Haiti with my mom

I finally got to take my mom with me to Haiti! It was such a neat experience to share the place I love with her. It was almost like she got to meet another side of my family, my Haitian family that is. The first day there we headed out to the orphanage. I honestly didn't know how she would react to the harsh ride or the conditions out there. Another lady in the group had brought a movie so we set that up and had plenty of popcorn for all the kids. They were so stinking excited about the popcorn. I called "mom" at one point and every kid that was talking to me, left. They totally ran to hangout with my mom. We went back to St. Louis the next afternoon and spent some time out in the community.

There's a boy named John, a bracelet bandit (see numerous posts prior), that has always said he was praying that my mom would come to Haiti, he just knew that she would love it. Well, we were up the mountain by his house and he walks over to say hi. I pointed and said "that's my mom". The look on his face is indescribable. He was so happy to see her, he told me he didn't need to be my friend because my mom was here now. As the week grew on, several of the other kids figured out who she was and they were so excited to see her.

I got to show her some of passions, in visiting the brothel and the jail. The women are at such a juxtaposition. They know that God wants something more for them but they have no means to leave or care for their children. The first visit to the jail led us to a young lady who was quite upset. A few days later, we visited again and there was another women. This women was a solid Christian who was in jail because she disrupted court and the judge wanted her to learn her lesson. It was so evident the mentoring that was taking place. The older women taught her of forgiveness, of grace, and of joy.

We spent a significant time in the baby orphanage and the workers just loved my mom. They were so excited to see her, to meet her. Neiderson became quite attached to mom (and I think the same could be said of her). Our group took groceries out to two families one morning. We just walked down a random path and stopped at a first. The family was thankful but not really receptive. The second family we found was a different story. It was a household of women and girls and they LOVED Jesus.

Their response was constantly to thank God and you could tell it was genuine. After some conversation, I asked if they worked. No one worked, there was no income or even food in that house. I asked how they were eating then. The lady replied that this morning, she had prayed that God would provide them with food and we showed up. It was such a cool example of God's faithfulness.

I also got to see Fritzson (see story from this summer, July I think). He was doing so well, even better than when we left. We doubted God so much and he proved us so wrong in that situation.

Overall, it was such a great experience to share with my mom. Not to mention, everyone was OBSESSED with her. They constantly said how beautiful she was and how happy they were to see her. One of the drivers, he's about 25, started calling her mom and just wanted to make sure she saw how beautiful Haiti was and the incredible people. When we went to say goodbye the night before, the orphanage moms were so confused. They all thought I was staying for so much longer and were convinced that my mom hated it. They thought she was making me go home.