Hello all!
The last day in Haiti was truly a day of reflection for all
of us, I think. We began the day with church at Port-au-Prince Fellowship,
where a lot of long-term missionaries attend church. I think that experience
gave the whole team a taste of what truly living in Haiti long term is like for
these missionaries. They are not protected by translators all day or locked in
a compound with guard dogs. These people are living here, amongst the poverty
and crime. We were also able to see how these people are able to praise God
throughout all their struggles and trials because they are alive. I think
that’s the most important thing I learned from church this morning is learning
to praise during the trials, not just when things are going well for us, but
when we think we can’t find any reason to praise him.
All in all, today was a day of lasts, a day of goodbyes, to
our translators and the missionaries from Healing Haiti, a day of remembering
the week and all we did, a day of remembering to remember Haiti. I think when
we all leave this place, we need to remember to remember and remember to forget.
Remember the people here and their love for one another and their communities.
Remember everything we learned this week about each other and, more importantly,
ourselves. Remember to be changed and live differently when we get home.
Remember to love everyone, not just the people of Haiti, but the people all
around us every day. Remember to love, to serve, to say hello, to smile, and to
be the hands of feet of God. We also need to remember to forget. Forget
ourselves and our selfish needs. Forget what we previously thought of our
lives. Forget complaining when we are so incredibly blessed as Americans.
Forget ever living the same lives as we lead before.
Haiti will forever be in our hearts and our minds and
hopefully, change all of us for the better.
Dani
