Today's experience on the ground for me exemplified what it means to live and work in god's will and timing. I have come to see and understand that no matter how well our leaders plan for our day out in the field the fact is that strange and unpredictable things happen when we are out in the field.
Our day started out as usual with a fantastic fresh breakfast! this is always one of my favorite times of day because i love the food they prepare for us down here. in addition to that it is a great way to start the day sitting around the table spending time talking and laughing with the other members of our team. it is also when we get a run down on what we can expect for the most part of what our day will look like and what we have on our plates for the day. a good time focus in and prepare for the day ahead.
we were able to take one of my favorite drives when we are in country here. to get to our first stoptakes us through part of the haitian countryside. we are able to see the sites and sounds of one more part of what makes this country tick. driving along the ocean coast is very beautiful, add that along with the breeze that comes in off the ocean and makes the ride one of the coolest rides of our time down here as well. there is so much to take in in something as simple as a ride in a truck when taking the time to see what our father put together. it is about a 45min ride to our firststop out that way so there is a nice amount of time to takein all that we can. also being in the tap-tap for that long creates a wonderful opportunity for team bonding, laughing, talking and joking with each other as we make our way to our destination.
our first stop today was at the mass grave site in Titanyen. one of our guides that was with us today gave his testimony on his personal experience that day and the few days that followed the devastating earthquake back in 2010. it is hard to imagine what the people of haiti had gone through with the tragedy. the number of people we were told that lost their life was pretty staggering. listening to our guide tell what hes saw and felt rite after the earthquake was real enough to this day that it clearly effected him and in turn made it a emotionally powerful testimony to hear. with no where for that number of casualties to be put the government made a large grave in one of the mountain sides near port-au-prince. the government of haiti has been working on a memorial at that very site to commemorate all the loss of life and to have a place for all those who could not find their loved ones to go in memory of them to morn. for me being there at the site in years past when i have come it was awesome to see the vast improvement on the construction of the memorial. i was really stricken with how beautiful they have been able to make what could have been a devastating reminder of a horrible tragedy. it was clear the government has put a lot of time and resources into making this a beautiful place for people to come. from all the sites i have seen in my experience being here this is the most striking well put together thing i have seen put together by government.
the next thing on our agenda was elder visits. this is where having the flexibility to work with unpredictable circumstances comes into play, and having leaders that do not get thrown off by bumps in the road. we came to find that the first elder that we were going to visit had recently move and our guides were unsure where she had moved to. it was a pretty easy transition to move on and pick rite up and move on to the next elder that was planned for us. the elders that we visit are a true blessing to me and us as a team to serve and care for. there is nothing complicated with what we do for them. we bring them a hot meal, a couple nice cool drinks, and give wash there hands arms and feet, give them a nice light massage with lotion, and pray and sing with them. this is still a unnatural thing for me to do it is difficult for me to put my own feelings aside and really humble myself knowing that this is the exact kind of think that Jesus tells us we should do for each other. i do get involved no matter how uncomfortable and do what we are there to do ( show the love of Christ to these elders ) and in doing so i experience a closeness to god that to me feels very tangible, such a feeling of peace and comfort while serving these people in the way we do. i thank god for the willingness to get out of my comfort zone to follow what he has set in place for us down here to get a blessing out of the experience that i never could have imagined.
our next stop was to grace village. this to my understanding is where healing haiti does the base of their operations out of. they have a health clinic, dental clinic, school, orphanage, church, bakery, restaurant, childrens food center, library, computer lab, and garden at this site. i was very impressed with how the vision of healing haiti has continued to grow over the years that they have been in operation down here. it is a pretty neat way to see what God can out together when you have a willing heart to follow his call, even when the circumstances say that there is no way that we can make happen what we feel we should be doing. like our pastor says if god calls us to it he will see us through it. this is such a true statement for the entire healing haiti start to what it is now. because of two peoples obedience there is a huge light of hope in a community that can really use the love god has to give. there are hundreds of kids which have their lives changed due to this organization, which in turn will touch the lives of countless generations to come. even just the story of how the land the founders bought was not what they though it was but several more times a greater amount, a staggering amount of land. that land is playing a huge role now as to what all healing haiti is able to do. it is an awesome time to come back year after year and to see what god is doing in this country and in this organization healing haiti.
we had the privilege of being able to taste the food that the healing haiti restaurant, fleri for dinner tonight. the main part of the restaurant is a pizzeria. the food was really good and the fellowship was even better. it was fun to see the team relax and have fun together. which in its own way is god doing another amazing thing in our lives as a team. as a team being able to sow back into the community that we are here to serve. for me it is precious to be able to sit back and take the time to stop "working" and just take a look at what God is doing at this very moment in time. it is good to know that we do not always having to be putting our hands to the grinding stone to see that God is doing something in and through us. that leads to what is really the most important thing to realize and keep in mind is that left to our own thinking and power that none of this would come together the way it has, that all the glory and honor needs to go to our lord Jesus Christ who has called us all here and it is his power that is working through us. we need his spirit in us in a big way in order to make it through and be successful in what the call is for us to do while we are in haiti, and when we get back to our lives as usual as well. love you all, God bless!!!!!
