I have decided that the Haitian skies are the most beautiful in the world. I see the Lord’s beauty everywhere. Not just in the obvious sunsets.
There are ants crawling across our music sheets during worship.
There are echoes of our voices in the hallway of 20 people living in small quarters laughing as we tell stories.
There are voices sharing their testimonies as they hand wash laundry in buckets and hang it on the line in the backyard and I watch the glory of God in the smallest details.
I make eye contact with my teammate and smile as we hear worship songs in Creole from children on the bus ride to school.
I find the desire to dig my nose into a Creole language book and try my best to learn as much of the language as I can. I laugh as the teachers attempt to teach me some phrases after school from a children’s story book.
I am overwhelmed with the love of my teammates as they pray for me and show their desire to take off some of the burden that I carry.
I beam with pride in watching each member of our team step up to cook and clean for the entire team every single day.
I find great joy in the moments in between ministry where 15 World Racers find the weirdest things to entertain and have fun with.
These are the little things God is showing me here in Mirebalais, Haiti. There is a lot of good going on and I feel full of excitement to be here, but there is also some hard. In just one day while working with children at the school, I have been bitten, slapped, drooled on, pinched, punched, stepped on, and more. My water bottle, sunglasses, hair clip, hat, shoes, and rings have all been taken right out from under me. And yeah I’m tired, sweaty, and defeated when things like this happen with the children. I sit in the shade and question “And this is ministry?” Are they learning? Do they feel loved? Am I really doing anything by being here?
Then one morning I had Matthew 27 as my devotional. I read the story of Jesus being mocked, beaten, and crucified and I just laugh at myself. “WHY am I complaining?” This is so minor to what my God did for me. SO minor. This is the smallest step into suffering for the sake of the gospel. He died on a hill He created by people He loved and desired for them to know Him and love Him. He prayed “Forgive them for they know not what they are doing.” He died for these children. I do not have a crown of thorns on my head every day but I do have bruises, scratches and sweat marks that remind me that anything is worth these children coming to know how much God loves them. They don’t know what they are doing because this is all they know, but my prayers every day are that they will one day know the overwhelming love of their Heavenly Father who loves them.
One afternoon the children start singing a tune I recognize. ??This is the day that the Lord has made. ?? YES. EVERY DAY LORD. I need that reminder every single day.
Abba, You know what my day holds every day and you have chosen this day for me. Help me to step into each day with confidence that what I am doing is for Your glory, even if it means dealing with children biting and slapping me. You take joy in me being obedient and doing the simplest things here in Haiti.
And some of those simple things are just getting to know my squad mates. Haiti can be a dangerous place sometimes, so for our safety we need to stay within the compound of Grace So Amazing Ministries a lot of the time. If we would like to go outside to go to the WiFi cafe or to play soccer or anywhere outside the compound, we need to have locals with us in order to keep us safe. Don’t worry mom, we are safe! Extra safe! On off days we go a little nuts trying to find things to do to stay busy. I’m learning calligraphy, I’m learning guitar, I’m writing a screenplay, I’m kicking the ball around with some of the guys- we have lots of downtime to pursue Jesus in lots of different ways, and oh man are we learning patience in living in community in this compound. But you know what? I think this is probably just what we need for the first month. We need time to get to know each other, to become best friends, to make memories with limited resources and limited space. It’s really a beautiful thing.
So I’m finding beauty everywhere: In the skies, the laughter, the friendships, and yes, even in the disobedience of children.
All my love,
JJ
p.s. The very first day of Haiti was not what we expected so I made a video about it. Be sure to subscribe to come along on this journey. Many videos to come.
