The Orphanage

Orphans belong to one of those people for which God gives special attention both in the Old and the New Testaments. We see God, in the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms, continually expressing profound concern for the least potent and self-sufficient—the orphan in distress. The Law states, “He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow …” (Deuteronomy 10:18). The Prophets echo the same truth: “For in you the fatherless find compassion” (Hosea 14:3b). And, again, in the Psalms, “A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families …” (Psalm 68:5-6).

As Christians, we have to be sons and daughters of our heavenly Father, that is, we have to have a heart that resembles His. His preoccupation ought to be our preoccupation; His passion our passion. Caring for the orphans—who are undoubtedly included in those Jesus called in Mathew 25: 40 “the least of these brothers and sisters of mine”—is not an option for a true follower of Jesus; it’s the very proof that the love of the Father abides in us. (1 John…..)

As Haitian Christians, we have a double responsibility toward the orphans of our birth country. This is especially true of us who have been placed by the Providence of God in this land of opportunity. Nehemiah was in a similar situation: he was serving at the palace as the cupbearer of the then most powerful king in the world. He could have forgotten about his country in the midst of the many benefits he was enjoying. But instead, his heart sank when he got news of the desolation in which his country laid, and he decided to do something about it.

Just as Nehemiah, we were profoundly saddened by the desolation of our birth country in the wake of the January 12, 2010 earthquake and by the distress of these children whose situation has worsened with the death of their parents. And we have decided to do something about it. This something is the 17,300 square-foot facility that we are building to accommodate up to 200 of these children. We know it’s like a drop in the bucket. But we refuse to allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by a sense of powerlessness before the immensity of the needs. We understand that doing something—small though it may be—is always better than not doing anything at all.

Construction has started at the end of the month of March. We hope, by a time like this next year, to finish everything and open the doors of the orphanage to these children who are waiting so eagerly for a place they can call home.

But we can’t do it alone. We count on your prayers and your generous gifts, not only to complete the construction, but also to accompany these children in their journey to a brighter tomorrow.