Mwen kapab.
This has so much meaning after my time in Haiti. Mwen kapab means I can in creole. This is the name of the curriculum for the Mission of Hope schools. They have developed a curriculum that is centered around Christ and also gives the students here hope for their future and the ability to dream. Often times, Haitian kids are taught that they will not be able to rise above what their parents did. So, if their parents were vendors, the children will become a vendor. If the parents are unemployed, the children will be unemployed. MOH schools are looking to change that. In fact, they are already changing that. Now, when you ask kids what they want to be when they grow up they will say things like a doctor, a teacher, a nurse, or a lawyer. They have a hope now. They know that they can do anything.
This change is vital to this nation. There is still so much destruction from the earthquake in 2010. We went to several different villages around the MOH campus where we stayed. I couldn’t believe the things that I was seeing. So many people are living in blue shacks. These shacks are just pieces of wood stacked up to create a structure with a blue tarp material wrapped around the outside. Inside, there is very little. A bed, maybe a table where they can eat, and maybe a cabinet to hold the little amount of dishes and cups that they have. And that’s it. This is no way for these people to live. In fact, it causes many problems. It is blistering hot during the day, and extremely cold at night. The blue material has even caused blindness in some people. They were never meant for a long term home. But these people are forced to stay there because they have nothing else to go to.
MOH is looking to change all that. They don’t want to give handouts to these people. They want to empower them so that they will be able to turn this nation around. Education is a priority in this goal. However, it is not easy. The children are required to pay 20% of the total tuition each year. This ensures that they are invested in their education. This money will go towards their uniforms and the books they need. The other 80% is provided through sponsors. It is $35 a year to send one child to school. There are around 2,000 kids that are still in need of sponsorship. This doesn’t mean that they can’t go to school. MOH steps up and pays the 80% for those children. That is a lot for them to take on. Sponsors are greatly needed here.
Mwen kapab has had a big impact on me. It has been a hard month here in Haiti. Learning how this whole World Race thing actually works, how to live in this type of community, how to love others like Jesus loves us, and how to do ministry. I have learned that door-to-door ministry is not one of my areas of strength. It makes me incredibly uncomfortable. I’m not used to going up to a total stranger and asking them all kinds of personal questions and then taking it a step further and asking if I can pray for them. At times it has made me feel like I’m not a good enough Christian to be here on this trip. I often feel like I don’t have the words to say or the knowledge to just quote the perfect Bible verse that will help someone. But, mwen kapab. I am here for a reason. To be pushed outside of my comfort zone and grow in the ways the Lord knows that I need. This month I have learned that this will be a year of uncomfortable situations for me, a year of putting others before myself, and a year of trusting the Lord to use me to impact the lives of those I will talk to.
For the nation of Haiti, mwen kapab is centered around their education. They can better themselves and be a key component of this nation flourishing. For me, mwen kapab is centered around this mission trip. I can be the best missionary I can be and push myself to grow this year. Both of these are centered around Christ. Because we are only able to do these things through Him who gives us strength.
Mwen kapab fe tout bagay ak Bondye. I can do all things through God.
