I think it’s easy to look at our social media and believe that somehow life at Kay Timoun is a fairy tale, that the children have been “rescued” and somehow they’ll just live happily ever after.

That is not real life.

The children have suffered immeasurable loss in their lives. Issues of abuse, neglect, abandonment are not easily overcome, and in many ways this is a daily struggle for all of us. The deep wounds and scars they bear are unique to each child, but they are there. And they are real.

This summer God impressed on my heart the need for us to find some familial connection for Idelmy, in particular. Idelmy and I talked a lot last summer about his family. We had similar conversations this summer. One of those conversations including him trying to explain himself by saying, “When a person loses his mom and dad, he loses a part of himself.”

It has been 7 years since Idelmy was abandoned, 7 years since he has seen a blood relative. And his heart has yearned to find that connection again.

We knew Idelmy was from Cap Haitian. We were going to Cap Haitian for Leadership Retreat. It made sense to see if we could find Idelmy’s extended family while we were there. And by God’s grace and in His Divine providence, we did.

Reconnecting with family for two days filled a void in Idelmy’s heart, and left him asking if he could possibly visit them next summer for an extended period of time. By God’s grace, we want to see that happen.

Please continue to pray with us as we seek to bridge gaps between the children and their families, bridges that will bring emotional healing and restoration.