Today was an intense day for me in Haiti. We went from house to house visiting people and asking about their need. We stopped by the house of a woman we had already begun to help on a previous trip. At first I did not recognize her and later realized that she had been pregnant the last time that I saw her. She gave birth to a girl 1 1/2 months ago. When we walked into her mud thatch house she picked up the baby and gave her to one of the team members with me. We began to speak to her about what difficulties she was encountering. She shared with us about her 8 children and the troubles she faces in supporting them since her husband died of an illness in January. Her oldest child is a boy of 17 who has taken the responsibility of the man of the house. He attempts to provide for the family by catching sardine like fish in the ocean with a makeshift net.
As we began to leave our team member gently handed the infant back and the woman immediately gave the baby to me and said that I was the baby's godfather. While the baby tried to suckle on the sleeve of my shirt because she doesn't receive enough nutrition from her mother's milk the mother began to cry feeling the weight of her hopeless situation. I assured her that I heard her need and would do what I could. My prayer is that Father God would be a godfather through me. Pray for us as we seek to relieve the suffering of this family.
Brian