It's Reality.

This week I did something that I don't normally do, I replied to a random comment that I saw on Facebook. The comment was on an article published by Fox News, "U.S. Embassy in Haiti warns Americans to 'shelter in place' as violent protests continue." The comment had this to say, "Dont send your kids to places like this! They can do missionary work right here in their own country." I read that comment and immediately a rage of emotion over took me. There were so many things I wanted to say, but I took a moment to relax and think about it. After reading some of the other comments, I gathered that this person seemed to claim to be a Christian. Interesting, but who am I to judge? Anyways, I began to articulate a response. Here is what I said,

I’m in Haiti right now. The Bible tells us, “‘Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’”- ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭28:19-20‬
This is exactly where I am to be right now. Yes, children can do missions work in their own country, and I think that they should! But it is our duty to go. To go to the people in our own country and to go to the people in other countries. As Christians, we aren’t called to life of safety and security, but to a life of obedience and disciple-making. If we aren’t supposed to come to places like Haiti, then who is going to do it? Did Jesus stay in one country? Did Jesus live a life of safety? Did Jesus promise us that we would never face persecution and hardships? No. But He did promise us that he will always be with us. He will never leave us nor forsake us. He will go before us. And ultimately, His will will be done. My worst fear, if I have children of my own, is that I could hinder them from pursing God’s will for their lives by wanting to control their safety. I’m thankful that my parents have been faithful to pray for me and for my safety, but that they have relinquished that desire to control my safety, and give it over to God.

I just couldn't believe that someone who claims to be a Christian would say that we shouldn't travel to these types of countries because they are unsafe. We are never called to safety. Should we be wise and discerning in when and where we choose to go? Absolutely, but we should not just base our decision on whether or not we will be safe wherever we go. If that was the case, I'm not sure there would be anywhere we could go, even staying in our own city or neighborhood could even be dangerous. Ultimately, we aren't in control. Your house could be broken into, you could be hit by a car, someone could bring a gun into your school or church or another gun free zone, you could have a heart attack at work. In my opinion, we live in a fallen world which means that there is no safe place because sin runs ramped. If we, as Christians, are scared to go, who will? Does our love for nonbelievers outweigh our own fear? Our do we love ourselves and our safety more than we love them?

The current situation in Haiti is scary, but it has also brought me so much perspective. This is reality for the people here. Unlike me, they can't just get on a plane when something like this happens and escape it. They have to live it, each and every day it goes on. Each day they have to live with a corrupt government that only looks out for their own pockets. Each day they have to live with the possibility of something happening that disrupts their daily life. Perhaps the worst part about it all, no one knows when it will end. When will the rioting stop? The protests? The roadblocks? The looting? The demonstrations? No one knows. One can only assume. One can only pray and plead with God that it stops. That something changes. This is the world they live in. It is heartbreaking to see a country that I love so much burn itself to the ground. I realize that I can't change it. I can't solve all the problems of this country. I can't change the government. I can't change the reality that they live in.

But that doesn't stop me from coming. The fact that I may not always be safe doesn't stop me. The lack of comforts doesn't stop me. Even though I can't change any of those things mentioned above, I still come. Why? Because even though I can't change the whole country, I can change the life of one or two people. I can bring encouragement to a pastor that is struggling. I can bring hope to a child that feels forgotten. I can bring the good news of Jesus Christ to someone that hasn't heard it before. I choose to believe that my God can work in and through me to change the life of the people that I come into contact with here. I often times am reminded of the starfish story while I am here. There was a boy walking along a beach full of washed up starfish. He was walking along throwing them back into the water and an older man stopped and said, "You can't save them all, kid." The kid looked down, picked one up, threw it back into the ocean and said, "I just saved that one." I see all the bad things in this country and I know that I can't change it all. I can't help every single child, every single pastor and every single person. But I can help some. I can do my part that God has called me to. I can be faithful to the work that I have been given, allowing God to present me the opportunities to help those that I am able to. I realize that it is only God who can change this country and that I can't do it by myself. But with God's help, I can help some.

It is also important to note that what is going on in Port-au-Prince is not a reflection of the whole country. It is not a reflection of every Haitian. As with any group of people, there are some bad apples, but those bad apples don't define the whole bunch. In my time here while the protests and riots have been going on, I have never once felt like I was in physical danger. I knew that the Haitians that I was with would give their lives to keep us safe if it came down to it. Fortunately, that hasn't been the case. After arriving back in Pignon, we have not experienced anything like what was going on in Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haitien, thankfully.

I ask that you would continue to pray with me for the country of Haiti. Pray for the government, the people, the missionaries and other foreigners who are here, and for the situation in general, that God would somehow bring glory to Himself through it. You can also pray that the situation is cleared up by Monday because Miranda is supposed to travel here through Port-au-Prince then. Finally, be in prayer that the team from Berean is also able to still make the trip here as well; they are due to arrive on the 20th.

As always, we can praise the Lord. We can praise Him for his protection and provision. We can praise Him for the good times and during the bad times. We can praise them that we made it back to Pignon. We can praise Him because he is sovereign and always in control.

Trust.

Trust. It's a simple thing, right? You either trust someone, or something, or you don't. Seems simple. So what makes it so difficult sometimes?

Here in Haiti, I have to trust a lot! I have to trust people, vehicles, roads, goat paths, bridges, and many other things. Most importantly though, I have to trust God. This is one thing that God has really been teaching me during my time down here, especially this past week. Allow me to walk you through what it has been like.

Wednesday - On Wednesday, Wilguens and I were supposed to go to Hinche on the moto. We had talked the night before and planned to leave at 7:00am Haitian time (meaning more like 7:15 or 7:30). Anyways, 7:00am came and went and around 7:30 Wilguens showed up and told me, "I forgot, I can't go to Hinche. We need to go to Cap." There's no such thing as a quick trip to Cap, either. So we get in the Dodge pickup, which requires trust in and of itself because everyone knows that thing could break down at any moment. (This is the truck that just the week before, the tail end of the drive shaft just fell off as we were turning into the orphanage at La Coste, if that tells you anything). We finally leave and as we are leaving Pignon, we stop at a church and like 15 women all get into the bed of the truck, to which Wilguens says, "I forgot." Alrighty then, on to Cap we go. Thankfully, we made it to Cap without any problems. Once we got there, we dropped the women off at hotel like place (come to find out, they're all getting married and went to try on wedding dresses). Wilguens and I then took a tap-tap into the heart of Cap. Tap-taps require trust. After the tap-tap driver took us as far as he would go into the market, we got out and began to walk. So now, I'm just following this guy that I just met when I came down here through the busy, overcrowded, trash littered streets of Cap-Haitien. After about 20 minutes, we finally get to the bank. Once inside, a security guard took us to the front of the line to exchange money. As the bank teller was handing me my gourds, Wilguens took a $50 gourd bill and rolled it up. Then as we were walking out he handed it to me and told me to give it to the security guard. Nothing like a little bribe for good service. After the bank, I had to buy some supplies for the American team that was here that week. When we had bought what we needed, Wilguens hailed a taxi to take us back to the hotel where the truck was. Another trusting moment, but we made it back. After waiting for a couple hours for all the women to be done, we were finally on our way back to Pignon. Remember how I said that the Dodge could break down at any time? Well, that time was about 45 minutes into the 2ish hour drive. Something went out on the transmission and we were stopped dead in our tracks. We spent an hour or so trying to fix it but to no avail. But wouldn't you know it, God gave me an answer to prayer and another opportunity to trust him. While we were just standing there by the truck, another truck pulled up with a few people inside. Wilguens talked with the man driving and then looked at me and said, "You should probably go, right?" Apparently, this man lived in Pignon and offered to take me the rest of the way. So I put my stuff in the back and hopped in, praying and trusting God that I would make it back to Jephthe's. The man, Val, works for an organization here in Pignon called Haiti Outreach and was very nice. He dropped me off at Jephthe's and I couldn't thank him enough.

Thursday - On Thursday, I went to visit a handful of churches. I have to trust Pastor Metys that he knows where he is going. Again, another man whom I just met when I came here this summer, leading me way out into the country, through winding trails, rivers, mountains, and on this particular day, over bridges. We were on our way back to Pignon and just came down a steep hill when I see this bridge come into site. I just figured we would be going down below it and crossing the river at a low point, but I was wrong. This bridge was probably five feet wide, 150-200 feet long, made with wooden planks and had wire on the sides for rails. It was like something out of an Indiana Jones movie! Needless to say I made Pastor Metys go first. After he made, it was my turn. "Jesus take the wheel, here goes nothing." I slowly eased my moto on to and made my way across. Thankfully, the Lord helped keep me straight and I made it without any problems. Talk about trust, though. Come to find out, Metys had never crossed that before that day and just a couple months ago, someone had fallen off. I'm glad I didn't know either of those things prior to crossing. What an adventure that was. Trusting in the Lord that the bridge would hold and that I wouldn't stray left or right.

Friday - Friday was a relatively chill day, but still, each day here presents the opportunity to trust in the Lord for basic things. For example, it's never for certain that we will have electricity to charge phones, backup batteries, have the fan on at night, etc... Also, although the cooks do very well and the food is always great, there is always that chance that something could not sit well with you and upset your stomach. Each meal is an opportunity to give thanks and to trust God.

Saturday and Sunday - On Saturday morning, Jephthe, a leader from the other group, Kristin, Elisee and I left for Port-au-Prince early in the morning. We knew that Jephthe's car had been having problems and that was one of the reasons why we left earlier, so that we could take his car to the dealership to be worked on. Thankfully, we made it without any problems. Jephthe dropped Elisee, Kristin and I off at the hotel and he and the other leader went to have his car looked at. A couple hours later, he was back. He said that they didn't have time to work on his car, so now he was working on a few things and needed to prepare a message for Sunday morning. Half-jokingly, I told him I would do the message for him. Lesson learned, because he jumped on the idea and now I was to preach tomorrow. Lord, I'm trusting you. I've never prepared a message, let alone preached a message. The rest of the afternoon I spent praying and preparing a message to share the next day. I enjoyed some time in the pool and just relaxing after I had finished preparing. Sunday morning came quick and we got to church around 8:45. Then, after about an hour of worship, it was time for me to preach. Lord, I need you. I'm trusting you, that you will speak through me and they will hear your words, not my own. In my own opinion, I would say that it went fairly well for my first time! I'm thankful that God is able to use my story and the things that he has been teaching me to help encourage others. Stepping outside of my comfort zone, trusting God to provide and sustain, has never felt better. I'm so thankful for the opportunities that he is giving me here in Haiti.

Monday - It was back to work on Monday. I visited seven more churches with Pastor Metys and Elisee. This time, we went all the way to Thomonde, which is about 30 minutes or so past Hinche. I was a little nervous about driving through Hinche because it can be very busy and hectic in the city, especially with all of the roundabouts. I kept praying and trusting God that it would not be busy while we drove through and He answered. We got through the city with no problems and very unusually light traffic. Later on, after visiting six churches, we began our hour and a half long search for the final church. Pastor Metys had never been to this church before and it was obvious. We were driving through the mountains, along goat paths, over hills and through valleys, stopping to ask everyone we saw if they could point us in the right direction. I was trusting Pastor Metys and he was trusting these strangers to be honest and help us out. Finally, we arrived. I use my phone to take notes at all of the interviews with the pastors and when we made it to this church, I was at 5% battery. It would have been a problem if my phone died because I wouldn't have had a good way to record the pastor's answers. I found myself trusting that God would not allow my phone to die during the interview. We finished the interview and I had 1% left. Another new way to trust God to provide and another answer to prayer.

Trust, although it is a simple concept, can be hard. It can be hard to relinquish control of a situation, an outcome, a person, or a plan, but if you are handing over control to the almighty, all-knowing, creating, sustaining, and providing God, then there is nothing to fear. That is one of the most important lessons I am learning.

Proverbs 3:5 - "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."

Romans 8:28 - "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

We can praise the Lord for answered prayers, continued health and safety, and exceeded goals. However, I ask that you also pray with me for continued provision, motivation, and more opportunities to learn and grow by stepping out of my comfort zone.