Something that has been very important to me recently is focusing on thanksgiving and praising God for all of the gifts He blesses me with each day, the little and big things. So I decided that I wanted to try to make a list of at least 100 gifts God blesses me with each month in each country. And i also want to challenge you to try something similar because thankfulness is key to intimacy with God. I could see how it shifted my attitude and helped me turn to praise and worship and I found so much joy through it. Here are some of the things I wrote down because I feel it may help you get a better feel of Haiti and the joy I experienced there:
Kids putting flowers in my hair
Morning walks
Blue flowers on the path and butterflies
Children laughing histarically at the movie Flubber
Sherbert orange and cotton candy pinks and purples laced in baby blue sunrises and sunsets
Playing football with a bunch of young boys, running around, giving high fives and throwing fist pumps with each goal
Singing with my teammates as we pass bricks to build pastoral conference center
Lightening storms in the evenings that light up the sky and roar loud with thunder
Looking out at the ocean far out in front of me and the rolling green mountaintops in the back
Sparkle mountain (city lit up at night)
Holding beautiful baby girl as she fell asleep in my arms during worship
Cold showers to cool down at night from the day’s sweat
Daily “bonjous” and ” bonswas” as greetings from those who pass by
Little eyes and hands held high for you to pick them up and show them love
The sound of “eh you!” In all the squeaky little voices
Everyone done up all fancy for church
Bumpy bus rides packed full
Listening to testimonies and hearing God’s glory revealed
The passion of the pastor as he speaks to his church
Learning the saka saka dance
Kids fighting with each other to hold your hands
Braiding hair
Workouts/runs with my teammates
Being filled with so much joy at church
Worshipping in Creole
Seeing tons of kids at kids club in village after we fixed the thatched roof and made benches for them to sit on
Boys pretending they don’t know English but do
Our laundry hanging out to dry
Packaging each little crayon, book, eraser, etc imagining the child at school who will receive it
Playing jump rope as the girls whip it faster and I can’t keep up
Seeing our finished product of a clean/organized dental clinic
The translators and village leaders constantly joking with us
Overabundance of bright pink strawberry toasties cereal
Chasing kids around the school building with them laughing and screaming and not letting me stop
Lizards scurrying across the ceiling
Singing “Lord I lift your name on high” at the top of our lungs.
Talking with people in villages hearing of their great faith and praying for them
Spending time with my teammates and learning more and more about them and sharing moments with them
Mini soccer game where Haitian boys dominated and I realized I need lots of practice
Jingle of the water truck as it goes by (sounds like an ice cream truck)
The beautiful bright green lush mountains
Teaching English to adults who are so eager to learn
Watching soccer match
Making connections with new Haitian friends
Haiti is such a beautiful country. I am so thankful I have had the chance to get a taste of it and see bits of how God is moving/working here- He is doing so much! Please be praying for confidence/strength in the Lord, humility and love/acceptance to cover Haiti. Some ways that you can be a part of furthering the work of Mission of Hope and what they are doing is to:
1. Consider sponsoring a child to help them be able to go to school with a monthly donation. These children are so precious and by helping sponsor them you are helping to transform their lives to have a brighter future and to provide them with an education that is centered on Christ. Here is the link to check it out and start the process: http://www.mohhaiti.org/child-sponsorship
2. 3 Cords is a store through Mission of Hope that sells braided headbands that the woman here sow. All the proceeds go to the prosthetics lab on the campus that provides prosthetic limbs to those in need for free to help transform their lives and show them the love of Christ. The headbands are so pretty too! So please check it out and share with anyone you know: http://www.3cordshaiti.com
