It Took a Village for Elijah to Walk

Elijah is 14 months and just started walking this past week here in Haiti.  To say it has been a collective effort here is an understatement.  Several of our kids here made it their personal mission to teach him to walk.  We had 3 back to back groups of Americans and each one had different people on their teams who held his hands as he took steps.  Matt’s parents, sister, and brother-in-law were all here and joined in the effort.  House Moms and All Things New employees cheered as he would take a step here and there and then we all laughed together as he toppled to the ground.  The images of this “village” we have here teaching Elijah to walk is something I have come back to many times over this last week.  We truly are a family and I don’t just mean Haitian side.  The teams that came down from America each treated our kids, Sophie & Elijah, and Matt and me like family.  Our employees love our kids and care for them like they are their own.  Our kids love Sophie & Elijah to the point that we have to sometimes make them back off because they are smothering them.  Life can be hard here and there are definitely times it would be easier to pack up and get on a plane.  Then God sends 47 Americans (read Matt’s blog here) to love on you and your kids.  He shows you His love for you through the image of your 14 month old baby boy learning to walk back and forth between BiGuedy and Chinaider.  He reminds you you’re right where you’re supposed to be as you take an evening walk and Sophie runs and plays with Tilene and Elijah holds hands with Dinna.  I will never forget how Elijah learned to walk here and I can’t wait to share the story with him one day.