Haiti March 20, 2016

Report by Ashley Sim

Yesterday we took a walk to the orphanage. Looking into the faces of those children really made my heart feel a certain type of way, and i cried. I cried because they are so happy. Hearts filled with joy as they sang melodies to us. I looked at each and every one them – from the older girls all the way down to the little babies…just beautiful sounds touched my heart. And I then realized, they are me and I am them. I walked outside and 4 of the girls followed me. They all greeted me with a smile. They told me that if I sang for them, they would sing for me. As I sang “Amazing Grace,” their eyes followed the movement of my mouth, trying to learn the lyrics. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder–they didn’t care if I couldn’t sing, or if I was off the beat a little. All they cared about is that I love the Lord just as much as they do. When I finished, they cheered for me as if I had just scored a winning touchdown. They started to sing to me, and once again my heart poured out with tears of joy. Even though I couldn’t fully understand what they were singing, some of the lyrics i could understand were, “Thank you, Lord, for the clothes on my back and shoes on my feet.” God bless their souls. Once we all finished singing I asked them their ages – they said 16,17 and 18. Then they asked my age – I told them I am 23. They laughed so hard and said, “Small, small.” I responded with, “Oh, I get that in America all the time.” I am forever grateful that i got the chance to meet these 4 young ladies–their faces are forever engraved in my heart.