Haiti Trip Chapter 4

We had the privilege of meeting Tara Livesay and Sheila. One the visiting moms brought an incredible donation of a suitcase of beautiful fabric for the sewing school of the ministry they are involved with.

They invited us to visit the day before we left. I was so impressed with the heart of this ministry. They sent a car for us and took us to the sewing school/store first.

I have to mention that each building we went to had at least 2 of these huge dogs like Bull Mastiffs

or Bouvier(sp?).


The kids were terrified of them. They climbed us like trees. The dogs WERE really huge so I didn't blame the kids. Thankfully, the dogs were all sweethearts. N wanted me to hold her but she didn't scream or cry or even whine. I have hope that she will be fine with all our dogs.

We got to meet some of the ladies at the sewing school.

Sheila gave us the tour of the facilities. She is standing beside one of several gorgeous old treadle sewing machines.

These machines have been donated as well as the fabrics.

The ministry teaches these ladies how to sew starting with purses, blouses, and skirts. They even have a store where they are able to sell their beautiful products. It's an incredible ministry where they go beyond just handing out food( which is great) but are teaching these ladies a skill. This ministry also offers pre-natal classes/check-ups for moms so they have a greater chance of having a healthy baby. The moms and babies then can transition into first year of life classes and medical check-ups. They also offer free birth control. This ministry is truly partnering with the Haitians to help them have a better life.

We were all touched by this incredible ministry and I would really like to be a part of it in some way in the future.

This was our last day with our little ones and we all felt a little sad. Those of you who have visited your children understand this heaviness. Everyone with older children explained to them that the visit was coming to an end. Several of the kids went into depression like behavior. I didn't even try to explain anything to N. At her age and the short amount of time we had spent together, I felt she would be just fine.

Later that evening M sent a vehicle to pick up the kids at the hotel. We all wanted to say our good-byes at the O so we decided to squeeze in. There were 15 of us in an 8 passenger jeep. Two parents had large suitcases full of donations so they were just thrown on top. Only in Haiti, huh?

It was evening and the kids were all beginning to get tired. I had N in my lap so I got a chance to just savor being close and cuddly. I kissed her about 5 quick times on her cheek which made her smile and giggle. In a few minutes, I kissed her gently again and saw she had fallen asleep. It was at that point I realized I had already said good-bye. Her last memory would be me kissing her on her cheek.

We made it to the O where we were invited to sit and visit for a few minutes. We got a chance to take a few pictures of some of the kids.

Addie had some donations for a Cuban minister and his wife who lives across from the O in a guesthouse. We took off over there to spend a few minutes with them. Addie had met them last year when visiting. This couple is so glad to be in Haiti. They live in a tiny 6x10 room, now with a new baby. They say the life there in Haiti is so much better than Cuba. Can you imagine? They minister to the medically fragile, the mentally incompetant.They are so full of God's love and eager to share with all who will listen.

They speak a little English but mostly Addie interpreted from Spanish to English for me. I just fell in love with this precious couple. As we started saying our goodbyes, Pastor Eziekel stepped out of the room for a moment. When he came back in he had a guitar someone had recently given him. He started singing How Great Thou Art and his wife and visiting mom joined in. I honestly felt the love of God so strongly that I couldn't stop crying. I looked at Addie and I could see she was feeling it just as strongly. It's really difficult to put into words.

After they finished singing, Pastor E started praying for us. I was only picking up a word here and there since I don't speak Spanish but I could feel the sincerety of his heart as he lifted us up to our Lord. Addie shared with me later how he prayed for our adoptions and our safety in traveling and more. It was so precious.

We adults headed back to the hotel and had a last meal together without our little ones. We all felt somewhat subdued and sad but we were all eager to be heading back to our loved ones at home. It was a wonderful trip with lots of sweet memories. Hopefully the next time back for me will be to bring our N home!