Haiti 2011
On behalf of the team that traveled to Haiti on February 24-28 we thank you for your prayers. Never underestimate the power of prayer. One of our prayers was for safety which Christ graciously provided to our team. We also prayed that we could be part of the work of our Lord in Haiti and clearly he allowed us to be. We were able to visit four orphanages and spent time loving on over 300 children. All those on the mission trip were deeply touch by the children that both received our love and gave us theirs. For many on our team this was a life changing mission trip. One other prayer we had was the God would allow us to make some solid first steps towards a long term relationship with the Orphanage at Leogane. Leogane is the orphanage that Istrouma has adopted and provided the funding to build a school. It was a very close to the epicenter of the earthquake and had significant damage. We want to get to know the Pastor, the Moms and the children of Leogane. We wanted them to know that we love them and want to partner with them in caring for the orphans. God answered our prayers by allowing us to visit Leogane twice which allowed us to get to know the children there better.
One of the “wow” moments of the trip was on Sunday. We had church in Port au Prince which is amazing in itself. The message was on the woman washing the feet of Jesus with perfume. I felt the Lord saying clearly to me that we needed to do that to the Pastor and the Moms (care givers) at Leogane. This was shared with our team and they agreed we should do it. When we arrived at Leogane we had our translator ask if we could have a foot washing service and he agreed. Everything was prepared and I had the honor of washing the feet on Pastor Jean Claude. Our ladies then washed the feet of the Mom’s. The children watched as we showed our love to these beautiful women who are the caregivers for these children. Once the last mom had finished getting her feet washed our ladies presented each of them with a gift. Our ladies let them know how much we loved them and how important their job was in caring for the orphans. We listen to what we felt God was asking us to do and he blessed us beyond measure. The first steps towards a friendship and partnership with the orphanage at Leogane and Istrouma Baptist church was firmly established. Thanks be to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Father to the orphans.
In Christ,
Darrin Badon
Here's what members of the team had to say...
“I'm am not the same person I was a week ago. I never thought about Haiti prior to the earthquake, but I can honestly say that I'm in love with the people in Haiti. Not only do I love the orphans and the mommas, but the people I saw on the streets as we passed by as well. I'm so very thankful for Istrouma and the leadership in putting this trip together. I hope to return in the future. I will never forget our time together and I hope to keep in touch with you all.”
“Those children have been on my mind since we have left Haiti, even as I was at work today. I talked to people, even family members today and wanted everyone to understand what I was feeling for these children. But I know that they can't begin to understand unless they too have experienced what we did.”
“I’m not sure that I will ever be able to fully comprehend the full impact this trip will have on my life… We will never know the impact this trip may have on these kids, but I am sure that each of us will be changed in some way as the full impact really hits us.”