Today was just like any other Wednesday, just with a few changes. Instead of making breakfast today we visited a Cafe that's on our way to the community we work in. We didn't drive today because both vehicles are broken again so instead we walked and got see some new faces. We arrived at the tutoring house and watched our Haitian leader teach the boys about life. We fed them lunch like we do every Wednesday and then our oldest boy in the sponsorship program expressed to me that it was necessary I go see his house.
Of course I agreed to this since he was quite persistent and I was a bit worried at that point as well with his need to show me home. He led the way to a place that I had no idea was his home. Any other time I had found him he was at a different house and today we were going somewhere new. We arrived at a cute little tin house that was held up very well, the yard cleared of any garbage there was a fenced yard made of barb wire. I being the curious one asked if we could see the inside. I have had a love of seeing inside houses every since I was a kid. He obliged and happily showed me the inside of his house. There laid two beds that looked really quite comfortable and covered with mosquito nets and with a very clean ground.
This is when my questioning mind starts to ask questions out loud. Do you live with mom? No Do you live with Dad? No Who do you live with? Answers in words I don't quite understand. I ask our staff to ask so I can get the answer. He currently lives with a family that he knows from his church. Thank you Lord for these people, who took him in and provide a roof over head. His older sister lives right across from him but she kicked him out because he was too old to live with her and he was old enough to find his own place to live. He is 15.
My heart hurt to think that at 15 they think he is old enough to care for himself. I remember when I was 15 I ran away from home...for a day... and was sucked into a world where I didn't belong in. Those were my choices. Him having to take care of himself is not his choice, it was a choice made by someone else for him.
The more I build relationships with these teens and the more I learn about Haiti and the way things are done here, the more I see how much these teens need help, love, and encouragement. They are no longer the cute little kids that everyone wants to carry or take home. They are the kids who were slowly being forgotten about as they grew older, they are ones who if they weren't found early enough are losing out on a future that can forever change their lives and the lives of their families now and later.
I think about the land on the hill that is waiting for houses to be built to give these kids a real home and the chance at a real future. It's a place that can learn what love is. It's a place where they know each day they wake they have not been forgotten.
We have children in our sponsorship program who are going to greatly benefit from being able to live in these home, we have teens walking the streets right now trying to sell whatever they can just to earn enough to live another that will benefit from these homes. These homes will also provide opportunities for families to earn money and have parents know that they can keep their children at home with them, where many truly belong.
I have to say I love what I do here in Haiti. It brings great joy and even sometimes great sorrow. But I know I have a God stronger than this all, who in the end with conquer all. Until then though we have been called to be apart of his kingdom work. If you would like more information on how you can help Boaz email me at haiti.missions@boazministries.com
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