As promised, I am going to share stories of people who were shaken in Haiti. I think often it takes experiencing another culture to shake us from our apathetic American existence. The stories you will read did not happen during the earthquake, rather they happened while these people faithfully served the Lord in Haiti. As a result, the Lord radically changed their lives in order that maybe, just maybe, our country might be shaken because of what the Lord taught them.
Meet Meera, one of my teammates on my trip to Haiti. This girl has a heart of gold, she was my anti-farkle partner, and might have fallen in love with Haiti more than I did. She didn’t care about getting dirty. She loved each and every person she met. And…she got engaged a couple of months ago!
“When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the Rock that is higher than I.” Psalm 61:2
I fell in love while I was in Haiti… With the people, with the country, with my team, with a sweet little orphan named Pierre, and more in love with God. There’s something special about Haiti. I was in awe of it’s effortless beauty… the mountains, the ocean, the gracious hearts of the people. I saw God working like I’ve never seen Him before and for the first time, I’ve been able to rest in His plan.
My heart is heavy as I write this. The “Haiti blues,” as I have been warned about have hit me pretty intensely. I didn’t want to come back to Dallas. After leaving Haiti, I walked around with a giant lump in my throat ready to break down in tears every time I thought about all the love these children were eager to unselfishly give, the unbelievable happiness on the faces of all the malnourished, neglected children, the little boy with evidence of beatings all over his back and his head, the smile on Pierre’s face every time we walked in the room, and every other moment I will never be able to un-see or forget.
I woke up this morning in my air conditioned room knowing I can take a hot shower today, but also knowing that we won’t be going to any villages today to pray for the beautiful Haitians, or share the gospel with a 105 year old man as my leader gets threatened to get hit with a cane, or hold and love on the children… even the naked one running with scissors, or see my team, or hear Heath’s Ugandan war cry EVERY 5 MINUTES, or see Pierre’s smiling face as he points while we walk around aimlessly trying to figure out what he wants.
As I reflect back on our trip,”emotional roller coaster” does little justice to describe what it was like. I felt every emotion on the spectrum in a those 7 days – heartbreak, anger, frustration, confusion, guilt, sadness, joy, contentment. Something Michael, one of our teammates, said during one of our devotional times that really stuck with me was that, “Sometimes God uses what He hates to accomplish what He loves.” And although I’ve never been to Haiti prior to this trip, I can see that while He may have broken Haiti down, I can clearly see that He is building Haiti up on His rock…. on His solid foundation.
If it were up to me, I wouldn’t have unpacked my bags. I would go right back today with an indefinite return date. But that’s not what I’m called to. So, for now I will let Haiti be my mission trip, and I will let Dallas be my mission field as I live life more intentionally, and more purposefully.
God showed up for me on this trip just like He promised me He would. He, without a doubt, broke my heart for what breaks His. He humbled me in a way that I’ve never been humbled before. My heart was deeply affected by this experience and I definitely left Haiti a different person than I came.
“Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand.” Jeremiah 18:6