Due to the lack of internet I had access to in Haiti, this blog is much overdue. I apologize. My month in Haiti went by so fast, it seems like a big blur, but I will try my best to recap what happened.
This past month on Haiti really put things in perspective for me. On the whole, my time there really ended up being more about the work that the Lord was doing within me than the actual ministry itself. God revealed a lot of fears and insecurities I’ve carried, and was faithful to show me what was true about the man he has created me to be. So many people on my squad have encouraged me and affirmed the good gifts and qualities God has placed in me, and spoke new truth into my life as well.
The Lord also broke my heart for the nation of Haiti. Currently, Haiti has a 70% unemployment rate as a country, and the consequences of that fact were prevalent almost everywhere I went. Realistically, there are little to no opportunities for jobs, so many have been relegated to begging in order to survive. It was also apparent that this practice has also been passed down to many of the children I was able to meet. Often I had the feeling that I was lost in time while in Haiti, as I saw people living like people did in the U.S. over 100 years ago.
However despite that, I also encountered hope and faith that goes beyond anything I had witnessed previously. In the villages I visited, people openly proclaimed how good God is, and how blessed they are despite how little they seemed to have looking through my American eyes. The Haitian people are hungry for God, whether they know it’s Him they are yearning for or not.
Through all of that I realized just how much I want to fix all the problems of the world, but what Haiti is going through cannot be fixed by me or any other person. What the nation needs is the transformational love of Christ, which has with it power beyond our limited human ideas and understanding. Truthfully, Haiti doesn’t need any more humanitarian or missionary organizations dumping money or showing up for a week, feeling like they did good, then peacing out, soon to forget about what’s going on here.
Christians, if we really believe we are the body of Christ, we need to realize two things. First, God doesn’t leave us or forsake us for something better or easier. So if you are going to go to Haiti, or anywhere else, your focus should be on empowering and supporting your brothers and sisters who have been doing the Lord’s work there all along. Second, the Lord empowers us so we can walk out life through His Holy Spirit, and at the same time, He doesn’t leave us in the state we are in and just shower us with random blessings that won’t result in any positive change or growth. Haiti doesn’t need your pocket change or free handouts, its needs transformation. If you believe God has created every single person uniquely and intentionally, for purposes He has ordained, believe that this is true for Haitians, not just for Americans. The nation of Haiti belongs to God, and despite what you think or may have heard, He is using Haitians to take it back.
P.S. My next fundraising deadline is fast approaching, as I must reach $11,000 in support to continue on the World Race. Please pray for my and the rest of my team and squad to meet this deadline, and if at all possible prayerfully consider giving anything you can financially. God is doing amazing work everyday through us, so I can assure you any blessing you can give will make a difference for Christ’s Kingdom.
