I’m sitting in a baby blue, yellow, and electric purple ENO right now. Covered in dirt, with blisters on my feet and mosquito bites all over my body, cuts on my legs and sweaty in places I didn’t know could sweat but I can say with everything in my cut up, sweaty, blistered and bruised body that today was one of the happiest days of my life.
Why? Well,,,
I woke up this morning.
I woke up alongside my friend Lillabea, we have sleepovers every night. It’s sweet. We usually never actually sleep, and if we do it’s never before 12 and we’re always the last ones up but man oh man, having that lady by my side the last two months has been God given. I mean that. A serious privilege, and really truly couldn’t imagine these last two months without her. Thanking God for that one, and another day on this beautiful earth. Seriously thankful for another day.
Timeliness & Toothpaste!!!!!!
After we woke up, we went out to the dining area and I was actually on time for breakfast!!! Something that RARELY happens. Adding onto this beautiful day. We ate some delicious breakfast and then began getting ready for the day. That looked a little like coating our bodies in bug spray, (or in my case toothpaste because the mosquitos love me a little extra and i’m basically a lost cause when it comes to bug bites) placing bandaids on our nose piercings and tattoos (to respect the culture), throwing on some deodorant, and filling up our water bottles. By then, all 22 of us were ready for whatever the day ahead looked like. Toothpaste on, and here we GO!!!!
welcomed on in, with open arms.
We hopped on the bus around 10:15 to get to the neighborhood we’d be walking through for the morning. We got there to just talk about the Lord with the people of this little community. After a few stops at three separate homes, we were able to pray over the people in the homes we were graciously welcomed into. We were able to encourage these families, we were able to sit with them and talk with them. Not to over glamorize it, it was for sure uncomfortable during the awkward pauses in between translations, and when we didn’t know what else to share; but it was really nice to hear bits and pieces of these families hearts. Where they’re at in their faith and who they want to be. I really enjoyed it. Plus, this life isn’t supposed to be comfortable and easy. Language barriers are real y’all, and so are the uncomfortable in-betweens but we just have to learn to enjoy what we’re given.
we made it into her home, and brought her home
It wasn’t until about 30 minutes in, that we were climbing up what seemed to be a mountain to get to this woman’s home, but hey!!!!!! We came out victorious. We made it to her home!!!! As we climbed the last step into her porch area, she told us to all sit down on the ground of her home. So there we were, in the dirt, as she answered some questions we’d had for her. As we sat with her, we began to realize more and more that she had little idea of who the Lord actually was. She told us that it was voodoo that had been withholding her from a relationship with God, that she needed to complete this one last ritual in order to be rid of the voodoo. We sat with her for a long time trying to explain to her what life with the Lord looked like for us. Some of us shared our own stories, we shared bible stories and tons of scripture. After she’d heard enough, she went to go wake up her daughter in order for us to take attention off of herself because she’d been getting tired of hearing all we had to say. Her daughter walked into the porch where we’d all been sitting to listen in on the words the Lord . She sat down beside in a pine green chair as her mother slipped away, and took in all that we had to tell her. She’d ask questions and we’d answer to the best of our ability. She told us that she couldn’t become a christian because she didn’t have nice clothes or money. Could you believe it? She saw faith as a dinner party that only well dressed wealthy people were invited to. Except, because of today we were able to invite her to this dinner party. This special dinner party, where everyone and anyone is welcome. No matter what they had to offer. The Lord takes us as we are. All we have to do is sit down at the table with Him. After giving her some of our knowledge, our translator asked her “What do you think is going to happen to you when you die?” She answered back with “I’ll die, and I’ll go to Satan.” It was like someone had told her she was going to hell and she had no other option behind the decision that had already been made for her. My heart exploded. I wanted to cry for her, I wanted to yell. I wanted to, but I also wanted to jump around and give her every bit of information I had on a God that saved. A God that makes us clean, and Holy. I wanted to give her all I had. We began to throw verses around like they were free kind bars at a music festival. We threw it all out on the table. After about an hour of just simply meeting her where she was and my leader Lucie pulled Romans 10:9-13 out of her back pocket.
“because, if you confess with your mouth that jesus is lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved….For the scripture says, “everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame”… For “everyone who calls on the Lord will be saved.”
She sat there, completely receptive and heard us out for every little thing we had to say. After sitting on those words for a few minutes Lucie asked her what she thought about that, if that was a decision she wanted to make.
“Oui” she said “Oui” – for those of you who don’t understand french, Oui means yes. This woman, Misma – her name, Misma gave her life to the Lord today. We sat with her and talked for a while about what that’ll look like. Tears fell down my cheeks as I’d seen Misma go from completely detached, barely knowing anything about God to giving it away to Him today. HOW NUTZ!!!!!!!! We hugged her big, Lucie led her in a prayer of salvation. We lifted her up in prayer and said we’d be back with a Creole Bible for her. Today, I gained a new sister in heaven!!!!!! HUGE HUGE HUGE!
Losing my mind, still, to this second how it all played out. My God, He’s big, and we were able, today, October 20, 2017, to share him with a little part of the world in the community we visited. Life changing. Absolutely.
rice, chicken juice, and picklies, with a side of lively Gramoun!!!!
Lunch with the Gramoun!! Gramoun, means elderly or grandparents in Haitian French Creole. Our gramoun are sweet. They live in this little elderly home where the ministry were apart of take care of them everyday. Today we went and ate lunch with them. Wild, full of life women they are. We sit with them and dance with them, we sing with them and love them. It’s the sweetest time. Just being in their presence and loving them best we can. I. Love. It.
kiddos in the courtyard
To top off this life transforming day, we got to also spend time with our Zami!! Our friends!!! Oh the sweet little beans they are. So full of energy and life, they never ever ever stop and I seriously take advantage of every second. Tag? Absolutely. Soccer? No problem. One of my ladies Thyme just explained it as this “We play tree and monkey. Except we don’t actually play that game, they just climb on us like we’re the trees and they’re the monkeys.” Couldn’t have said it better myself, except becoming human jungle gyms is just apart of our everyday. I love everything about it.
I love this life.
I’m in love with the simple reality that the Lord is using the people around me as well as myself to transform the lives around the world. I feel like I say it a lot, that I’m in love with this life and that I could do this forever but I really really can. My perspective is always changing, never stopping, kind of like a merry-go-round. It’s sweet, to see the Lord working in such huge ways just before my very eyes. Using my hands to do the works of Him. Haiti, you’re rocking my world. Jesus, you’re rocking my world.
today’s been special for so many reasons. today i feel alive. sweaty, dirty, scratched up, alive. Thankful oh thankful. Today, and everyday.
