Ofelina

Last night Thony announced that we'd be going to the orphanage today instead of going to a school. My heart immediately filled with excitement. It had been a year since I had visited the orphanage in Leogane, and my heart was longing to see those precious children again. More than that, though, I was anxious to see how the team would react and interact with the orphans.

Today started off with us driving 2 hours through the streets of Port-Au-Price... and that was an experience in itself. This was the first time that the team got to see what the rubble and damage looked like as we got closer and closer to the epicenter. There was not a minute that passed by during the 2 hour ride where you could not see some type of damage from the earthquake. The evidence is everywhere. I could tell that they were each thinking about it just by watching their faces and finding the objects that caught their eyes.

When we got to the orphanage, it was amazing to watch the team mingle with the children. These children were so loving, even though they have probably not been loved well... and our team could definitely feel the love from these orphans. These children live in a Christ-focused orphanage, so many of them knew the story about David and Goliath and if they didn't, they at least knew the main songs that we were singing. They loved our skit, too, and they reenacted it so well! After we did the Bible lesson, the skit, and the songs, we spent time playing with the kids. Whether it was soccer, playing line games, playing on the see-saws, or singing and dancing with the kids, it was obvious that everyone was having a good time.

Deeds and I are probably the only Americans who have seen the orphans both before and after the earthquake. He said something tonight that described exactly what I've felt all along. He said, "It's amazing to see how our feelings have been the exact same as the orphans each time we've left. The first time, they were miserable and so were we. This time, they were happy and so were we." Props to Deeds. Thanks team, for being so great.

Tomorrow, we'll go to Cite Soleil.... which is also one of my favorite places to go. These kids have a whole bunch of nothing, just like the ophans, but they're about as happy as can be. Man, I can't wait!