Glimpse of Hope

I sat down here thinking of what story to write that has made an impression on me the last few weeks here in Haiti. While there are so many sad stories, I want to share one that is the opposite and not only happy, but shows hope for a country in despair. Sometimes being on the mission field it is frustrating to not see the fruits of your labor. Not only did I get to see some fruit of the labor of the work of us at Haitian Christian Outreach, I got to eat it too! (you have to read to the end of the story to understand).

I was introduced to Liney in the village of Peredo in January of 2009 by Roro. He is a key figure in the village of Peredo and was always out on the main road in the market. He had a very noticeable limp and Roro told me he had a large hernia but couldn't afford to get it fixed. Lest Spetember we took him to Caye-Jacmel and had a pre-surgery consulation with labs drawn. They set up the date for the surgery. Contributions made to Haitian Christian Outreach paid for his surgery and his care afterwards. In Haiti, when someone is in the hospital a family member has to stay with them and take care of them . They bathe them, change and wash their linens and cook and feed them. The hospitals do NOT provided these services. We gave Liney's wife money to stay there with him and do these things after surgery.

I hadn't seen Liney since his surgery until this past Sunday.And for the 1st time ever I saw him in church! I was so happy. Roro always has the visitors stand up and introduce themsleves. Liney shared with the congregation his appreciation for his surgery. He also told of wanting to become a member of the church and his desire to learn more about getting baptized! That wasn't the last time I saw Liney on Sunday. He left right after church and then was waiting for Roro and I on the main road with a bag of Mangoes!