The Final Day

Today was another great day! We once again started the morning with devotions on the beach. We read from 1 Corinthians 13. Verse 8 says, "Love never fails".When we read this verse we thought about the fact that even though we do not speak the same language as the kids, we all speak the same language of love. We all share the common love of our Savior.  This trip brought a new meaning of love to us. A love that is shown only through the power of the Holy Spirit. 

This morning we also had the privilege of worshiping with our friends in Haiti. We were blown away at how every single person in that room was open and willing to a true and real worship. We listened to them sing about how they were giving their lives to Jesus, and how he was the only thing that they needed. This was so encouraging for us to hear from them. We got a small glimpse of what we think Heaven will sound like. We also got to sing a song for them! We sang, "Blessed Be Your Name" and "Our God Is An Awesome God". We were also given the opportunity to share a little bit with the kids about how this week had impacted our lives. This was really special for our group. Especially for those who were just meeting the kids that they sponsor.

Once the service ended, the kids sprinted to their rooms to change out of their Sunday best and into their swimming suits. The anticipation of going to the beach was through the roof.  The younger children only get to go outside the orphanage walls when a Katelyn's Fund group comes and takes them swimming. This was a huge treat for them. They all piled into a bus and we went to Francisco's parent's house to swim. It was a blast! It was so fun to watch the kids interact with each other in the pool and in the ocean. Some of the younger ones were afraid go in the water and the older ones helped them out. We love seeing that family aspect really come alive in these kids. They were overflowing with joy which filled us up with so much joy also.

After our fun at the beach, the dreaded goodbyes came. We all lined up and the kids came through the line for the goodbye. As tears ran down our cheeks the kids comforted us with tender hugs and " I love you's". This is the hardest part of the trip. Although being separated from these kids is so hard, we are comforted to know that they are in good hands over at One Vision. We are also comforted to know that the same God who is in Iowa is also in Haiti.

We are thankful for relationships that were strengthened and new relationships that were built. Hearts were wrecked this week, but we have faith that God is rebuilding them the way he wants. Tonight we talked about how our hearts are so broken, but at the same time, have never been fuller. God did amazing things this week in Haiti and we know he will continue that work here, and back at home.


Claire and Ashley