Let's EAT

Mark 7:14-15
Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. Nothing outside a man can make him ‘unclean’ by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him ‘unclean’.

The food has been great. Breakfast is a meal fit for royalty.

Scrambled eggs with green peppers and ham, bananas, peanut butter, avocado, mango, pineapple, melon, bread, fresh squeezed juice and coffee. YUMMmmmmmm

Every morning we had a different juice, mango, watermelon, pineapple. Some I don’t even know what kind of fruit is was.

Galatians 5:22-26
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let is not become conceited, provoking and envying others.

Every day for lunch we had a sandwich, some kind of bread that looked like a toasted sub with ham, cheese, ketchup, and onion. Sandwiches on the first day were different and new but as the week went on they were no longer different and new.

Mark 14:38
“Watch and pray so that you will not fall onto temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”

Dinner was amazing, fried chicken, lamb, rice and beans, fried plantain, avocados, mango, pineapple, red beets and French fries. The fist night the little guy came out with this little Tupperware container that had a mix of sliced little red onions and hot orange and green peppers. The smile of delight on the guy’s face was priceless when he said try this. I had to try it to get the whole Haiti experience and it was GOOOOOD and hot. I don’t think he expected us to like it, but he made it for us every night and every night we cleaned the bowl.

Luke 18:13-14
“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God have mercy on me, a sinner’, I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

To the Market

With no crafts to prepare for the next day we had time to rest and regroup before the next Haitian outing. Later that afternoon Greg takes us to the Haitian market so we can experience and understand Haiti a little deeper. The market was just a few blocks from where we held VBS. On the way we passed a funeral traveling to the grave yard. I don’t know if it was the body or the smell of the meat in the market but the oder in the air smelled like what you would imagine a week old body would smell like. A Hurst leads the way. The Hurst was missing the driver’s side door and the driver was missing his left arm. I’ll let you put those pieces together. Haitians followed behind the Hurst, dressed in freshly pressed black and white dress clothes. It seemed odd that in Haiti they had clean pressed black and white dress clothes.

As we park on a street corner curb, I look at Greg and ask if we are safe. He looks at me, raises his eyebrows and smirks. I took that as a “not really’. The team leader, Wick, (aka Papa Bear) gives us the talk, “do not give away anything, don’t even act like you understand what they are saying, stay close and keep moving”. As we step on the street of the market a Haitian lady squats down beside me. I watch to see what she is doing, shockingly realizing that she is urinating on the street. Not 1 cm beside her a lady is selling her goods (food). Even more shockingly none of the Haitians seem to see this as inappropriate or out of the norm.
The market was lined with venders, mostly women and all selling the same things. I can only imagine what we must have looked like, a parade of white people. They stared and talked about us just as we did them. We could hear them calling out “white people” in creel.

Matthew 10:6-8
But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleans the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.

My little black Nike watch is a part of me. I use it every day at the gym. I’m sure that some clients would love for it to disappear; some insist that it is broken, but it is something I never leave the house without. Most of the time, I don’t think about it being on my arm, it’s always there. This day I should have remembered. Haitians crowded the market street amongst the venders and their merchandise. As we walk in our little parade line through the market someone touches my left arm. I pretend like I didn’t feel it and keep moving. Moments later someone on the right taps me and gestures for my watch. As I look in the guys eyes the words of Papa Bear circle in my head, “don’t even act like you understand what they are saying”. Shortly another man gently grabs my arm and gestures for my watch. I look him straight in the eyes and no other words were needed. Three strikes, so I took off my watch as discreetly as I could and put it in one of the girls back packs.

The photos below were taken by an extremely talented young photographer on our team. The most impressive thing is that they were taken incognito by pointing and clicking. No looking through the lenses, focusing and then clicking, just point and shoot. The down side to these photos is they are so pretty you can’t really get the feel of how grouse this place really was.

James 4:7-8
Submit yourselves, then to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

Job 22:26-30
Surely then you will find delight in the Almighty and will lift up your face to God. You will pray to him, and he will hear you, and you will fulfill your vows. What you decide on will be done, and light will shine on your ways. When men are brought low and you say ‘Lift them up!’ then he will save the downcast. He will deliver even one who is not innocent, who will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands.

The last day of VBS seemed to be a little more emotional than the rest of the week. We played, sang, hugged and loved, but we all new in the back of our minds that we would be leaving them. I felt like a proud momma, as long as I was there they would be safe and I could take care of them, but when I was gone they would be alone. I knew they would be no more alone than when we got there, or for that matter while we were there, but somehow I felt as though we were abandoning them.

Romans 5:3-5
Not only so, but we also rejoyice in our suffering, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

Matthew 5:3-6
Blessed are those poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek; for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled.

1 Peter 1:22-23
Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brother, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.

At the end of the morning, we told them that we loved them, that we soon would be leaving and that we would never forget their beautiful faces, but more importantly that God loved them and that He would never leave them. I expected them to hug us, maybe even cry, and tell us that they didn’t want us to leave…

but they didn’t.

Hebrews 11:6
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Matthew 5:7-10
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Isaiah 1:18
“Come now, let us reason together,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.

Jeremiah 1:5-7
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations”. “Ah, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am only a child,” but the Lord said to me, “Do not say I am only a child, you must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you.

Matthew 10:37-39
Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me, and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

1 John 3:16
This is how we know what love is; Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.

Jeremiah 24:7
I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.

Jeremiah 49:11
“Leave your orphans; I will protect their lives. Your widows too can trust in me.”

Tears Roll

Sunday morning my body was still on the 4am wake up call. I had plenty of time to sneak out for some quiet time before my roommate awoke and the rest of the group began to gather. By Monday wake up was more like 6am and the coffee addicts had already begun to gather for their refills, trampling through the freshly mopped floor.

Job 11:7-9
Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty? They are higher than the heavens – what can you do? They are deeper than the depths of the grave – what can you know? Their measure is longer than the earth and wider than the sea.

Over the past 4 years, I have been blessed that one of my many lessons from God was to be still and spend time with Him. Most days I have a few hours to spend reading, talking, and listening to God. In Haiti spare quiet time was hard to find.

Isaiah 25:4
You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat. For the breath of the ruthless is like a storm driving against a wall.

There was always something to be done, someone to prepare for, people to get to know, deep conversations to discuss, rain to play in, but I craved my quiet time. Time to be still and reflect, to hear what God was saying, time I needed to process and digest emotions and actions. To get back to my center, to be grounded, focus and make adjustments. By Thursday I was going stir crazy looking for some place I could escape but at the same time not wanting to miss out.

Job 11:13-16
Yet if you devote your heart to him and stretch out your hands to him, if you put away the sin in your hand and allow no evil to dwell in your tent, then you will lift up your face without shame; you will stand firm and without fear.
You will surely forget your trouble, recalling it only as waters gone by.

Job 11:17-20
Life will be brighter than noonday, and darkness will become like morning. You will be secure because there is hope; you will look about you and take your rest in safety. You will lie sown with no one to make you afraid and many will count your favor. But the eyes of the wicked will fail and escape will elude them; their hope will become a dying gasp.

On our way home from VBS, traffic was crazy as always, over crowded with people on the side of the road, cars, Mack trucks, busses and overcrowded mopeds.

A snap shot of our ride home;

in the oncoming traffic were several mopeds, 4 or 5 with 2-4 people on each of them. Out of nowhere, a moped with 2 or3 people on it, zipped through traffic, zigzagging around other mopeds creating a panic amongst the other drivers. The crazy driver zips away, sending the other mopeds crashing to the ground scattering bodies everywhere. As we all scream, our driver slams on the brakes just shy of running over all of them. This seemed to be the nudge that pushed us all to our braking point.

At lunch, Jennie asked if we could go around the table and talk about our feelings, (as I try to bury them under the “I don’t feel that” file). As the team begins talking, tears burn my eyes, as they continued, tears roll out, as they conclude, tears roll, as we eat lunch, tears still rolling. It seemed like the perfect time to find that quiet place. I left the table, went to the room and sobbed uncontrollably. It seemed as though the week’s emotions were coming out all at one time. I didn’t know what else to do so I just sat there and sobbed.

When I thought I had it together, I returned to the table. By this time most of them had finished lunch. I tried to eat but had lost all interest and of course I began crying again.

Salt of the Earth

On our last day to experience Haiti, we had a day full of places and people to go and to see. Breakfast was fabulous as it had been all week and our spirits were up, excited about the day. Shortly after breakfast we hopped in the van for what was to be a short drive to the beach. A 15 minute drive turned into a 45 minute drive.
Matthew 5:13
You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.
The beach was breathtaking. Small pebbles covered the shore of the most ice teal blue water I have ever seen surrounded by mountains. The waves didn’t roar like the Carolina coast, but flowed through pebbles making a calming sound all its own.

Jeremiah 31:35
This is what the Lord says, he who appoints the sun to shine by day, who decrees the moon and stares to shine by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar- the Lord Almighty is his name:
Your breath (inhaling and exhaling) is similar to the flow of an ocean. The slower your breath is the slower your heart is. The crashing waves of the Carolina coast resemble a hard exhale. Haiti’s coast of a soft flow is a replica of a calm, gentile, slow relaxing breath. In a world of such hurt and devastation Haiti’s shore resembles peace and a sense of controlled calmness.
Matthew 5:14-16
“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
As I sat on the pebbled beach I soaked in memories and moments, thoughts and questions, that had collected throughout the week. I wondered how a place so picture perfect could outline a place of destruction. I thought, we shouldn’t even be at the beach, having a good time laughing and sitting in paradise when not even a mile away lives a family hurting, hungry, lonely and lost.
Isaiah 25:1
O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name; for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago.

Haitian men came to haggle us to buy things, most having the same stuff. One guy came by with the largest crab I have ever seen, still kicking. Gregg purchases the crab and the guy takes it down the beach to cook it. Gregg gets all of the Haitian guys that work for him and send them down the beach to enjoy the freshly cooked crab. For a few minutes those 5 or 6 guys enjoy a gift they more than deserve. The site of it warmed my heart and made be smile inside. Thank you, Gregg, for loving Haiti.
1 John 3:23
And this is his command: to believe in the name fo his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.

A small feast

Day 5

“The sights of the city are still numbing but I think I’m getting more accustomed to them. It still shocks me when I open the door and the smell hits me. I'm reminded it’s not a dream ...

we are still in Haiti.”

Isaiah 41:17

"The poore and needy search for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. But I the Lord will answer them; I the God of Israel, will not forsake them."

Isaiah 41:13

For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.

One of the missions and passions of Love Haiti Mission is to feed the children of Haiti. Every day that week Love Haiti purchased food for the children, and the mommas prepared it while we were at VBS. Handing out crafts is one thing, handing out food is all together another, so we were not there for that.

Lamentations 3:32-33

Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men.

Wednesday, Gregg took us to see how the food for the children was prepared at a nearby home. We walked maybe half a mile down a dirt road, tip toeing around puddles of who knows what. As we walked down the road children played, people worked, goats ate on piles of left over burnt trash. Some of the Haitians went in and brought back others to see what must have looked like an American parade of white people. They all looked, pointed, smiled, and chatted about us, just as we did them, except we had cameras.

As we traveled to the home, Greg explained the reason we had to walk so far was so the towns’ people wouldn’t smell the food or know we were giving food away. After the mommas cooked the food they would pack it in a cooler to hide the smell and bring it to the church. Monday when they gave out food 2 fights broke out over food. Just a reminder of how people act during desperate times.

Luke 18:27

And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.

When we get to the little concrete home the preacher knocks on a metal gate, says something in creel, then we enter, walking through a sheet covered doorway. I was one of the first to walk in the small dark little home. I didn’t take the time to notice the surroundings, but I remember thinking it looked surprisingly like a home.

(On the last day of VBS we stayed while the construction team finished up. We were able to see the kids receive lunch. Some of us helped hand out the plates of food and gather the plates, licked clean, from the children that were finished eating. Empty plates and silverware collected were reused and handed back out to the children waiting patiently for food. )

I Thessalonians 5:16-18

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

(This is my little sweet one. She held my hand most of the week. Never spoke a word. Every now and then she would look up at me with those big brown eyes and smile a big sweet smile. She reminded me of me. I would have taken her home if I could.)

The mommas were so sweet and welcoming. There were about 5 of them, greeting us with hugs and smiles, all with the look of total pleasure that we had come to visit. They must have cleaned for days making the home spotless and it was. Through a short maze, we ended our journey on a small concrete patio the size of my closet. In the middle of the patio was a log rock fire with a large pot of rice and beans cooking, beside it a pot with just beans, another with rice and a bucket with beans soaking. A table by the door had all of the other preparations on it. Those mommas were so excited about us coming; they had every step of the process sat out for us to see. They must have scurried around for hours making everything perfect. Their kindness and generosity was humbling.

Luke 22:27

For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? It is not the one who is at the table. But I am among you as aone who serves.

We stayed only a few minutes then headed back. When we arrived back at the VBS tent, all of the children were seated on the benches, listening to our translator telling a story out of a coloring book she found in our craft suitcase. Every one of them was seated like little angles with both eyes on her. She was perfect. She told the story with excitement and humor. After she told the story she told the boys one of them had to come up front and tell the story from memory. It was the cutest thing. A boy came up, told the story with the exact enthusiasm as our translator. They all clapped and it was a girl’s turn. I’m not sure what all was said but some of the girls stood and clapped and the boys laughed. One of the translators must have seen the confused looks on our faces because he leaned over and told us, because none of the girls wanted to tell the story, the girls had to stand and give the boys a round of applause. As I watch this process continue, the translator telling a story from a coloring book, followed by one boy and then one girl coming to the front to repeat the story, I was amazed. These children had never been to school but were engulfing this opportunity, well behaved, obedient, and loving it. Children in America would have had a million complaints, and parents probably would complain that the teacher embarrassed their child.