Originally published in the June 3, 2010 issue of The Evangel.
by Shiela Thompson
Jim Bryson, Lauren Cann and I recently traveled to Haiti. Haiti is a country with extreme poverty and deep spiritual need. Many parents cannot afford to feed their children, so they give them away or abandon them on the street. Before the earthquake there were 380,000 orphans in Haiti. Because of the devastation caused by the earthquake, reports project that the number of orphans has doubled; some even say tripled.
We traveled to Haiti as representatives of the church to better understand how our church might partner with the Global Orphan Project. We visited four orphan villages and two potential sites where we could build a village. Many of the children were excited to see visitors, while in some of the rural areas the children were more reserved and seemed unsure. The children rejoiced at seeing themselves on the cameras. The girls enjoyed getting their nails polished, while the boys enjoyed tossing tennis balls. However, the children appreciated our attention more than anything. I enjoyed their unconditional love, their smiles, and their eagerness to know me. I enjoyed hearing their little voices asking questions and singing in a language I couldn't understand. At a couple of the villages the children sang songs about Jesus. My heart is filled with nothing but love, compassion and hope for these children.
The Global Orphan Project's statement of faith says that, "they exist and operate to share the unconditional love of Jesus Christ." We saw that they are living their statement through the care and support they are providing to orphans and their surrounding communities. They currently have 26 orphan villages in Haiti with plans to build 10 more. A village consists of a church, a school, and orphan homes. Since the schools are privately operated they are able to teach the students about Jesus. Providing a meal and free education to all children in the community allows children to continue living with their parents. This also provides an outlet for ministry to the entire community.
We saw a country and children in need. We felt the spiritual depravity in unreached areas. The children we met didn't touch my heart; they grabbed hold of it and haven't let it go. There are opportunities here for us to serve, to build relationships with orphans and the surrounding community, opportunities to share about our Lord, Jesus Christ. We can love God and love people in Haiti.
