Healing Haiti, Healing Us
Each new sunrise we watch from our porch seems to reflect the
potential for hope and healing in Haiti, as day after day, we answer God’s call
on our team to be the hands and feet of Christ. The power and presence of
Christ is authentic and overwhelming in this beautiful country He created,
which was created for a reason and with a purpose. But, why? Our group was
challenged tonight to ask ourselves what God is teaching us in Haiti instead of
why things are happening in Haiti. I believe it is safe to say that we all signed
up for this trip with the intention of “healing Haiti”, unaware of God’s intention
of Haiti healing us in return.
No matter rich or poor, white or black, human beings live in
a broken world where they suffer and fail to thrive on our own. What we need is
God. We need God when the sun rises. We need God to endure the day. We need God
when the sun sets. We need God while we rest. We need God-given resources to
bless others and ultimately glorify His name all the days of lives. Although most
Haitians do not have many tangible resources to offer, they have the resources
that can be found in having Jesus, if nothing else: Love, peace, joy, and hope.
Today I read a related excerpt from my personal bible study lesson: “For God’s
people, suffering is an opportunity to glorify God as we find He is all we
need. His grace is sufficient, and His power is made perfect in our weakness.” In
other words, Christ is enough.
So to answer the question, I think God is teaching us that
we need Him alone to heal from our individual sufferings. I believe everything happens
for a reason, so I believe God knew what both our group and the Haitians needed
this week: To cross each other’s paths; to love, smile, and laugh together; and
to heal each other in ways we did not know were necessary. While healing Haiti,
Haiti has been healing us to ultimately bring glory to our Lord Jesus Christ, the
master healer and creator of us all.
On a lighter note, below are highlights from day #5:
·
Eating monkey bread French toast for breakfast to
start the day strong (with coffee, of course!!!)
·
Visiting the Mass Grave Memorial to remember and
honor the 2010 earthquake victims
·
Loving on, playing with, and learning from the
children at the Haiti Deaf Academy
·
Playing outside with the children at Grace
Village
·
Enjoying pizza for dinner at Fleri Resto and
having some healthy inter-team competition playing “bags” (with every intention
to remain humble—my dad and I were the reigning champions)
·
Learning how to salsa dance from Healing Haiti’s
Director (Jean)
Five days down, two to go. God continues to be so, so good
and the mastermind of it all.
Emily
