It’s starting.
I have an ache in my heart for the people of Haiti. I was there two months ago and I miss the people I met, the friends I made and the experiences I had. I am afraid this ache in my heart will only begin anew every time I leave a country this year. I’m afraid of leaving behind the relationships and the memories.
I miss Corline, the girl with attitude. With the saucy tilt of her head, she would grin at me and tease me to follow her, but the grabbing of my hand to drag me along behind was always the second action. She was persistant in teaching me Creole, spending hours with me repeating the same words over and over so that I could add to my limited vocabulary, just to have that special moment of victory in her eyes when I could remember a word or greeting on my own without her prompting.
I miss Francky, John, Maranata and Guerlaurge, the worship team for a local Haitian church that we were helping rebuild. I miss our worship together, when I sang in English and they sang in Creole, and yet we were all singing about our Father who came from heaven to earth to show the way. I never heard harmony so beautiful as in that moment and the blending of our heart’s songs.
I miss Rosemika, the quiet gem with love in her eyes. She wasn’t persistant for attention, but I loved seeing that glow in her face when I saw her in the crowd and called her name out loud in greeting. To a child, knowing their name is sometimes better then anything you can give them.
I have a memory forever treasured in my heart: walking down the road to the beach, a boy wearing my hat, a child carrying my waterbottle and three or four girls holding onto my hands and arms and all of us tripping over each other as we loudly sing, “Papa Abwaham….” in Creole. The rock throwing on the beach, the hide-n-go-seek games, and just the love that we shared overcame any language barrier that there was.
THAT, is happiness: sharing the love that can only come from God with one another, the love that has no limits, the love that goes beyond language, race, culture or age. And that love cannot be left behind when Ieave a country, whether it is for a short time or a long time. That love is what keeps these people close to my heart and often in my prayers. And I want to experience that love in countries around the world, with men and women of God and children of His kingdom in every country on the race. There is no fear, because His love ties us together with unbreakable bonds, brothers and sisters of ONE nation, the children of God.
Can you feel the love tonight? Cause I can. 🙂
