A piece of my participant’s heart in Haiti

I embarked on a journey to Haiti really not knowing what to expect. I just knew that I wanted to be used this past week to help the Haitian people, but foremost to bring glory to God. I had no expectations, but a willing heart, two hands and two feet. As I arrived, I met my team members for the week and we grew close to each other. I saw God’s heart in them. They were my family.
The highlights of my trip were many. The organization I went with partners with local churches to help the local residents. They asked for help with rubble removal. We were going to remove rubble from a two story house that now stood as one story house. The church hired local residents to help out as well hence giving two days of employment. The unemployment in Haiti is at 90%. The average wage per day is $2 US dollars.
I have to say that I was humbled by the grateful heart of the Haitian people in the midst of so much devastation. There is rubble everywhere and most of it needs to be removed manually. There are no heavy machinery to help with this so it would take a long time to clean the rubble. We started one house and there are thousands of houses. I wished I could have done more in one week.

We also visited a tent city to talk to the people and shared our faith. I was surprised on how open they were to us.They shared stories of survival. I also saw the faces of Haitian children and I saw hope.

We had a party for the kids that were part of one of the local churches and orphanage. We sang songs, played games and did a skit. Many of them came early and they were so cute dressed up. I wished you could have been there to see them. We sent them home with some rice/beans and a goodie bag. The goodie bag had two crayons, pencil and piece of candy. They got a coloring book too! They were so excited about it .I was doing crowd control. It was crazy, but you should have seen their faces. They will be imprinted in my heart.

Thanks for all your contributions. I took them and they were sorted out to given to the school, church and the kids. You have made an impact. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

So, I am home now and a part of me is still in Haiti. I am definitely going to look for ways to keep helping the country and go back.

So what do I take away from this journey?

1) I became more aware that life is so much more than a job and expectations on how life should be lived.

2) My heart is full of love for the Haitian people even though they are so far away

3) God can use you in extraordinary ways even though you might not think so. Philippians 4:13

4) I have Infinite gratitude for everything provided to me.

5) Be a person of action not just words

Romans 12: 10-13
Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them.

Notes from Toya:

The Lord is using Haiti to change the hearts and minds of thousands of individuals all over the world. It is impossible to be here and NOT be affected. However, Haiti can be in your backyard, across the street, at your workplace or the Starbucks you visit each morning on your way to work. The mission field isn’t just some foreign place that you have to go visit. What do you think would happen to the world if we all started asking the Lord, who do you want me to help today? How would you like to affect my life today? Listening and responding to what He says is crucial. If we allow Him to truly direct and guide us instead of pushing our own agenda’s, we could experience what some of us are experiencing in Haiti more regularly.