This past trip to Haiti was about a lot of things, but those are details that will bore you. What this trip was mostly about was giving Logan a chance to visit Haiti and see where his parents have been going for more years than he has been alive. We wanted Logan to see what it was all about, to see where huge pieces of our heart live.We set out not knowing how Logan would handle all of it. He is 8. What do 8-year-old’s know about poverty and orphans? What do they know about the socio-economic dynamics of Haiti that land kids in our orphanages? What would he understand about the poverty all around Haiti? Would he even get it?
What we found out was that none of that junk mattered to him. He saw the poverty, extreme in some spots, and understood it, but didn’t dwell on it. He looked past it, more concerned about the kids and if they got to school or not, whether or not they had anything to play with and where they took a bath. He wanted to make sure that somebody was at least trying to help them with all of that. As long as somebody was doing something, at least there was hope. To him it was simple, they need some help and somebody should be helping them.
When it came to the kids in our orphanages that is where Logan was a star. I had no idea how he would handle it. He speaks no Creole; they speak no English. What would they do all day? Well, any moment that I spent worrying about that we clearly a waste. Logan played with the kids, both boys and girls, for hours everyday without needing any translation. He made up games with the girls; he played soccer with the boys. He went over to the boy’s home each afternoon and gathered, organized and brought the kids over to the girl’s to spend the afternoon with us. It was no big deal to him; they were just other kids to play with.
Beyond the playing, however, were the relationships built while he was playing with them. He quickly formed bonds with several of the kids in his age range. He also became very attached to a few of the smaller ones. They became pretty attached to him too. It was rough leaving, for all 3 of us and for the kids. It is clear that God has put all of us on each other’s lives for a very special purpose, a purpose that we are just beginning to realize and develop; a purpose that clearly includes Logan, who is now counting up pennies to figure out how quickly he can get back. He figure that if somebody has to help, why not him?
