...and they were ours

We gave them food, water and our phone number and prayed that they would call. We heard nothing for 4 days. When the Northpoint team came in, I told them we were going to stop by the grave site again and hopefully find them there. As we pulled up the long gravel road, I prayed, "Father, if it's Your will, please let us find these little boys. Let us raise them in your love." I was going to say this out loud to Patrick, but I didn't want to verbalize it in fear that they wouldn't be there. Then - I would have to consider what I didn't want to consider - that maybe it wasn't God's will. I just felt in my spirit that we were suppose to have these little boys, so I kept my prayer between just me and the Lord.

We walked all around - but there was not sign of the boys. I stood at the front of the truck looking out on the parched hillside with flapping tarps torn by the wind and rain. Only a few people moved about. I prayed, "Father - please let us take care of these little boys. Please let them see our truck and come walking down out of this mountain.” No one came.

A few minutes later Jennifer Bledsoe, one of the Northpoint volunteers, came up beside me and said "Is that one of them?" "Where?" I asked. She said "talking to Jimmy and Patrick." That little rascal had snuck up behind me. God didn't send him down from the mountain. He was already down - and walked back up it when he saw our truck!

He said his name was Renney and that he was 11. His little brother Renol was not with him that day. There was no sign of his big brother (20ish - the one who we had given our phone number to). Again, we gave him food and water and prayed for him. This time I took a piece of paper and we wrote a note to his aunt (both his mom and dad were killed in the earthquake). We wrote - "We can help. We have an orphanage and can send the children to school and give them food. Jesus loves you and we love you and want to help." Then we put our phone number again and stuffed it in the little boy's pocket....and again drove off praying. 

 No call yesterday. We continued to pray. Then this morning....Praise the Lord! We received the call! They said that they had no one to take care of the boys and asked if we could take them in our orphanage. We arranged a time to meet them this morning. I was concerned the whole way there – praying, "Father, please let them be there when we arrive. We were supposed to meet them at the mass grave site. We got there on time...and waited...but no one was there. Again, I got out of the truck and we started praying for them to show. I asked Jimmy, "Do you think they are coming? He said, "Oh yes - I just talked to them on the phone!" I said, “When will they be here? He said, "They are here now. They said they saw us coming up the road!"

Again - the Lord sent them up the mountain. We saw them walking up the road to us - we had just passed them! We all jumped back in the truck and drove down to them. There they were - two little boys - fear on their faces but a glimmer of hope in their eyes. They had an older brother and a cousin and an older sister who came out with them. The older brother and cousin wanted to come and see where we were taking them. Of course we agreed. 

 After all praying together - we piled back in our truck. The little boy began to cry. His older brother comforted him, and off we went - headed for Alex's House. All of the children were there to greet them. They played games with them, showed them their beds...and the toilets (the likes of which they've never sat on). We gave them a plate of food. They could only eat a little. Probably because their stomachs were not used to much food at a time, plus - they were scared to death. Their eyes were filled with wonder...yet fear as well. As they played (hesitantly) in the floor with the other children, the older brother and cousin slipped out the front, saying they didn't want to make them cry when they left.

And so...they were ours. The smallest one - the one who cried - had the hardest time adjusting. He smiled once...when I had him on my lap playing "Di Blup" (my Haitian version of "gitty up horsey.”) They both started playing with the other children. We stayed on for an hour or so - gave Patrick clear coaching on comforting the boys and letting them share the same bed for security and giving them plenty of attention.

Then we had to leave. I wanted to stay so badly. But I knew - he needed to get attached to our Nannies and to Jimmy and Patrick - not to me. They're the ones who will be there full time with them. They are the ones who will be able to give him comfort and security. So again - we piled on the truck and headed back to Kalico, leaving Patrick with the duties of head comforter and security giver.

Say a special prayer for Renney and Renol tonight. I'm sure they laid there in that bed clinging to one another, struggling to take it all in. Pray that the Father would give their tiny little hearts His peace and security." We've seen it happen over and over again - in a few days - these little boys will realize that that they have food and clothing and safety and security. They will realize that they have a family who loves them.  They will realize that they are Home.  


Besides being in a new place, surrounded by new people - and that is certainly a great challenge in itself - but besides all this - another great challenge that they will have is learning how to be little kids...probably for the first time.

They lived under a tarp - an hour walk from the road. Every morning they would get up at daylight, take the goats and walk an hour down the mountain to the road by the graveside - where there were green weeds for the goats to eat. They would stay there all day. Two little brothers - 11 and 8 years old. No food, no water, no supervision - fending for themselves in the poorest country in the western hemisphere. I'm so grateful that our Father still sees little boys on the side of the road - little boys that need a home and love and family. If for the rest of my life the Lord will allow me to rescue these little boys - I will count myself honored. And if I had another life to live, I would do it all again.

(post by Bill.... with a little US help from Melissa)