One thing that the Lord has been teaching me through living in Pastor Jean Claude’s house and attending his church is the importance of putting other people above myself. This is something that has been on my heart for awhile so it has been really great to see people living that out in their lives.
Each person that lives in the house has a job; it’s the only way that a family this large will work in harmony. Everyone wakes up at 5am and begins their daily routine, whether it be cooking, sweeping up the heeps of dust that blow in each day and night, mopping, setting the table, doing laundry, or getting the kids out of bed and ready for the day.
The Lord keeps reminding me that this how the body of Christ is supposed to work. Even though the arm is different from the leg, and I’m different culturally than the Haitians, we are still a part of the same body. If my brothers and sisters are suffering here, then I suffer also. If their hearts are broken from the loss they’ve been dealt, then my heart is broken also. If they live in a trash dump, then why do I live in a nice air-conditioned house, while never thinking twice about anyone’s comfort than my own? If they go days without eating, then why do I feel entitled to rummage through mounds of food because it doesn’t appetize me?
God has reinforced this to me through small things over the past week, such as convicting me to analyze why I prefer not to take the cramped seat on the bus or eat less at dinner so others in the house will have their fill. Is my comfort or satisfaction any more important than the person beside me? God is teaching me that it’s not all about me; a lesson that I’ve often avoided learning. I can’t continue to live in a world that revolves around myself.
It’s hard to truly evaluate my heart and see all of the flawed perceptions and attitudes that I have acquired about life. It’s tough to look in the mirror and wish that I could straighten my hair and use a real towel or even begin to care about putting on make-up through the sweat that never ceases, while people a block away are wearing the same clothes for a week and hungering for food for days.
God is showing me that I have to come to the end of myself and basically everything that I thought I knew about life before He can truly work in me to change the world. This is hard. This is messy. I know what it’s like to be put back together again after being hurt in relationships and other situations, so being broken down to nothing is not what I desire, but I know it’s what has to happen for me to grow.
This first week of ministry hasn’t looked like what I expected…I guess that’s why they say to let go of your expectations before you come on the World Race. I’m learning to be faithful in the small things so that God can work on the big things. I want to be conquering the world, but instead I’m doing the dishes and playing patty cake. Trusting the Lord in the mundane is something that I’ve always struggled with, so I have no clue why I thought that problem would cease when I came on the race. I’ve never sought after the Lord’s voice as much as I have in the past two weeks.
We’re trying to find our place among the household, while also trying not to be a burden or nuisance. One of the teams that has been living in the mountains has been plagued with sickness, dehydration and other things, so they will be staying at Jean Claude’s house with us for awhile, which means that there are now about 40 people that sleep here…so that has the potential to get a little crazy.
I’m really excited for the other team to be with us, because we will have the opportunity to do a lot of different ministries. We will be rebuilding a church/orphanage that was damaged in the earthquake, as well as building relationships in the tent community and helping at the school, which is also the temporary church.
We spent last week helping at the school. We were asked to get to the school early on Friday and were greeted with a party in honor of us. Red, white, and blue balloons hung everywhere, and the children were dressed in their best attire. It was a humbling experience. I was asked to teach English on Friday, which filled me with joy. I didn’t realize how much I missed teaching until I stood at the front of the classroom. I was overcome with emotion because of the peacefulness that I felt while I was “in my element”. We spent two hours having a dance party with the kids after the morning lessons were finished. I’m pretty sure that we jammed out to the same 3 songs on repeat for the entire time, but I’m ok with that…it was really fun.
This post was kind of all over the place, but there’s been a lot going on and I haven’t had time to piece everything together. Please continue to keep us in your prayers. Much love!
