She lost her leg in the earthquake when she was buried under rubble for 3 days, awaiting her sure death, only to be rescued on the 3rd day. she was serving as the caretaker for a small child, who died in the earthquake. she has no family of her own in Haiti, and lives by herself in her tent. she has recently been given a prosthetic leg, but unfortunately has a hard time using it because her other leg was so badly damaged as well that the build up of scar tissue makes it very painful to utilize. but, as you can tell by her picture, the Spirit clearly dwells within her for her to exude such joy in the midst of her circumstances. we all agreed that we would like to take her home with us, because of how truly pleasant she was to be around. there is much i could learn from Rose….
This is Henri:
“Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God…Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever…” Psalm 100:2-5
When trying to run out of a building during the earthquake, he tripped and got an open wound in his ankle. here in America, we could just get that kind of injury cleaned out and stitched up and be on our way. but unable to receive that kind of much needed medical treatment, like many Haitians, he got an infection and had to have his ankle amputated. unfortunately the infection spread, and Henri had to undergo 3 more surgeries as the infection kept spreading, in each one having to amputate a little more of his leg. he says that after the 4th surgery, he prayed and prayed that it would be over, and that they wouldn’t have to amputate again, leaving him with a leg ending above the knee (its much harder to recover if amputated above the knee). He did not have to receive another surgery, and when his prosthetic leg went on for the first time a few weeks ago, he immediately broke out in worship and praised God for what He had done for him. He says that his prosthetic leg has changed his life, and that he can now look for a job to support his wife and children.
This is Marcelin:
“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” Romans 12:12-13
Let me tell you…she is a character! my friends and i got to spend about an hour in her tent with her and her family, while she fed us a meal (can you believe it? what little food she has, she insisted on sharing!), shared with us a devotion, and sang us some hymns. she was one of the most hospitable people i’ve ever met, as she literally hopped on her one good leg all around the tent, beckoning her family to gather chairs from throughout the tent city until we were all seated comfortably. her generosity was almost uncomfortable, as it was so unlike what i am used to. she was full of energy, apparently prays all day, and even though left with one leg, she continues to serve her family and her community, as we witnessed just in the hour that we spent with her.
I did not know these girls’ names:
“He has sent me to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” Isaiah 61:3
but when i came upon them in the tent city, the smaller child was laying lethargically on the body of the bigger child in the shade of a tent. it seemed as if the older girl, in her youth, was the sole caretaker. the smaller girl was severely burned when a pot of boiling water fell on her during the earthquake. i don’t know this for sure, but from what i could tell by her mannerisms, she seemed to be in pain. but she sure seemed to enjoy having her nails painted! this is the kind of situation where i would give anything to be able to do more than paint nails….but i trust that God loves this child and is caring for her way more than i ever could. everytime i look at this picture, i think of God bringing beauty from ashes.
for each of these stories, there are thousands more. it has been said that everyone in Haiti was affected by the earthquake in some way…either by losing a limb, being injured, or losing a loved one.
one of the coolest things i got to experience while in Haiti this time was witnessing people having their lives given back to them through prosthetics. we spent time in the lab, aptly named Prosthetics of Hope:
if you are an amputee in Haiti, you are seen as worthless and pretty much left for dead, because you cannot fend for yourself. i met people who have been resigned to a life of begging because of the loss of an arm or a leg. but since the earthquake, and the huge number of amputees now living in Haiti, the need for prosthetics has been brought to the forefront, and there are people busily working to restore life and hope. while in the lab, i got to see people walk for the first time on their new legs.
“Have no fear of sudden disaster, for the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared.” Proverbs 3:25-26
this man sat quietly all morning in his wheelchair in the lab, but as soon as he put on his new prosthetic leg, he began walking with a confident swagger:
i learned how to cast legs of all shapes and sizes. once they hardened, we cut them off so that they can be used as covers on the metal part of the prosthetic legs, and then covered with nude stockings to give them the look an shape of a real life leg.
this little boy is named Kevin and is an amputee patient, who was begging to have his “good” leg casted! during the earthquake, a metal bunk bed in his orphanage fell on his leg, causing it to be amputated. the only way to describe him is full of life! he even jump-roped on his one leg, better and faster than i ever could on my two!
“Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, ‘The LORD has done great things for them.’ ” Psalm 126:2
i too got to have my legs casted by my teammates, kinda leaving a piece of me there, so that maybe some sweet Haitian patient will be walking around with a mold of my legs one day!
i know i use the word HOPE a whole lot when talking about God, and talking about Haiti, but its impossible for me to think of either one without that word immediately popping into my head. what i experience when in Haiti is not simply despair, nor just desparation, but HOPE in the midst of reality. we are given promises that hope will not disappoint:
“you will know that I am the LORD; those who hope in me will not be disappointed.” Isaiah 49:23
these stories i share with you are stories of hope, stories of a God who is mightily at work, restoring a nation of his beloved children, and letting me, also His beloved Child, get in on the action and the work He is doing, simply as a way of showing me more of His love. all i can say is that it is very very humbling…and when i say its a privilege to be with these people in this nation, i mean it with everything in me!
i’ve got more pictures coming…
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