From a Mama's Heart~

God called me to come to Haiti, and I obeyed.  It wasn't an easy decision because I was called to come and lavish love and serve the poor & the orphans, but I was leaving my own children at home with dad in the meantime.  My heart is in two places at once, and it hurts.....

As I walked into the home of the sick and dying, I longed to hold and nurture each one of these sweet babies.  They looked up at me with their big, brown eyes, and held my gaze with hope and expectancy. These babies are here for healing and may or may not go home because some of them of very sick.  As I held each one of them, cooing with them, singing to them, feeding them, and changing their diapers, I realize that we are each representing Christ in each small gesture.  We truly are the hands and feet of Jesus as He places us in the lives of those He wants us to touch.

We also visited a small orphanage called Juno, which houses about 20 children.  When we pulled into the grounds of the orphanage, the children came running to greet us.  They clamored to grab a hand, jump into an adult's arms, and have someone show them the love that they have never known.... the unconditional love of a parent that nurtures, protects, and cares for them.  I had a sweet 5 year old girl named Meme that instantly claimed me as her "mom" and didn't let go.  As I held her and played with her, I realized how many times I have done that with my own children, but it's something we take for granted.  Our children always have us looking out for them, praying for them, tending to them, raising them.....that's all these children would love to have, but they only have each other.  However, the JOY in their deep, brown eyes was immeasurable!  They played and sang songs with their whole hearts, and radiated peace and love even in the situation they were being raised in.  It is a lesson that we can all learn from the heart of a child....to find the joy and peace of Christ no matter what our situation is~

I came to Haiti to be a blessing to the children, but in the end, I was the one that was truly blessed~
xxxooo