Before I left for Haiti a couple of weeks ago, I heard some negative feedback from a few different directions. The question wasn’t, “Does Haiti need help?” The question was, “Should YOU got to Haiti and be that help?”
Well I prayed, and I got a word from God about my participation and my trip. I was called to GO even though the planning was difficult, the preparations were stressful, and I faced a constant fear of all the unknown emotions that awaited me. So, just 10 days after the earthquake, I pulled into the Dominican border town of Jimani, stared up at the hospital I’d seen on the news clips, and gazed out across the lake to the rattled nation of Haiti.
There were tents from all kinds of organizations. Relief agency trucks rolled one after the other down the street. Helicopters constantly flew over town, some towards Haiti, some back towards Santo Domingo. There were people everywhere helping. The question bubbled up in the back of my mind, “What can you and I really do to help these people?”
I’m not a doctor. I don’t really like to see the blood drip from my finger when I peel it rather than the apple. We didn’t carry hi-tech equipment that would help us locate those stuck beneath the rubble. Nobody on the team could fly a helicopter. It doesn’t seem like we had much to offer. 
Basically, all we really had were big hearts and willing hands and feet….. and you know what happened?
God moved.
While we didn’t preform a life-saving operation in our week of service, we may have helped somebody who will someday soon. We took two days to help organize a storage closet and shipping container full of medical supplies at a local church. While we didn’t bring in a cargo plane of food and water, we were able to give 5,000 bottles of water and 350 lbs of rice and beans to a church that can distribute them to the refugees who are showing up at their door.
There weren’t any meetings of heads of states, but there was a meeting for pastors from Port-au-Prince who were able to tell us what they needed. We’re now able to partner with them and help them meet the needs of those in their community… the ones they’ve been serving all along. We couldn’t clothe all of the refugees that have fled the capitol without any worldly possessions, but I know a Haitian family and a Haitian police officer who have an extra change of clothes now. We didn’t change out IV’s at the clinic, but we prayed for a lady with a broken leg who amidst the busyiness of the day, had been mostly overlooked.
We helped a local Dominican church serve soup twice a day to refugees in the park and at the hospital. I know that’s not a complete reconcilation between two neighboring countries that have a long-standing relationship of bitterness, contempt, and hate, but it’s a big step forward for the Body of Christ when a Dominican church reaches out to the Haitians in need.
So I came to a conclusion… The big time organizations are helping. They’re getting doctors and rescue teams and helicopter pilots in there to do some important and really hard work. They are saving lives. Their sweat and tears are worthwhile.
But without the small time peeople…. the ones with big hearts and willing hands and feet, there’s 
nobody to cook the food that they bring in. There’s nobody to pass it out to the patients who are hungry and thirsty, laying under tarps and tents of sheets in the hot Carribbean sun. There’s nobody to sit and listen to their stories. There’s nobody to pray with the brokenhearted and wipe the tears away. Supplies pile up and the things that are needed and within reacht stay hidden. People are up and walking around… yes… Praise God!
nobody to cook the food that they bring in. There’s nobody to pass it out to the patients who are hungry and thirsty, laying under tarps and tents of sheets in the hot Carribbean sun. There’s nobody to sit and listen to their stories. There’s nobody to pray with the brokenhearted and wipe the tears away. Supplies pile up and the things that are needed and within reacht stay hidden. People are up and walking around… yes… Praise God! But without the intentional care and relationships provided by people like pastors, mission teams, and you and me… they still walk around with despair in their eyes.
I’ve been trying to describe my feelings about my experience in Haiti last week, and it still sounds a little random. Still, I have an urgency to let YOU know about what can happen by serving the people of Haiti. I’ll describe it as a picture, but really… it’s something I FEEL. It’s weird, but everywhere we went, I would feel this in my spirit.
It’s like there is a giant hole, but it was full of stuff… compacted and pressed down, all of this stuff filled the void. When I look at it, you can tell that what fills this hole is not natural. But now, after th
e earthquake, it’s like all of this has been cleaned out. The space has been emptied. What was once full is now empty. There is a space to fill. There’s an open window for us as the Church to go and fill that space. I can feel the holy anticipation in my spirit whenever I think about Haiti. The space is waiting to be filled and it wants to be filled.
e earthquake, it’s like all of this has been cleaned out. The space has been emptied. What was once full is now empty. There is a space to fill. There’s an open window for us as the Church to go and fill that space. I can feel the holy anticipation in my spirit whenever I think about Haiti. The space is waiting to be filled and it wants to be filled. I know this is true because I saw open hearts and open doors that weren’t open before. I was in Haiti exactly one year ago, and there was a very different feel to our ministry. We’d talk about the Lord. We’d pray. We’d love on the people. It was tough though, like we had to give 150% every day to gain an inch of ground. It doesn’t seem that way anymore. It’s like every word we speak drops 50 seeds of God’s love into the void of people’s hearts. They are taking root and growing faster than before.
It all seems overwhelming. The number of dead and the endless road of rebuilding that Haiti faces is daunting.
Just because the news is talking more about super bowl ads, tea parties, and recalls on vehicles, don’t forget Haiti.
Just because you aren’t a doctor or rescue worker, don’t think you can’t make an enternal impact.
The time to bring hope to Haiti is now and YOU play a vital role in making that happen.
YOU get to help fill the void with the love of God.
YOU get to help fill the void with the love of God.
Pray. Give. Go.
The life you speak over Haiti in prayer could shift everything in the Spiritual realm. The dollar you give can buy formula for babies in need. The hand you hold can bring new life to the empty eyes of a nation.
Stay on top of AIM’s continued efforts and long-term plans at the AIM HAITI BLOG and give all that you can to help meet the needs of these hurting people through AIM’s HAITI DONATION page.
