Day 3-4 July 2013

The last two days have been full of excitement and emotion.  I woke up Saturday morning excited to be spending the day at New Life with Wisbens and the other kids.  After breakfast I approached Pastor Seide and asked that he get in touch with Wisbens father to see if he could come to the orphanage and visit.  We attended vacation bible school with the kids and after  30 minutes I received word that his dad had arrived.  We went to a picnic table and Pastor Seide assisted with the translation. He asked me how my family is doing and told me that he has been praying for us.  I again thanked him for the opportunity to adopt Wisbens and how much a part of our family he is too.  I asked his dad about how things are currently going in his life and he stated that he is struggling and does not have a job.  After talking with him longer I learned that he was disabled due to an illness that he had 15 years ago.  I asked about his greatest needs and the statement that stood out to me the most was that he was hungry and needed food to eat.  I was immediately distraught and held back my feelings as we talked more about food and what he can do to survive.   As we continued our conversation and my brother in law was able to offer support courtesy of our church.  We talked for about 30 minutes and prayed with him before he left.  He hugged us both and I was glad that Eric was able to meet a part of his Haitian family.

After he left I processed the conversation with my brother in law and talked about how we are blessed to have food readily available when we need it. There are so many people that are not only hungry but starving and willing to do what it takes to feed their family. We drove through the city yesterday and as we approached the slums the smell of rotting food hit me before the picture of tin buildings and animals rummaging through trash.   

Wisbens love to color, draw and paint.  There was a mission team here from Mississippi and they were making flowers out of aluminum cans.  I asked Wisbens if he would make us one to take home and when he was finished brought me two.  Eric and I set and watched him for at least an hour taking his time to paint each petal and ensure that it was fully complete. 

After lunch we met the kids on the yard to play on an oversize slip and slide.  I laughed as I watched most of the kids take the opportunity to have a bath/shower.  I have never seen so many kids and adults at one time running on a soap filled tarp.  I have looked at pictures of the kids for the past two years playing on the slip and slide and was glad to finally experience it with them.  After an exhausting day of playing with the kids I went to bed early to get some rest and spend our last full day with the kids.

I woke up Sunday morning had breakfast and went to church.  As I walked to the chapel I saw the kids walking over from the orphanage in their dress shirts, ties and dresses.  Church started at 9:30 and two and half hours later it was finished.  The service was great and at the end the teams that were visiting lined up and the kids walked by as we prayed for each one of them.  I was blessed to be a part an awesome service and look forward to returning and worshiping with the kids in the future. 

After church I changed clothes ate lunch and we went back to where the kids live to play.  When I arrived they were doing their daily chores.  Guivens was sweeping out his room and using a card for the dust pan.  All the kids have chores at New Life and are responsible for completing them daily.  The older kids must wash their own clothes, clean their rooms, and ensure that the grounds are picked up. The past few days have been extremely hot and the cold showers have felt great.  I was walking this afternoon where the kids play and noticed a crayon on the ground that was completely melted from the heat. 

 

I noticed that Wisbens was missing and went to look for him.  He was avoiding me and after tracking him down I noticed that his hair had been cut down the middle with scissors.  One of his buddies used a pair of dull scissors to give him a reverse mohawk and after getting him to sit down, Eric was able to repair some of the damage.    

We ended the evening early and will wake up tomorrow and meet with Wilna to see if there is anyting else needed for the adoption visit with Wisbens and leave for the airport.  If everything works out I should be home late tomorrow night.  I look forward to bringing Wisbens home soon and can't wait for everyone to meet him.  He has no idea how many people have prayed for him and supported us through this journey.