Today our team traveled to Haiti Children’s Rescue Mission in the mountains above PAP, where we witnessed the strength and dignity of a boy named Rood.
With extraordinary bravery, Rood told us that the quake killed 11 members of his family, including his parents, all his siblings, and some cousins who were visiting the family. Rood said he was at the kitchen table “watching my mother feed the baby” when the quake hit. As they tried to run, the ceiling collapsed on them.
Rood was buried, face to face with his deceased mother. With his arm pinned, he was unable to move. Falling in and out of consciousness, he saw his dead siblings “get big” as their bodies bloated.
Three days later neighbors digging through the rubble found him, but the only way to free him was to amputate his arm.
When we asked how he copes, he told us “without Jesus, I would die.”
Rood is now in the care of Pastor Jean Nicholas and his wife. Their orphanage that normally serves 50 orphans, has been overrun with an additional 70 children since the quake. Exhausted staff are outnumbered by skinny, smiling kids. The new children have no beds, and many still sleep in the concrete courtyard, afraid to go inside since the quake.
Lists catalog the children by photo and what little information can be discerned.
Pastor Nicholas met with us to discuss our church partnership opportunity. His church is still standing, but he lost his personal home that took 15 years to build. We hope to find a U.S church partner to come alongside Pastor Nicholas soon. (If you'd like more information, contact us.)
We also connected to six new church partners through the Global Orphan Project. Trace Thurlby inspired us with his perspective on the importance of consulting with nationals as we build long term solutions in Haiti. For example, putting photos of missing children up on web seems like a good idea to Americans, but few Haitians have internet access. All the more reason the church is the right solution at this time. “We can share the love of Christ…people in Haiti are turning to Jesus” said Trace.
Alan Hunt and Trace Thurlby of Global Orphan Project
Finally, our meeting with Global Aid Network (GAiN) brought much fruit. Esperandieu Pierre, National Director for Campus Crusade for Christ, and Director of Haiti Disaster Response, is including us at a pre-scheduled conference of 100 pastors from across the region. Our team will present the church-to-church solution being facilitated by HORT.
Jodi Tucker for HORT
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