Tears

Along with the joyful laughter, we have also experienced many tears in the past week.  Keeping in mind that the Haitian people have experienced such deep loss is difficult to do when they are so full of joy and hope for the future.  Sherrie talked with Beverly and I the other night and was sharing some about her experiences after the earthquake.  She was living in a large house with the orphanage kids and she said that night after the quake there were hundreds of people with injuries coming to her.  She said it seemed like they believed since she was a foreigner that she would know what to do.  Sherrie has a friend who is a nurse who was able to get to a mile away with her truck to drive those with serious injuries to the nearest emergency hospital.  By the next morning Sherrie said there were 300 injured in her yard.  The following days sound like a terrible nightmare.  Trying to provide for the needs of the children was difficult.  They survived on a diet of Poptarts for a long while.  Sherrie said she even has a hat with Poptarts on it to remind her of the ways that God provided during that time. 


We asked Sherrie if she had been able to mourn after the losses experienced in the quake.  The earthquake killed 1 in 10 of the people in Port Au Prince.  Sherrie said the Lord saved the school families as out of the 200 students, they lost three children, including Peterson who died in the collapsed orphanage.  Sherrie said one day she went out for a walk in the woods, many months after the quake and cried out to God.  This great sorrow is not something that is easily healed.  It seems clear that the only peace to be found here (or indeed anywhere) is in the arms of our loving Savior.


Last week we met one of Sherrie's teachers, Lizette.  As a teacher of four-year-olds, Lizette is full of positive energy and has a beautifully joyful presence.  Lizette was telling us that during the earthquake she was buried under rubble from a collapsing building.  Her feet were badly injured and the doctors told her they need to take them, but Lizette told the doctors that she had faith that God would save her.  After a long time fighting a painful and dangerous infection, her feet were healed.  With a bright smile on her face Lizette told us that she knew God had saved her for a purpose.  She is trying to live each day to its fullest. What a powerful and impressive message for me, with scars on her feet she takes steps each day to make a difference in the world around her!  Thank you for your patience as the power is less and less reliable and the posts are few and far between!  In Christ, Jessie