As I write this, three year old
Odiana is resting on my lap and singing a hymn that we all know, only she is
singing it in Haitian Creole, “Holy God, We Praise Thy Name.” I love hearing the children sing throughout the
day. They have no radio or TV so they
don’t hear all the popular songs of today.
The songs that they know are all hymns that they sing in church. I thrill at the sound of their sweet voices
singing. They love music and seem to
have a natural talent. Even six year old
rough and tumble Benjami sings beautifully with a clear high voice, always
hymns that he knows from church.
Those who have been following my
blog know that a mother and her twin babies and a two year old boy visit us
every day, seeking food for the twins and little boy. Latest on the menu for the twins has been
Quaker Instant Grits, which I threw into a box to come to Haiti. I cook the grits well, add a little
margarine, sugar, and thin the mixture with canned milk. The babies love it, gobble it down, and give
the sweetest thank you smile, happy with a full belly. These twins are less than six months old and
probably should not have solid food. But
“Mama Marassa” (twin’s mother) has very little breast milk, being
undernourished herself. The little two
year old is also very thin. The children
here at Kay Timoun make him a peanut butter sandwich and give him whatever
fruit is available. I note how
compassionate they are toward the visiting family. Wozlo gave Mama two of her dresses, not old
cast-offs, but two of her newest dresses.
Today Gastina told me that she was giving her Crocs to the little
boy. Gastina and Wozlo have been raised
in abject poverty and, in their own way, are giving back for the blessings that
they are receiving.
Pere Phanord was heading out to
make home visits this evening as the children and I returned from a walk and
buying special treat, a cold Tampico.
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