Christa stole our hearts. She caught my eye as her young mother attempted to stabilize her in a broken chair so that she could feed her some sort of liquid. As Christa struggled to sit up, her mom began to lose patience. As I walked towards the crying baby, my smile was greeted by a warm but somewhat meek smile from her exasperated mom. Instinctively, I reached out to touch Christa and began to gently stroke her dirt covered arm. Her eyes wandered to meet mine and it became clear to me that she was born with some developmental disabilities. Within moments, Christa's tears turned to a smile and then giggles. Funny how love and laughter transcends all languages. She captured my heart. As I flirted with this beautiful and helpless child, Robenson, CIL's Haitian teacher and translator, communicated with her mom to learn that she is scoffed at and chastised by others because her baby is different. Her innocent eyes welling with painfulness, this teenage, jobless, homeless, husbandless mom of a severely malnourished and disabled child told Robenson of her anguish and hopelessness.
Christa's story is not unlike many children living in Haiti today. Her living conditions and malnutrition are not unlike most children living in Haiti today. Children's International Lifeline has "adopted" this tent city and two others like it totaling more than 8,000-10,000 people. Unimaginable, but they estimate that there are more than 1.2 million people without homes and living in conditions like these, more than half of them children! With every tent city that we visit and multiple others that we see along the road and hillsides, the same questions arise. "Where do they get water? What about toilets? How do they get food to eat? How do they survive? When these tents crumble and the people of Haiti are forgotten...who will help them?"
The good news is that several families have a dry shelter due to the tents that Orphan’s Promise provided to this and other tent cities. Today, we delivered “love bundles” full of hygiene items, clothing, towels, toys, peanut butter and such to this tent city. A crowd of people quickly encircled the Children’s International Lifeline truck as we arrived. More and more people lined up as we handed out the packages as swiftly and as orderly as possible. Christian gave a devotional and prayed a blessing over the people giving glory to the God who promises them a hope and a future in the midst of this horrific devastation. All glory and honor and praises and blessings to you, Lord.
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