I have been able to witness and be a part of sharing in, in Christ's love, with several families that are preparing their lives to be RADICALLY changed forever. Not only through Gods Love and Grace, but through the Holy Spirit leading them to Haiti to not only serve His people, but to be served. I have seen these families give freely of themselves to whatever Gods will is, and in the process, be led to love His children in the most amazing way. I hope these families will find joy in reading what I have witnessed as a wonderful Gift of God!
Meet Melissa Hope!
Melissa was brought to us, by her Mom, and left at First Baptist Church's Clinic in Pernier, PAP!
The story of this little girl, starts way before she was ever left!
After the devastating Earthquake,that left most of Haiti in desolation happened, God started working on the lives of many people! We just have to be willing to listen and be Obedient to his calling, and this is where the journey begins...
We had been given a very big blessing from Regions Bank, by a willingness to serve and be Obedient to the needs of the people of Haiti. By donating their personal Jet once a week, Medical personnel were able to come and serve freely without the burden of cost. This is were Dr. Jenny Chapman, from Huntsville, AL,comes in. She is the wonderful wife of Jack Chapman and the mother of 3 children: Haley, 10, Lori, 6, and Jackson, 2. Little did she know, when God allowed her to come to Haiti, she never expected to play such a vital role, as the one God had planned. Dr. Jenny was willing to be at Gods mercy in whatever he needed her to do. At this time, she was to administer care to the Haitian people in the Pernier Community in PaP. In being obedient, she was able to give care to over 100 people and one special little girl. This special little girls name was Melissa. She was a very sick, very tiny and frail little girl that appeared to have Downs Syndrome. After further examination, it was discovered that she had a very big heart defect. Dr. Jenny felt a heavy burden for this baby and explained to her Mom that it was a serious, life threatening problem that need immediate attention. At the time, getting that kind of attention was very limited. As Dr. Jenny's week ended, the burden only intensified. Over time, Jenny felt that she'd probably never see that Melissa again and was sure that she would die without proper care. God indeed had a plan in place that would forever change the lives of many people!!!
On September the 8th, 2010, Dr. Jenny was once again serving in Haiti and administering care at the Pernier Clinic in PaP. This day was no ordinary day, God had placed Dr. Jenny in this Clinic for a reason. A stranger had waited patiently for her turn to see the Dr. with this little frail girl in her hands. Almost instantly, Dr. Jenny recognized this baby as Melissa, the little girl she had seen, what seemed to be so long ago. To her surprise, she was able to understand from the lady that had her, that her Mom came in and handed her over and said she would be right back....that never happened. Sadly, this was the last resort that Melissa's mom had at the moment. Not knowing what to do next, all she knew was, this baby needed help. How could a Mom that loved her baby so much, just leave and not come back? Little did Dr. Jenny know, her life would never be the same.
Talk about God moving mountains, Dr. Jenny was overwhelmed with emotions, as she packed to go home the next morning. What would happen to this little girl, who will take care of her, all the emotions going through her head and heart that any mother would feel at that moment. Well, after serious crying and packing, we sent Jenny on her way to Huntsville, assuring her that Melissa would be taken care of. As she prayed and prayed in the days passing, she and her husband Jack, along with their children, felt a heavy burden for Melissa and what would happen to her. As the days passed, they really felt the Lord whispering to them that they were to adopt Melissa. Through many trials and sleepless nights, they have started the ball rolling and working diligently to bring Melissa home.
There is a twist to this story....
The week before Melissa turned 1 year old, contact was finally made with her mom. After all this time, she was afraid to come forward, afraid that she would go to jail for leaving her with a stranger. After carefully assuring her this would not happen, she wanted to see Melissa one final time. That's it, just one time, for closure I'm sure, but also to know that she was ok. We took Melissa to First Baptist Church of Pernier, and were to meet her there. When church was over, we couldn't find her, did she not come, what happened?? Just when we thought she wouldn't show, there she was, standing outside the gate.
She had WALKED 6 miles to get to the church to see her baby one last time. It was a moving experience that I will never forget. The joy on her face when she saw Melissa was priceless. Can you imagine what she was thinking when she saw this face!
The tears in her eyes, said it all. She was so happy to see how healthy she looked and how much she had been loved. I was amazing to be able to be a part of what God is doing in this little girls life. Sense this day, her mom has been able to see her a few times and has asked for nothing in return. One of the most special moments happened when we had Melissa's Birthday party.
With Dr. Jenny's permission, we invited Melissa's mom to be a part of her a special day, and also give Jenny a chance to thank her for allowing us to be of help in such a desperate situation. She said with tears in her eyes, that she never thought this day would come. After making the hardest decision of her life by leaving her, so that she may live, she never in a million years thought that she would be able to come together with so many people that loved her baby and would except her for what she did! That's called God's Grace!!!! Nothing more, nothing less...Isn't that what we are called to do, show a lost people God's love and grace. At that moment, it was like the world and everything in it were as it should be. I know God was pleased with what had happened that night, and nothing will ever take away the love and acceptance that mom felt when she laid her head down and closed her eyes.This is what it's all about people, serving God and letting His love and mercy flow from our every being. It's not about us, it's about Grace, it's about mercy, it's about the love we have for our Heavenly Father and the love he has for us.
This is not the end of Melissa's story, but the beginning! The beginning of lifelong journey between 2 moms that are worlds apart, but share love for one beautiful baby named Melissa Hope!
I am honored to be able to share a little of Melissa's story with you, and I am truly blessed by all I have witnessed. If you would like to continue this journey with Melissa, check out Dr. Jenny's blog:
http://drjennychapman.blogspot.com/2011/02/one-tiny-bundle-of-blessed-joy-melissa.html
