Do you all remember Charles? He’s the boy who comes to our camp daily. It’s felt like he hasn’t missed a day. He comes, we feed him, we bathe him and we play with him. He’s very smart and very funny and he knows all of us by name. His arrival brings one sure smile to all of our faces every day.
Recently, we asked him a little bit more about how he was impacted by the earthquake. He told us that his father died, that his house had crumbled and that he was now living with his mom and 2 other siblings in a makeshift camp. We resolved at that moment to visit his camp.
We asked him where he lived and he told us that it was not too far from us. We dropped him off at home that day and we got out and met his mom. They were all living in an incredibly rundown part of town that was probably already miserably poor even before the earthquake. The effects of the earthquake made that part of town all the more unlivable.
As we were talking to his mom, many others in the camp had gathered around us. They told us that, as of yet, no outsiders had come to visit their camp. Unfortunately, we had nothing at the time to give to them. We gave them our thoughts and our prayers. We told them the impact that their little boy had on us and that we all cared for him deeply. Their response to us was very moving: “We thank you for coming here. We will sleep well tonight knowing that someone has come to visit us. We will pray for you so that you can continue on with your service to the people of Haiti.”
We left very touched by the entire experience. We now plan to take meals back for the entire camp. After sharing our experience with the Medical Team, they would also like to set up a clinic there for a day. We’ll update you later on how all of that goes
Take Care,
Team Jericho