Broken Hearts

Today was another amazing but heartbreaking day for our team. We started the day with a delicious breakfast prepared by our Haitian staff and then set out for an unpredictable day. Our team split up in the morning with 10 of us going to the Home for Sick & Dying Infants and the other 6 going to Gertrude's orphanage. I went to the Home for Sick & Dying Infants and it was an experience that will live with me forever. As we walked in we saw lines of people waiting to either drop off their children or to visit their children that were sick and staying at the home. Walking in, we encountered rows and rows of cribs with babies in them, 99 children total. Some of the babies were crying to be picked up and others were too weak to cry and lay still with an IV in their tiny arm. It didn't take long for our heart strings to be pulled; we immediately jumped in and picked up the babies to show and to tell them we love them and Jesus loves them ("Jezi renmen ou"). Some of our team was holding two babies at a time, others holding on to one until picking up the next. At this moment we all wished we could have 99 arms to love, cradle and pray over each and everyone one of them. After hours of holding, loving, and feeding the babies, it was time for our team to go. Laying the precious little angles down into their cribs and hearing their cry is a feeling we will always remember and I am so grateful to have been blessed with this heartbreaking experience. 

After stopping back at the guest house to grab a snack and to refresh, we headed back into our tap-tap (bus) to go to The Apparent Project to learn about the organization and to do some shopping to support them. We toured the facility and learned about this organization that had been started to give parents the chance to work and support their families. With over 300 people employed, every one with their own story, we saw all the hard work and detail that goes into every piece of artwork and jewelry they create. After being extremely impressed and inspired by the organization and all the business they are doing, we filed up with amazing smoothies served at the "Clay Cafe" and headed to our last stop of the day. 

On our way to General Hospital we hit "rush hour" - the ride was long, slow, and bumpy - but it gave us a chance to take in Haiti for what it is and to view all of the different neighborhoods that are so different from our own. We visited General Hospital and handed out 115 care packages that Marijo and her daughter packed for us. They were a big hit! The General Hospital was also a heartbreaking visit for our team that made each and every one of us sorrowful but also grateful. As we pulled up, we had the warmest welcome from two little boys that came running out, arms flaling and ready to give us all the sweetest hugs, as if we have been friends forever. As we entered the hospital we witnessed families with young children and babies crammed into two large rooms waiting to see the doctors. With families shoulder to shoulder with sick kids and a sighting of a few rats, our team definitely had ours eyes opened to what healthcare could be like and for how grateful we are and should be with our own. We also experienced a sense of helplessness and of being underserving for all the aid we have access to and take for granted everyday. With all eyes on us, we made our way through the hospital handing out our care packages. Making sure every family had only one, to be fair, made the process a little stressful, but was a good test for us. Our translator and leader, Emanuel, brought out the guitar and played and sang a variety of worship songs. As songs of God filled the air it insistently brought a sense of calmness and hope to the whole facility. It didn't take long and our team was out amongst the families, holding their babies and singing to the songs of worship. We left there with tranquil and broken hearts. Coming home from an emotional day, we had the privilege to enjoy an evening meal together, reflect on all that we have experienced in only one short day, and thank God for our courage and protection. 

We ended the night joyously with a Salsa dance lesson at the guest house from John with many laughs. We are heading to bed to prepare for another incredible day in Haiti.   

Ashley