Mission of Hope Haiti- so much to say about this organization and this place. The first week in Haiti our team assisted the Haitians in running a VBS. It was a total blast. Me and two of my other teammates where in charge of rotating children to each station, making sure they had their supplies, bringing them water, and just making sure everything went smoothly. At first I was nervous about this role because I thought coordinating with two extroverts would be difficult because I thought they wouldn’t listen to me and that the people in charge of the stations would get confused with everything. In the end I realized I enjoyed not having to be in a set position or have to vocalize everything. I like being the behind the scenes person and serving others when they needed my help. Also, I was able to help with the stations when they had lots of children. The kids were so adorable and I loved every minute I got to be with them.
When VBS was over I was sad to say goodbye to the children. They were so full of life! The following two weeks my team was assigned to do construction. We assisted Reuben, a member of Mission of Hope’s staff, in building the Convention Center. It was a large project to be apart of. We put up beams and pillars, screwed in pylans, and various other things. I climbed so high to screw in bolts and it was awesome. I enjoyed the work and getting to know my team better, but I didn’t get much time in the community getting to know the Haitians. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that our whole squad was together here. We were able to take showers, have American food (peanut butter and jelly, tuna), sleep in bunk beds, and get good snacks! In addition, I got to know more people on my squad and reconnect with people that I hadn’t seen in the Dominic Republic. It was really cool, but overwhelming at times. Sometimes, I would have to go be by myself for awhile.
The last week in Haiti was my favorite. We were able to go the villages, pray for people, and play with the children. The children were so happy to have attention from us and just loved being held. This reminded of how God views us. He wants to be in constant communication with me, know how my day is going, and wants to hold me when I am down. He wants me to lean on Him always no matter I am going through. The last day in one of the villages I met a man that I will never forget. His name was Maxwell and he was an older gentleman. I saw him and I knew there was something different about him. I was able to talk to him through a translator and found out that he was involved with two women and had children with both of them. He told me that he couldn’t accept Jesus into His life until he ended one of the relationships with one of the woman. He thought his sin was too great. I told him we all fall short and will always sin even when we don’t mean to. We will never be perfect or deserve to be called children of God. He said he knew there was God for all that his children have been blessed with and wanted to become a Christian but still doubted. I told him that he doesn’t know how much time he has left on this earth and that I wanted him to be in heaven when we all die. He said that he hopes he can end one of the relationships soon.I prayed for him that day and will continue to pray for him. I want to see him in heaven with me. He was such a kindred spirit and I knew I would love him no matter what he had done. Christ is the same way. He loves even though we sin, we stumble and fall, and then turn back to Him. He has His arms open for us, it is such a crazy concept for me sometimes. No matter I do, God will love me no less as long as I repent and turn to Him.
Thank you all for your prayers and thoughts. Please pray for the nation of Haiti and that they see God more each day. Pray for their hearts.
