We began the morning with me sharing a bit about my son Matt's experiences working with these children in Haiti. Then we viewed a video of children and volunteers from these orphanages. Here's just a bit from my remarks, which provides details on who we were helping.
"My son, Matt, has become involved
with a group of women in Haiti that maintain 3 orphanages near the city of
Leogone. He makes a few trips
each year to continue his volunteer work there.
When I discussed with him ideas for things our Relief Society could do
to for these children – he felt the drawstring backpacks would be very helpful
and he liked the idea of the hacky sacks.
These children love futbol – or as we call it soccer. They play for hours with old beat up soccer
balls. For those who don’t recognize the
term hacky sack – these are small balls that are kicked between their knees and
their feet – think bouncing a ball on your foot, ankle, knees.
The orphanages we are doing these projects for
house about 300 children between them and are run by a group called Femmes Intégrées d'Haïti - which translates to: Integrated Women of Haiti. They are a Haitian women's organization in
Leogane,
Haiti. Since, August 2006, they have been serving their community despite
their own poverty and personal trials.
Several of them, including their main coordinator, are members of the
LDS Church. Like us, they are Relief
Society sisters doing their best to lift and help those in need." |
| Relief Society sisters in Haiti |
I also shared the following story from my son:
"In 2014 I was visiting an orphanage that I have become very
close with. During that visit one of the children was crying and no one could
help him stop. I picked him up and asked the care taker about him. She said
that he had only been in the orphanage a few weeks. He was very young, maybe
less than 6 months, but we couldn't really tell his age because most orphans in
Haiti are very small and malnourished. I asked how he came to be an orphan in
their care. She told me that he was brought to the orphanage after being found
crying in a latrine. She told me that many of her children in the orphanage had
been brought to her after being found in a latrine. She said that often mothers do not
know what to do with their child who they cannot care for. So they leave them
somewhere. This broke my heart. I couldn't imagine a woman leaving her child in
a latrine.
I held that little boy while he cried in my arms. I didn't know
how to help him. I didn't know how to help him stop crying and feel peace.
While I was holding him one of the volunteers with me starting singing what is
now one of my favorite hymns. I have only found it in the French hymn book. It
is called 'Souviens-toi'
This is a rough translation:
'Remember, my child: At the dawn of time,
We were friends playing in the wind.
Then one day, in joy we chose
To accept the Lord's great plan of life.
That evening, my child, we promised
Through love, through faith, to be reunited.'
We were friends playing in the wind.
Then one day, in joy we chose
To accept the Lord's great plan of life.
That evening, my child, we promised
Through love, through faith, to be reunited.'
I remember feeling something so strong that I wept. I say wept
because I didn't just cry, or shed a couple tears, I felt so much in that
moment and I could not hold back my tears. My heart felt so broken for this
child, and at the same time I felt so much love for him. And he and I just wept
together until he fell asleep in my arms.
A scripture came to
my mind in this moment: 'But, behold, Zion hath said: The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me—but he will show that he hath not.
For can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee, O house of Israel.
Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.'"
Sisters, we are grateful to all who helped us prepare for and carry out our activity last week and to all of you who were able to come and help us do a little bit for these sweet children of God. It was truly a joyful morning as we worked together and remembered the words of our prophet, Thomas S. Monson, who has told us that “we are the Lord’s hands on the earth”.
Below are pictures taken that morning (that is a very yellow room - some of the photos just looked better converted to black and white) and links to the patterns we used for the drawstring backpacks and crochet hacky sacks. If you have any questions, or if you have some of the unfinished work now ready for me to collect - you can reach me at loriepierce.rs@gmail.com.
-Lorie Pierce
PATTERNS:
Crochet Hacky Sacks – prepping for filling plastic pony beads
Filling and Closing Hacky Sacks
Drawstring Backpacks Tutorial
