On a warm Sunday morning in Haiti, I awoke to the sounds of music and singing in Creole. The worship service at the church next door had begun. I made my way over to the service a little late, and the rest of our team was already seated in the back. Everyone was excited to worship together. The music was a mixture of hymns with acoustic and electric guitar, accompanied by drums. There were probably eighty or ninety people in the service, and at one point, Greg and I walked next door to the kids’ service. All of the children from our homes, and some of the kids from families in the church, were in the service together.

Greg and I didn’t stay long, because we were a distraction—Haitians don’t see white people very often. We left and went back to the main service, which continued for more than two hours. By the time the service ended, it seemed that people could have stayed even longer. Church is a big event in Haiti; Haiti’s culture is not based on time, but on relationships, so people arrive at all times and often linger for long periods afterward. Being around other Christians is incredibly important to this church family.

After the service, I walked outside and watched the people as they were leaving. They were very friendly and welcoming, especially to outsiders. The children played in the yard as they waited to return on their bus to the Children’s Home. You can imagine them filing into the bus—more than 100 kids, ranging in age from four- to fifteen-years-old. A group of older boys was standing in line, waiting to get on the bus; they looked like athletes, and they were laughing and talking animatedly. I thought of my own son. Just before it was their turn to board the bus, I noticed one boy start to shake hands with all of the boys. Turns out, this young man wasn’t from the Children’s Home, but he had come with his parents to church. He was saying goodbye to his close friends, the boys from our home.

Seeing these children bond with one another through the local church makes me so thankful for God’s love. His faithfulness is the source of everything we do in ministry, and it’s a blessing to be part of His work in the lives of young people like these boys.

Wiley Kennedy serves as Director of International Ministries with Connect 2 Ministries. To learn more about Wiley, visit Who We Are, and to learn more about how you can support the ministry, visit Support Us.