The pictures below tell a story. Most are from the orphanage where we spent the majority of our time. Loving on the children who are there for a variety of reasons. Some of them were dropped off by their parents who simply can't afford to take care of them and others are orphaned. Some of them are still in contact with their biological families that wish a better life for them. All but 1 are in the process of being adopted. Unfortunately the process can go on for many years due to the corruption of the country and lack of motivation to get these kids out of there. Some have been waiting for as long as 5 years. They are well cared for in this orphanage (threeangelshaiti.org) and with the teams of missionaries that come to provide aid and the support of churches like Parkway they are able to provide the necessities for the children. There are nanny's that come in 3 different shifts around the clock to provide care. Laundry and cooking alone is a long process and takes time and hard labor. The pics below show their kitchen and what they use to cook on. We are working on sending a grill down with the next team to lesson their load a bit. The clothes are constantly being hand washed in tubs and hung to dry. From dawn till dusk the nannies work their butts off so the children can have clean clothes to wear and food to eat. There is no indoor plumbing and electricity is spars, the country turns it on for about 2 hrs. a day and you never know when that will be. They have one generator that was broken. Our team was able to provide them with dental supplies and you would have thought it was Christmas. The supplies were donated to my dad by a dentist. We were also able to meet our sponsor children which was extra special. Our little boy is 5, his name is Albert Einstein, funny name but adorable child! He is in many of the photos below.

Hanging gates, fixing a generator, re-routing dangerous electrical wiring, painting, cementing barbed wire around the compound and a lot of cleaning and organizing were among the list of odd jobs that were done. Loving on the children took priority over all. They are starving for affection and from the moment you walk through the door they are hanging all over you. It was awesome! A culture shock to say the least. My dad was the "car guy" and was put to work inspecting at least 3 different cars for the orphanage care takers (they needed a dependable car for the coordinator of the orphanage). The Hation men that worked there seemed happy to have him there to help. The cars take a beating there! Not one car is dent free. The driving is a whole story in of itself. It's pretty much honk as you go there. No speed limits, people in the road everywhere, like herds of cattle it seemed. Some of the boys witnessed a bad motorcycle accident. Just unreal! It was awesome to be there with my family. My cousin and I don't get to spend much time together and we became close on this trip. She was amazing with the children and took charge when needed. All the youth worked so hard and got along extremely well. I have to say I was blown away.

The most touching and challenging day was when we went to visit Mother Teresa's Hospital for the Dying. This was heart wrenching and photos were prohibited. All of us have our own perspective and story and mine will stick with me till the day I die. I held and tried to comfort many children there. It was like a dark dungeon inside with children and babies riddled with terminally ill diseases. There were other missionaries there and still not enough hands. The smell was overwhelming and even in the midst of all the sadness there were glimmers of hope. Some children were grinning from ear to ear when we walked in. They knew at least for that moment they would be played with or held and there worries would flee briefly. I honestly can say I felt like Christ took over my body and emotions while I was there. For very few tears fell from my eyes until I walked out the door I came in. And if anyone knows me I am one of the most sensitive and emotional girls out there. We were all given supernatural strength emotionally to witness what we did and to be there for those children. I had the privilege of meeting and spending most of my time with a beautiful baby girl named Stehfa. She was 10 months and had only been at the hospital for 5 days. I was told she had the blood form of Tuberculosis. She was so weak and mal nourished. You could see the pain in her eyes. She was curled in a fetal position and I gently scooped her up into my arms. She was so dehydrated and looked as if she was drifting so I went to place her back in the cage they would consider a crib and she looked at me and opened her mouth to cry but she was too weak. I knew then that she wanted to be held. Even at that fragile state. I was able to feed her some warm milk from a cup (no bottles there) and she got a little down. She started to perk up and even made and effort to reach for my face but she was so weak that her little hand wobbled when she tried to lift it. I walked with her, hummed and prayed over her and wished I could take her pain away and bring her home with me. She fell asleep and then they rang the bell for feeding time. They had bowls of pourage (a rice mixture with some chicken it looked like). I took a spoon full and waved it under her nose. She woke and started to scarf this soup. I couldn't believe how she was eating, taking bigger bites than I would have. She was starved! So sad but it felt good to feed her. We had to leave during the feeding but I know she had a lot in her little belly. I was worried she would cry when I laid her down and she did for a moment but then looked at me with her beautiful brown eyes and stopped as if to say goodbye. It was the hardest thing I have ever done. Could not believe how this little baby yanked on my heart and soul. It's something you can never imagine until you feel and see it all.