Meet my new friends in Haiti- Smise, John, and Magdalene.
Smise (pronounced Smeeze) is one of the women that cooks for us. I can’t figure out why she let me be her friend because the first five times I said hi to her I called her “Steezy”. But she graciously and patiently, with a smile, corrected me until I got it right. I can’t verbally communicate with Smise past “hello” and “how are you?”, but there is something about her that makes me want to know her better. For the first few days, I made sure to seek her out at least once every day. Now, she seeks me out and initiates hugs. When I walk into the dining area or near the kitchen, she calls me by name and huge smile spread across her face. She met my mom and dad on FaceTime which was AMAZING. It was cool to show my parents someone I have really loved spending time with and it really made her feel special. I have been trying to snag a translator so I can actually sit with her and know her story, but there hasn’t been an opportunity just yet. When we first got to Mission of Hope, I asked God to point someone out to me this month to really love on and care for and He introduced me to Smise. (More to come on Smise :))
John is a 14 year old boy who lives in a mountain village called Sodo. I met him on our adventure day at a waterfall near his village. The way John makes money is by assisting tourists up to the waterfall by holding their hands so they don’t slip and fall. He helped me almost the entire time, which seemed strange at first, but I realized quickly how necessary the assistance was on the slippery rocks. I started to tease and joke around with him, trying to make him laugh. I got him to play a game of tossing rocks in a bucket with me (which I won by one point!). I got to ask about his family and what he liked to study in school. What began with John trying to make money by holding my hand at the waterfall, resulted in a sweet friendship. I allowed myself to fully engage and love as much as I could in the short time I spent with him. When we were about to drive away, John came up beside our canter, grabbed my hand and told me that he would never forget me. I don’t know if John knows about Jesus- he didn’t answer my questions directly, but I fully believe that God has gifted that sweet boy with a kind heart that genuinely wants to help. I pray that the Lord would reach him and use him for the glory of His kingdom.
Magdalene was not open to talking to me and my team. She told us that she thought it was weird we came to plant a tree and then stay to just sit and hang out. It was obvious she was not willing to let her guard down with us. Conversation was awkward and broken, so I pointed to her hair and then pointed to mine, asking if she would braid my hair like hers. She quickly got up and ran into her house and returned with a comb. She braided my hair and I started asking deeper and deeper questions. She let me hold her hand while I prayed for her and she got up to hug all of us as we got ready to leave. It was incredible to see how God used a simple action of asking her to braid my hair to let her guard down just enough for us to get a glimpse of who she is. My prayer for Magdalene is that she would know Jesus personally and not be afraid to hope and dream.
11 months is all the time I have on the World Race. When we left the States, it seemed like it would be forever before we return. But it is flying by and I am going to miss out if I’m not careful. So I have to make the decision daily to love wholeheartedly every chance I get because God is Love and I want Him to be made known to all.
John 13:34 “…just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another.”
