Crazy Beautiful Haiti

So I have been thinking a little this morning - been up awhile with Marie Jane, she has decided she likes it when I do not put her down! :-)

Haiti. Unless you have been here you cannot possibly understand why someone would even want to visit. As you can see from the pictures I have posted, there is devastation and filth everywhere you turn. The daily scenes just make you want to cry, throw up your hands and go home. Homeless children and adults are everywhere you go. To the average American this would be a hopeless situation. Why bother, right? WRONG.

Hope is why we come, and it is also why we stay. The church service on Sunday was amazing, An armed guard was at the gate during worship. The "sanctuary" was packed - wall to wall and with people standing ourside. Worship was led by beautiful Haitian youth, who have seen God only knows what in their young lives. They sang, "Mighty to Save", "Halleluiah, God is Good," "I Just Want to Thank You God," and several other songs praising our God. They sang with such conviction and hope, that I was left speechless at their sincerity. They were filled with His joy. Their faces were radiant. They raised their hands, They did not get in their cars and drive to church as we do. They walked. From who knows what conditions to worship. They MEANT what they were singing. They are truly thankful in the midst of their turmoil and loss.

This is just one of the reasons you come to Haiti, and one of the reasons that once you are here, you don't want to leave. The people are beautiful and strong. Those who have faith in God, have it for real. You see it and you feel it. Their warmth and their smiles are contagious.

Humbleness. Paul has been to places here that I have yet to see, areas of extreme poverty where the faces of young and old alike are still radiant with joy. But even from my trips to the orphanage, it is evident that with so very little - in our eyes - the children are filled with love and hope. A level of poverty we cannot even fathom, that would destroy many of us, is just part of life. They have not been tainted by the world of stuff, and I pray that we Americans do not bring that to them. Part of  what makes the Haitian people so beautiful is their ability to be content in their current circumstance. I am not saying that they do not wish things were different - they alone can answer that question - but their circumstances have not broken them. They have survived so much, and still they shine.

The lost. The other reason we must come is to reach those who are dying. Voodoo is real. The Catholic Church here has been infiltrated to different degrees by voodoo. It is so important that we provide the means and training and resources for local spiritual leaders to lead their communities to Christ. We cannot come here and effectively evangelize, but we can make it possible for the local pastors to meet the overwhelming needs of their communities.

I know that it is not reasonable to think that we can come down here and change Haiti overnight, maybe not in our lifetime. I do believe that by taking one step at a time, following the lead and direction of our Father, that if we take the time to invest in one child or one family at a time, we will impact Haiti, and our Father in heaven will be glorified. That is afterall, why He put us here. Those who have the means, are to help those who do not. That is what He calls love.