It feels like ages since I’ve communicated with you all!
I chalk it up to truly horrible and rare Wi-Fi in Haiti (I couldn’t launch anything more than WhatsApp without crashing everyone’s connection) and a travel day that lasted 93 hours (but that’s another story for another time…)
Right now, I am in South Africa. It’s INCREDIBLE but first, I want to Tell you a little about what we did in Haiti. So this will just be .more of a basic update of life on the mission field working with Supply and Multiply in Montrouis (in Creole: Monwi), Haiti!!
6:00 wake up, workout with Team 1010 Fierce
6:30 take a shower (or, if I didn’t wake up to workout, I’d wake up now because the generator — and the fans that kept us comfy cool throughout the night– shut off then)
6:40 quiet time (aka a personal bible study)
7:30 corporate prayer with both of our teams (a practice begun by the Dominguezes, our hosts in the D.R.)
8:00 breakfast of fresh fruit, avocado, peanut butter, coffee, and tea
9:30 begin morning ministry…. or wait for Shamma, our translator, to show up….
10:30 ACTUALLY begin morning ministry; which could be either:
– JAM club, which stands for “Jezi Ak Mwe” or “Jesus Wih Me”; a mini- kids bible school/playtime,
– door to door evangelism, OR
– visiting Matthew 25 houses, which are homes for elderly people who have no family left *more about these later!!*
12:15. 12:30, 1:00, 2:15….. Return for lunch (this is another instance where we really lived off Haiti time, in which clocks do not exist)
2:00, or maybe 3:30 afternoon ministry:
Matthew 25 house, or a JAM club, or visiting Ann’s Orphanage
5:00, 5:30, or 6:00 dinner time
6:00 (once a week) women’s bible study at the church
7:30 team time, which is a little meeting for our team to debrief on the day, spend intentional time building each other up and getting to know each other, delivering announcements, etc.
8:30 (sometimes) movie time!!- with the teams, or with the kids of the community
9:30 (usually) BEDTIME, in which I fell asleep immediately (i was so tired all the time in Haiti!)
The Matthew 25 houses were incredible. Our hosts had set up one for men, and one for women. When we visited, we would sing with them, chat about their lives, discuss a Bible passage, or just laugh and laugh and laugh. The name of the homes “Matthew 25” was taken from this part of the Bible [Matthew 25:35-40]:
35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
Throughout the Bible, Jesus and the Father explicitly expressed the importance of serving and loving widows and orphans. They are the people who have no one to rely on, the lowly, the seemingly insignificant, the least, and the last. But Baba says that to Him, they are the most important. In His order of the Kingdom, they are not last, they are first.
Serving at the Matthew 25 houses taught me this, that the Lord’s heart breaks for these people, and that when I listen to Him, and model after Him, my heart also will break. But that isn’t a bad thing, to have a broken heart, because it brings me closer to my Creator and as He says in the above Scripture, I am actually serving Him. And that is my sole goal.
