Those with special needs in Haiti are rarely seen for who they are—they are often neglected, ridiculed and belittled, and services catering to their needs are difficult to find.

Odette. This isn’t the first occasion in which I am writing about my affinity towards her. She encompasses love. All who are privileged to not only meet her, but also to spend time in her presence, could attest to this. She is a woman who embodies strength and passion, patience and perseverance. She has faced many battles, some she has lost but others she has conquered victoriously. She is feisty and fiery, and yet incredibly gentle and kind.

Gervens’ story of reconciliation—which has slowly unfolded over the past twenty months—has been a story of hope, of beauty, of encouragement, and of light. It has been one that has proven to me time and time again that despite the circumstances of this world, God is still good—all of the time. He took something which was broken, something meant for darkness, and made it into something beautiful—more beautiful than anything I could have imagined.

It’s been almost seven years since he lost his mother in the earthquake. She was visiting her sister in the hospital in downtown Port-au-Prince that afternoon and the building collapsed, crushing her body beneath its weight, marking the beginning of a new chapter for her children.

“Lauren, I have beautiful news for you! Kimberly and I are getting baptized on Saturday.” Anne Marie was beaming with pride as I stepped into her bedroom last week, almost a year since she first expressed to me her desire to be baptized.