenny is Philippine but speaks creole and pastors the church. As Sunday school groups reported out we learned that several pews behind us were filled with blind Haitians that are part of a special ministry in that church. As I sat there I began to realize this amazing picture God was giving us. On this one side of the sanctuary were several 'handicaps': some that could not hear, some that could not speak the language of the pastor and singers and therefore could not fully understand what was being said, and some that could not see. The really cool 'ah ha' that hit me in that moment was that our side of the sanctuary this morning is representative of the larger body of Christ. Alone we have weaknesses. Alone we are limited to our individual gifts and talents. But when we all work together in the body of Christ to do the will of God we have everything we need. So this morning, our small body of God could hear, understand, and see everything going on in that church service. As a body of Christ, we have no handicaps!!! Regardless of the culture in which we were born, people from several different parts of the world sat in one building worshipping the same God this morning. What a small picture of heaven! Praise the Lord!!!
This afternoon Edmond (Sherrie's driver) took us to a local restaurant to relax for a bit and get some food. (This was also a way to give Jacqueline a day off!) Again, it was really nice to be out in the middle of the culture. There were actually a number of other missionaries in there from other parts of the world, as well as a number of police and security personnel. We had pizza and crepes and drank Coke! Then Edmond drove us around downtown through some markets and past the palace. A few in our group had never been to Haiti before. Ryan and I got to see some parts of Port au Prince we didn't get to see last time. Again, a broader perspective.
When we returned to the school this afternoon the children were so happy to see us. As I sit here writing this blog, I can hear the kids playing ball with the teenagers outside. There is much laughter and fun being had by all. I found my special 'monkey boy' Herode (who is about 3 or 4 years old) who gives the tightest hugs of any child I know. He stole my heart the minute I met him in July. Some of the girls are preparing cup cakes for a birthday party this evening for the children with November or December birthdays. All is right with the world!!!
We hope your evening is as blessed as ours!
No comments:
Post a Comment