Wow. It has been quite a while since I have last
blogged. It is easy to get caught up in
the busyness of all that goes on around here.
Between the special needs home, the orphanage, the elderly home, the
clinic, the birthing center, the nutrition program, and so much more there is
always something to do around here.
Something that God has been teaching me is to listen for that still
small voice in the midst of the busyness.
It is often the things that we don’t think we have the time for, or are
not in our immediate plan that God uses to impact or bless us the most.
A couple weeks ago I went to our
campus in the Mole to do my health evaluations on the Mole and another
community in the area. My time was spent
going around the communities to visit people and places such as water sources,
clinics, midwives, nurses, and different families. One afternoon my translator (and dear
friend), Lunes, and I were on the way to visit a midwife in community. We left later than we wanted, and her house
was farther than we wanted to go. On the
way there, a little special needs boy caught my attention. He had the most beautiful smile. I spent a little bit of time talking with him
and then continued on my way. As we
continued walking, I heard that still small voice. I told Lunes that we needed to stop at their
house on the way back. When we stopped
at the house, the children were eating unripen breadfruit. Lunes took one look at it and pulled out his
wallet to give them money to get something better to eat. This was such an example of Haitians serving
other Haitians, and something that really impacted me. We spent time with the family that day, and
were able to spend time the next couple of days praying with them and loving on
the children. One day we were able to go
to the market and pick out a bunch of groceries for the family. The last thing we picked up was a few pieces
of candy for all of the kids. They were
so excited for this! As much as I hope
that we were a little blessing for this family, I know they were a big blessing
for both me and Lunes.
John-Wisley, the special needs boy Me and John-Wisley's family
Another example of this happened
last Friday. We have an outreach program
for families with special needs children to come and receive physical therapy,
occupational therapy, and encouragement once a week. There are roughly 45 families that come
throughout the week for outreach. I have
been going to outreach every Friday with my friend Wadley, so I have gotten to
know a couple of these families. They
are such an inspiration! Raising a
special needs child anywhere is hard, but it is so hard here, where special
needs children are seen as a voodoo curse.
In a country where it is common for special needs children to be
abandoned, it is so encouraging to watch these mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles,
or siblings loving on these children and taking an active role in their
therapy. Last Friday, we had a family
bingo day. The lady I was sitting beside
had a daughter with down syndrome. The
lady either could not read or could not see, so she was struggling with
bingo. After every number was called,
she would ask me if she had the number on her card. I would help show her if she had the number
so she could put the marker on the card.
Eventually she won a round, and I have never seen someone more excited
to scream BINGO. Though I enjoyed
watching her yell this, I enjoyed watching her give her prize of a bag of
cookies to daughter even more. Her
daughter was so excited, and I know the mother was so excited to be able to
give her daughter a treat. As she was
leaving later in the day, she came back to find me and give me a hug. She just kept saying “thank you so much. God bless you. I will be praying for you.” What a response for me doing something as
simple as helping her put markers on a bingo card. Though I had not intended to help this lady
during family bingo day, I was so blessed by it. Though I did not come to Haiti with the
intention of spending my Friday afternoons in outreach, I would not have it any
other way. I am so thankful for the
friendships that are growing there.
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| Wadley after winning a round of Bingo! |
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| One of the families all dressed up for Bingo |
Listening for that still small
voice is something I am struggling with every day; however, these two examples
have shown me how rewarding it can be to do something that was not in your
initial plans. It may be something as
simple as stopping to talk to someone when you were intending to go somewhere,
or it could be a bigger change. Though
it is easy to get lost in busyness, it is in these moments that God’s presence
is revealed.
