As the dust and initial panic begin to settle, we are getting a better look at the wreckage. Instead of crumbled buildings, we are seeing faces. Instead of nameless casualties, we are seeing families. One such family, the Osne family, has proved an amazing example of hope in such a crisis.
I was able to visit the Osne’s for the third time this morning. Joy Irvine and I came up to their modest home and found friends, relatives, and family members all sitting together on blankets in the yard. A large tarp hung overhead providing shade for the grieving family.
It was here that we sat for over an hour talking again about the three kids they have lost. We talked about what they saw in Port Au Prince, the collapsed apartment where Jacky, Ketheline, and Merland had lived, the events leading up to the earthquake, and the sovereignty of our God. Surprisingly both Frer Felicien and Mme. Felicien said, “God could have taken them out, but he didn’t. He has a reason, and he has a plan. We cannot lage li. (let go of him)”
Though sorrow was obviously present, this faith was the overriding sentiment in the home of the Osnes. Even Merline (24), the oldest surviving daughter repeated her parents’ sentiments, “Nou pa ka lage Bondye (We can’t let go of God).” She said this to me just after lamenting that she is all alone and has lost three of her siblings and best friends.
Though Merline and her mother are still having trouble sleeping, and though no one in the family has an appetite, the Osnes continue to exemplify faith in the midst of their struggle. In situations like this, “every man has a choice. They can choose bitterness or they can choose trust,” Joy commented to me as we walked away. “It’s so clear right now that they (the Osnes) are choosing trust.”
