If anyone reads this and has the capability to help or knows of someone that has the power to help, please please PLEASE email me: [email protected]
Dear Friends -
I want to help Tiwil (real name Anderson, dont know last name because its a french name and they all sound the same to me) get a visa for many reasons. I cannot start with any other reason except that his heart is more precious than anyone can imagine. I have not seen such a tender, loving, humble heart in many people. And it is only by the work of God's redemption that someone can have a heart so tender in a land so desolate. I keep learning more of his story, so I will share some of that...
He is 24 and became a Christian about 4 years ago through going to school on site where we live. His mom died in 2007 and he still feels sadness because of that, because his mom loved him a lot. Last year during the massive flood, his house was washed away. He was swept away about a mile and then grabbed hold of a tree and climbed up it, watching many Haitians float by screaming. He cannot swim though so he was forced to watch unable to help. His sister had her infant daughter swept away in the flood and she died. Tiwil has known much sadness and yet the other day when we were having a hard day here, he went home and cried for us because he felt so sad that some of the Haitians had been treating us poorly. If anyone spends 15 minutes with him, their heart would soften at the site of his heart for people and his infectious laugh.
So that explains why I love him, now I want to explain why I want him to be able to come to America. It is every Haitians' dream to come to America, but that doesn't mean every Haitian needs to come. (I do not want to turn Haiti into another America, but I do want Haitians to have the opportunity and ability to provide for their families and have hope to live tomorrow.) Still, I see in this man a heart for people that is special. And I want his horizons to be broadened. Growing up in a Haitian village makes it very difficult to understand life on a broader picture than just that village. I pray that with his heart and passion, and a bigger understanding of the world, he could bring hope and change to many people in his native country. To do that though, he needs to learn English, as any person who partners with American supporters needs to be able to communicate with them. And the best way to learn English is to live in it and be immersed. I have seen this first hand from living in Haiti for 6 weeks, and already feeling like I can communicate with anyone (though, of course, sometimes on a limited scale). So, I want Anderson to be able to come to America to study, to see, and to gain a broader perspective of the world our God is redeeming.
And I am so excited about the possibility of showing him amazing things we take for granted. Today I showed him Google Earth, and he had no idea there was such technology available to have photos of the whole world. Three weeks ago was the first time he had ever seen the internet. He has never used a computer. He didn't (gasp) even know that Michael Jackson had died. The world in a Haitian village consists of only that village. The struggle of making sure there is food to eat for the day leaves no room to worry about what else is happening in the world.
All that being said, I also hate that a dear friend of mine has to sleep on a concrete floor every night and has to worry about where the next meal will come from. I want to help him, and we feed him as much as we can without causing problems with the community by only feeding one and not the other 5,000. (we still need Jesus to come multiply our bread). But my friend Anderson is special, and I hope that in learning English and being given the ability to dream, he can help to feed all 5,000 one day.
A visa is nearly impossible to get for someone from his social realm. But it is no more impossible than multiplying bread in front of 5,000 people. Jesus can and still does work miracles, and thus we are hoping for another one here.
I want to help Tiwil (real name Anderson, dont know last name because its a french name and they all sound the same to me) get a visa for many reasons. I cannot start with any other reason except that his heart is more precious than anyone can imagine. I have not seen such a tender, loving, humble heart in many people. And it is only by the work of God's redemption that someone can have a heart so tender in a land so desolate. I keep learning more of his story, so I will share some of that...
He is 24 and became a Christian about 4 years ago through going to school on site where we live. His mom died in 2007 and he still feels sadness because of that, because his mom loved him a lot. Last year during the massive flood, his house was washed away. He was swept away about a mile and then grabbed hold of a tree and climbed up it, watching many Haitians float by screaming. He cannot swim though so he was forced to watch unable to help. His sister had her infant daughter swept away in the flood and she died. Tiwil has known much sadness and yet the other day when we were having a hard day here, he went home and cried for us because he felt so sad that some of the Haitians had been treating us poorly. If anyone spends 15 minutes with him, their heart would soften at the site of his heart for people and his infectious laugh.
So that explains why I love him, now I want to explain why I want him to be able to come to America. It is every Haitians' dream to come to America, but that doesn't mean every Haitian needs to come. (I do not want to turn Haiti into another America, but I do want Haitians to have the opportunity and ability to provide for their families and have hope to live tomorrow.) Still, I see in this man a heart for people that is special. And I want his horizons to be broadened. Growing up in a Haitian village makes it very difficult to understand life on a broader picture than just that village. I pray that with his heart and passion, and a bigger understanding of the world, he could bring hope and change to many people in his native country. To do that though, he needs to learn English, as any person who partners with American supporters needs to be able to communicate with them. And the best way to learn English is to live in it and be immersed. I have seen this first hand from living in Haiti for 6 weeks, and already feeling like I can communicate with anyone (though, of course, sometimes on a limited scale). So, I want Anderson to be able to come to America to study, to see, and to gain a broader perspective of the world our God is redeeming.
And I am so excited about the possibility of showing him amazing things we take for granted. Today I showed him Google Earth, and he had no idea there was such technology available to have photos of the whole world. Three weeks ago was the first time he had ever seen the internet. He has never used a computer. He didn't (gasp) even know that Michael Jackson had died. The world in a Haitian village consists of only that village. The struggle of making sure there is food to eat for the day leaves no room to worry about what else is happening in the world.
All that being said, I also hate that a dear friend of mine has to sleep on a concrete floor every night and has to worry about where the next meal will come from. I want to help him, and we feed him as much as we can without causing problems with the community by only feeding one and not the other 5,000. (we still need Jesus to come multiply our bread). But my friend Anderson is special, and I hope that in learning English and being given the ability to dream, he can help to feed all 5,000 one day.
A visa is nearly impossible to get for someone from his social realm. But it is no more impossible than multiplying bread in front of 5,000 people. Jesus can and still does work miracles, and thus we are hoping for another one here.
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