Yliana is one of the children who crept into my heart in Haiti. Her mother had brought her to the hospital in the early hours of the day of our arrival and waited until well into the evening for her daughter to be seen. A precious little girl with beautiful brown eyes, her mother had dressed her up in a pretty blue dress for us. We evaluated her and scheduled her for surgery the following day to repair her cleft lip.
I had the great privilege of sitting in on her entire surgery and watched with bated breath as each precise cut and stitch incrementally transformed the face of this beautiful child. As she slept in the recovery room, I gazed in awe at her beautiful face, knowing that once she healed, her tiny mouth and sweet little nose would perfectly complement those gorgeous brown eyes.
I interviewed her mother as Yliana slept in the recovery room. Her mother told me she had eight children who were all beautiful except for Yliana. I was reminded of Michelangelo, who also served God with his skill and his hands, who said, “I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.”
Thank you to our prayer team, who continue to lift up these beautiful children and our Haitian team so that we may continue to do God’s work.
[Lara Korba – first trip]