Haiti: A Glimpse of Authentic Faith

I have found that each time I go to Haiti my heart breaks more and more. Witnessing the devastation and poverty that the Haitians live through on a daily basis certainly does not get easier.  To be completely honest, I had hopes that it would. But I’m realizing that it wouldn’t be normal for us to accept the heartache of watching our brothers and sisters living in these conditions. I am starting to believe that there are layers to the human heart. And God has the ability to peel away these layers of our hearts and expose us to seeing the world through His eyes. But instead of only seeing the poverty and despair, we can have the ability to look at them as fellow children of God who we can learn from, grow in our faith with, and pray alongside them as we all walk our journey with the Lord.

This past week I was able to connect with the Haitians on a deeper level than any other time before. We spent several mornings down at the Hope House (which is an orphanage at the mission), but instead of spending all of our time loving on the kids, we spent time also loving on the “mommies” of the orphans, the women who have devoted their lives and made huge sacrifices from their own families to care for the orphans at mission of hope. This was the first time ANY team had shared time with them or talked with them. These “mommies” shared their stories and life struggles with us and we attempted to do the same, but everything I had to say sounded so silly or small compared to the problems they were facing. And above all else, I was shown what it means to honestly trust and fully depend on the Lord. These women were truly authentic women of God, and as I sat there with them studying God’s Word, I prayed to the Lord that I could have that same authentic faith.

The rest of the time in Haiti (in the afternoons) was spent out in the villages witnessing, sharing stories, singing, dancing, and loving on the kids.  This is where God starts to peel away the layers of my heart and everything becomes raw. Our teams have never spent so much time out in the villages as we did this past week, and as heart breaking as it becomes, it is also so crucial for me (and I’m assuming everyone else on the team) for us to see the reality of the Haitian culture.  To see that it’s not a movie, its not a bad dream, and there is no relief from it (except those who have shared with me and said they find hope through our Lord Jesus Christ). There it is again, yet another great example of authentic faith. It makes me wonder if I can ever develop such a close relationship with the Lord as they have…it can be so difficult for me to fully depend on God when there is so much around me that I can lean on. Do you ever feel that way?

So the big question after the end of a trip is “whats next?” The question isn’t asking me what my plans are for the weekend or even for the rest of the summer. It’s not asking about the logistics, rather what is next for me in my path of advancing God’s Kingdom and bringing Him the glory He deserves.  For me, it is time to start planning the next Haiti Trip that I have the privilege of leading in October. In the midst of school, work at the VA hospital, and volunteering in the outreach department at church, the odds are against me for becoming distracted and forgetting where God wants my heart. So my plan is to earnestly seek Him, continue to make my life decisions based on where I feel He is calling me, and spending time resting in His presence (so that I can become closer to Him and begin to develop that authentic faith my heart longs for).

As I close, I would like to ask for your prayers. The first is to help me pray for the nation of Haiti and more specifically the Mission of Hope. God is doing great things through Mission of Hope and I pray that He continues to bless them and provide as they strive to reach a young generation for Christ. The other thing I ask you to pray for is for me to seek God’s heart and listen to His calling. I am praying about the possibility of  heading down to Haiti to join the vision of Mission of Hope by working alongside them as an intern.  Right now I am praying for the Lord’s guidance on what to do. I am certain that God has put it on my heart to stay connected with Haiti. My family is being supportive and allowing me to pray and seek the Lord for the answer (keeping their opinions on hold for the time being).  I ask that you help me pray that my decision be based on God and not based on what I feel would be more “comfortable” or “convenient” for me.

Thank you dear friends and family for your support and prayers you have given me through out the years. I hold you all dear to my heart and pray that God blesses you and provides His love, hope and grace as you fight through life’s everyday struggles. The media and society continue to tell us that we are going through uncertain times with the economy, government, and even with worldwide issues, but with Jesus as our leader and Savior the control is no longer ours…He is the One in control…and I am certain there is no need to worry for we are in good Hands.

“Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own”

~Matthew 6:34~

Blessings!

Mel

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