Captivated by Haiti

Today is our last day in Haiti. It is hard to believe we have been here 10 days - feels like we just got here yesterday. We have seen so much, and met so many wonderful people, that it is hard to put into words what I am feeling right now. The simplest explanation is that I am not ready to go.

As I try to capture my thoughts, I struggle, since I am scattered and overwhelmed today. I am trying to process everything and be rational, but am quickly learning that when you come to Haiti, be prepared to have your heart broken in inexplicable ways. It defies reason and it defies logic. I can say at this moment that I don't like the feeling. Most likely because it is out of my control - and that makes me very uncomfortable to say the least. I don't like sitting on the balcony of the guesthouse crying for no apparent reason - although I am sure baby Marie and the other beautiful children have something to do with it.

Spending time with Greg and Michelle and Dustin and Ashton as they serve the Lord has been an eye opening experience for us. We came to Haiti in the hopes of this being our first trip that would set the groundword for future trips. I am sure we came with a "plan" of what we might be doing, of what we might see - even though we had no idea of what to expect. Travelling around with them for a few days before the rest of the group got here helped us clarify how we might be used here in the future.

It is still overwhelming to me - because everywhere we turn, someone needs something. What we learned from spending time with Greg and Michelle, is that when you come to Haiti to do mission work, the first thing you have to do is throw your own agenda out the window. Follow God's lead, ask what He would have you do, and then do it. Only then will He be glorified - and that is the goal of any missionary - to bring the Father glory. It does not mean you can't come with a goal of what you hope to accomplish - it just means that you better be in tune with His will.

We are just getting to know the group from Church of the Cove in TN, and I wish we were going to be here to work with them next week. They are such a wonderful group who have such a heart for Christ, that they are just a joy to be around, and I know we could learn much from them were we to be here a few more days with them.

Bobby, Lourdie, Momma T and the rest of the workers at CHOH - what a blessing to have met them, to see love in action. To see the sacrifices they make for the children when they could very easily be doing something else that would be easier for them, is humbling to say the least. The children at CHOH are so full of love, and so respectful of one another, and so grateful for any attention they get. They simply blow my mind.

Haiti as a whole has captivated our hearts. Everywhere we turn there is one paradox after another. There is beauty amidst the destruction, joy in faces filled with sadness, strength in those who are broken. It is this very quality of Haiti that guarantess we will be back, again and again.