We made it to Haiti and I have wifi!! Woo hoo! 

Thank you all so much for your prayers yesterday. We had a great trip, no travel issues. Except when the pilot came on the intercom in Miami, after a 20 minute wait, to tell us that he thought the mechanic thought the problem was fixed and he agreed so we were going to take off. Yes, I felt so much better. (smile)

We arrived in Port au Prince around noon and the resident missionaries, The Brian’s, took us to the nicest place for lunch. They wanted us to know on the way that this restaurant was not the norm and that was evident as we drove down the highway. But we were thankful for a nice meal, wonderful service and a beautiful outdoor venue complete with a pool and palm trees.

Then reality hit as we stopped by our first orphanage. As soon as Pastor Brian’s vehicle pulled up, children began pouring out of the complex. We couldn’t even get inside the gate due to the hugs and literal clinging to each one of us. My friend Bonnie Beecham, who were are blessed to get to do this trip with, just wanted to see her kids. And you could hear them all hollering her name, “Bonay! Bonay! Bonay!” It was heartbreaking and heartwarming all at the same time.

The children were fascinated with my youngest, Korey, who has let his hair grow, just a touch, over the last few months. Korey is not normally a touchy-feeling person but you get over that quick here.

His heart was captured in the first few minutes as was my middle son, Kristopher. The children were fascinated that they were my sons. You? Mama? Him? Papa? Ha, ha, ha…so cute.

At Felix’s orphanage, the children received new flip flops that Pastor David and Bonnie Beecham had brought with them from Tennessee. Hanging on to their shoes and to us, I tried to help them unwrap the cellophane to get to their new shoes but every one of them would shake their head negatively and smile and say something I didn’t understand. Finally, Pastor Brian’s wife, Terri, explained that they wanted to wash their feet first, before they put on new shoes. (tears!)

Here they are singing, and playing with Korey’s hair.

From there we stopped by one other orphanage before reaching the missionary compound. By now it was dark, there was no electricity, we relied on our phones to even see our way inside. But, again, we could hardly get out of the car for the swarm of children yelling the Brian’s name and David and Bonnie (Bonay!)

There were a couple of young teenage boys who could speak a little English and they wanted to know my name and then my age. When I said, “54”, they laughed and said that would be my name, just 54. Ha. Ha. Ha. Just how I wanted to be known.

One witty little boy, he was 12, when asked my name and I said, “Nannette” then said back, “Watch me whip, watch me Nan-nette!” Quoting the popular song, “Watch Me Nae Nae” (which I have never understood, ha). But he was quick on his feet!

Before we left, one of the young boys pulled on my arm and said, “Jesus Loves You” and I said, “Yes, He does and He loves you too!” We didn’t bring gifts to that orphanage right then (they are coming to the compound today for a field day of sorts) all we brought was ourselves and plenty of hugs to go around. They were starving for that attention, that touch, that personal affection.

That’s all I could think of the rest of the evening and in our sharing time with the missionaries we talked about how they have absolutely nothing here, nothing to look forward to for many, nothing to eat, sometimes no shoes to wear, but they are starving even more for love.

And they are not much different than the people you see every day that need love, attention, someone to just say they care. God’s love is unconditional, agape love and ours should be too. He doesn’t care what we look like, how much money we have or what we can give back to Him. He just loves us.

That’s all anyone needs today in this unsure world.

Jesus loves you. Would you tell somebody today? Would you reach out and touch the hand (if appropriate) of one that is suffering or hurting and let them know you care and that Jesus cares even more? Would you offer them agape love and share the Gospel, the Good News, of Jesus Christ? You will change a life and they won’t forget that touch.

Keep pus in your prayers today as we open up the missions compound here and 135 children descend upon us! There will be peanut butter sandwiches in the morning and hot dogs and all the trimmings this afternoon. Soccer, basketball, any other games they want to play. Korey and Kristopher will be exhausted for sure.

Pray that we can show them love, that they feel the presence of God, that they know they are safe. Even if for a little while.

(These last two pictures are of them surrounding the vehicle as we left. Knocking on my window and waving “Goodbye!” was just about more than I could take.)

Sharing with Grace & Truth, Weekend Whispers, Word of God Speak