Wednesday August 14.
For the last couple of days, we have been doing community outreach. This looks like going into squatter camps with a few of us Americans, a pastor, and a translator (in my group our pastor Michael was also our translator). We do outreach in these communities which is intended to get to know people, assist them in anything they want/need help in (laundry, dishes, etc.), and to transition our conversation into one about the Gospel. We’re not there to convince them to go to a church or to act like white heroes. We are there to build relationships, encourage those who are already believers, and share with them why we believe Jesus is worth it all—why He’s worth leaving our comfort and our family and our friends behind just because we so desperately want to seek the face of God in the Kingdom and for others to have a taste of it as well.
I’ve been to Haiti a couple times and outreach is what we did in the villages, but I always took a backseat. I let other people pray or speak or share the Gospel mainly because I had so much doubt in myself and didn’t feel that I was smart enough or as knowledgeable as some of the people in my group. Today was different. God gave me boldness to speak, even if I thought my words sounded silly and imperfect.
Today was the refreshing treat I needed. Outreach yesterday was exhausting, and by 6pm I was ready to sleep—in fact, I was ready to call it a day by the time lunch came around. Because of this, I wasn’t too eager to do outreach again. But this morning I stepped out in boldness and ignored any fear and doubt in my mind, and I got to share the Gospel story for the first time.
The African heat started to wear me down by the end of the afternoon, but I was encouraged and filled up by our encounters. We met two women, Toka and Roeda, who decided to accept Jesus and give their lives to Christ. We got to encourage them to share their faith with their husbands and to remind them that none of this is because of us but because of God’s power and desire to be in relationship with us.
My favorite part of the whole race so far is my interaction with a group of drunk people (Wendy, Chris, Solomon, and Justice) we met as we were heading back to the van to go home. We’ve done a lot with kids in the last week, and Lord knows children make me uncomfortable. I don’t know how to interact with them or what to do. Deep in my heart, I’ve been hoping to get to hang out with a “tougher crowd.” Getting to show Wendy, Chris, Solomon, and Justice that they were worth my time and energy felt life-giving; and honestly, I left feeling more filled up than they probably did from us.
I also think this afternoon was an excellent reflection of the Kingdom and of God’s gifts and passions He gave us. My teammate Brooke that I’m doing outreach with is great with children. Drunk people make her uncomfortable just like children make me uncomfortable. She was able to play with the kids and love on them while I was able to do the same with the woman and men.
I am thankful to God for allowing me to cross paths with those 4 people as we headed back to the van to end our day. I never really verbally asked God to send me to them or to send people like that to me, but he knows my heart. He knew what I wanted, and I am thankful God knows what you want when you want it. I feel seen and noticed which gives me a little bit more of a glimpse into our Father’s heart.
Psalms 139:1-4 says: You have searched me Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise. You perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down. You are familiar with all my ways.
With love,
Hals
