Wednesday
To quote my teammate, Trish... "Today was a day of HIGHS and LOWS". Here in Haiti, the lows are more than I could have ever imagined and I'm confident they have changed our hearts forever. But what's beautiful, is that the Highs are so HIGH, it makes every moment of sorrow worth it!
We began our day serving at Gertrude's orphanage, a home for disabled children. I knew going in this would be extremely hard. I knew for a fact we would be uncomfortable, as we had been prepared that some of the disabilites were extreme. What we experienced when we walked in was multiple kids strapped in wheel chairs, some tied to the walls for restraint. A room that smelled of urine. Broken down truck in the middle of the tiny playground, just to name a few. This was our LOW.
After just a few short minutes of acclimating, we wheeled the children out into the open air courtyard. Some we unstrapped from their wheelchairs and took out to hold and play with. Our friend, Junior, started playing his guitar much to the delight of the children. The boys started racing hand-pedaled trikes with Mickey and Jr.,who were quite fast! We gave our visually impaired friend, Maxim, a hand note that said "Glory to God" in braille hand-made by our Eden Prairie friends the Bushlands, whose daughter is also visually impaired. We had so much fun and the boys were awesome with the kids. Very poignant moments and our HIGH!
Next, we headed off to the Home for the Sick and Dying Children. To say this was tough would be an understatement. Although the care the children get is wonderful, it was overwhelming to see so many sick babies and toddlers. Each room was lined with rows of cribs. Babies malnourished and hooked up to IV's. Toddlers crying from their cribs, arms outstretched with the hopes of being picked up and held. Many burning up from fevers. This was a LOW.
We jumped into action, picking up and holding as many babies as our arms could hold. The boys brought out some balloons and began entertaining the older kids that were well enough to play. We carried babies out into the courtyard for some much needed fresh air. We managed to get beautiful smiles on the faces of children who had looked so sad and hopeless. This was a HIGH!
For more photos of our adventures, go to our Facebook page - 2012 EP Haiti mission trip.
Much Love from Haiti,
Karla
To quote my teammate, Trish... "Today was a day of HIGHS and LOWS". Here in Haiti, the lows are more than I could have ever imagined and I'm confident they have changed our hearts forever. But what's beautiful, is that the Highs are so HIGH, it makes every moment of sorrow worth it!
We began our day serving at Gertrude's orphanage, a home for disabled children. I knew going in this would be extremely hard. I knew for a fact we would be uncomfortable, as we had been prepared that some of the disabilites were extreme. What we experienced when we walked in was multiple kids strapped in wheel chairs, some tied to the walls for restraint. A room that smelled of urine. Broken down truck in the middle of the tiny playground, just to name a few. This was our LOW.
After just a few short minutes of acclimating, we wheeled the children out into the open air courtyard. Some we unstrapped from their wheelchairs and took out to hold and play with. Our friend, Junior, started playing his guitar much to the delight of the children. The boys started racing hand-pedaled trikes with Mickey and Jr.,who were quite fast! We gave our visually impaired friend, Maxim, a hand note that said "Glory to God" in braille hand-made by our Eden Prairie friends the Bushlands, whose daughter is also visually impaired. We had so much fun and the boys were awesome with the kids. Very poignant moments and our HIGH!
Next, we headed off to the Home for the Sick and Dying Children. To say this was tough would be an understatement. Although the care the children get is wonderful, it was overwhelming to see so many sick babies and toddlers. Each room was lined with rows of cribs. Babies malnourished and hooked up to IV's. Toddlers crying from their cribs, arms outstretched with the hopes of being picked up and held. Many burning up from fevers. This was a LOW.
We jumped into action, picking up and holding as many babies as our arms could hold. The boys brought out some balloons and began entertaining the older kids that were well enough to play. We carried babies out into the courtyard for some much needed fresh air. We managed to get beautiful smiles on the faces of children who had looked so sad and hopeless. This was a HIGH!
When you're in Haiti, it's extremely hard not to be overcome with feelings of helplessness. The needs are extreme everywhere we go. Therefore, we are constantly reminded that our mission is not to meet every physical need. Our most important mission is to share the Hope they have in Christ and remind them of God's great love for them.
For more photos of our adventures, go to our Facebook page - 2012 EP Haiti mission trip.
Much Love from Haiti,
Karla
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