Bonjou from Mole St. Nicholas!
It took several long flights and a couple truck rides, but we made it. And it has been an adventure! I made a friend on the plane from Newark to Port-au-Prince. Marla and I sat next to an older Haitian gentleman. He did not know any English, so to practice my French I decided to start a conversation with him. He was very friendly, but did not hesitate to point out that my French needed some work. He taught me a few Creole phrases, and our conversation ranged over a variety of subjects (his forty-seven grandchildren, Vitamin A, and airplane bathrooms, just to name a few).
A little while later, our plane hit some turbulance and I noticed him starting to pray. Marla and I prayed for him, too. After he was done, I asked him if he was nervous about flying. His response surprised me. “No, because I always have Jesus with me. Do you have him in your heart, too?” I was caught off guard. I thought, “Hey! I am the missionary here; this is my job!”
We talked about our experiences of becoming Christians, and then he launched into a string of Creole. He was speaking so fast that I couldn’t understand what he was saying. I only recognized the end; “…Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.” He concluded with a loud, “amen, amen!” and immediately started reciting Psalm 23. I started following along in English, and he held my hand as I prayed.
When our plane landed, he stood up, lifted his arms, and proclaimed, “We made it! The LORD is good!” I walked away from this experience very moved–and with a new friend. This whole time, I had been operating under the view that I would travel, get to Haiti, and then start being a missionary to people. M.Valbrun reminded me that I am a missionary everywhere I go, and that the person sitting next to me on the plane needs Jesus just as much as the orphans in the Mole.
After arriving in the Mole, we got settled in the orphanage, where we are staying. It was recently finished, and 11 orphans just moved in. Most of them are babies and toddlers, and they are the most beautiful children I’ve ever seen! As soon as we finished receiving instructions, all of the girls ran to the babies and picked them up. We had so much fun snuggling, giving piggy-back rides, and playing peek-a-boo.
When it was time to give the kids back to their caregivers to go to bed, they cried and cried because they wanted to keep playing with us. I can’t wait to see them every day!
Today, we are going to invite children to watch a movie with us, then spend the rest of the day playing in the park and loving on the local kids. We are all safe and healthy, and despite a little delay with some of the luggage, we have everything we need (if we’ve got Jesus, we’re covered).
Thank you for your support and interest, and whatever you do, don’t stop praying. We need it! 🙂
Love, Haylee
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Please feel free to leave comments. We will read them each night at dinner! 🙂
