Haiti- Ca Ira Orphanage

I recently returned from Haiti on Tues night for the second trip there this month. It is tough to see the devastation but it is the small things that make me realize that God is there. It is the smiles on the children’s faces in the midst of hopelessness and chaos and the laughter you hear from people. It is the church services taking place among the ruins and even within half destroyed buildings. When you survey the landscape and take in the “big picture” it is easy to doubt if God is really here in Haiti. I don’t claim to be a huge world traveler but fortunately or unfortunately (guess it depends on how you look at it :)) I do think I have more experience than many in the third world. I have seen my share of tragedy, poverty and despair that goes along with the third world, but Haiti after the earthquake is some of the worst I have ever seen. Haiti was third world before the earthquake. This knocks it back to the stone ages. The little infrastructure they did have was lost. So we lost 230,000+ people in Haiti. A true disaster and a tragedy. So enormous, it is tough to wrap your mind around it. However, seeing Haiti with my own eyes and talking to the young men and women there, I know things are going to change. Without sounding flip or cliché, Haiti was literally shaken up and I see it in the mentalities and the dreams and hopes that are growing in Haiti. I spoke to many young people and each one had a common thread. They told me of their old life before the earthquake and spoke with monotone lifeless expressions. Some were students, others did small jobs for others. All knew what their life would look like. Then I asked their plans now. The pain still ran deep for the loss of family and friends. The students now see their schools and universities in rubble. Those that had jobs saw the stores and building flattened. While they had pain, you could see the hope in their eyes and hear it in their voices for a new future. That is an incredible thing. God has given me the privilege on several occasions to witness hope in someone. It is an awesome thing. Whether that be the wells we build in Africa or the adoption programs we start with orphans, hope has the same hue, the same shine and glow about a person. So I asked God again if there were hope for Haiti and He said “look at the people”. That made all the difference.

On this last trip to Haiti, Projects for Progress partnered with Victory World Church to build an orphanage for 96 children. The previous orphanage was destroyed in the earthquake where 7 children lost their lives. In 7 days, we were able to build a new orphanage and bring back some hope to the area. A big shout out to the construction crew that went down!! They did an awesome job! The favor of God was definitely on this trip and this building project. In addition Victory sent down a container of over 500 tents, 350 tarps, medical supplies, water and food that we distributed throughout the week as well as painted another orphanage we helped build last time. See some pics below.