Jacob’s Well – Limbe, Haiti |
Well, I’m back from Haiti!
Our plane touched ground in the U.S on Friday. Since then I’ve been recovering from a nasty cold and occasionally trying to catch up on sleep.
But I’ve put off writing this post for far too long. I’ve been home for almost a week and I still can’t seem to get it started. Not because there isn’t plenty of material to write about. I saw and experienced so much during my ten days in Haiti.
It’s the words that are lacking.
I imagine Frodo felt this way when he returned from his Quest and sat down to write the first few sentences in the Red Book. How do you put into words what can only be truly understood through experience?
This was my second trip to Haiti but I was struck anew by what I saw.
In Haiti, I saw pain and darkness. The Haitians lives in poverty and conditions that we simply cannot imagine here in America. Many are trapped in spiritual darkness and bondage to Voodoo.
But I also saw hope.
I saw a church that is growing. Believers who are becoming more and more mature in the faith. Children who were campers at Jacob’s Well, making their faith their own and growing up to become counselors and leaders.
I saw joy. People filled with the joy of the Lord so that, no matter what their circumstances are, they continue praising His name.
I saw the love of Christ in Haiti and in His children there. There is hope for Haiti and it rests in Jesus Christ.
One night, after we finished working, we hiked up a portion of the Mountain behind the campsite. Two of the team members brought their guitars and we sang praise songs far into the night. A small tarantula scare did nothing to disturb the worshipful attitude – after the team got a good look at the tarantula, we relocated it in my baseball cap (not on my head at the time!).
While we were singing, the moon finally appeared through the clouds and lit up the whole countryside in a pale white glow. None of us had our cameras on us at the time, but it didn’t matter because no camera would have been able to capture the beauty of the moment.
There, worshiping God on a mountain in Haiti with a group of faithful fellow believers, I felt the presence of God so clearly. A true mountain-top experience.
In Haiti, I saw God working. In the good times and in the bad. I saw God using Jacob’s Well to make a difference.
Posing for a team picture with the village children. |
I’m thankful for each member of the team. We had a lot of work to do and everyone cheerfully jumped into each and every task. I didn’t hear a single word of complaint. Even when the weather “turned against us” and started dumping buckets of rain! Even in that God’s loving hand was visible – the rain held off while we ran the day camp for the children and shortly after they left for the night, it started pouring! All of the team members exhibited true godly character and it was a blessing being with them for the past ten days!
I’m thankful for the privilege to go and be apart of God’s work in Haiti and I hope to go back someday soon!
Thank you all for your prayers!
Charley R says
Wow, it sounds like you all had a wonderful time. It's lovely when our faith can bring us together rather than creating divisions between us. May your cold soon be banished somewhere else – I had the same coming back from Florida, so I feel your miserable state, haha!
– Charley