Two girls named Tia and Katie,
One a child, and one a young lady,
When the earth gave way,
And the world kneeled to pray,
Made us all feel our hearts beat for Haiti.
I have not written anything here about our connection to Haiti. Facebook has been abuzz with links and articles surrounding our friends and their daughters who were in the middle of horrifying circumstances but were brought safely through.
Kris and I are on the board of directors for Brent Gambrell Ministries or BGM. Brent is a very dear and long standing friend of ours. His ministry has grown to include a very impactful outreach to Haiti over the last several years. It’s been amazing, not only to see what God is doing there, but to see Brent fall deeply in love with the people who are trapped in such circumstances. The poverty, the corruption, the need has been overwhelming long before the earth shook that island to its knees. BGM, the staff, the young volunteers, and mission teams who have entered the country and left their hearts behind have all come back to our blessed America with tears and stories. Haiti became home to many at BGM, including Brent and a family by the name of Wilson.
Mike and Missy Wilson joined BGM several years ago as friends and co-ministers. Mike has developed a speaking ministry and Missy has used her administrative skills to organize and keep the BGM office running at top speed and maximum efficiency as the Executive Director for the ministry. They have given of themselves over and over and their family, three biological sons and a college student they informally adopted named Katie have fallen in love with a little orphan girl in Haiti named Tia. The process to bring Tia home was nearing completion when the earthquake shook things up. Katie was there too. Having taken a semester off to spend time helping others in Haiti she had just arrived a couple of weeks prior. When news came of the quake, Mike and Missy were left for nearly 24 hours with no idea whether their girls were dead or alive.
The call finally came from Katie that they were safe. That all of the children in the orphanage were safe, but so greatly in need. No water, no shelter, nothing to give the little babies to eat. Help was needed and fast. Mike and Brent moved quickly to get themselves and as much supply as they could, down to Carrefour. They are hoping to come home today.
There have been numerous stories, both locally and nationally, about the Wilsons and their girls. God has been good, people have reached out and soon the entire family will be together for the first time. Mike and Missy are relieved but their burden is not lifted completely. Getting two girls home is not the only help needed. They didn’t just fall in love with one little Haitian girl, they fell in love with the country. The people are still in desperate need and many of Haiti’s people are small children. Please consider what you can do. God blesses us to be a blessing to others. Each of us a conduit of His love, grace, encouragement, strength and provision. Pray for the people of Haiti and if you can do more please see the link below for information on donations needed.
Here are links to the numerous news stories that have aired.
The Tennessean (BGM is on the second page of this article)
This is such a beautiful post, Mary. I love it when you write from your heart. I can’t wait for further updates on these precious girls.