– – Simplicity – – –
Before I left and I would share about the World Race and how it would encompass leaving life as I know it for 11 months to share the gospel and live out of a backpack, I certainly got some quizzical looks. To be honest as time got closer and the reality of it all sunk in, it did seem pretty radical, especially when I couldn’t fit everything in my pack and my people Chelsea and Brad had to come over and tell me what I didn’t need and magically packed it in my pack to make it all fit. (Thank you so much guys 🙂 )
What is becoming really apparent to me the longer I stay in Haiti is how much in excess we think we need to live and flourish in America. It never seems to be enough and it’s baffling and so much more obvious now after being exposed to a culture where the people we work with and a lot of the people we meet spiritually thrive with little to no material possessions. . . And they’re …dare I say.. HAPPY.
Small tangent/disclaimer: I don’t want to downplay the spiritual heaviness in anyway and also don’t want to downplay what God is doing here. God is doing so much here through ministries and missionaries in Haiti but there is still a lot of Voodoo and spiritual warfare. On a positive note, some ways that God has been moving through us in this short amount of time include that we’ve seen God heal, we’ve seen broken people find hope through Jesus and let Him into their hearts, we’ve seen God expand the ministry we’re working with through us, we’ve prayed for countless women, children, babies, and men, we’ve built relationships with children through outreach, we’ve connected with young woman through a bible study we’ve been doing with them every week, God has given us His heart and His love for the elderly woman the ministry we are working alongside called Supply and Multiply cares for (we dance, sing, do crafts, and just sit with them and hold their hands) and times when it doesn’t seem like we are doing anything worthwhile God is showing up over and over again and reminding us that we are His light in a country that is spiritually grim and heavy. He brought us here for a reason. We haven’t been exposed to too much darkness because I think God is protecting us but as our time here is nearing the end and we are going deeper with Him we are being shown more and more of what’s been happening around our compound and darkness/sadness that is real, raw, and prevalent.
I’ve been learning so much here but if I could sum it up as a whole, one of the words I would choose would be simplicity.
If we put God before everything else He will provide all that we need. Matthew 6:31-33. The lie that money, a house, a car,
fancy clothes, “The American Dream”, “The One”, and whatever else will make us happy and if that’s what we dedicate our lives to is striving for more and more possessions/money/success/romantic relationships … it is a road to spiritual death. When we think of Haiti we think “Oh, they really need help” but I would argue that in the US we are just as spiritually bankrupt and lost just in the extreme of being so distracted and consumed by materialism, success and money. That is our “Voodoo.” The God-sized hole we all have can’t be filled with materialism, money, worshiping other God’s or No God, Voodoo, relationships, and the list is endless….the only and true fulfillment for what we long for inside and the cure for brokenness, is Jesus Christ.
Matthew 6:19-21 Matthew 6:24
It’s all so simple, not easy, but simple. We ALL need Jesus.
Other simple things I’ve learned here:
•It’s possible to live with a few pairs of clothes.
•It’s possible to eat just enough to nourish our bodies.
•It’s possible to live without internet/a phone plan.
•It’s possible to use a toilet and not flush the toilet paper because the plumbing is sensitive.
•It’s possible to live in close quarters with 15 other people and grow from each other
•It’s possible to live in a culture who barely speaks English. Sometimes things translate to all languages (laughter, dancing, kindness,
being silly, SOCCER, and Jesus 🙂 )
•It’s possible to sleep comfortably with a mosquito net
•It’s possible to fall in love with reading the Bible
•It’s possible to live without ice cream (for a couple weeks :P)
•It’s possible to witness and experience God changing the world through us RIGHT WHERE HE HAS US if we’re just obedient to Him
•It’s possible to live with only a generator that comes on at night
•It’s possible to enjoy taking cold showers
•It’s possible to eat peanut butter everyday and LOVE it
•It’s possible to live without a washer, dryer, and dishwasher
•It’s possible to never get tired of eating pepperoni
•It’s possible to skip a rock on water more than two times 😛
The point is, simplicity is becoming the new normal and I can’t really understand or comprehend how I would go back to how I lived before. We’re so spoiled in America. Seriously. But no matter where we are in the world, the solution is simple. Jesus is the answer, we just have to ask Him into our hearts, spend time with him, listen, and do our best to be obedient and let Him change our hearts from the inside out.
I’ve learned so much from the culture of Haiti and my heart aches at the thought of leaving, but I’m so grateful I got to see how beautiful God’s creation is here and the beautiful people I’ve been blessed to spend time with.
Also: new videos!
Hope you enjoy!!!! We leave to the Dominican Republic on Wednesday for Month 2 of the World Race! I will be back on social media on March 12th!
Blessings! Thank you for all of your support, for prayers, for readings these blogs and watching the videos 🙂
