Little Smiles

Step-by-step to see the little kids below Papa's house. A skinny girl in a large dirty white tank top runs down the hill to jump in my arms. I scoop her little self up and she wraps her arms around my neck. I climb to the top of the hill. Jacques has his kids ministry right now and so Aunt Beck and I sit on the side with our little friends on our laps. This little girl hugged me so tight. She puts her little hand on my face and tilted down to face her. Her huge brown eyes are staring up at me. So big. So brown. So gentle. Her little tiny braids covering her head.

Her little smile. She smiles at me and I smile down at her. I wrap my arms around her and she snuggles her face in my neck. I can feel a lump in my throat. Keep it together. I am so overwhelmed in this moment. I am so overwhelmed with love. I don't know why this little girl just stole my heart but she did. All that she is. Jefflinda is her name. If I feel like this about a little beauty I just met, I can't imagine how I will feel about my own kids. Love is such an amazing thing. As it comes time to go I don't want to let her go. I've never been hugged this tight. I have never hugged anyone so tight. In moments like these, I don't think of the scabies or the lice or the strong smell of urine on her clothes. I just think of how much I don't want to let her go, of how there is no place in the world I would rather be. Heed (Aunt Heidi) is getting her hair braided and it's getting dark soon. We (Beck and I) go and pick her up on my bike. She is sitting getting her hair braided laughing and loving people. Wherever she goes she loves people and they love her. Being half Haitian comes in handy down here right now and the way she is learning Kreyol after only a couple days. Awesome.

Tonight we are going to Jacques house to have a little bible study. Heed is exhausted so she is going to stay home and get some rest. Beck, Mackenzy, Jacques and I sit on top of Jacques roof. Jacques set up a sweet little carpet for us to sit on. We sit and talk. We laugh. We argue. We discuss. We pray. We sing and worship. Beck talks about the constellations and Jacques asks beautiful questions about them. We share about what we love. How big and great God is. I lay on my back. I’m freezing and Jacques brings me a sheet to wrap up in. Staring at the stars. Singing. The smoke and the trees. The little homes littering the mountainside. Fires burning garbage. Breathe in Haiti. We can see almost the whole town from up here. Papa wanted us home by 10 because he didn’t want us to be in danger but now it’s 11:00 and now 11:30…good thing we are on Haitian time. It’s time to go, but nothing in me wants to. I feel so close with these three at this time. I just love them. I am so grateful. I am so grateful.