We’ve been blessed with adventure days on the Race. In Serbia we got to take a day trip to Budapest, in Bulgaria we got to treat the couple we served with to a weekend trip to Greece with us, in Thailand I got to visit an elephant sanctuary, in Zimbabwe I got to visit Victoria Falls.
Last Saturday our ministry host arranged for us to visit a beach here in Haiti. The morning started off calm. My teammates decided to stay by the pool area but I wandered down the concrete ramp to the small umbrella covered area where the water kissed the sand.
I began to load on the sunscreen, and as I watched the quiet morning waves caress the wet sand and stones, something bright and pink rolled up on the shore not too far away from me. I knew instantly that it was a small conch shell. The same shell that hung from the necklace I lost at the orphanage in Lesotho, now sat like a pretty little gem in the palm of my hand. I knew instantly that this was a special treasure the Lord was gifting me.
I pray often that I will never be off the clock for the Lord and that even when I’m not out doing ministry- that I am still mission minded. I thanked the Lord and told Him I was listening.
A few hours later an entirely different scene played in front of my eyes. The sun had shifted and the cool morning breeze had evaporated in the unforgiving heat of the Haitian sun. Children played and splashed in the once calm water, jumping and diving and swimming. Jet skis roared in the background, and the crowd chatted and laughed and ate and drank while men came by selling coconuts and crabs.
I laid in the receding shade of my straw umbrella trying to lose myself in my book and drown out the cheerful chaos around me – when 3 Haitian ladies caught my eye.
They stood out, probably because one girl wore a suit that looked like it had been made from the left overs of a Mardi Gras parade. They were loud, and flirty, walked as if they were trying to show it all off. I looked back down at my book and a few minutes later looked up again.
All three women were now in the water with men that were much older than them and were clearly not from Haiti. I won’t get into the details of what they were doing in the water, but it became clear that these woman had been paid to give these men attention.
My first instinct was disgust and judgement. But I heard God whisper into my heart that Jesus had dear friends who were prostitutes. My heart changed towards them and I began praying for the Lord to show me how I could show them His love. My second instinct was disgust and judgment and anger for the men, but God whispered again to me and reminded me that Jesus ate with tax collectors. My heart changed again.
They got out of the water and sat about 15 feet away from me. I looked over and met eyes with one of the girls. Determined to show her Christ’s love I smiled and gave her a hello wave. I got the feeling the Lord wanted me to share more with her- so I told Him that if this is what He wanted, I would share the gospel with her but I needed Him to provide an opportunity. I looked down at my book again but at this point I couldn’t focus, I read the same sentence over and over again and when I looked up the girl I had smiled at was sitting in the chair right in front of me.
I know what you’re thinking. She thought I was soliciting her. This thought crossed my mind too as I sat up to talk to her. But I had promised to share the gospel and love her as Jesus does. I want to preface this by saying that I was shaking in my boots nervous. It’s one thing to go out and do structured ministry with a team every day, it’s another to solicit a prostitute when you’re alone at the beach. Even in the red light districts of Bangkok I wasn’t by myself. She spoke French- many Haitians do. I speak French too- amazing how God works things out like that.
We started off with small talk: exchanged names, talked about siblings, where we were from, which lead to me talking about being a traveling missionary.
The coconut man came over. I turned to tell him no thank you and in a flash she was gone, making her way back to the man she was with for the day.
“I’ll come back” she said. I had a sinking feeling she wouldn’t. There were no prospects here. I was frustrated that I had lost my opportunity. But I was determined.
I grabbed my journal and a pen, prayed and then began writing her a note. I thanked her for coming over and talking with me, I prayed and asked God how He saw her and wrote it down, I asked Jesus what He would say to her and wrote it down.
I folded it up and began to pack up my things, since I needed to go by the pool to get WiFi to take care of bills, and emails. To my surprise, she was back.
“Are you leaving?”
“No I’m just going up to the pool to get some work done, but I wasn’t sure if you had more time to talk so I wrote this for you”.
She thanked me and asked for my number. I told her I didn’t have one but managed to add her on WhatsApp. I told her if she wanted to talk more I would be by the pool. But I didn’t have high hopes.
About an hour later, there she was again. The men and the girls had decided to come to the pool, and she found me. I invited her into the shade. I asked her about her beliefs.
Did she believe in God? – Yes
Did she go to church? – Not often
Did she know that going to church doesn’t make us saved? – No
Did she have a relationship with a Jesus?- Not really.
I shared my story with her, and encouragement from the Lord about who He calls us to be and how we are never too far gone, and how He can change the desires of our heart. I even told her what I was struggling to trust the Lord with at the time ( get ready for my next blog!)
We talked for about 15 minutes. Did she want a relationship with Jesus?- Not yet. But sometime soon.
It’s a common response in Haiti. Many believe God exists. They know what Jesus did, they just don’t want to make Him the Lord of their life. There’s always something they’re waiting on. Often it’s to get married, sometimes it’s just “I’ve got things I want to do this week.”
We left the beach and I said goodbye to her. I didn’t know if I would hear from her again. So I just left it to the Holy Spirit.
We finally got the WiFi fixed here where we are living. Chloe messages me every day and asks how I am doing. I’ve found out about her personal dreams and aspirations, and more about her life. Details I’ll keep private. But I get to pour into her every day what I see God doing as I’m out on ministry and what He is teaching me in my quiet time. It was an interruptible moment that is quickly turning into long term friendship and discipleship. I am still blown away by how God used me on an adventure day. How He took me up on my request to be interruptible and on the clock and let me be a part of something so cool, and I can’t wait to see what He has in store for my new friend Chloe.
