As our time runs down in Haiti I find myself thinking of what all I am going to miss. Life here is so beyond different from the states. I’ve seen poverty like no other. There is only 4 “highways” in the whole country, theres no electricity, washing clothes and yourself in the river is a daily task, “taxis” are motorcycles or tap taps, rice and beans is your only meal pretty much, everyone knows the song “One Love” and even the children are named ___love, I love it :]
Despite the poverty, the Haitians are so hopeful and they endure. There is a sense of community here that we could all learn a lot from back home. Everyone shares and there is no sense of entitlement. They are the hardest working people I’ve ever seen… a lot of them remind me of my pawpaw! If there was only more of an opportunity for jobs and education so many people here would be able to follow their dreams.
Also, the Haitians worship God like I have never seen before.
It is simple, but yet so impacting. They are not scared to raise their hands, they are not scared to pray out loud. they have no fear. they are just there to worship the one and only. they walk to church in 100% hotness and humidity and then worship for 2-3 hours. They wear long sleeve shirts and ties and look their best. In America, if we had to worship outside in the heat, I doubt most of us would show up for church. thats our love for God. But here in Haiti, the Mission of Hope church is always packed.
this is how it should be.
there is a peace here I cannot explain. it is beautiful. and I love the child-like faith, it is true faith… not circumstantial or environment based, if this makes sense. I’ve truly enjoyed and been touched by my time here and I’m not ready to leave, but I’m also excited to head over to Europe and see what God has in store for us there. I will definitely be back to Haiti soon annnd I will definitely miss:
-having no electricity and searching for my head lamp before it gets to be 7PM
-going to be at 8PM because there is no electricity and you have to get up at 4:30AM, which leads to my next thought…
-surprisingly I’m going to miss being up by 7AM everyday already having been productive
-cold showers (they are so refreshing here!)
-jumping in the ocean in your clothes after a long hard days work building houses
-seeing Felix (the grounds keeper) pop up everywhere
-falling asleep to the sound of the ocean in my tent
-teaching English to my new eager friends
-not having to really get dressed for the day because you slept in those clothes
annnd
-seeing God in the nightly lightening storms on the beach!!
I’ve only lived like this for a month, the Haitians live like this everyday. It isn’t radical of me to live with the poor, this is how Jesus said it should be. Most of the Haitians I’ve met are so rich in the Lord… they are full of life and radiant His Kingdom! Oh Haiti how I will miss you!!!
“I tell you the truth, whatever you did for the one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25:40
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We head out of Port-au-Prince on August 28th, where we’ll be back on US soil at the JFK airport for about four hours and then off to Ireland, wahoo!!!! 😀 annnd stay tuned cuz I have more blogs full of pics and videos, but I can’t post them until JFK or Ireland.
