Here we are in Port Au Prince in a beautiful guesthouse. It is hard to believe that we are in Haiti. The compound is walled - the house is all tiled, with jalousie windows, many bedrooms, large kitchen and dining area, and several bathrooms. It is all very clean and new looking. Some people slept outside last night - but we were in the master bedroom with a king size bed. It is an amazingly open, loving place.
The following is an example of that love: Two men arrived on Saturday morning from Kentucky. One of them had been supporting a young boy through Compassion International. They had not heard from him since the quake and the family was so concerned about him, that he and a pastor friend decided to come down to look for him. Many people told them it was a waste of time and money. They didn’t know if he was still alive or not. They came with pictures of the boy, a backpack each, 4 days worth of granola bars and water. They were prepared to walk to Petit Guave and back, if necessary - 38 miles one way. The chances were slim that they could even find out any information about one little boy in a city of 130,000 people. They arrived in PAP early Saturday morning. They were a little overwhelmed with the many Haitian’s trying to get their business. All of a sudden Carl and Lowell - from this guesthouse, motioned them over. After asking who they were traveling with ( just the two of them) and why they were in Haiti (looking for a little boy in Petit Guave) they told them that they would take them to Petit Guave that same day, and that they were welcome to stay at the guesthouse. They fed them breakfast, and took them to Petit Guave. They were directed to a young man at that compound who immediately recognized the picture. He told him that the boy was alive and he knew where he lived. All within 6 hours of landing. They are still praising the Lord. On Sunday morning at 10 AM the young boy, his mom, and 3 men from Compassion International came to the compound to meet them. He told the child, “I came all this way just to find out if you were alright. We all love you.” Can you imagine how much that will affect his life? God is so good!! Even amidst tragedy and sadness, the miracles keep coming.
We left our house at 6 AM yesterday morning, leaving early so the Grant Wesleyan team could get to the airport by 8 AM. We then spent the next 7+ hours in Cap Haitian waiting for our flight to PAP. We went to a restaurant for lunch and then waited at the airport for several hours. The food was great, the wait was quite interesting, and the flight was fun. I’d never flown in a single engine plane before, and felt much safer than in a big jet. We arrived about 5:30 and supper was basically prepared before we got here. We added to the sauce, set the table, sliced bread and served the meal for 9. It was fun to dig in and do something after sitting all day. Today is quite quiet. We made pancakes for breakfast, and now we are blogging and resting. Cory has come in from Petit Guave, so we were all very happy to see him. He is working with Relief International, assessing damage and helping them make long term plans for helping the Haitian’s agriculturally.
We’ve met several people who are here to help and love Jesus so much. We have brother’s and sister’s in Christ wherever we go. We are all parts of one body and can all be used to bring glory to God. All we need to do is listen and be willing to follow where He leads us. Keep praying for Haiti!!!