Saturday...

Saturday morning found us heading to the Little Children of Jesus Orphanage, which is an orphanage for disabled children run by a ministry called Missionaries for the Poor. Village of Hope has been a longtime partner of this amazing ministry that provides 24-hour care for children with a wide range of physical and/or mental disabilities. 

Here are some perspectives from a few team members on their experience at LCJ…

Walking into the orphanage I had a little advantage. With my medical background and a long talk with Julie Ressler before the trip, I had a rough idea of what to expect. We were also told the night before by Rob that, “if we are looking to see the face of Jesus, we would see it here.” He could not have been more right. We were greeted immediately with the kind of love and joy you can only dream of. Several of the residents remembered Pastor Josh from previous visits and were overwhelmed with happiness to see him again. The love was so clearly shown. As we made our way past the main entry we were escorted into the “day room.” This is where the children with the most severe disabilities are housed. All daily activities are done for them, they can neither feed or dress themselves, or even bear their own weight. While a few could not hold eye contact for long, most reached for your hand and answered your smile with love. I found many thoroughly enjoyed having their heads stroked. We all spoke the same language of love and shared many moments of laughter. One little angel, truly stole my heart. She called out for me and from there told me where to go, with who, and when. We brought bubbles and sidewalk chalk along, but to the kids it was if we brought gifts of silver and gold! The afternoon was spent in childhood bliss, living for the moment as only children of God can. When it was time for lunch we assisted the staff with scooping goop into their hungry mouths, and then out to play again. Smiles were everywhere and the hugs were freely given. My only heartbreak was saying goodbye… not knowing when or if I would ever see them again. But the joy returned as they rushed out to the grass to wave and smile for us one last time. I will truly never forget my time at the LCJ, I hope to come again soon. –Lyndee

It was very heart-wrenching to realize that the staff at the orphanage cares for these kids 24 hours per day.  Every single day they have to change their bedding and wipe down their mattresses due to the kids not having control over all their bodily functions.  Those that were mobile and higher-functioning showed true happiness in their eyes when engaged and we played with them.  Simple activities like kids’ bubbles and side walk chalk really made them beam with excitement.  A couple of the kids were very high functioning and only lacked the ability to speak.  One of them, Mickenson, was very engaging and he asked for everyone to sign his notebook.  It was evident that he has all the mission teams that come through sign his book. – Josh J.

After a late lunch back at Hope House, the team once again got to work continuing the roofing and painting projects. Rob’s wife Trish, who had been stuck in the US due to tornado issues was finally able to make it back to Haiti, so it was great for the team to be able to meet her. 

Tomorrow we are looking forward to church and continuing the learning, growing, and serving that God has in store for us!