Love resides here.

When we first met Josie two and a half years ago, there was just something about her.  You know when you meet someone and you just immediately feel at peace.  We felt that way with Josie.  She carried herself with so much grace.  She showed such a vision for her organization, herself and the children under her care.  She interacted with the children and the staff with kindness and a softness that I was immediately drawn too.  You can find all kinds of horrible stories about orphanages in third world countries.  You won't find those at House of Love and Hope.  Don't misunderstand me, though. How each child came to be with Josie is a loss, a tragedy all their own in one way or another.  There is no way to get around those realities, but how they are provided for now is a great example of what God can accomplish with a sacrificial soul like Josie's.

My weekend was spent with Josie and the kids, but first a little adventure, Haiti-style, to start us off!  The original plan was to spend the afternoon at the Apparent project or Look out Point and then Leonard would take me and Alana and maybe Cassie to Josie's in the evening on his way home (even though it was definitely not on his way home.)  That morning while discussing plans though it was decided that going to HOLH today would work better since there would be a lot of driving back and forth through P-A-P on Sunday and we could avoid that.  So I emailed Josie and we asked Leonard to call her.  It all seemed like it was going to work out ok!

First off, some of the crew went with Leonard and the big green bus to buy a LOAD of rice and beans!  People were so generous and they had over $5000 to purchase food!  

Do you know how much food $5000 can buy in Haiti??

Enough to flatten a tire!

It sounded like there was maybe a little bit of tension at the gate leaving the warehouse area, but as Leonard loves to say, it was "no problem."  We off-loaded the first haul, Leonard fixed the tire and went back for the second load.

160 bags of rice (50 lbs each), 60 bags of beans (30 lbs each), 2 bags of flour (I think 100 lbs each?) and several jugs of cooking oil.  Amazing!

With having to take two trips to the warehouse and the flat tire, we ended up leaving for Josie's quite late.  I think it was around 130 or 2 in the afternoon.  We were planning on stopping at the Croix des Bouquet metal market too, which we had heard was super cool and had all kinds of the metal artwork that they are well known for.  I had not gotten a response from Josie about the whole group going, but Leonard was going to call her so we thought that would be ok.  I figured the kids would be home from school around 4 or so and at the time, I didn't know Josie had another job so I figured she would be there too.  

As we headed out to Croix des Bouquet, we came to a bit of a traffic jam.  Wasn't to0 concerning cause it's just the way it is.  We knew something was up when Pierre and Marcelin jumped out and walked aways to see what was going on.  Pierre came walking back briskly, said something to Leonard, who said something to some guy next to us on the road, who then made room and helped Leonard pull a U-turn.  At that point, I wasn't sure if there was trouble ahead or just an impossible traffic jam.  I was also a little concerned that Marcelin had not made it back to the bus and we were clearly leaving without him.  Someone asked Leonard what was up and he just said trouble ahead and we can't go to Croix des Bouquet.  At which point, I was glad I had sunglasses on.  I was painfully disappointed.  If I didn't make it there that night, I didn't know if I could make it there at all, and it was something I was so very much looking forward to doing.  I was thankful for thoughtful friends and semi-strangers who held my hand and patted me on the back.  They knew how important it was to me.

Well, eventually, we see a moto riding up fast alongside us and it's Marcelin!  He hopped off and jumped on the bus.  Resourceful people, I'm telling you!  As we came to the round-about near the airport, Leonard kept going and started down a way that I remember being the way to get to Josie's.  Someone asked Leonard if we were going to Croix des Bouquet and he smiled and said, "Yes!"  Roller coaster, over here!  So we head to the metal market, everyone jumps out and has 30 minutes to shop.  It really was a cool place and I'd like to go back and spend some more time there! I managed to find a few lovely things in the 30 minutes, of course.

And we made up  a new Haiti game...

Chicken. Dead or napping?

In case you are curious, it's napping.  We all got a kick out of it :-)

Then off to HOLH!!
Giddy.  That is about all I can say to describe how I feel as we pull up to the gate.  

So we pull in and no one is home except the nannies. So, Josie calls Leonard and I talk with her.  She says to stay, stay and she is coming.  So we unload their rice and beans and hang out and wait for 20 minutes or so and the kids pull up from school around 530pm.  

Josie is not with them and I'm still a little confused by all that.  Anyway, I hug all the kids and we settle in to do some things with them.  

By 630, though, the group really needs to go, so they head out and Alana and I just kinda shrug and say, "now what."  No Josie yet, so we let the girls play with our hair and get the pipe cleaners out for them to make stuff with.  

It was all fine, but as bedtime approached we wondered if the kids should be getting ready for bed or what.  The nannies took over and started getting them all cleaned up.  I was back in the office getting some things together when Marie-flore, one of the older girls, comes running in, "Mama Josie, Mama Josie!"  I walk outside and see Josie still in her truck with all the kids crowding her, hugging and talking and so so happy to see her.  It was such a sweet moment to see.  Love resides here.  The real stuff.  

Josie is supremely apologetic for how late it is and I tell her it's totally our fault for changing plans on her and I had no idea she was working another job!  So, kids are mostly ready for bed, but Josie has brought chocolate ice cream and she hands it to me!  I pass around bites as we're waiting for plates.  Amessaminthe takes a bite and spits it out!  I couldn't believe it!  She makes all kinds of faces and I just laugh. Then Nickson does the same!  Do they really not like chocolate ice cream?  Turns out, it was just too cold for them, I think!  They ate the rest off a plate :)

Then bedtime for all.  Josie had put two mattresses on cinder blocks down for us.  The kids all circled around and held hands and sang and prayed and hugged and kissed each other good night and then to bed.  It was such a precious gift to get to be present for their evening routine.  I loved it!

This is a supremely long post, but I don't want to miss anything. More for my sake than for anyone that happens to read this novel!

More to unpack later!