A Taste of Haiti

On Friday September 26, 2014 we are hosting our first ever benefit banquet! It will be held at North High School in Sheboygan, WI, and feature a silent auction, authentic Haitian-style dinner and much more. The silent auction will be held from 5:30-6:30, and dinner will be served at 6:30 with a time of music, videos and celebration to follow.

Tickets are $25 dollars each or you can reserve a table for eight for $185 dollars. Please join us for this very special night as we celebrate all God is doing in Macomb, Haiti.

To reserve your tickets, call or email Laurie Haag at 920-452-6125 or lovefeedsourworld@gmail.com.

It seems with every visit to Haiti, there are moments that just completely wreck me. These are the moments when the need is too great, and I say to God, “Okay Lord, I get it! I know you’ve brought me here, but what do you want me to do?” This was the case when I met a young boy named Jhonderson Brinus.

Jhonderson is a restavek (a child slave). His family lives on the island of LaGonave off the coast of Haiti. LaGonave is a very desperate place with many starving people. Jhonderson’s family gave him away to a family in Macomb in hopes that he would have a chance at a better future.

Let me tell you about Jhonderson. He is one of the kindest, most compassionate boys I have ever met. It is rare to see him without a smile on his face. He works very hard every day for the family he lives with, and then afterward still comes to volunteer his time at the church. He carries and stacks chairs, helps cleanup after the feeding program and truly enjoys helping others without ever being asked to do so. He is honestly a joy to spend time with and has a delightful personality.

As a restavek, his job is to take care of these stinky, ornery black pigs and the violent dogs that protect them from being stolen at night. He also works tending and picking fruits and vegetables and then getting them ready to sell in addition to any other chores that need to be done. I will never forget the first time I saw him with a huge pot of mangos on his head. At first I could see that he was embarrassed to be seen under such circumstances, but before long he was smiling, laughing and posing for pictures. He even did a little dance for me with the pot on his head. I laughed along with him because it was all I could do to hold back my tears. To see one of my children—a boy I dearly love, a boy I would take home as my own if it were possible—being used as a slave! It broke my heart; it made me angry. It was so unfair! This was my moment this week; the moment that made me lift my hands to God, and just say “What now? How am I supposed to help him?”

All I know is that God is a God of justice, and He has called me to Macomb to speak for those who have no voice, to feed those who are hungry, to love those who are unloved in this world, and to show each person that they have a Father in heaven who loves His children and sees His children . . . all His children. My job is to love Jhonderson everyway and anyway I can, and not just Jhonderson, but all the children who God puts in my path.

On this trip to Haiti, my son Joey came with me. He had a great time and he really made a connection with a young boy named Ronaldson. Everywhere we went, Ronaldson was with us. They played futbol together, walk down the road holding hands; Ronaldson is ever at his side. On Sunday night we went to visit Ronald’s mother who recently had a baby, a little boy. I held the baby for a while and we asked her the typical baby questions: When was he born? What’s his name? She said he was born about 20 days ago, exactly which day she didn’t know. And he didn’t have a name yet. Then, she told me that I could choose a name for her baby boy. I was taken back as this was completely unexpected. Immediately my son Joey piped up in a joking manner, “You know Joey is a really great name. You should name him Joey.” And before I could say anything, the mother said, “Joey. . . Joey. . . That’s a good name. We will call him Joey.” And that is how little Joey (French spelling of Joey: Jory with a silent r) got his name.

The elderly have always held a special place in my heart because they live such difficult lives and too many don’t have loved ones to provide for them; in Haiti they are many times “the forgotten ones.” On this particular trip to Macomb, I had the opportunity to visit with two of the elderly ladies we serve in our feeding program: Julia and Julenne. They spoke to me about how much the church and the feeding program mean to them. In America, our government provides services to help the needy, but in Haiti it is the church that provides for the poor, and in Macomb, Pastor Jackson and his wife Martha have a burden for helping the less fortunate and for bringing them to know the love of Jesus.

We sat together in the new school office, Julia, Julenne, Martha and I, and discussed life, their health and how the feeding program has made a difference in their lives. “It is hard to find food.” Julia said looking down at her lap. “When there isn’t the feeding program, I can’t find food to eat.” Julia weighs just 78 pounds. She eats in our program and receives vitamin supplements, but still she struggles to keep weight on her frail body. Julienne agreed with her and eagerly asked when we would be hosting our next free medical clinic, as she has no money to visit a doctor in Haiti, although she struggles daily with pain.

Before heading home, Julenne held my face in her hands and kissing my cheek she said to me, “Thank you, thank you! We need the food very much and we appreciate all you are doing to help us.” Martha reminded her that it’s all because of the love of God. He is the One who brought us together in Macomb. I am so thankful for all God is doing, and even though I cannot meet all their needs, I know that we are making a difference in the lives of these two beautiful ladies.

Each visit to Macomb is always filled with hugs, kisses, games and laughter. If ever I need to see the love of Jesus first-hand all I have to do is look into the grateful, happy eyes of the children and their families. On Easter I shared my testimony in church. I told the Haitian families about how although I was saved at 17 years old, it was on my first visit to Haiti that I fell passionately in love with Jesus. I shared with them how Jesus showed me His love through the children and through serving others. I told them of our adoption and how we met our son Judson when he was dying in the back of an orphanage weighting just 10 lbs. at nearly six months old; it was a testimony of how I came to Christ, but more than that it was a testimony of how God loves His people and how he sees each one of us, even the little baby holding on to life; we all matter to our heavenly Father. I wanted them to hear first-hand how God brought my family to Haiti and why we are called to serve the Haitian people. I wanted them to see how much God loves them.

Thank you for your continued support for Love Feeds OUR World and all God is calling us to do in Macomb, Haiti. We could not do this work without you!

Love Feeds OUR World  Leadership Team
Jerry & Laurie Haag, Suzanne Speltz, Chris & Kyleen Florez, Pastor Jackson & Martha Colas and Angela Roelse