Last Wednesday,10 youth and 5 staff members from the Ryan Epps Home for Children Haiti (REHCH), including Giorgy, Mami Eunide and Bianca, delivered food and hygiene kits to the youth prison. There was enough for 97 incarcerated boys, plus policemen and personnel. The outreach was a blessing to all at the prison and a life lesson for the older children at REHCH to show them “where they don’t want to be.” The outreach was supported by Haitian businesses and some members of Brad’s recent mission team. The children at the prison usually only receive one meal each day, but the REHCH team fed them a light breakfast and a delicious meal for lunch. The team also left rice and beans for later use. The children were very thankful for the visit and the kits. They said, ”Mami, Papi, thank you for coming and not forgetting us.”
The REHCH children had prepared hygiene kits the night before the prison outreach. Early Wednesday morning, they spent time praying for the success of the mission, raising the 97 boys for God to touch their hearts and praising God from Whom all blessings flow! The team left REHCH at 6 a.m. to arrive at the prison on time.
Giorgy said, “I don’t have words to describe what we saw at the prison. It really touched my heart.” It was encouraging to learn the children have the opportunity to take classes, such as computer and sewing, so they might have a better opportunity when they leave prison. Many of the youth were the same ages as some of the REHCH children, and it was very sad to hear their stories. Many requested prayer and expressed how they wished they had done things differently. One of the prison children told Giorgy he was “trying not to do the bad thing.” Giorgy told him, “If you really know what you want, you can change. Jesus can help.”
Giorgy said he is thinking of getting the boys some Bibles, and this may not be the REHCH children’s last time to go to the prison. He spoke of knowing there is also a prison for girls and of the possibility of going there. Giorgy added, “This is part of our ministry – taking care of children.”