Christmas in Haiti – documenting hope in a land of despair
A child praying at the ravine feeding. Photo by Lucas SimmonsDuring the first week of October, Lucas and Alicia Simmons said their goodbyes, packed all their remaining possessions into four suitcases, and hopped on a plane. As part of a dream that had been coalescing for four years, they’d given away or sold everything they owned. They were leaving the country. On the night of Oct. 6, their dream finally came to full fruition. They slept that night in a tent on the rooftop of a guesthouse in an orphanage in Haiti. For the next month – even as Hurricane Tomas arrived, even as Port Au Prince was consumed with the frenzy of a cholera outbreak – this was their primary residence. But their new home was down below, among the 50 kids who reside at the Maison de Lumiere orphanage. Most were former street kids. Some had suffered horrible abuse. All had suffered heart-wrenching loss in their short and turbulent lives. Lucas and Alicia moved to Haiti to love and serve these kids. “It’s a calling,” Lucas said in an interview via Skype this week. “It’s just amazing here. I am so thankful to be here to serve God and to serve these kids. It’s a very special place and I am just excited to be here…
Read this story on easyreadernews.com