Raw

A blisteringly busy summer is giving way to fall, and I ponder that Christmas is steaming toward us at an incredible rate. I have struggled to write the last few months, wrestling with a back injury, an extra heavy work load and recently topped everything off with a series of Kidney stones. However, even though my pen has been silent, the work of God in Haiti has been thriving. I will work over the next few weeks to bring the news up to date. In the meantime, I was jolted again to reality with some difficult news this morning that while alarming, was also affirming. It has been reported that in northern Haiti near Cap-Haitien where we have a friend working, they have discovered that witch doctors are kidnapping children, beheading them, and using their hearts in sacrifice ceremonies. This cuts to the quick with me, smashing my heart with sadness and a bit of terror. It is hard to comprehend this kind of evil, it is hard to comprehend this kind of struggle. A place where children are born in suffering, where starvation is the norm, where each day is a small miracle to survive, that this kind of injustice is added to their terrible burden, and that these tiny lives are snuffed out in such an irrational, savage way. One asks where God might be, is He powerless to stop such evil. That is a debate for a different day, but one thing became so clear again today, our orphanage and many others are snatching children in Haiti from terrible harm. My heart beats with joy that our children at Orphan Dream are bedding down on mattresses, wrapped in sheets, with loving guardianship around them. That they are behind gated walls, locked doors, and surrounded by a band of loving, caring, supporting people. That they are fed and clothed daily, are transported to and from school, are learning and growing, and are being loved and cared for, not left alone to the ravages of a harsh and crippling land. We are part of a miracle here. We get to be a part of a plan for deliverance, of snatching these young helpless lives from the travesty of a country trying to escape it's tragic and ill-gotten past. I was reminded today that I may not be able to save them all, but I will not stop trying. And if enough of us pitch in, and join the fight, we will drive back against the evil that seeks to rob these beautiful, amazing, deserving lives. Thank you for joining us, for following us, and for supporting the endeavor to bring grace and help to the suffering of these incredible hearts and lives. Blessings to all!