I sat down and talked with a Haitian lady who has so many stories yet untold. Her life is one story after another and I only had a short time with her. I can't wait to meet with her again and hear more of her stories. But, one thing she made clear to me was that she knows that God has a purpose and a plan for her, to prosper her and not to harm her.
When she was barely seven years old, she was carrying a large basket lid (much bigger than her tiny frame) full of fruits along the creek path. Think about this! A seven year old carrying the day's items to sell at the market. It would help to put dinner on the table and whatever other needs they may have like water. This was more than a bundle of fruits, it was the family's very well-being.
The straw lid became unbalanced and the fruit began to topple out. It was a large burden to carry. She tried frantically to retrieve every piece of fruit, but lost her balance as well and began to struggle to stay above the water that was stealing away each piece of hope. She soon became overcome with water. Two men who were passing by noticed a head of hair in the water and one said, "no, that's not hair, it's just tree bark" and wanted to continue to walk along the creek bank giving the other one a hard time. But, the insistent one reached down and pulled up her little body that had been overcome with water. He began to try to expel the water from her stomach and lungs. His friend ran for help. They were able to get her to a hospital where she recoverd slowly, yet fully for a solid month. The cost was a great burden for her family. The pressure on her parents was too great. Her father took her to an orphanage to give her up and then he left her mother for another woman. Her mother didn't speak a word of any of it. Everyone thought that she must've died.
She grew up in an orphanage that gave her a good education, food and shared with her the stories of Jesus. They taught her to love and think of others first. They taught her to work through any and all daily trials no matter how small or big. They taught her that she had a reason to live. She was created for a purpose.
I asked her if she ever sees her mother or father now that she's grown up and has kids of her own. She shared with me that she does indeed spend time regularly with her father. I asked her if it was hard to love him now. She said, "no, I forgave him a long time ago. I know that he could have thrown me to the trash, but he didn't. I'm grateful for that."
It was that simple answer that baffles my mind. I don't know how easily those words would flow out of my mouth. I don't know how grateful I could really be. But, she is sincerely grateful. I wish you could all see her face. Maybe sometime I'll get her permission to print her name and show you a picture of her. Know that she is just as beautiful on the outside as she is on the inside.
This amazing woman was once an orphan, but found her home in Him. She found these verses to be true in her life and gives Him all the glory:
"Sing to God, sing praises to His name; lift up a song to Him who rides through the deserts; His name is the Lord; exult before Him! Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in His holy habitation. God settles the solitary in a home; He leads out the prisoners to prosperity, but the rebellious dwell in a parched land..." Psalm 68
She has grown up in and is now the director of an orphanage that houses over a dozen children in Callebasse. Their ages range from 3 to 23. We were able to meet several of them as they were coming in from their school day. As I talk with her again soon, I'll ask her for more stories of what it was really like to grow up an orphan. But, I have a feeling that it'll be story after story of grace and forgiveness.
Let's take a look at what's coming out of our mouths. Where's it coming from? We neeed to take a real look at our hearts. "...For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." Matthew 12
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