Haiti

Bear with me as I write this; articulating what I have seen, how I have been changed, what I learned, and where I go from here wont be easy. Just a warning, it probably wont be easy to read either.

The Country:

Haiti is a country that is oppressed by unimaginable poverty and devastation from the earthquake. A lack of strong leadership/government, any type of infrastructure and minimal education has left Haiti a seemly lost cause. However, with a beautiful savior and the brilliant hope he ignites, Haiti is not a lost cause.

The Lord says in Isaiah 41:17: “The afflicted and needy are seeking water, but there is none, and their tongue is parched with thirst. I, the LORD, will answer them Myself, as the God of Israel I will not forsake them.” Just a thought.

As you drive through the streets you cannot escape destruction. Whether you look right or left you see trash, collapsed buildings, and people who are suffering from disease and malnutrition.

The specific area we worked in is called Cite Soleil. This area is generally considered to be one of the poorest and most dangerous slums in the world. As you drive into Cite Soleil your emotions begin to stir (and you thought the rest of the city had already been wrecking emotional havoc on you). You see unclothed children wandering the streets seeking any kind of nourishment or escape. You see stagnant water (filled with trash, urine, feces, etc.) surrounding the small poorly constructed shacks where the people live. You see canals filled with trash that has turned black.

The People:

I cannot possibly describe these people. 1 Peter 4:8-11 does a pretty great job however…

“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen”

If I were to sum up the people in Haiti I would simply point you to these verses. During the 11 days I spent in Haiti, I repeatedly/daily experienced and witnessed those people love on each other, serve one another and speak edifying biblical truths to one another.

As we interacted with the people I could see Jesus in them. Our hosts served us tirelessly. They cooked, cleaned, laughed, cried, worshiped, fellowshipped, etc. with us.

Often while at the job sites we would be offered some sort of meal (usually consisting of rice and beans). We saw this as a great opportunity to be thankful and share the meal with others. We would usually eat about half of the food (in an effort to be respectful) and then hand off the plate to a group of malnutritioned children who had come to the site to be with us.

The children would sit in a circle and share the food equally. They did not have to be monitored. I would usually sit back and watch them in admiration. One child would hold the plate and spoon. He/She would take a scoop and serve it to each child before taking a bite for himself/herself. What a great example to me. It broke my heart. It drew me to tears as I sat by myself later on in the evening at times.

The people working with us on the projects would work earnestly beside us. They did take great joy in saving the biggest rocks and biggest buckets of concrete for Nate and myself. We didn’t mind at all. ☺

Overall the people rocked my world and broke my heart.

The Projects:

We worked on two churches that had been completely destroyed when the earthquake hit. One of the churches (Pastored by Deuifort John) congregation had grown from 100 to over 250 people since the earthquake. It was awesome to see the church stepping up and providing the most crucial need to the people.

We mainly were doing footings for the walls that were going to be constructed by future crews. This involved digging, moving some serious rocks, mixing a substantial amount of concrete and tying a lot of ribar. By the end of the week we (collectively) had made a substantial dent in the building process.

The Group:

The group that I went with was amazing. Each person contributed and had so much to offer. We had many stimulating conversations throughout our trip. We challenged each other’s thinking and often shared what the Lord had been teaching us through his word and through our experiences. We had a ton of fun too. ☺

Quick Side Note:

I don’t want this letter to weigh heavy and ignore all of the fun we had. There was a significant amount of joking, laughter, delicious food, fun new experiences, etc. I just want to make sure you sense the urgency I feel in telling you what I’ve learned. Although I had a blast, I was changed.
My Broken Heart:

This trip did a number to me. As I attempted to journalize what I had learned each night, at times, I was simply at a loss for words. It brought me to tears thinking of how self-absorbed I have been throughout my life. I have taken almost every blessing for granted. I grumble about the lamest things. I live in fear of the unknown and clung to security and comfort. I have wasted resources, money, opportunities, etc.

Me stating these things isn’t to beat myself up, however, I think it’s important to emphasize these things because it, on an even greater level, shows how much my eyes have been opened.

I have always been one of those guys who likes having some sort of a plan, likes kinda knowing where I’m going in life, and would get freaked out at the thought of doing something extreme like being a missionary. I always thought people who left everything to go to a poor country, where they cant even speak the native language, were crazy. Sure I admired them but I thought there were crazy.

I’m a police officer. I go to work, work really hard, and then go home and enjoy life. I go to a great church weekly. I have good friends. I have a nice car. I live in a beautiful city. I eat well (as evident in my lil belly I sport occasionally). I drink bottled water regularly. I kinda like life just like it is. But now I’m realizing how much I’ve been missing out on.

I have been scared to surrender to the Holy Spirit and to legitimately offer myself as a living sacrifice to do His will (no matter what the cost). Isn’t it so true that if we actually ask the Holy Spirit to have His way in us, He may ask us to do something we do not want to do or at least are extremely uncomfortable doing? If we move forward with life and don’t ask that question we in some way maintain some sort of control of our lives huh? We love on people when it’s convenient, we go on trips if they’re only for a comfortable amount of time, we sign a quick check to a missions organization to alleviate our potential convictions, etc.

To be concise, I want the Holy Spirit to have more of a say in my life; a complete say in my life. This could have huge connotations. I’m open to it now. It’s crazy how a short trip can allow the Holy Spirit to penetrate and completely change you.

I’ve rambled long enough.

Love,

Ben