Hello,
So to start with, the crusade was absolutely amazing. Thank you for your faithful prayers. The last two nights we had many salvations and people coming forward for prayer. On Sunday morning Mike preached in Pass Rein and there were three salvations. Nathan took our good Shepherd Choir to Arcahaie on Sunday morning. They performed in Nathan's bother in law's church and really enjoyed singing there. Nathan accompanied the choir with his accordion. He is a very talented accordionist.
I wanted to share some thoughts with you. We all have the ability to have perspectives that are skewed. We as humans tend to be self focused. I for one got caught up in the days problems as breakfast was an issue. Doing laundry by hand for 7 people is a lot of work, and I focused on a few other things that were not going my way. I also was missing my children and grandchildren stateside. Life is a lot easier stateside. So that was my perspective as a precious child was brought to our children's village.
Nathan's brother was driving back from Gonaives after dark and saw a little boy about 7 or 8 years old, the age of one of my sons, walking along by himself. He stopped and talked with him and then brought him to our children's village. The parents of this little boy had just died. Another family took him in for a few days and then deserted him. He stayed there until he ran out of food. Scared and not knowing what else to do, he started walking for Gross Morone, where he says he has an uncle. This is about a 20 mile walk in 90 plus degree weather. There is no way he could walk that far in one day. I have no idea what he thought he was going to do during the middle of the night, or where he was going to sleep. He had already walked about 1/3 of the way by himself, with no food, no water, and only the clothes on his back. In America most likely friends, relatives, or a government agency would have intervened. I can not even begin to imagine how a child must feel to be so abandoned, so utterly alone.
Sometimes I have wondered what happens to the little ones in Haiti, when tragedy strikes. Who is there for them. Who makes sure they are safe. Who makes sure someone takes them to a safe place. Who protects them from predators. In America we assume someone will take care of them and all will work out. We hardly give it another thought, unless we knew the family well. We have support set in place, so hopefully no child falls in between the cracks. In Haiti, no one may even know the parents died, much less that there are children left with no one to care for them. Many end up becoming Restaveks, child slaves. Some become street children, Nathan has rescued children from the streets at very young ages. Every one here at the children's village has responded with mercy, but it is not shocking. It should be, but it is not. The story is not uncommon. It is amazing what children have to go through here in Haiti. Often they are forced to become adults at such a young age.
The enemy robs them of their childhood. A lot of times they are robbed of their life and forced to live a life that most of us would say is not living.
I share this story so you will pray for wisdom and guidance for us as we try to locate extended family for this little one. I share this so that you will pray for our eyes to be open and our hearts to know when other children we see are in need of protection. I share this so you will pray for the children in this country, that other safe people will see the needs and respond. I share this so you will pray that the enemy does not take the little ones out.
Chris
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