Day 6 Update - 128 Orphans, 18 Widows

Today was a very strategic day as we participated in a conference of over 100 pastors who are part of the Global Aid Network, (GAiN) a ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. Like much of Haiti, the conference center has been moved outdoors. Exhausted looking pastors came through rubble-ridden streets, dressed in shirts and ties, to sit on benches under a tarp tent in the sweltering heat and learn how to better serve their congregations amidst this unimaginable tragedy.

 The call of James 1:27

David Leventhal of Hope for Orphans and Paul Myhill of World Orphans encouraged the pastors to remember God’s command to care for the widow and orphan, especially now. We shared our purpose with HORT, to bring the American church alongside the Haitian church, to care for orphaned children.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the pastors ended their session by raising their voices in “How Great Thou Art”, amidst the destruction, death and need.  Then, over forty remained behind to see if they might be able to be partnered with a church in the U.S. so they can do more to help children in their congregations.

As we gathered their contact information for follow-up, a weary man sat near me silently.  He was clutching a tattered notebook and kept looking over a list inside.  It appeared to be a numbered list of names and I asked our translator if the pastor would be so kind as to tell me what the list represented.

 It begins with their names.

He said “I am trying to count them all. So far, we have 128 orphans, 18 widows.” Sometimes, it’s the little things, like 146 names on a dusty sheet of paper, which really take our breath away as we seek to respond to this tragedy.

128 orphans, 18 widows

Later we spent time trying to obtain the necessary gasoline to run our generator and pump water for our team. After one week here, many of us are praising God to have fresh water to do simple tasks, like laundry.

It is hard to describe what it means when millions of children are living on the sidewalks and hillsides with no water or shelter. All of life, even washing and bathing, goes on in plain sight.

Jodi Tucker for HORT