Haiti Mission Trip: Urgent Need for Upcoming Trip

While we continue to send a few teams to Haiti each year, the need is so great and there is so much more we can do. Hear from our Missions Department, as Mission Trip Coordinator Becki Carlson tells about a trip she recently took to Haiti, and prayerfully consider joining us on a trip coming up soon:

I am an adoptive mom. My 3rd child is adopted from China. China has always had a special place in my heart and it has been a privilege to send teams to China for the past 4+ years, as I have worked in the missions department of One Orphan. But in 2010, just a few weeks after the earthquake, I was able to take a team to Haiti to work with an organization that was taking in children from other orphanages and children who had recently lost their parents in the devastating earthquake.

My heart was torn to shreds. The devastation, the loss, the pain. It was almost more than I could bear. And yet not going back was not an option in my mind.

“Once our eyes are opened, we can’t pretend that we don’t know what to do.
God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows that we know and holds us responsible to act.”
~ Proverbs 24:11-12

Since that day I have returned to Haiti quite a few times and every time I am reminded that God SEES the people of Haiti, that He SEES the children who spend day after day living in less than ideal situations, that He SEES and loves these children that sit in an orphanage day after day.

Some of these children that we visit in the orphanage have mothers or fathers. Some of these children have grandparents or aunts and uncles. But their relatives are unable to care for them. They are not true orphans in the technical sense of the word. And YET….they sit in an orphanage without a mom to kiss them good night, without a dad to teach them how to be a gentleman, without a grandmother to teach them basic life skills. These children are lonely, and quite honestly they are bored. Summertime is especially hard on these children, as toys are scarce and there is just not a lot for them to do.

Last week I was able to go to Haiti and visit with some of our friends and partners there. I was able to join one of our teams for a day and see the incredible hands-on work that they do. I watched a team member jump right in when dirty diapers needed to be changed. I watched team members wash the feet of the bigger girls, trim their nails, paint their fingers and toes. I watched team members fix beds so the kids would be safe while they slept, I watched them brainstorm how to make the laundry system better and easier for the nannies who work so hard washing clothes and caring for babies. And I watched the name of Jesus prayed over each of these children, sung into their ear, whispered over them as they slept. It’s a beautiful thing to see. I believe it’s where Jesus would be if He came to visit earth today. God is so so near to these precious boys and girls. They are naughty! They are bored. And oh how they are loved by God. And our teams fall in love with them. They can’t wait to go back.

But the need is GREAT and so today I’m asking you to consider helping to fill that need.

We have a team scheduled to go to this very orphanage in November. We need more people to join this team. You don’t need any special skills. You just need to be willing to spend time with these kids who long for attention, help brighten their days that seem so monotonous. Play some games, whisper words of Jesus love into little ears, encourage the staff that works so hard. The tasks are simple, the rewards are huge. Your heart will be forever changed, I assure you.

Will you join us? Time is very short and we need a few more team members. Please consider joining this team today!