Sorrowful yet rejoicing. Empty yet
full. Devastated yet hopeful. Having little yet having much. These are phrases
that immediately come to mind when I think of our week in Haiti. Haiti is a place
of overwhelming beauty, beautiful places and beautiful people. It is also a
place of tremendous need and tremendous potential. This week our team has
experienced all of these things at open road Tap-Tap speeds. We have fed sick children,
and we have delivered life-giving water in a sea of poverty. We have seen the
love and joy of children with special needs, and we have been an audience to an
orphan choir worthy of a Grammy. We have stood at the mass graves where 150,000
to 200,000 of those who died in the 2010 earthquake are buried, and we have
seen the progress of new schools, new jobs, and reunited families. Each day of
this week we have been filled up, and we have been poured out.
As I think about these
experiences, the words of Paul keep ringing in my ears, “But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing
power belongs to God and not us. We are afflicted in every way, but not
crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken;
struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:7-9). God has been
demonstrating these truths to our team this week. God is able to accomplish his
purposes through weak and lowly vessels like us, and through our Haitian
brothers and sisters as a demonstration of his power and glory. Jesus is still restoring
and transforming lives and communities in Haiti. He is doing it through the
day-to-day acts of disciples who faithfully share the good news and serve
others selfless.
In this short week, we have seen a
generation’s worth of work yet to be done. We know that there is an overwhelming
task ahead. We also know that God’s resources are limitless, and so is his love
for the people of Haiti.
Jacob
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