Sister Odilon

One of the things I intended to do with this blog is introduce you to the amazing, humble people here. I want you all to meet the people who help run the orphanage and the kids themselves. The first person you should know is Sister Rose Marie Lorent Estinfort. We call her Sister Odilon, because that is the last name of her husband. Names are very confusing here. If I can say them at all, they usually have several names and/or a nickname. I can't keep up!! They have a hard time saying Renea, so some call me NayNay, but many call me Madame Michael. I believe it is proper to call a lady by her husband's name. Anyway, This is Sister Odilon:

She is truly one of the most humble, hardworking, pleasant and timid people I have ever met. She is one of 2 house moms who take care of the 78 children here. She works tirelessly to keep all the rooms in order and taking care f the kids. I have literally seen her sorting socks for 78 kids!! She cleans, washes, changes sheets, and does things for these kids like they are her own. And in fact 3 of them are hers. Sister Odilon is 34 years old. When her oldest daughter was only 3 years old, her husband left her. To this day she does not know where he is or even if he is alive or dead. With three very young children she was alone and dependent on her extended family to help her. She also went through a long period of illness, but when she was better she was encouraged to go and find work to support herself and her children. In 2007 she began working for the orphanage as a house mom, which also provided a place to live for her and her children. Over time, she made the difficult decision to allow her children to be adopted. She has discussed this with the children and they know that it is because she wants a better life for them than what they have here. She wants them to have opportunities that they will not have in Haiti. What an unselfish love! I don't believe I would be capable of doing that. She wants them to become Godly adults who are educated and independent. And eventually she would love for them to come back to Haiti and try to make a difference here. When I asked about what she would like for her future, she wasn't sure. Many Haitians don't think much about the future because they aren't sure they will have one. There are too many concerns for today. But after thinking about it, she just said that she would like to have shelter and be able to take care of her mother and her extended family. Being the oldest child she feels that is her responsibility.

Sister Odilan's oldest daughter is Noverlitha Estinfort or Naomi. She is 14 years old and loves basketball. She is in her 5th year of school but says she does not really like school.

Odanette Estinfort is 12 and in her 4th year of school. She pretty much likes playing all the time. And from what I can tell she and their brother Samson love to bother Naomi and pick on her. Typical of younger siblings!

Samson is 11 and in his 3rd year of school. He says he loves to play electronic games (which he probably means Elijah's itouch because they don't have electronics!) He also says he prays that he will do very good in school so he can be smarter than Odanette!! I was also impressed that Samson speaks very good English!!

This is a very sweet family that I am honored to know and I hope that by seeing their faces and knowing a little about them, you will be encouraged to pray for them specifically.