To be privileged enough...

Today I was blessed with the opportunity to bring twelve former restavek girls to Grace Village. A restavek is a child slave, the parents are unable to care for their child and sothey give them to someone else in the hopes that they will be cared for. What often happens is that they are treated as slaves. Unable to go to school, not allowed to eat what the family eats, and work from morning until night. These girls were beautiful. You could not see a trace of what they have been through in their eyes. Most of the girls have been there for 1-2 yrs and their rehabilitation is amazing. 

One girl that came with us was just accepted yesterday. She did not look at us very often and when she did it was out of the side of her eye. She kept her body very still and did not talk. My heart ached for her. One of the leaders told me that she had run away from the family she stayed with because she had finally had enough. She had been thrown down the stairs and was still feeling the injury in her leg.
Once we arrived at Grace Village we sang together and the girls wanted to perform for our orphans. It was so fun to watch them sing glory to God. After that we went outside to play on the playground. I looked over and the newer girl was standing to still and looking. I took her hand and brought her over. I asked one of our orphans if he would give up his swing for her, he quickly got down and offered her the seat. She got on and I pushed her for 5 minutes until she figured out how to pump her legs. I walked around and went to stand in the shade and watched her as her face lit up with the biggest smile I have ever seen. To be privileged enough to deliver such simple pleasures...ahhh. God is good.

Jennifer Hicks Imsland

Healing Haiti Team Leader