Two months after a devastating earthquake rocks Haiti, Pastor Jesse and Seth Gibson visit the struggling country. They pass through Port Au Prince on their way to The Hands and Feet Children's Village in Jacmel. Hands and Feet is the orphanage that VMC has been involved with.

Here are some thoughts from Jesse, sharing his experiences on this trip:

Port Au Prince

I didn't know what to expect. traveling to post-quake Haiti, but I did go expecting to find out. The nation is torn up and seemingly leaking rubble. Maybe sinking. The people of Port Au Prince have been forced back into life even though conventional wisdom would say it's over...you've been defeated. Shoeless children roam in and out of exhaust. Commerce has been reduced to roadside stands of rusty rebar and bald tires.

Waterways are deterred as they pass through the city en route to the open ocean...treated with waste...a series of shallow, narrow local dumps that trickle through life and neighborhoods. These "dumps" also serve as a water source to bathe, to cook, to drink. Children carry water buckets half their weight because they have to. Sometimes for miles. Still some areas have no water at all.

Tents have become the archetecture. Camp cities. There is lots of aid, but more need. Some hope, but much despair. And I realize that sometimes people cannot hope for themselves...and so this is why we go - to hope for them. I'm overwhelmed, but full of hope.

Jacmel

The Hands and Feet Children's Village in Jacmel is different. We're greeted with the bright colors of children, sparkling, and if only for a moment, we're allowed to forget the rubble nearby. It's the environment a child deserves - one that protects from reality.

I'm grateful for the work our church has been part of, but more so for the work we're going to do.

The Hands and Feet Children's Village is grateful for the money we raised and sent them in January and February. Their organization has been key in helping people in their immediate area, and VMC has been a part of that because of your love. Watch for more ways to come alongside this ministry in the months to come.