Lost With A Map In Hand

(Note added later: This photo of Laurens was taken

approximately1 month after he was brought to our compound)

Just some random thoughts that have been on our hearts here at Mission-Haiti, I thought I’d share with you all.  It’s been becoming more and more real to me the serious darkness that the people of Haiti find themselves in.  It’s like the people here are lost, with a map in their hands, turning at every conflicting voice that tells them which direction to go.  But yet they do have a map in their hands, well some of them do anyways.  Of course, I’m being figurative here, but let me give you an example.

Yesterday a mother strolled in to our compound with a beautiful little boy in her arms.  The boy’s name is Laurens.  He is three years old.  He was completely naked with the exception of a charm tied around his neck.  Laurens had been asleep for some time but would not arise; he could not be awakened.  His teeth were clenched shut and when you’d pry open his eyes they were moving from right to left, right to left.  According to his mother, he would also foam from the mouth and the nose.  If you’d watch him for a while, his legs would almost act like they had an electric charge run through them every 20 seconds or so.  But yet he was unresponsive.

The strangest part of the whole ordeal, as pointed out by Pam, was the lack of urgency on the mother’s part.  Her intent in bringing the child here was not for us to pray over the boy or give any medication, but it was to get money to bring him somewhere else, telling us it was the hospital, however it was not hard to see a witchdoctor was a very viable option in her eyes.  Everything about this situation signified voodoo influence, the nakedness, the key around his neck, the symptoms.  Laurens had been given over to the evil one.

So we prayed.  And we prayed.  American and Haitian team alike, we prayed.  And I held his hand, and we continued to pray.  After praying, one of our Haitian staff called him by his name and stroked his face.  And Laurens opened his eyes.  He closed them again.  We called him again.  He opened his eyes for a brief moment, then closed them.  This went on for a few minutes, calling to him, Laurens coming and going.  But finally, he came to and he was awake.  His pupils were constricting normally, he was tired, but he was awake.  We praised the name of Jesus, all of us except his mother.  She was very weirdly calloused to the whole miracle.  We gave him some medicine and before he left made sure he heard that “Jezi renmen ou” (Jesus loves you).

His mother walked out the door with him.  We don’t know what kind of life they live outside of our walls.  He could be opened up to the enemy the second he’s home, and the enemy will take the opportunity.  His life is in his mother’s hands.  As much as we’d love to keep him here so we know he’d be safe from any voodoo or evil worker, we can’t.  And that’s the frustrating thing.  These alternate roads so many here walk, they are ancient roads.  They are so engrained in the culture and the history here in Haiti.  Some parents raise their children in that way.  They raise their children to deceive.  They raise their children in the way they were raised, a way that is not one of light, but of darkness.

This morning Laurens and his mom came in to the compound again.  He was eating popcorn.  Pray protection for Laurens’ soul.  Pray Jesus himself is his advocate.  Pray he learns to walk in the way everlasting.  Pray he is lead to the right road.

Here at Mission-Haiti, we strongly feel that if we are going to do any good, to make any influence at all, it will be reaching the children of this area through the grace and spirit of God.

“Enter through the narrow gate.  For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.  But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Matthew 7:13-14