I will try to give the basic rundown of what has been going on these past several days. There are eight of us on this particular volunteer team through Samaritan's Purse. We have been working on an orphanage project called The Lamb Center. The earthquake last year completely destroyed the orphanage. Although we can thank God that all of the children and staff survived, nothing from the orphanage itself was salvageable. Samaritan's Purse has been able to join with the nationals to rebuild the orphanage and provide a safe place for the children. There are 60 children at The Lamb Center. 60 absolutely adorable children!

The children are currently staying in rental homes nearby the previous site. Originally, I thought our team might be working on the groundwork for the new building. But since the project is slightly behind schedule, we are actually working at the rental homes themselves--mostly painting the drab concrete walls and ceilings. This was a pleasant surprise for me because it means we are near the children at the work site every day! Most of the time, many of the children are right at our heels... curious about what we are doing and whether they can help. I know all of them would love to get their hands on a paintbrush, but we've made enough of a mess ourselves as adults so that's probably not the best idea! :) We have let some of them help carry things and clean up and they really enjoyed pitching in. The nationals who work and volunteer at the orphanage have been a huge help and are often working right alongside of us. And I should mention that the two men who are running The Lamb Center were orphans themselves, adopted by an American missionary to Haiti many years ago. It has been so neat to hear their story and witness their love for these kids!

I have also been able to help with some of the admin duties here at the SP base. That's been wonderful as God always seems to use a variety of the skills and talents He has given me for projects like these. I've been happy to pitch in with those duties as well and I'm glad I could be of use in that way. But of course my favorite moments on this trip are spent with the kids, whether they are just hanging around while I work, or we're taking a break to play with them. (We take a lot of breaks!)

Please continue to pray for our team as we serve the children, the SP staff, and others in this community. Pray also for The Lamb Center and SP's role in helping them out. There are still many details and plans that need to come together and with God's help I know they will. Pray for those within SP who are in charge of this project, and that they will have the strength and wisdom needed to carry it out. And finally, pray for these 60 kids. I am thankful for the safe haven they have at The Lamb Center, but truly caring for these children and providing them with love and hope requires more than just a building.

I'll close with some photos of the kids. You'll see from their beautiful faces and smiles how easy it is to fall in love with them!