I dont want to forget....

Once again, I am at a loss for words. Haiti never ceases to amaze me. From the very first time I had heard of Haiti to what is now ‘everyday life.’ I wish so badly I could journal more often so I could remember each moment, and each conversation. I don’t ever want to forget any of this. I don’t want to forget how the Lord reveals himself daily; I don’t want to forget conversations that I have with the children, or the staff. I want to live in every moment and embrace them as they come. The last couple of days have been full of amazing conversations with the kids. I swear they teach me more than I could ever teach them…
A couple of evenings ago one of our neighbors began playing his voodoo drums, yes voodoo is real, and it is here. I heard the drums and asked one of the girls what that noise was. She responded ‘Bekah, that’s voodoo!’ She then continued to give me a history lesson on voodoo. She said when voodoo comes you do this, she turned the bottom portion of her shirt inside out and held it up, I asked why, she said because then she can’t come to you…Obviously this is a voodoo tradition of how you avoid being ‘overtaken’. She said sometimes at night she wakes up afraid when she hears the drums but then she prays and is okay to go back to sleep. She continued her history lesson and told me BUT, if you have Jesus, she can’t come to you! Do you love Jesus Bekah? I said yes, I do! She said then you don’t have to worry about it! This is why we’re here, these kids know the power that is bigger than voodoo, and they claim it with everything that they are! That, to me, is inspiring. The thought of voodoo freaks me out and I forget that I have the power that is greater than that, living in me, but I was reminded by an eight year old girl, that I should not be afraid.
Tuesday evening I was swinging with one of the older boys. I told him I would be leaving in the morning to head to Grand Goave to spend some time with the kids there. He asked me if I liked Jacmel or Grand Goave better, I explained I really love them both; they are just two very different places. He continues to say; well this is the best orphanage in Haiti. I wouldn’t ever want to go anywhere else. That was a bittersweet moment for me. I am so thankful that each of these children are blessed beyond belief to have a home and loving family, but my heart also ached to have a child recognize that he lived in an orphanage. He told me about his siblings, two of which live with us, another that is with his mom, and one that had passed away not long after he was born. He asked me about my siblings, he knows that Cameron is my brother, last April he met my brother Mark as well. He asked why Mark wasn’t here, I told him that he is married with kids of his own, he asked about Mike and why he had never met him, hahah guess what Mike, it’s your turn to come to Haiti :o) He asked about their families. I explained that Mike was married with three kids, Mark was married with two kids, and neither Cameron nor I were married nor did we have children. He then said well, you are going to have one kid and Cameron isn’t going to have any. It took me a second to figure out his logic, hahah but Mike has 3, Mark has 2, Rebekah 1, and Cameron none. Kids crack me up sometimes.
It’s the simple moments like that, sitting on a swing set or standing on a staircase, having children share their knowledge, hopes, fears, and dreams with you; that I don’t ever want to forget.
Early Tuesday morning the Suttons and I were out the door by 5 am once again to head to Grand Goave and our way out of Jacmel I saw a woman who was carrying a jug of water on her head, this is not abnormal in Haiti, that is how you transport things. The unusual part was she was on crutches, with one leg. That was the essence of perseverance; my assumption is she lost a leg in the earthquake, since many people lost limbs during that time. She was an older woman, probably in her 50’s or 60’s. She had to have water, but she could not walk. She used all of the resources she had to get where she needed to go to obtain the means she needed to survive. I asked myself if I had would’ve had that same strength, or if I would’ve just given up… The people of Haiti are strong, you have to be to live here.
Someone asked last night if I liked Haiti…my answer, no. I love Haiti. You have to love Haiti to come here. Travis, Drex, Jo, and I were talking about Haiti and our first experiences here, the many angels we’ve seen, the large amounts of evil we’ve seen, how each day is full of the unexpected. The riots we’ve been through, the sickness that has come upon us, the chaos, and then the blessings, the fruit, the somber moments we wouldn’t change for the world. We all collectively decided that we wouldn’t trade even the ‘bad’ days for anything in the world…
Pray for the people of Haiti, that they will find the strength and power in Christ that Valencia has. Pray for those serving in Haiti, that we would remain protected, but also that we would remain prepared to claim the name of Christ whenever needed. Pray that the Lord would speak to you through those of us here and pray that you would be open to whatever way the Lord is calling you to serve.
Lastly, pray that we find a roommate for my house in Nashville, since I left only raising just enough to cover those expenses I am not quite sure how to come up with extra until we find another person. Haiti is a place that will stretch you spiritually, physically and emotionally. This week my faith is being stretched….
Thank you for allowing me to share this journey with you.
Much Love,
Bek