Day 2 in Haiti

We began this morning by returning to the first orphanage we visited yesterday.  When we left we saw several children that needed medical treatment so we returned to pick them up and get them to Mission of Hope to receive medical treatment.  When we pulled up, it was wonderful to see familiar faces and to see them playing with the soccer ball we had left.  Some of the dresses were still on along with a Joyner shirt.  When we left it was hard to leave those faces.  Julia had a difficult time leaving Christopher and hearing him cry for her as we drove off.  We loaded up 5 children and headed off to Mission of Hope, a medical clinic that is a partner with Convoy of Hope.  Three girls in the back of the Land Rover and the two little boys in the front of the tap tap.  For most of them it was their first car ride.  We arrived and Julia, Matt, Kristen, Amy C., and Cindy headed into the clinic with a child in their arms.  We walked past the full waiting area into the back.  Then we walked back out and helped them sign in.  It was difficult leaving them (we left them with a staff member from the orphanage), but we knew they were in a safe place and would get the care they needed.

We then headed out to visit an orphanage.  It was neat to hear the story behind the orphanage.  The director had been an orphan himself and wanted to be able to provide a safe, loving, and hopeful environment for the next generation.  There were 85 children that lived in this very remote area.  Lots of bumps along the road.  We drove by Obama Tent City which is the largest tent city in Haiti spanning 3 miles and housing more than 250,000 people.  The children greeted us with songs.  We had picked up an additional translator, JJ, who we found out was quite the character and knew the children well.  He got them dancing and they welcomed us with two songs.  We then split into groups and shared a Bible story, handwashing skills, and recreation games.  We saw hope in this place as we heard the children share Bible verses, sing songs, and enjoy sharing what they knew.  You could tell education was important.  They even had a store with things that the children had made in an effort to raise money to build a home so that the children could move out of the tents they were in.  We stayed until they ate lunch (so quietly and with such order; not a normal lunch period many of us are used to).  We said our good-byes and piled into the truck for the bumpy ride home.

It has been a good day.  We are all tired.  Tomorrow we will head out again.  Pray for a good night's sleep and the arms, love, and smiles that the children we meet tomorrow will need!

Sorry again for not being able to post pictures.  We will share them when we return.  Our internet is still spotty at times!