From Miami, the little country of Haiti is actually nearer, than New York or many other states. By plane, it is only an hour and a half from Miami. It is so hard to imagine, that “just a couple hours away from our shores,” children like Mayenda, are only a few days away from starvation.
Mayenda lives in a very small “stick and tarp,” tent, which her mother calls “home.” Her mother scavenged these items which were in the trash. Then, she carefully found some sticks and made a one-room “tee-pee.” This is where Mayenda and her siblings live each day. All the children have red hair from malnutrition and sores on their heads. They are anemic and almost lifeless. Actually, they are just “existing.” There is nothing in their lives that separates one day from another…there are no birthday parties, no toys, or holidays…nothing. There are two words to describe this family and others like them…“merely existing.”
Their mother walks a long way to bring back a few gallons of water in a dirty old plastic container. They cannot take too many bathes, because the water is precious…after all, if they don’t find food today, that same water will be used tonight to make “saltwater soup.” The recipe is simple…wild leaves, water, and salt…bring to a boil and let it cool. It will “make you think that you had something to eat,” but there is no nourishment in it.
This little family lives on top of the mountain called Mon Deral. There are no trees, no vegetable gardens, no lakes to fish in; there is no work here to make a living. There are no schools and certainly not a clinic…and there are only a couple of “tent houses” in this area. Each day, each morning, the struggle begins, “Where can I find food today?” The Haitians say, when they see our truck coming with food, “It’s like the Lord walked into the village.”
Well, He does walk in! Every time you give, God walks into the village!!! Just the sight of someone coming with a truck of food brings great hope…and the Haitians say, “Hope makes us live!”
Today, please pray about giving “your loaves and fishes” to the Master! He has “need of it.” There are many villages that are hungry, but inside those villages are “little Mayendas.” Please ask the Lord what He would have you do today to help Mayenda and other little “Mayendas!”
Thank you and God bless you,
Sherry