Turned Tables

(3.31.13)

You may remember a little blurb I wrote about the rescue of “J” (Julie*) in my blog titled “Hope” posted February 8, or maybe you even read Megan’s blog about that day. Well today the table was turned.

As Tachi and I prepared to make cinnamon rolls Megan came rushing through the kitchen saying, “Joseph* is here to see Julie, they haven’t seen each other in three months!” (Joseph is Julie’s younger brother.)

I followed Megan outside in excitement to see Joseph but once I saw him I knew instantly something wasn’t right. Joseph is a student at Respire Haiti Christian School but about two months prior he’d disappeared, stopped coming to school and no one knew where he was.

Julie had always been the one mistreated, beaten and abused while Joseph was treated as royalty so, while I was worried, I wasn’t too worried. That changed the moment I saw him sitting there across from Julie next to some man. Joseph was visibly skinnier than he had been, his face was sunken in and hard, his usual grin wasn’t on his face nor were his eyes filled with their usual smile.

I went back into the house to allow Josh and Megan to talk with “the man,” who was supposedly a cousin. Come to find out Joseph had been living in Jacmel and he and this cousin had walked, WALKED! to Gressier from Jacmel. It’s about 40 miles if you walk the road; 40 miles of going up and down the mountain, that’s IF they actually walked the road which is narrow, windy, and very dangerous when you factor in the crazy traffic.

As the cousin was busy talking Julie sat asking Joseph questions, “are they feeding you?” “no.” “Are they beating you?” “yes.” Not only did this cause my heart to break and become enraged for Joseph but it was a reminder of the life Julie had known. Joseph was now experiencing the life Julie had known.

Joseph did not want to leave Respire, he did not want to budge from his chair and follow his cousin out the gate. Josh said he could stay and we’d send him to school the next day but the cousin said he didn’t have his uniform; without hesitation feisty, thin, little Julie said “his uniform is here!” (Love that little girl!) The tables were turned. Instead of Joseph fighting for his sister to be rescued from her situation, Julie was now fighting for Joseph to be rescued from his situation! So sad, heart-breaking, and enraging while at the same time it made my heart smile to see these siblings fighting for each other, sticking together and loving and caring for each other.

Joseph stayed with us tonight but I don’t know what will happen with his situation because he can’t live with us. Pray for Joseph’s physical, emotional and spiritual healing. Pray for wisdom to know how to handle his situation, to be able to find a good, solid, permanent home for him.

*names changed to protect our students