It’s been a bit over a week since we arrived in Haiti. My team was assigned to serve with Mission of Hope (MOH), located just outside of Port Au Prince. MOH partners with the local Haitian pastors and village champions to determine the need of each village; after which, teams are organized and sent out to serve where needed.
During our first week, we eagerly dived in by constructing walls for a local church, building meaningful relationships with the locals, hanging out with the kiddos, and sharing the Gospel while planting fruit trees throughout the villages (I’ve gotta figure out a way to get a mango tree. Y’all know I LOVE my mangos!).
My favorite activity? Village time! I love exploring cultural differences, discovering similarities, and making friends with complete strangers-even with the language barrier. Who knew that washing a stranger’s clothes by hand while baking in the sun would be so much fun? (No lie, yall. The sun is like right here. Like, RIGHT UP ON MY NECK. I’m not complaining though…just stating facts. Thankfully, God sends the breeze every now and then. And when He does, I usually stop in my tracks to embrace His love. He’s faithful! *praise break*)
Anyhow, that’s how I met my Sophia. She was outdoors with a huge bucket of water and a bar of soap washing her family’s clothes. She is the sweetest little drop of chocolate! Actually, now that I’m recapturing our moments together, she’s not so little at all. Sophia is sixteen years old and A LOT taller than myself. My head may come to her shoulder. Ha! Sister girl and her long brown legs had me by the arm today pulling all 5 feet and 2 inches of my body from one place to the next. I was out there struggling to keep up, but she insisted that I meet her entire family. That was pretty cool! My Creole is still in the works, however. Wait. I should probably rephrase that. My Creole is terrible. I’m lost out here. I did manage to give each of them a “Bonswa! Sak pase?”. So that counts! After that, it was all smiles, nods, and hugs. I’ve got nothing else. Lol! At least for now. I’ll be sure to keep you updated on how well I’m learning the language in future posts.
This beauty right here? That’s Enide! She lives just down the road from Sophia. I can not look at this woman and not smile. She lights up my life! Look at all of that Jesus in her! This picture doesn’t do her smile much justice so just take my word for it. Better yet, come see for yourself! You’ll love her too! I’ve bumped into her twice already and can’t wait to see her again.
Aside from all of the wonderful memories I’ve been creating with the people here, God has been STRETCHING me. I mean reeeeeeeally stretching me. I am so big on my freedom and independence and since being here…well, I’m not quite sure how to define the two anymore.
Don’t get me wrong. The ministry is awesome, all five of my teammates are super dope (Heyyy ladies!), but it hasn’t been easy. My biggest struggle is the food. For the most part, I eat pretty healthy back home. Whole Foods is my bestie. I mean, c’mon..the cashiers greet me by name. However, since being in Haiti, I haven’t had the freedom to flag down a tap-tap to get to the market and my body is screaming for some greens! Scream-ing! Just a few days ago, one of our lovely cooks here on site was able to get me a pineapple and a few mangos. Come through, Jesus! *Praise break* I’ve been trying my hardest to make all of my goodies last. Between my delicious, heaven sent fruits and the nuts my teammate, Vickie, blessed my life with, I was over here winning!
That is, until my stomach began to rumble. Oh boy.
It’s extremely difficult being a picky eater on the field. I’m just trying to steward my body well, you know? Then too, I know God has me here for a special purpose. He’s teaching me something. I’m struggling with my flesh because I know what I enjoy and what foods help my body to perform at its best. (And if I see another PB&J sandwich for lunch, I just might cry.) I also realize that my “I do as I please” attitude has got to go. The good Lord knows I would’ve been to that market five times and back by now! Except, my will isn’t true freedom and it’s definitely no good for the Kingdom.
Now that I’m here, sitting in this toasty bunk bed under my mosquito net spending time with Jesus, His lesson is becoming clearer. God definitely wants me to enjoy my fruits and vegetables, but what He wants even more is for me to rely on Him. Totally. Fully. Completely. For so long, it’s been me trying to do it all. Everything. Just me. Using my own strength and wearing myself thin. He simply wants my attention. All of it. So I’ll rest in that.
And when I see that good ol’ PB&J sandwich staring at me from the other end of the table, I’ll be reminded of that simple truth.
God loves you. I do, too.
-Jazz
