02 Jul “Mesi Senye” SummerLINK Haiti
“Thank you, Jesus”
?Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.? Rom. 5:1-2
?Bonjou? from Haiti! Our team of eight has just finished week 3 of ministry at Canaan Christian Community. Time here has been rich with sweet fellowship and new relationships, but also marked with unexpected trials. Nonetheless, our Lord is present and working both amongst the team and the community.
We arrived in Port au Prince on the afternoon of the 11th where we met up with Catherine, a consistent Canaan missionary. She was our loyal guide as we rode on the back of a truck for two hours from the capital to Montrouis. As we drove along, we were struck with our first glimpses of Haitian reality. The streets were packed with people going about their daily lives. No street lights, no traffic signs, no lined pavements, no trash cans. We were surely not in America anymore. Catherine prepared us with details about Haitian government and culture that helped paint a picture of what our new home was going to look like.
Canaan, a Christian community and orphanage, is separated from the rest of the society. Right outside the gates are merchants and families who call the driveway to Canaan their home. Pastor Henri and Sister Gladys, founders of Canaan, welcomed us with warm hugs, kisses, and an exquisite Haitian meal (ask us about the breadfruit when we get back). As the sun began to set, we put up our mosquito nets and made camp for six weeks, we couldn?t help but feel overwhelmed with both joy in Christ?s provisions and our inadequacies in playing a small part in his Great Commission.
When we all decided to follow this calling to Haiti, none of us knew how the Lord would use us. We knew that we would have to grow in the realms of flexibility and discomfort. We knew of the possible ways that we could serve here, but none of us completely expected to become summer school teachers.
Canaan?s summer school consists of preschool students all the way to high school, ranging in ages from 4 to 21. For the first two weeks it felt as if we were given the whole school to run. We had all responsibilities given to us, and it was quite difficult. From teaching preschoolers their ABC?s to helping high schoolers prepare for the SAT, our roles as teachers stretch us in all directions. A typical day of school mostly consists of teaching English and trying to incorporate the gospel into everything we do.
These experiences in the school have shown the extreme difficulty of playing the role of both teacher and friend. Throughout these weeks we have been shown our weaknesses and sin, and how the Lords has chosen to grow us. We desire to create relationships and share the good news of Christ. While all of us have experienced frustration in being a teacher and a friend to the kids, Jesus has provided us with many new friendships and gospel opportunities in and outside the classroom.
It has taken some time, but we have quickly become adjusted to the beautiful qualities of the culture. Haitians are known for their laughter, singing, dancing, sassy looks, and showing kind affection. The culture encompasses tasteful food, slower time, and simpler ways of life. By simple, we mean washing everything by hand, lack of air conditioning, and inconsistent power. Having no electricity during day definitely changes the way we go about life. It usually rains in the evenings here and several times our house has flooded. Our Haitian friends always joyfully help us in these situations, teaching us that this is just a way of life. We have so much here at Canaan. We have roofs over our heads, although they may leak at times. We have electricity, although it turns off at 4am. We have clean water, although it?s not always cold.
By the grace of God we have learned to count these trials as blessings, as we have had opportunities to see how the truly impoverished people of Haiti live. Last weekend, we went on an 8-mile hike into the mountains. On the way up, we got to see the typical Haitian lifestyle. We realized how blessed the Canaan community is. Our American perspectives on poverty completely shifted as we witnessed people who work not to make a living but to simply survive. That?s how our whole trip has been so far: our selfish pride has been contested with true humility. It is a privilege to live here, even if it?s only for six weeks. Not that we can fix this hurt and brokenness that we see, but that only the Lord can heal and restore the Haitians to his kingdom.
We rejoice over the fact that our only hope is our trust in Jesus Christ. This trip has been covered in prayer, both by us, the team, and by you, our supporters. We have seen our problems turn into prayers, and our prayers turn into blessings. We prayed for opportunities to build relationships, and the Lord has given us rich, close friendships. We prayed for situations where we can explain the gospel, and the Lord has given us a chapel to lead every morning. Countless laughs, movie nights, sleepovers, dance parties, soccer games, volleyball tournaments, afternoon beach trips? the list goes on and on. These are some of the ways God has allowed us to glorify him through intentional fellowship with the orphans. We are so in love with this community and are thankful that we can share this love with you.
We can?t leave this blog without letting you know about the Hope that we have here. The first week we arrived Canaan adopted a 7-month-old baby girl whom they named Hope. When she got here she only weighed 5 pounds. She was extremely malnourished and in desperate need for help. Our first moments with Hope painted a picture of who we are without Christ- hopeless and crying out for safety. We knew that the Lord brought her here for a purpose; to rescue her and show her His faithful love. After just three weeks she has gained half of her body weight. She is smiling, using a bottle, sitting up, eating, and laughing; things that she could not do when she first arrived. Hallelujah! Rejoice with us over Hope?s story because it is each one of our stories if we know the glory and grace that is found in Christ Jesus.
Thank you for your love, support, and endless prayers.
In Christ,
Haiti SummerLINK