July 14, 2015 Updates

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        Today was the second day of VBS here in Haiti. I have to admit that I was slightly concerned. Today was the day that we were supposed to hand out flip flops for the kids to decorate during craft time. I had been looking toward this day with dread for quite some time; I had imagined the chaos of screaming kids running around gluing things on whatever they could find. However, when the time came that we were supposed to do the craft, the kids were actually cooperative. I couldn’t believe it. Almost all of them were happy to wait for their turn to receive a pair of flip flops which fit them. They then took their flip flops to the craft tables and began to decorate them rather non-chaotically. As I handed the children the flip flops, I could see the look of pure joy on their faces. Many of them were wearing old, ripped shoes, which I am sure were some of the only ones they owned. As I fitted the children with the right sized flip flops, lifting their dirty feet into the brand new shoes, I could only feel the same joy. Yet, with that joy, came moments of sadness. It became clear to me that these children were overwhelmed with happiness just to receive some dollar flip flops. They held onto those shoes dearly and when they were asked to put them into a basket for safekeeping until the Bible School ended, I could see the look of fear in their faces. Many of them were extremely apprehensive to place their treasured new shoes into the basket for fear that they would never see them again.

While I watched the children laughing and enjoying every moment of the craft, it actually saddened me to think of how blessed we are in the U.S. We go throughout our day enjoying various modern conveniences, taking for granted almost everything we own. And while we know that we are blessed and we tend to use the term freely, I don’t think we really know just how BLESSED we are. It hit me in that moment that I could have been one of these children. I could have had the dirty feet, ripped shoes and empty stomach. I could have been the one holding onto the flip flops as if they were the only thing I owned. Instead, I have so much “stuff” that a pair of flip flops would most likely get thrown under my bed and I wouldn’t even remember I had them until a year later. The sadness of that realization brings me to tears. I am blessed above and beyond what I deserve. I have done nothing to earn my situation in life and neither have the Haitians. It is by the grace of God that I have 3 meals a day and new shoes on my feet. I hope that I will never forget that blessings from God are just that, blessings. We don’t deserve them. I don’t know what tomorrow will bring, or what little child will come my way. I only hope that I will be able to share with them the many blessings that God have given to me.

                          Janae

     Besides doing vbs today, we also went to the orphanage. I started out talking to some of the children but one little boy named Brian really caught my attention. I can honestly say he is the cutest kid I’ve ever seen. After playing with him for a little, I soon found out that he loved to spin around. So I spun around with him and soon he got me to hold his hands as I spun leaving him dangling and spinning in mid air. Once I would spin him around a few times, I would set him down and we would act like we were so dizzy that we would fall on the ground. He would usually lay there for a few seconds then get up again. I would do the same, but sometimes I would stay lying there with my eyes closed for awhile. When I did that, he would grab my arm and try to help me up. I would still lay there as he was helping me up and I could tell that he would not stop pulling me until I stood up again. It reminded me of how whenever I may fall or lose my way, God will always be there to help me up. Even when I don’t get up for awhile, he will never give up on me. He will always be there trying to get me back on my feet so I can continue to walk (or spin) on the right path serving Him. And once I would get up from my fall, Brian would wipe away the dust and dirt on my legs I accumulated from lying on the ground. Just the same, God cleanses me from my sins and continues to love me. Who knew I could learn so much from a little boy who just wanted to play and show kindness. So far, I have learned so much from these Haitians that appreciate anything and everything given to them and will show love to anyone who will come their way. This is an experience I will never forget that is filled with love for everyone especially God.

                       Amanda