I guess I wasn’t really prepared for what I was about to see. I guess I had never seen such poverty in my whole life – children playing in gutters where the filthiest water I have ever seen sludged through: diseased children, crippled children, naked children, and most of all HUNGRY children. We had come to help feed the children – but what we would see, we were not really ready for.

As we drove to the big church, we could see that the little children had begun to gather hours before they knew the big door would open. Pastor Neree had done a beautiful job training the children about respecting God’s house – they were trying so hard to be patient. But what does a little child know about being patient and not pushing in line when he is hungry and hurting? Some had little brothers and sisters in their arms – not old enough to walk. Some had little crippled brothers or sisters on their backs – but all waiting as patiently as they could.

We went into the room where the big tables were set up – little tin plates with a few beans and rice and powdered milk waiting. Pastor Neree had taught the children to walk in, find a seat, bow their little heads, fold their hands, and wait for prayer and thanks to Jesus for the food.

We walked back outside the gate. Those faces – those beautiful angelic faces – those eyes – big and wide looking to us for help – that LOOK of hunger on the children’s faces will never leave my memory. The pushing began to get harder and some little ones had been pushed down and were crying. Some were hollering and some saying “shhhh…. shhhh” – trying to hush the noise. Then all of a sudden, the big gates swung open. The man in charge was trying as best he could to count heads: 1, 2, 3, 4, …8, …12, …15 – shut the gates. Those fifteen ran in and took their seats. Open the gates again!

By now the children from way at the end were shoving and pushing. Many, many were crying – little ones with babies on their hips reaching out to the gates and pointing. How do you describe the pain in those faces?

The gates began to open again: 16, 17, …25, ...40, ...50. Stop.

This time a little boy was almost crushed as the gates swung shut! He thought he was going to get in. He thought he had come early enough to be counted. But the man in charge hollered something in French, and with his hands reaching toward the food the child was pushed back out, out into the street. It was too late. The gates had shut and no one else could get in that day!

There was total silence among the children for a moment – they were staring, looking, hoping that when all the children were seated, there would be more seats and the gates would open again. But soon they realized the tables were full and those left outside the gates would go hungry another day. They clung to the gates, many peering in to just watch as the other children bowed their heads and gave thanks for what Jesus had provided for them.

I stood and watched in shock as those children’s hands would slowly drop down the gate and they would finally let the last finger turn loose. I watched as some would just drop to the ground and stare (some had been standing for hours in the scorching noon-day heat) and others as they would slowly, so slowly begin to walk away. Soon their sobbing turned into silence. Why should they cry? More tears didn’t stop the hurt; only food would! And I felt a hot tear hit my cheek; and another and another and another! “Those are human beings. Those are real little babies and they are STARVING and they are HUNGRY! I hid my face, not wanting them to see me crying. I turned to find a corner I could hide behind. I buried my face in my hands. I just wanted to scream as loudly as I could “DON’T GO AWAY. WE’LL FEED YOU. PLEASE DON’T GO” but the big gate had closed and they knew what that meant! Pastor Neree had fed all he had money to feed for another day. There were no more funds. Yes, he could spend it all and feed thousands in one day, but what about tomorrow and the next day? Hunger does not go away with ONE meal!

I didn’t speak another word riding back to the hotel; I went straight to my room and fell on my bed. I knew there was an answer to all this; I knew that Jesus did not create these beautiful children to have them abandoned and hungry, and I wanted to know why children suffer! In between sobbing I cried out to God for His answer. Slowly I began to see the whole picture.

The Garden of Eden. There was no hunger or pain or sickness or poverty there. But into that picture came the one who has caused the entire FALL of the human race – SATAN himself, furious because God had created another to take his place, he came to kill, steal and destroy every human being. He came with his tricks and his lies and he made HAVOC of everything. He is the one who is worshipped most in Haiti and look what a MESS he has made. The only hope for those people is what Jesus is doing through the church and through Pastor Neree and through Christians sending food; feeding those children and all in Jesus’ name. That is the answer: Jesus’ people coming to destroy Satan’s power and hold by sending food to feed them; then sending the Gospel to save them; then sending MISSIONARIES and TV programs to keep them going until that day that Jesus snatches those beautiful little babies in a twinkling of an eye and takes them HOME to live in HEAVEN with HIM FOREVER!

God did not want those babies to go hungry and He told us 2,000 years ago to feed the hungry, clothe the naked; it is we who have failed, NOT GOD. He told us what to do and we have not done it! Jesus went to Hell for us and snatched the keys form Satan and said, “Now here Grandma, here Papa, take those keys and I give you authority.”

Behold I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing shall by any means hurt you. (Luke 10:19)

Why do we sit here and let the world die and go hungry around us? So we BELIEVE the Word of God is true? Do we believe there is a Hell? Do we believe those people will go there unless WE do something? Do you believe this, Jan?

I must have lay there for several hours because when I next opened my eyes it was dark outside. I had remembered the call to supper, but the thought of my eating after this day was the farthest thing from my mind!

I wanted so desperately to feel better. I wanted to dust all this off and say, “we’re leaving tomorrow for America and I just won’t see this anymore.” But let me assure you, every child – those eyes – the pain – the hunger – the cries – it won’t leave you – EVER.

I left part of myself in that little Isle of Haiti. When I left, I left a part of my heart there. One day I was thinking about and praying for those little babies in Haiti and my eyes caught a portion of scripture that I did not even know was in the Word. The scripture just POPPED OFF the page to me. I began to cry. I began to praise. I began to shout. I began to thank my Jesus. I ran to the phone and called Paul and said, “Honey, Jesus just gave me a scripture. It’s for our babies in Haiti; you’ve got to hear – you’ve got to hear it. It’s Rev. 7:15-17.”

That is why they are here before the throne of God, serving Him day and night in His temple. The one sitting on the throne will shelter them; they will never be hungry again, nor thirsty, and they will be fully protected from the scorching noontime heat. For the Lamb standing in front of the throne will feed them and be their Shepherd and lead them to the springs of the Water of Life. And God will wipe their tears away. (Revelation 7:15-17)

“Honey, our babies won’t be hungry ANYMORE – not anymore. They won’t be thirsty; they won’t have to be in the scorching sun and God will wipe away their tears.”

By this time Paul was crying on the phone. We rejoiced and praised. That was written just for our babies!