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.

Beef Jerky and Coke.

Right now is a moment I genuinely enjoy. I’m sitting on the porch with Daniel and Malachi eating dinner, beef jerky and coke. We just finished English lessons and it sounds like the rain has finally stopped. 

For those that know Daniel, you know how kind and sweet he is. Malachi is his best friend. I just met him for the first time this year. He is a year older than Daniel but they go to school together. He is every bit as kind and as sweet as Daniel. The first time I met him I knew that I would like him. He wasn’t like most of the other kids. He was more reserved and very respectful. 

When I came down here I told Daniel that I wanted to teach him English and help him improve his skills. I told him that he could have a friend join him and Malachi is who he chose. I have enjoyed helping them and am looking forward to hopefully being able to enhance both of their English speaking abilities. They are both so eager to learn.  

As we sit here in the dark, eating our beef jerky and drinking our cokes, I am finding myself content. Content, but not complacent. I am content with where I am and what I am doing. Some people asked why wouldn’t I work this summer and save up money for school and other things. Some people thought it was crazy to come here for almost 10 weeks because I would miss so many events and happenings back home. But despite what people think, I know that I am making a difference, even if it is just in these two boy’s lives. Some people told me that moments like this are what this trip would be all about. Some people told me that even if I just impacted one life, it would all be worth it. I choose to believe those people. It is so worth it. I’m finding myself content with just having the One who created this moment. The One who created Daniel and Malachi. The One who created you and me. 

However, I firmly believe that not only will my time and work with these boys be beneficial, but that the work I am doing here with Jephthe is going to be beneficial as well. I believe that God will bless this work and use it to encourage the pastors and their churches. I believe that it will benefit Jephthe’s ministry and will also bring glory to the Kingdom. My prayer is that it not only encourages the churches, but that it also encourages churches back home to sponsor a church here. I pray that God provides abundantly more than these churches could ever ask and imagine. It is humbling to hear the pastors tell their stories and to hear how they desire to care for their flocks, but just don’t have the means to do so. 

Today, one of the pastors told me that he lives so poorly, but that he is happy. He’s happy because he lives in a new community and has the chance  to share the gospel with the people there. He’s happy because God called him out of a voodoo practicing family, to become a child in the family of the One True King. He’s happy because God called him to go to seminary, which he graduated from two years ago, and to start a church in this particular community. He’s happy, not because he has a lot, but because he knows the One who has everything. 

I pray that, with the help of the Holy Spirit, I can develop that type of happiness. I want to be genuinely happy, not because I live in America and have lots of things, but because I know the One who has everything. That’s the kind of happiness I want. I think tonight was a step in that direction. I was happy not because I had a lot, just beef jerky and coke, but I knew that I was with the One who has everything. And as long as I have Him, I’m content. 

A couple ways that you could be praying are for continued health and safety, that the pastors and churches are encouraged, and that God continues to teach me to be content with only Him. Also, as you know if you read my last post, we had Wilguens’ funeral this weekend. Please pray for Elisee, who was very close to him. Pray that God would comfort and draw near to him and the rest of those who were close to Wilguens. 

Update: As I was writing this post last night, Daniel took my phone and started going through my pictures again. He said there were pictures of Malachi. As it turns out, Malachi has been around numerous times on several trips here, but I just didn’t recognize him. He has grown so much even from the last picture he was in, in July 2017. I’m so thankful that this trip I have gotten to know him personally. 

Time for Takeoff.

This will be a short post, as I am sitting in my gate in Miami about to board my flight to Cap-Haitien. I am feeling good. God has given me a peace that transcends all understanding. I am ready for this. I am sure in these next 10 weeks there will be many challenges, changes, hardships, and unique opportunities. I am just as sure that will also include blessings, rejoicing, happiness, and joy. If I am to be honest, I am a little anxious though. If Jephthe is waiting for me at the airport when I arrive, then a lot of that anxiousness will go away. I am so excited for this amazing opportunity that God has given me to spend these next 10 weeks in Haiti. I will try to keep you all updated weekly, but forgive me if it's not that often.

With each post, I would like to include a list of prayers requests and praises. So here are my first prayer requests: that Jephthe is at the airport to pick me up, all my luggage makes it with me, there are not any problems with Haitian customs, and that I am able to get the SIM cards I need for my phone.

We can praise the Lord together that I was able to bring everything I had packed except for a big bag of pretzels that put me over my weight limit, the extra bags fee was less than expected, and that I haven't had any cancelations or delays.

Well, time to board! Thank you for all of your love and prayers!