It’s been 2 weeks in Haiti and things are moving along.
It’s easy to be here and have your heart broken. The trick is continuing to focus and have the ability to motivate those around you who might want to fall apart. You heard much about my first week here from the voices of people on my team. That was in part because they were telling the stories from their hearts and partly because I was too emotional to write myself.
Walking to the car at the airport and having children trail behind you saying, I’m hungry, please give me… Knowing that I had nothing to give and even if I did, it would have been putting my team and that child in danger was a lot to bear. That was simply the beginning.
Throughout the week we had mothers kissing thier babies heads and handing them out to us, hoping for a better life for their child. One woman tried to toss her son into our truck as we drove by because the community knew it was our last day with them.
This is just a tiny glimpse into the despair of this country. Sometimes it seems a blessing and a curse to be here to “help.” How much help can we actually give? The remarkable thing is when you are actually able to speak to people, they want you to pray for them. The vast majority of them are not asking you to pray for food, clothes or a new house. 85% of prayer requests are for strength from God to make it through this situation and for a job to be able to take care of their families. What a humbling situation to be in. Our teams spend hours walking the streets, praying with people, crying with people, sharing the gospel and simply sharing life. It’s amazing what a simple wave and a smile accomplishes when you can’t speak the language! My refusal to learn French is killing me! I am grateful for my third grade teacher (Marcia Kallander) She was a French teacher and taught us various things in French. Fortunately I still remember a Bible verse and song in French and that has been good. It does however backfire a tiny bit when the people here already assume I am Haitian (the only black person with the group) I insist that I am not Haitian and I can’t speak the language and then I break out later with a French Bible verse. It’s a little confusing for the people here who then insist that they were right all along and that I am a Haitian hiding with the Americans!
My current team and I managed to offend an entire church this week because they don’t believe that women (Christian women in particular) should wear pants and our entire team had on capris! They were especially concerned that I as a leader and a black woman should know better and should have instructed the team. (a group of youth 16-18) They questioned our sincerity, my leadership ability and our committment to the Lord. Are we really Christians? Can they trust us to share the gospel with them and the people of Haiti?? What God are we actually serving? This was an interesting test for me as a leader and for the team to walk through. Talk about humiliation…
How would you handle this situation? What would you say to the church? To the team? Can you “encourage yourself in the Lord?” Remember that we are guests in this country and guests at every church we partner with.
My next blog will let you know what happened.
Great update Toya!!!! Some powerful and humbling stuff….know that I am keeping you and the teams in my prayers…….God is using you all to make a difference, big or small, one person at a time!!! Love ya!!!
I read your update and then read this verse and thought I’d share…Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.~ Proverbs 11:2, NLT
Toya, I love you and pray for you every day for strength, refreshment and direction. I also pray for your team and, of course, the Haitians. Thank you so much for sharing with such honesty. Pride goeth before destruction and God is doing a great work in you. I pray that Jesus will do a great work through you. May our Lord direct your every step.
Hello Sister Toya.
These are mindblowing and feet staggering updates,I can see what you guys are going through out there in Haiti.O.K. This is what it means to go outside the gate with Christ.Your presence there is enough encouragementss that some people care in times of crisis,you may not have all to give them,but a word from God is all what it takes to give hope and console hearts that are bleeding with pain and frustration.Remember the verse that says “silver and gold we do not have but…..”this is what the world needs from my point of view and also biblically.Remember the palance tht says,he that has God has all things in one.That is exactly what you are doing out there.
Keep on keeping on.
God bless and keep you.Amen
Wilson