Not a starfish

Many know the story: a boy walks a beach littered with starfish stranded by low tide. A man at a distance watches the boy throw one starfish after another back into the water and sneers, “Boy, what does it matter? You’re never going to save all those starfish.” The boy stops, looks at the man, stoops, picks up another starfish, throws it back into the water. “I saved that one,” the boy answers. “It mattered to him.”

Last weekend our GO Vision Team passed a boy on a rural road of Bon Repost. His arm was in a sling. He legs contorted. His limp overshadowed by his “alone-ness.” Our team was headed to visit Juli and kids down the road. When they returned to the bus, this boy was waiting. MacKenzie. 13 years old. His collar bone was fractured and not healing well. Between granola bars, he shared more of his story: parents died in the quake; living on the streets for nine months; had $2.80 in his pocket that a local church had given him. He wanted to know if he could live in the orphan community.

It’s not that simple. Yet, at the same time, it is simple: a starfish on the beach needs someone to help, except MacKenzie is not a starfish. He’s a young man, made in God’s own image.

After a phone call and some background work, MacKenzie spent the night as part of our children’s home at Jumecourt (also known as the OTV). He has some special needs that required funds. A GO tripper had money given by a friend who said, “When you are in Haiti, use this where it’ll matter most.” It mattered to MacKenzie. It will cover his care until our local Pastor partner figures out the next step.

We don’t know the end of MacKenzie’s story, but we are grateful for the opportunity to be in his life. We’re grateful to partner with you who care so much about each child. Thank you!