Katini's Story

Ok, so I realize that in the last post I said that I had put little Katini's story on my facebook page, and that not everyone who reads on here has access to my facebook page, SO. I shall tell her story here as well, because I think it's worth sharing.

Katini is a 7-year-old orphan at OLTCH orphanage in Leogane, Haiti. When Katini was a baby, a friend of her mother's told her that if she dunked her newborn in ice water, then it would make her baby stronger. She listened to that advice. That plunge into the icy cold water caused a large amount of shock and brain damage for little Katini. Now she is severely mentally handicapped. Because of this, her mother then decided she didn't want to have to care for Katini and proceeded to drop her off at the orphanage and sign over her rights.
She is also officially one of the SWEETEST little girls I have ever met!! Every time I see her, a huge, infectious grin takes over her face and she holds her arms out, wanting both to be held and to hold. Her light little body latches onto you and she squeezes on tight, seeming like she never wants to let go. She loves to make silly faces, be held upside down and break into a smile that nearly outshines the Haitian sun.
As of right now, Katini does not really talk. I heard her say 'Hi' once (for which I was VERY excited to hear her little voice for the first time!!! :) She has the mannerisms of a one to two year old and the body size of a four or five year old. She also cannot walk without a walker yet. She also has no adoptive parents.
If Katini is given the TLC that only a forever family can give, perhaps her brain will be able to develop more and she can actually receive the attention, therapy and medical care that she truly needs... maybe she would be able to walk and talk!!
None of the children with mental disabilities at OLTCH have adoptive parents. Please be praying for this sweet baby girl and her friends at OLTCH.




"And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward."- Matthew 10:42

The week: day by day

This Past Week’s schedule:

Saturday: Visited OLTCH orphanage all day. Played with those crazy, awesome kids and I got to bake a cake (four cakes, actually ;) with the help of my sweet orphan friend, Daika, because the entire orphanage was going to celebrate baby Abigail Grace’s first birthday! So fun.

 Me and Daika baking in the kitchen

 Sweet little Katini- put her story on my Facebook page.

My heart is now in a puddle.... :) Baby Olivia!

Sunday: Haitian church! My first time being there. It was so awesome to see Haitian people sing and dance to praise their Savior, and cry out to him in their own language, tears running down their faces. For almost the entire duration of the service, a DARLING, very energetic little boy (about three years old) fell asleep against me. J A demon-possessed woman was also prayed over and was alright by the end of the service.

Monday: painted buildings at OLTCH orphanage. The little shanties that staff and children were living in were dirty-white and gray plywood, so we painted over that in all sorts of colors that resemble ice cream flavors. ;) So cute! And it was priceless to see the joy not only on the kids’ faces, but the staff too! I’m not sure who was more excited!!

Tuesday: More painting. Altogether we painted about ten buildings! Finished it up.

Wednesday: the group that was here serving this past week put together a day-long VBS for young schoolchildren at a ministry/church/school in Port-au-Prince. We had loads of fun singing, dancing, playing soccer, Red Light Green Light, baseball (played with pieces of scrap metal for bats and a tin can for a ball ;), they watched a skit about the prodigal son, made salvation story bracelets and heard the Gospel in their own language. Was a FANTASTIC day.

Also, I had the opportunity to sneak out for a bit with the Pastor of the church and revisit a woman who I met two weeks ago. She had been hit by a car and was bed-ridden. She laid in a tiny, dark, hot, stuffy room, and looked completely exhausted and miserable. Upon being asked, she informed us she could not walk, had NO pain medication and was getting little sleep. She hadn’t been to the hospital yet, because, you need money to go to the hospital (which she did not have).  We prayed over her, cried, and left hoping that she would be able to be taken to the hospital ASAP like the Pastor said he would the next day.

When I saw her this last Wednesday, she was on her porch, sitting up, smiling and told us she had been to the hospital and was experiencing less pain! J Got to pray over her again…. I can’t explain how overjoyed I was at the opportunity to see her again, and then seeing her in such a better state! She still needs prayer though, as she is still in pain and will need to go to the hospital again at some point and will need money to do that.

Thursday: Hung out at the orphanage again for a few hours in the morning so that the team members could say their final goodbyes to the children. Then went to a beach in Leogane and sat by the gorgeous Caribbean and swam. It was SUCH a relaxing, refreshing and beautiful time breathing in creation and the healing ocean air.

Friday: My day off!! ;) The team left very early this morning to go back to Kansas, so I am fully planning on sleeping more, tanning on the roof, spending a lot of time in God’s Word, praying, listening to a sermon from home, journaling, and doing some much needed laundry (in a bucket outside! :D It’ll be my first time to do it this way so wish me luck!).

Tomorrow our next team comes in! They’re mostly nurses and will be examining all the kids for malnutrition, disease or any other medical issues at Maxo’s school and New Horizons orphanage and creating medical files for each child. :) Very ,VERY excited about this endeavor. 

Surely, God is here.

Tonight was just one of those nights where I just sat in complete awe of Creator God.

The fact that he created the high mountains, cerulean sea, green palms, towering clouds and sweet voices singing praises to Jesus at the tent church right next door. I stood on the roof of our compound just breathing it all in.

The fact that I was privileged enough that God would bring me here.

Surely God is in this place.

He created the beautiful, glowing smiles, mile-long eyelashes, glittering brown eyes and skipping, dancing feet of the little children I saw at church this morning. He created the heartbeat and curly hair of the little boy who fell asleep against me in my arms. He created each and every person. He knows every hair on their head and He knows their troubles before they even cry out to Him. He loves them and has a plan for them. And that plan doesn't end here, it lasts into a beautiful eternity where their bellies won't ever be empty again, where no more tears will run down their faces, where they will be completely painless and where they will be able to sing and dance and never grow weary. 

He loves us. Oh, how He loves.

SURELY, God is here. 

Please pray that I and team #2 here this week will be able to share this huge, free gift of love from Creator God with these beautiful people and that we will never be the same because of it.

The Week in Pictures

Baby Elijah... the first orphan I have ever held. <3

A boy at the school worksite, who, when I would think to myself, "Wow, he just can't get any dirtier...." proved me wrong. ;)

The worksite cutie pie. :)

She loved taking pictures with my camera.

Why, hello there!! The baby room at OLTCH orphanage. :)

Precious, beautiful girl!!

Her gorgeous sister. Can you see their strong resemblance??

Someone got sleepy! And I don't mean my friend Lindsay. ;)

Watching their new classrooms being built

Mid-week and almost done with the classrooms for Maxo's school!

Visited the Caribbean Friday after the teams left- it was just a LIITLE bit stunningly gorgeous.... ;)

Thank you SO much for all the prayers!! Hope to publish another post in a couple days! Stay tuned. ;)

Beli

I want you all to know I am safe in Haiti. :) It has been an incredibly busy first week, and an incredibly wonderful week!! There is so much to say about all that I have seen and done this week, which I will talk more about in another post, but to summarize a bit of what this week is like, let me tell you a story.

This last week I have tagged along with the team that was here volunteering for the week. Our project was to build three more classrooms for our friend Maxo's school. Maxo is a compassionate Christian man who started this Christian school for the community of Bellevue. The children are incredibly beautiful and hungry for love: giving them a hug, holding them, holding their hand, letting them sit on your lap.... at one point I had about nine little ones trying to cram onto my lap!! These children are also incredibly poor. Today there was no school, but many children still came to help us, watch, play and teach us Kreyol. ;) I started talking to two little girls: one whose name is Beli (beh-LEE). In the beginning of the week, she was a tough nut to crack: she wouldn't smile or talk very much, but eventually my friend from this week's team, Julie, softened her up with her sweet, hilarious personality (and silly faces ;). I asked Beli if she had eaten today. She said no. Today she does not eat. I asked the other girl (whose name escapes me because it is so long and difficult to pronounce; also a sweetie). She said the same. "I'm hungry," she says.
Beli saw I had paint on my hands, arms and legs. She and her friend, without a word, grabbed some wet wipes close by and began to clean off the paint. I was speechless. They scrubbed and scrubbed, and eventually did get all of it off of me.
I could not get out of my mind the story of Jesus washing the disciples' feet.... I am not teaching these girls to be more like Jesus, they are teaching ME.
This place, these people, are wrecking me.

Please pray for Beli and her friends- that they will not have to chew on plastic and wood tomorrow for food. Please pray that God would enable their families to provide food for them. Please pray that the sores on their legs and feet will heal and close. Please pray that they will not be in despair like most of the Haitian people; like their parents and older siblings. I believe with all my heart Jesus knows each Haitian child by name, knows every hair on their head and cherishes them. He fed the five thousand, I believe He will feed these little ones too, and that the last shall be first in eternity.

Matthew 19:14 -

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

Goodbye New Orleans, HELLO Haiti!

Wow! This last month in Louisiana has absolutely FLOWN by!! In less than 24 hours I will be in Haiti! :) Prayers would be greatly appreciated.
I've been telling those people here who have asked me how my experience was being here and I say, "I only hope I like Haiti as much as I've loved being here!!" All that to say, I will greatly miss New Orleans area and am anticipating coming back in the summer, Lord-willing.
This last week with the teams being down has been an incredible week of growth and learning... what an awesome place to serve. The needs are so great, and the experience of being able to put my feet in another man's shoes is a feeling I can't even describe.... I love it. I always used to say that I did NOT want to be involved with urban ministry, that I hate cities.... Now I'm starting to think I want to be a part of urban ministries forever in some way. I LOVE it!! Heart change? I think so!! God is definitely shaping and molding me to be what He wants!
Just so you all know, starting tomorrow around 9 am I CANNOT receive texts anymore without it costing my family A FORTUNE. So please, please please please do not text after then. Also will be unable to call or receive calls on my cell phone starting 9 am as well. There will be a phone in the place I'm staying in Haiti that has unlimited minutes, but I don't have the number for it yet.
Love y'all!! :)