Love Heals: June 7th-8th

Hi everyone! I thought I would tell you about a little girl that I started working with this week and the amazing progress I have seen in her. There was an orphanage in Haiti that was closed by social services last weekend because of severe neglect and possible abuse. 23 kiddos from the orphanage came to GLA…most of the children were over the age of 3 so they went to the toddler house to receive intense nourishment and care. 2 toddlers and a baby were brought from the orphanage to the baby house. The children from the orphanage were all malnourished and many of them had respiratory and skin infections. They are all as sweet as can be and they adore being loved on.

Over the past week we have really gotten to know most of the new kiddos at the toddler house but the 3 at the baby house were “isolated” in a separate nursery so we hadn’t really even seen them until this week. Dixie (the founder of GLA) asked us (volunteers) to start gradually bringing up the two toddlers from the isolation room. My friend and I brought the two girls up for the first day and the littlest one (the one I picked up) cried when I picked her up and arched away from me. It was so sad...she was afraid. The only adults she had ever known had not protected and cared for her but had neglected and hurt her. Can you imagine how terrifying it would be to never have anyone to trust…especially as a small and innocent child? It is heartbreaking. I can’t imagine how hard her life has been. After that day I became determined to work with this beautiful little girl every day and help her to trust and feel loved. The second day I brought her up to the balcony she cried but for a shorter period of time and then she nuzzled her sweet little head into my shoulder and wrapped her arms and legs around my body and I just held her. I sang to her and just talked softly to her…hoping to calm her fears. After about an hour of holding her I put her back in her crib and as I was leaving she smiled at me! A small and tentative smile but a smile nonetheless! Last night I went into the room to visit her again and I got to feed her dinner! It was really sweet because she sat there with wide eyes, expectantly waiting for her dinner. I would give her a spoonful and she would open her mouth and eat it right up and smile. It MELTED my heart. She probably is still getting used to consistently having meals here at GLA as compared to her previous experience at the other orphanage.

After she ate dinner I was also able to rub lotion on her and give her a little massage which when I asked her if she liked it she nodded her sweet head and smiled. I’m in love with this girl…she is beautiful and perfect and I don’t understand how anyone could ever neglect her. I’m thrilled to be able to work with her for the remainder of my time here at GLA. I really hope I can make her feel safe and loved (for what may be the first time in her life). I am always tempted to just take her back to the toddler house with me and keep her with me every minute because I know she needs that kind of one on one attention…but the nannies here are working with her too and I know it is best for her to stay with the other children from the same orphanage. Please pray for this sweet baby girl…pray that her pain from any wounds (external or internal) will be healed quickly with the love, care, and protection provided here at GLA. Pray that she will open up to me and that she will begin to trust me and other adults here at GLA. I know that God brought her to GLA for protection and for a purpose! I will post a picture of her as soon as I can…she is so incredibly beautiful! Love you all.