I love the natural progression in relationships of this experience. As promised, I will explain my new brother, Jacky Asse. Instead of writing online Thursday morning, I chose to help Jacky, Manno, and the residentual house advisor, KC, with cooking breakfast. As I cracked eggs in the bowl, the guys stared at my me with a strange look of fascination. KC explained that they had never seen anyone quickly crack each egg over the bowl, rather they pain-stakingly cut a hole in the top of each and pour it in. Each meal prepared for the "visitors" has taken upwards of two and one-half hours. In many cases, the meals are prepared in the dark (mom I donated those LED touch-button lights to the pitch-black cooking-cause). The scrambled eggs we had that morning, prepared by contributions of 3 staff and myself, were the best I've ever had, no joke I tasted love in every bite.
At some point on Thursday, I asked Jacky how to make the coffee...meaning, where do you keep the beans. This turned into Jacky not only making a whole pot of coffee for me, but going down 2 floors to turn on the solo gas-guzzling generator for 15 minutes....just for my coffee. I kept telling him he was making too huge of a fuss, not to go to the effort. His response to me was completely serious, "I am here to serve you, Lala." Please don't read into this as myself being a prissy, needy American. It is the manner of hospitality here. Even the most poor will still break out the best china, give you their finest of everything as their guest. I will do my best to serve Jacky now in return as he has requested, by sharing with others, the story he so eloquently came to speak at our devotions on Thursday evening.
Born in the countryside, 30 years ago, Jacky's father was a "Tonton Macoute" (a militant organization that terrorized the people for political gains), who left Jacky and his mother with nothing more than a bucket of milk, to pursue his chase of many other women and money. Without a man to provide, Jacky's mother turned to the streets. After awhile, a christian woman noticed them and took them in. Unfortunately, Jacky's mom later got involved with another man, so they left the christian woman's care, only to discover this other man had infected Jacky's mother with AIDS. She died in the early 1990s. Jacky, was taken in by his aunt and uncles, not as a member of family in need, but as a "restavek", or a child abused and used to do work, left to sleep on a pantry floor...a child slave. He was eventually reunited with the christian woman, and she referred him to St. Joseph's Home for boys. This is the original organization of Michael Gellenfeld, a member of the Mother Theresa order, who eventually took ownership of the orphanage in which I stay. There, Jacky found his love for dance in their dance troop, and found passion in receiving applause by others. He moved onto another part of the organization, Trinity House school for streetboys, where he was dance teacher. It was here at Trinity house in Jacmel where Jacky was present during the 2010 earthquake. He was kept safe, but spoke of a miracle he was witness to. A 15-day old infant was buried in the rubble of a building collapse. 7 days after the quake, the child was discovered, untouched, without a speck of dust or scratch on skin. This, he proclaimed, was God's protection. (I will also mention that miraculously, not a single orphan of Wings was harmed in the earthquake either...in fact, Carlyn, a severely challenged and mute girl, spoke her first words shortly after the event as though she was shaken out of her shell). Continuing Jacky's story...he was asked by Michael to serve as Director of the orphanage shortly after the earthquake. He felt overwhelmed, worried he wasn't properly equipped, but knew he was being called to serve, and saw the importance of his background of abandonment and lack of worth to that of the disabled, abandoned children, who some compare to as "living pieces of furniture". Jacky now has two sons of his own that he can only see on weekends, as he resides in the house during the week, ensuring each child is properly fed, bathed, clothed and educated. His daily tasks include managing both orphanage and guest house, ensuring there is enough power from the generator, and rain water in the cisterns to operate, all appropriations of funds and donations, traveling the dangerous route into town to gather supplies for all 35 children, full team of staff, and the particularly "needy" visitors who arrive fairly often. Jacky is in awe that as an abandoned boy living on the street, used by his family, he has been chosen as a leader. Most haitians, he says, leave for America once they are able, never to return. He knows the awesome power and special secret of love that Haiti holds, and he realizes that it is vitally important that he stay and do his best to teach others to lead, inspire others to hope, and God will continue to provide.
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