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Summer Brand:

There is so much that I could write about after being in Haiti for only three full days. In the span of 72 hours, I have seen Haitians experiencing hardships too hard to explain with words. I have seen pain and sorrow too hard for me to fully comprehend. But alongside these things that break my heart, there have also been many moments where my heart has been so, so full. During these beautiful moments, God’s love and grace are displayed. In order to explain both of these sides of Haiti, I’ll provide an experience of both.

My heart was broken on one stop in particular. Our very last home. This family consisted of a mom, a grandma, and a son. The reason why this family was chosen as a stop was because of the young boy. One reason was because the boy’s caregiver was actually his grandmother. The boy’s mother is currently working in the Dominican Republic to make money for her family. I believe this boy was 7 years old, and he had been diagnosed with hydrocephalus when he was about four. When he was taken to the hospital 2 years ago, the doctors said that nothing could be done for his condition, a condition that, in the United States, would’ve been caught, diagnosed, and fixed at a very young age. The condition that this boy was in was unbelievable even after everything else that I’ve seen. He was so small, except for the size of his head because of his hydrocephalus. Because the weight of his head was much larger than the rest of his body, he could only lay down or be moved by the help of his grandma. To me, both the grandma and the boy have a very bleak future ahead of them. The grandma will continue to age and become weaker, creating virtually no way for her to care for her grandson. For the boy, I wonder how much longer he has to live. It’s already pretty amazing to me that he has survived for 7 years with the condition that he has.  We prayed for God to watch over the family and to bring them His healing powers and comfort. I will continue to pray these prayers for this family even once Haiti is just a memory.