Hey everyone! I know that I wasn’t able to get many updates out during February, but if you saw the prices for wifi where I was staying, you would understand. So! Recap of month 2! Here are the highlights…
Month 2 was All-Squad month, meaning that all 8 teams on my squad worked at the same ministry. We spent the month of February in Titanyen, Haiti working with an organization called Mission of Hope Haiti. There we spent most ministry days going from house to house (or rather, shack to shack) building relationships and telling people about Jesus. When we weren’t doing that, we were more than likely loving on some kids either in the villages or at the orphanage located at Mission of Hope.
I was also blessed with an opportunity that many on our squad weren’t. Since I have medical training as an EMT, I was able to join other medical volunteers and go out to do mobile clinics a few times. There, a team of medical volunteers would set up a clinic (usually in a church within the village) and see patients throughout the morning and afternoon. The patients would start in triage where they were assessed and then went to see the doctor. We only had one doctor and would usually see up to 70-something patients a day. After the patients saw the doctor, they were sent over to the pharmacy area where they would get their prescriptions.
Talk about a wake-up call. We would see patients with heart murmurs, deformities, autoimmune diseases and tumors – and we were the only medical help that they had. There were patients that needed surgery or required medications on a daily basis and all we had to give them was a bin full of Benadryl and Aspirin. Now I’m not knocking Mission of Hope, really, I’m not. Their mobile clinic is doing a great ministry and helping people who don’t have access to any medical attention. But it broke my heart to see people slaves to what most of us in the states could fix by a quick drive to Walmart.
God taught me a lot in Haiti. He taught me that even if working with kids isn’t my favorite ministry, I am still able to show them the love of Christ. He taught me that trying new things, while sometimes terrifying, is often very rewarding. He taught me that it’s okay to be vulnerable with my squad – that I need to lean on them this year when things get challenging. But more than anything, God broke me in Haiti. He showed me that I had a lot of crap gunking up my life that I need to give to Him. He showed me that who I thought He was isn’t even close to who He actually is. And while I would love to say that I’m ok now, that I now truly understand who God is and all the pieces are back together, I can’t. I’m not there yet. But I cling to Philippians 1:6 which says, “Be confident in this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” I’m trusting that God has broken me for a reason and I’m interested to see what my pieces look like in month 3.
