Kay Angel and it's little angels

Day Four of Ministry
Date Entered Into Journal: March 31, 2011

Today, we were all together.  It was a really happy day for all!  We were able to assist in moving an enitre orphanage from a tent to a new house!  We also were able to put on our programme one last time.

The team and I were blessed by meeting Lia, administrator of Kay Angel Orphanage.
Lia is orginally from Holland, and trained as a pharmacist.  After three years of working as a Pharmacist, she moved to New York City to be a high fashion make up artist.  She became involved in Haiti while she was promoting and holding film festivals on the beach in Haiti.  She volunteered at an orphanage while in Haiti.  After the administrator of the orphanage left Haiti, she took over rather than dispersing the children (who grew to be a family) to other orphanages.  All the children, 15 of them in total, are either diagnosed with HIV (5 of them are) or have been affected by the HIV/AIDs virus (loss of parents, etc).  Lia's goal is to have these cihldren become a family- to have them take over the orphanage when they are old enough to do so.  After they are the age of majority,  the children will not have to leave the orphanage, but are welcomed to stay.  (This is different from other local orphanages.) 

We, the team and I, were able to assist in the moving of  the belonings to a new HOUSE that Lia had rented for $8,000 USD per year.  During that year lease, she will be building a home on a pieceof land that Lia has bought.  We were at the house, moving things into the house, prior to the kids coming home from school. 

We were able to see the earthquake damaged house and hear the amazing story of protection from Lia.  For 15 months, Kay Angel lived on the house property in tents, not being able to use the house.  Using the CCHI trucks, and our manpower, we moved the orphanage's belongings to the new house. 

The children arrived as we were having lunch- the happy squeals, smiles and laughter filled the house and filled our hearts.  We wre able to play with the kids as their meal was being cooked in their new kitchen.  The children are taken care so well, that you can not tell which ones were chronically ill and who was not.  Lia's love of these children is so visible, so tangible, so real.  She has an amazing heart for her kids and for Haiti.  It was a pure pleasure and honor to meet her.

In the mid afternoon leading to early evening, we went back to our first school, and visited a girls only orphanage on the same property.    We were greeted by 24 wonderful girls aged 4 to 16.  We were able to do our Good Samaritian skit, sing with them (even in english) and provide the wordless book with the bracelet! 

After this, the fun times rolled- skipping ropes and soccer balls fun!

These girls are amazing- they are skipping  in gravel, with no shoes on at lightening speed of the rope!  They skipped while Jenn and I turned the rope and counted in broken creole and french, until we counted too hight to either remember or know the numbers!  After a long tim of skipping, Jenn, Thomas and I started to play 'Red Light, Green Light".  Why didn't anyone thing of that before our last full day in Haiti?!?!  It was soooooo much fun!  It was great to play it up and get aninmated with facial expressions, tones of voices, body language.  We played this until it was time for us to go.  There were lots of smiles and hugs as we left.

Supper was chicken and rice casserole.  Ami and I served side by side with some of the other ladies.  I love working and serving with Ami- God's love just abounds within her. 

We had our last group devotions, getting prepared to answer the question: What did you do on your holiday? based on Mathew 6.  How are you going to share what you did was the challenge laid to us.  For who's glory- yours or God's?

I didn't have to sleep on a mattress on the floor that nite.  Joan took the top bunk that I was too scared to get up to (scared that I couldnt get down!!) and she put me on her bunk.  I was getting worn down physically but my spirit was soring!

I love Haiti.  The people here are friendly, loving and very welcoming.  I love the food- spice but not hot, fruit and bean based with lots of rice. (Which I love anyway!)  Am I being called there full time?  Perhaps.  The CCHI is three staff short- and needing someone to host the teams.  I know that I can do that.  What about Jason? The Cat?  Jason burns so easily, Buddy would have to be shaved to keep him from being so hot.  Something to pray about, that's for sure.  It is only a year's committment.  I know my job at the DI can live without me.