Ayiti:flawless, fearless

One of my first days in Haiti involved touring the property with Diana and Tegan. At the bottom of the hill was the Hope House - the orphanage on site at MOH. I was still in total shock being in Haiti, and we walked into the yard with kids around, none of whom I could communicate with. Yet I somehow found a little body hurtling her way towards me. She wrapped her arms around my neck and held on for dear life. She chattered words I could not understand, so I just smiled and hugged her. She showed me her room, her bed, her doll. That night I wrote to a friend that the little girl was my most favorite person here.

She has remained special to me throughout the weeks. She has a spirit that is so full of joy and spunk that is so evident in the kids in Haiti. They have so little and exude so much. Their smiles are genuine and real; their hearts are transparent and full of life.

Lately I just marvel every day that I am experiencing joy so real, so tangible, so much so that I want to burst. The joy that the Lord places in his children - it's overwhelming.

I got to spend some time on the playground with the Hope House kids a week or so ago. Rose Berline played hide and seek for a long time, finally allowing me one picture. For living a life in the midst of darkness, how do you not see the hope and joy of the Lord in this?