Lift Up My Hair to the Lord

I just returned from my second trip to Haiti. It was different this time and I am still wrestling with why? The children and adults just feel different there, than here. There is a love and compassion there that you can't help but be washed and cleansed with. There is a presence of the Holy Spirit there that for me makes me feel privileged to just be in their presence . When I am there, my life has purpose and meaning. It's about being a part of God's plan, giving love and receiving love in a pure and spiritual blessing.

There were many moving experiences, but one personal one for me was with my friend Dieumene. She is a very striking young 18 years old girl that has a presence of royalty in her. Her eyes can look straight through to my soul and she touches me so that I feel that she is the very embodiment of the Holy Spirit. She was abandoned at the school 18 years ago. She was born without any arms. If you have seen any posters or videos of St Vincent's School, she was probably in them she has been the poster child of the school her whole life. She is now 18 and wants desperately to attend the university there to become a child psychologist. I can't imagine any child being able to tell this child of God she doesn't understand and doesn't know what it feels like to be different to be unloved or unwanted. She is the big sister to over 300 brothers and sisters there at the school and she watches each one and cares for them. There is nothing handicapped about this girl. On my first trip when I met her, I asked if I could have a hug. She said yes so I gave her one. As I was reaching around her to give her a hug, I suddenly realized she has no arms to hug me with, I went and did it anyway. On this trip when we met, she asked where her hug was. So I gladly gave her another as well as two kisses on the cheek. We talked a while and I asked how was she doing. She said she was sad because she was done with school there and wanted to go to college, but didn't have any money to go. I changed the subject and said I had heard her sing the day before and I thought she had a beautiful voice. At that she came over to me and rested her cheek next to my ear and softly started to sing "Lift Up to the Lord." She got to the part that is supposed to be lift up your hands and she changed it to lift up your hair. You see God knows she has no hands, so she changed it to be hair. At that I lost it and the tears drenched her cheek as I cried next to her. I prayed, "Oh my God, what a beautiful gift this child is." She touched me in such a way and did so with no arms by the power of her spirit. I would dearly love to find a way to send her to college. I have been told that it cost about $4,000 a year to send a child to college in Haiti. She has overcome so much and helped so many, I would love to be able to help her obtain her dream.

John Mutin, Paramedic