The first impression for me is faces. Even though we talked with only a few of these people, each picture of each face is a reminder to me: Every single one of these faces belongs to a person who has a name and a story that is like no one else’s.

Four-year-old Maynasia is one of the faces=name=person=heartbreaking story. Since the earthquake, she lives in a tiny 2-room house with her Aunt Maria who is not really her aunt, but is related distantly somehow, and with Maria’s children.

As we approached, Maynasia ran out the door toward us and leaped into the arms of the closest man of our group and threw her arms around his neck. Though she had never seen any of us before, she smiled eagerly into his face as if she recognized him and announced, “My papa died in the earthquake.”

My heart wept. What will keep this beautiful tiny girl, longing for her father’s strong arms, from growing into a gorgeous young woman who still throws herself into any masculine arms that present themselves?

There is one hope for her–and for all of us. Please let the photos be a reminder to pray that Maynasia and Giveland and Jean Baptiste and Louinise and Withlove and Roselene and Lorine and so many others in Haiti would know the strong arms of the Father who will never leave them or forsake them.

They have arrived and are being unpacked. So maybe I’ll see some of those cute pillowcase dresses or your Bumbo seat or treadle sewing machine.

Here are some photos from here in Minneapolis during the weeks of collecting donations and filling the container.

Thank you!

Debbie Woodward, the hero in charge of collecting and sorting all the donations

Zach Zachary in Minneapolis to oversee the container loading

Treadle sewing machine & (on floor) knitting machine

I know how Africa keeps affecting me, and I expect Haiti to have a similar effect. So as you watch this short video, just replace Africa with Haiti. Some of the details are different, but many are the same.

Then please pray for God’s work in us while we are there.