Meridian Day 1

We’re finally here! It was a really long day yesterday, but we all made it. I was on the second to last group to get to the Mole and arrived at about 12:00 pm on the five-person plane. We had a few issues with that, but everyone is alive! It’s really hot here. Hotter than most of us have ever experienced, but we are in good spirits and are loving on little orphans who crawl all over us! They have brought so much joy to all of us already. The group is really bonding. Different friend groups are mingling with other groups and we are melding together as one unified team. It’s an awesome thing! We all went on a prayer walk around the village, ate lunch and dinner (rice and beans, and then delicious pizza), and did devotionals. Miss Beth, an incredible woman who teaches the Castillo kids school and works with the mission, told us her story about how she ended up in Haiti. She is such an amazing inspiration! As it gets dark, we are all getting tired and looking forward to a good night of sleep. Praising God and thanking Him for a safe journey! Let the games begin…

Katie Lyon

p.s. Mom and Dad, Sashenka remembered me ☺

We made it, all 32 of us! Despite all the concerns/worries/hesitations about being in Haiti, God gave us little blessings to show us He’s got everything under control. Here’s an example: One of my biggest fears about returning to Haiti was that one of my orphan girls wouldn’t remember me. I love her, I think about her daily, I talk about her, I pray for her…I’m invested in her. But does that make a difference to her?
I arrived at the Mole in our second wave (at the orphans’ lunch and nap time) SO disappointing! (There may have been some anger at the first wave who were to able to spend hours with the orphans already.) Because I wasn’t allowed to visit at the orphanage during this time, I “went to the bathroom” (which happens to be across from the orphanage), trying desperately to see my little girl. On my way out, I saw her coming out of a doorway, and called, “Jenny!” She came to me and gave me a hug. As I gushed over her with excitement, she pulled back and asked me my name. When I responded, “Susan,” Jenny’s eyes got so big, her face lit up, and she yelled, “SUSAN!” She immediately threw her arms around my neck and hugged me so tightly I couldn’t breathe. She remembers ME! Our time her at the Mole DOES matter.

Susan O’Strander (aided by Bethany…Barb, you understand)