During my first trip to Haiti, I experienced the Lord in a way that I never had before. I received a clear calling from him to Defend the Orphan through furnishing and decorating the rooms at the Coreluv Children’s Village | Myan. I connected with some of the kids in amazing ways and when I felt that connection, I knew where my heart was and I knew I needed to help these kids.
When I got back from my first trip to Haiti, I worked on getting a team together to help me raise money for the orphanage. We took on decorating and furnishing each of the 16 rooms. We figured out that each room would be around $1,000 so that was $16,000 total. By the time everything was set in place to start fundraising, we had about 3 months to raise all of the money and shop for the bedding and all other decorations for the rooms. Long story short, many people doubted, but God was evident through the whole process and provided more than what we could have imagined.
In just 3 months we had raised more than we needed. The last two weeks before we went back were dedicated to shopping for bedding, rugs, and décor. We came up with a theme for each room and bought things that went with the theme. Our hope was for the kids to have a place to go that will give them peace and comfort. These kids have never had anything that they can call their own and I wanted to be sure we gave them that. Our team headed out with a deadline of 6 days to finish every aspect of the rooms. Everyone worked extremely hard to finish the project and we were so happy to see it come together! It’s amazing knowing that there are so many kids there now that can enjoy their rooms and feel comfortable where they are.
My absolute favorite part of my whole journey is where it all started on my first trip. Making the decision to go to Haiti is the best decision I have ever made. I would never have guessed that this trip was just the start of a long journey. The love and joy I experienced with the kids are what brought me back the second time to finish the orphanage. God is amazing in the way he opens doors for us!
I would definitely tell everyone to go beyond the limits you think you can reach. When something seems impossible, God always comes back and accomplishes those things. You can do anything with God by your side. I think it’s important to use what’s in your hands because that is what we are called to do. We are called to honor God in every aspect of our lives. We need to be living intentionally and using our hands and feet to do his service.
– Lexi Pantzis