Haiti's Work On Us

“We went to go work on Haiti, and Haiti worked on us.” This was a phrase spoken by a fellow team member during our June mission trip to Le Pretre Haiti. We went with our plans to build a well and latrine, and to do a multiday medical mission. But, it didn’t work out that way. The rains kept coming and coming; and the waters kept rising and rising. Le Pretre was cut off by the torrent of the river. We never built the well or the latrine, the children of village never received much needed medical care.*

It was frustrating and difficult. Much good was done, however. Three other amazingly needy villages received medical care. Six desks were built for the school. And we had the chance to live into the namesake of our mission, “The Incarnation Project.” We were bodily present with the Haitians during one of their worst tropical storms. We experienced the flooded streets, the anxiety of the river’s edge creeping over the banks, and the difficultly of travel and “doing” day to day life without the blessing of proper infrastructure. As God was present to us in the storms of our lives in the Incarnation of Jesus, so to where we present with the Haitians in the storms of their lives.

We went to go work on Haiti, and Haiti worked on us. We went to build for others in Haiti, and we found it was our character that was being built. Such is the work of God in us.
The second time to Haiti was different. My first trip I think I was in shock most of the time. Such overwheleming and pervasive poverty! I simply couldn't take it all in. It didnt' make sense to me and I had no words to describe it. I still don't. But, this time the experience shifted. I didn't see anything different in terms of the poverty. I was till struck by its harsh reality and it was still as broad as it was before. The few homes/place that show evidence of being beyond the "scraping by" level are still amazingly far and few between. But my eyes weere beyond the inital shock so I could see more. I saw more joy in their faces, and the exchance of the blessings of family and church relationship. I had the chance to enter a home (a Vester member of St. Paul's Torbeck) and it was good to see the place of their day to day lives. It was simple. It was exteremly spare...but, it was a home indeed.** The human spirit is an amazing thing. And at the root of all of us is the same basic need and desire. To know and be known. Haiti certainly is rich in such knowledge! 

*Another mission trip to complete the planned work we had for this trip is being planned for the fall of 2011.

**Once the Incarantion Project website is launched later this summer I'll direct you all to that link and you can go see a photo journal of our first trip in February and this second trip in June. Pictures of my visit to this home will be included.