Wow what a blessing those kids are! I’m always amazed at how eager the kids are to be loved. And how easy it is to love them. Within minutes they had us wrapped around their fingers. Little Jirolson who is new to the Garden attached himself to Tyler. I asked Jirolson if Tyler was his Zanmi (friend) he said no, Papa. It broke my heart but reminded me why we were there. I always find it strange that the kids can get so attached when there are so many visitors coming and going from the Garden. Dr. Morquette explained it to me later that week. He said that orphans are the lowest of the low. The school children would beat them down and even the House Moms would tell them that they were unwanted. That changed when teams started coming to the Garden. We poured our love on them and showed that they were valuable. It changed the way the school kids and the house mom’s saw them. I’ve noticed a huge change with the Mama’s. They are more nurturing to the children and are truly happy to see us. What a great reminder of Gods love and how He is close to the broken hearted and that we are all valuable in His sight. Click to view pictures of the party
Thanks to your generosity we had enough money to take some of the older kids shopping to pick out a group gift for everyone at the Garden. The boys spotted a pair of professional wireless microphones and some huge speakers. At first I was skeptical because it was a lot of money. Their pitch was they could use them for Bible studies as well as singing. The speakers had a built in radio and USB port to play music. When the girls agreed with their purchase I gave in. They chose it over the Wii so I figured it was a wise choice on their part. We will see how well they take care of it. Hopefully it will still be working next time I’m there.
Our first party day was at the Garden. All but one of the Graduates was able to join us (Fleurette). We decorated and ate cookies, played games, had a huge lunch and then broke into four groups and rehearsed for the Christmas play. We gave the kids the big group gift and it was received with great joy.
Day two was at the chapel a block from Dr. Morquette’s house. Most of the Graduates returned even though they already received their gift. It was a blessing to give the kids a new environment and a huge amount of space where they could just play and hang out. After lunch we got back into our groups and rehearsed for the big Christmas Drama. We brought the four groups together and enjoyed each other’s performance. We had a narrator explaining the importance of Christmas and afterwards Donna wrapped it up with a Gospel presentation. Four of the kids accepted Christ (Robenson, Mirlanda, Saralie & Micaella). My biggest regret is that I didn’t get to talk with the kids afterwards to see where they were at and if this was their first time asking Jesus to be their Savior. At this point we were out of time. We quickly had cake and decided to give them their individual gift bags the next day.
Day Three we had a late start. After some site seeing and miscellaneous shopping for the kids, we finally arrived at the Garden. After lunch we passed out the individual gift bags. One little boy squealed when he saw his car. How beautiful it was to see a little thing like a car bring so much joy. It’s one of the main reasons I appreciate the trip to Haiti in the middle of the busiest time of year. I didn’t see my kids get that excited about any of their gifts. Probably because they have everything they need and want already.
Overall it was the smoothest Christmas party trip we have had. Spending three and a half days with the kids made the difference. We were able to spread the treats and activities out and that gave us flexibility and plenty of time to just enjoy the kids.
Thanks so much for your continued generosity and commitment to the kids. Because of your support, these kids know that they are loved and valued not just in God’s eyes but in ours as well.