Hope

Bonswa!! I hope this post finds you all loving life and experiencing grand adventures. Today I hear that some rough weather is headed our way so I ask you to please keep the people of Haiti in your prayers this week. There are hundreds of thousands of people currently living in tents and other very flimsy temporary homes. A hurricane of the magnitude that Irene is shaping up to be is a very scary thing for many down here.

The first medical team to visit the deaf community left two days ago and I am once again residing at New Life Children’s Home. It is good to be back here and to see all of the kids. I missed them a lot over the last week and am happy to be back with them. We all still worship together and then hang out afterwards at 7:00 every night. This time every evening is one of the highlights of everyday. The following is an excerpt from my personal journal from yesterday that I want to share with you all .

Every now and again, there are moments in life during which we look around, observe an event or experience that causes us to question whether or not life is real . . . that something like this could ever happen. One of those beautiful moments ocuured this morning after the church service. Church had ended when many of the young leaders here at the children’s home decided to put on some worship songs. It was at this point that many of the children stuck around and all of the other visitors joined together in worship. Reflecting on powerful moments of worship, this one ranks high among them. To be standing with eyes closed, fully engrossed. . . and to then open my eyes to a young boy who had come to grab my hand in order to sit with me and just be close. I am struck by so many children here who desire nothing more than human contact. A tight hug or to sit with arms around one another. We sat and sang together for a long time and many other children came over to dance and to sit with one another. Looking towards some new stresses and challenges that lie ahead, today was exactly the reminder I seemed to need of the incredible God that we serve. In our darkest hours and most joyful moments He calls us to that kind of worship and places us exactly where we need to be, surrounded by the people we need to be surrounded by. I am not sure how to continue articulating these feelings, but for now, I can suffice it to say that amidst everything, there is peace.

I have been reading in Romans this afternoon and have a couple of verses to share that have begun to shed some light on many of the things I am having difficulty processing here.

Romans 12:15 – “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep”

No matter what we experience, witness, or see, there is a time for heartbreak and there is a time for rejoicing. At all times it is important to always hope.

Romans 15:13 – “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”

In just a few short weeks, I have observed a broken nation. A nation in which corruption runs rampant, dying people of all ages are turned away from hospitals because they do not have the $8 it would take to receive medical treatment at the hospital, and hundreds of thousands of people are suffering from starvation, malnutrition, and every malady that comes with extreme poverty. We are reminded that amidst it all, there is hope. Our relationships with the deaf community and the amazing people residing there bring an indescribable measure of hope to a situation that could seem hopeless to some.

Thank you all for your continued support. Soon I will have a list of needs and several options for you to be involved with this project posted on the site. I look forward to being in contact with everyone and getting you involved in anyway that you can be. From book donations for our new education programs, to actually coming down here to work with the deaf community, be thinking about what is on your heart and how you would like to be involved.

Wishing you all the continued experience of the abundant grace and peace of our Reigning King!!

-Kyle