How could I describe in words our experience so far in Haiti. It’s taken me so long to blog because there’s just so much to say that when I go to blog, I just don’t even know where to start! I know, me, speechless!
As my first missions experience outside of North America, it’s pretty intense. In the first week, I’d come back to my tent crying cause it was just so tight, hot and dusty in there, frustrated not knowing if I’d be able to bear it for the next two months!! Then trying to get proper sleep while dogs are viciously barking, roosters crowing, people singing at all hours of the night and other weird noises.
Obviously I’ve had to get over these frustrations, even though every once in a while, I crack, have a good cry and then get back to it! There’s so many stories to tell, everyday holds new adventures, but I’ll tell a few.
YWAM has built several tent communities here in St.Marc (2hrs north of PAP) for refugees from Port Au Prince hoping to help people get back onto their feet and find a permanent home. Meanwhile, discipling them in the things of God so that they’re restored and transformed in their hearts, not just physically, socially and economically. So while staying in a tent community down the street from our base, we were able to meet some great people.
One guy was Junior, who’d lost his mom when he was young and his dad is living in the States so he basically lives by himself and he’s like 19. We prayed for him and encouraged him that God wants to care for him and nurture him in ways that his parents can’t, he left being filled with so much hope. The other day we saw him again the other day and it’s so cute, he said (in creole of course), “out of all the foreigners, I feel the most comfortable with you guys.”
Another guy was Fekier, who was a student in Port Au Prince and was looking forward to so much in life, then the earthquake hit. After our week of teaching them about God’s sincere love for them, he was so comforted and changed by it that he said the spirit of dignity had returned to his home. He came to the Sunday service here on the base and even though we were worshipping in English, he stood there with arms wide open praising God…happy he’d finally found a place where he was accepted and loved, no matter what he wore or looked like. Sadly, a lot of churches around here don’t allow people to come in unless they’re dressed up and that’s just not God’s heart!!
Another cool story is about Nadine, a student in the DTS (discipleship training school, like what we did in Kona). She lost most of her family in the earthquake and when I met her, her foot was badly crushed and in a cast. Everyone’s been praying for her, taking care of her and recently, her cast was taken off but then she was in extreme pain from an infection in her foot. A friend and I went to pray for her a few days ago and as I prayed, I could feel God’s love for her so intensly, I knew He was doing something in her…even though she couldn’t understand what I was saying, I was hoping she’d feel at least something!! Then the next day, people ran up to me saying she was feeling totally better and when I saw her, she hugged me so hard with so much joy, joy that I’d never seen in her before. My heart breaks just remembering it. I couldn’t even believe it myself, I was so overwhelmed cause I thought God was just ministering to her heart! I was so thankful to hear (through a translator of course) that she was feeling 100% better!! And today she showed me an x-ray of her foot and it’s totally healed up, bones are back in their place and everything!!
And to think, there’s hundreds, thousands of stories just like this all across this country, God is redeeming this tragedy, one life, one family at a time. It’s His opportunity to take back this nation and turn things around for good! Even though all the comforts of life have been taken away and I’m always tempted to just live for what I see right in front of me, I remember why God brought us here and am honoured to be a part of changing history in this nation. Lift our vision higher Jesus, so we’ll constantly see your purposes and plans for this nation!!
- tami
