HAITI Wednesday, April 21 Day 5:

We visited 2 orphanages this day, including one where several other NWA area docs had spent some time the month before. So there was planned follow-up to do. However, the orphage that stands out most in my mind was built into the side of a mountain, and there was a horribly large empty pit in the back of it. It would be too easy for a child to fall into it. The bathrooms were indescribably dark and disgusting, and it was a tough place to visit.
As we walked in, we had children almost immediately plaster themselves to us giving and wanting hugs. Some kids wouldn’t let go. We brought multiple toys and balls to hand out, and they were hungrily snatched up and played with immediately.
One particular 8 year old girl named “Lovely,” (pronounced “lo-vah-lee”) snuck up behind me while I was sitting down playing catch with some boys. I realized after a few minutes that she had started a slow process of leaning into my back and laying her head on my shoulder. It was very sad and charming at the same time. I reached around and put my arm around her shoulder and gave her a real good side hug…and it was like she melted into my arm. She barely left me for the rest of the time we were there. The one time she did was when she jumped up and ran to a translator to speak for a second. She came back soon after and said in broken English, “I love you. I want to go home with you.” My heart broke. I don’t know if I’ve recovered from this even yet. I love my children very much and missed them while in Haiti. But it was an honor to be father-like to this orphan girl, even for a brief time.
Later in the day we returned to a location we had visited earlier in the week, and worked to salvage various medical supplies from a pharmacy that had been ransacked post-earthquake. This was also nearby the boy we had given the soccer ball to on Sunday, as well as some other children we had given medical care too. They were very willing helpers in carrying the supplies we were able to recover, and I also spent 30 minutes with them doing little visual tricks which led into telling them about Jesus. One picture here is of how/where they got their water after walking 200 yards down a steep hill.
This was another day that made us pretty tired emotionally, yet we were energetic about afterwards.