Haiti ~ Part Two ~ Well-Being Orphanage

Now onto the reason for my trip. To see these adorable faces. I have been thinking about them non-stop since I've been home.

During the week in Haiti, we spent time at three different orphanages. Each was very different. But I have to say, the Well-Being Orphanage truly captured our hearts.

{Doing arts & crafts. They LOVED these activities and walked around with such pride showing off their finished products.}

I will start by saying that although it lacked greatly in physical resources, it was by far the one that just oozed of love and family. There are about 30 children in this orphanage, two of which are special needs. They lost their building in the earthquake. So a family that lives outside of Port-au-Prince has let them operate their orphanage on their land. But that means that even 18+ months later, they are still living in a tent. It's separated in half with boys and girls bunk beds. Two kids per bed...four kids per bunk. It is brutally hot inside the tent, so they spend most of their time outside. Thank goodness, there is a huge tree that provides wonderful shade for them.
{This is the "after" from when several of the girls braided my hair. It was quite an undertaking as my hair has seen better days than its eight days in Haiti. I was thankful for the braids.}

The director "Mama" of the orphanage is a wonderful woman. She seriously must get a special place in heaven one day. She is living with diabetes, and as a result, has lost part of her leg and uses a prosthetic. I got to spend a little time with her while preparing a meal, and I was truly inspired. She LOVES these children. LOVES them. And it is obvious that they love and respect her greatly. As hard as it was to see the difficulties they face each day, it was a great comfort to see how loved for they are by her.
{I love this picture of the Mama with Moses. I spoke with her a lot about Moses, and you can really sense the love she feels for this sweet boy.}
{This picture is of Karli from our team with Claudy. She just graduated from high school. Her life goal is to operate her own orphanage one day. I have full confidence that she will do it, and I can't wait to go on a trip to visit and help.}
We spent three days with these kids. Playing soccer, throwing a frisbee, arts & crafts, having our hair braided, playing a dice game (that I never really figured out), singing songs, playing Duck, Duck, Goose, reading Bible stories, etc. It was wonderful and so much fun.

And their sense of family, community, and joy was just about the most humbling thing I've witnessed. No good way to describe it. They were extremely well-behaved, gracious, and caring. I can honestly say that I don't think I've ever been with a group of kids for that much time and seen such kindness and wonderful behavior. There were a few grabs and moments we encouraged them to share, but it just didn't happen much at all.

So the first night when we got back to the Guest House, I'm sure we were all dealing with the shock of seeing such difficult conditions and realizing that these kids are not even able to be adopted. That seemed to be when the emotions of the day would finally hit.

I shared with the team that my oldest son had been born with low muscle tone and was in physical therapy for 2+ years. I kept thinking of the little boy Moses at the orphanage who couldn't walk, and I knew that there were so many little things that could help him and make an impact. It just didn't seem fair. Our team leader suggested that I show them some of the exercises we did for Tate. Great idea.

{Me & Moses.}

So later during our visit, I showed the Mama and two of the older girls who take care of Moses a couple of the strengthening exercises. I know that alone won't make a big change overnight, but I do hope and pray they stick with it and it's something that will help him gain some mobility quicker. I was thankful that Tate's earlier challenge could be used for good for someone else. :)

On our second day there, we were able to bring some gifts to the kids. The boys each got several pair of shorts in their favorite color. And the girls got pillowcase dresses all made by the super-talented, Karli. If only you could bottle the joy that these kids had upon receiving the gifts. Priceless, and I loved every minute of it. Thank you again to each of you who donated!


We were also able to spend money from the monetary donations to shop for the orphanage: sugar, rice, beans, propane, diapers, etc.. All much-needed supplies.

{This is the one full meal a day these kids get. Seems it is typically some form of beans and rice.}

So then it was finally our third and last day there. They seemed to sense when we were getting close to leaving and began asking when we would be back. It was so hard to say that I didn't know. Oh my word. Saying goodbye to these kids was gut-wrenching. We were all crying. Many of the kids were crying. It was just hard. Our translator shared with them a blessing and prayer from us, and that was followed by a beautiful blessing from the Mama to us.

It was definitely a shock to be at the Well-Being Orphanage. I really don't think I was prepared to see such little resources. And I had no idea that many orphanages are not even in the adoption system. These kids will live the rest of their lives in an orphanage. From what I understand, Haiti is filled with hundreds of small orphanages like this.

But at the other end of the spectrum, I was equally shocked with how happy and how loving these kids were. So many contrasts like this.

As we were driving away waving goodbye to the kids, I told myself that I have to come back to this place. Of all the places we were, this one by far has the greatest needs. I'm determined to go back someday and see my sweet friends again.

And here is a compilation video of our time at the Well-Being Orphanage. I think I've already watched it 100 times. :) And the "Merci" song at the end is for all of those that supported and encouraged us on this adventure. Thank you!!! How can you not love that one?