Titanyen, Haiti

During the month of July, I had the privilege of traveling to Haiti with Watermark Church.  We went through the organization, Mission of Hope, an amazing place with amazing people determined to see this beautiful country rise up.  Over this week we were blessed with the chance to get to know the hearts behind a lot of physical brokenness and also search our own hearts for what keeps us from abiding in the LORD in the "real world".  I'm sad to admit that going into this small week-long journey, my heart was not necessarily finding peace and worth in Him but my eyes were opened to so many beautiful truths throughout my trip!  For many people, the first thing that pops into their minds when they think about Haiti is the earth quake and how the country is impoverished, unsafe and simply broken.  Me, being human, I went into the week thinking that I was going to go help fix what was broken, after all, in my eyes, I live a pretty great life.  What I failed to see was that I was just basing my thoughts off of worldly and fleeting things.  Just because I have a place to call my home and a bed to sleep on doesn't make me any less broken than the Haitians who had no home due to the earthquake, and what I quickly realized is that I was the one who was actually broken. During village time one day, I was blessed to encounter a young man who was trying to learn english (the native language is creole) and I was asking him simple questions about himself and he was teaching me some words in creole.  After a while I asked him what he liked best about Haiti and he told me the only reason he can get through the day is the people's hearts.  In return, he asked me "Do the people where you're from have good hearts?" I paused for quite a while because I couldn't find the will to say yes.  The Haitians have beautiful hearts set on the LORD despite the earthquake and their government and their living conditions.  We have every worldly thing possible and yet our hearts are empty and broken and greedy.  In that moment the LORD showed me that I was the one who needed fixing spiritually.  In 1 Samuel 16:7 He reminds us that the Lord does not look at what we have, how we dress or where we live... he looks at the heart.  Throughout the week I was constantly reminded of how little I can do on my own without Him and how only in him will I be "fixed" and made perfect.  As I was walking through Titanyen one day, we came across and old man who was hunched over and walking with a cane.  He was singing praise songs in creole over and over so we took and translator and started a conversation with him.  His name was Ishmael and he was 144 YEARS OLD, talk about a great story.  This little man had lived through so much and even as he is nearing the end of his time here, he never stops glorifying the LORD.  What a perfect picture of a servant of Christ: unashamed and proclaiming his love for his heavenly father.  It reminded me so much of the song "Bless the Lord (10,000 reasons)" because the one lyric that played over and over in my head was, "and on that day when my strength is failing, the end draws near and my time has come, still my soul will sing your praise unending, 10,000 years and then forever more"! Haiti restored my desire to spend time with the LORD every day and live solely for Him.  The last night there as we were reflecting on what the Lord placed on our hearts that week the most beautiful heat lightning storm continually lit up the sky and it was such a great reminder of God's unending presence in our lives.  His love is unending, unfailing, unconditional and unfathomable.

Mission of Hope is a wonderful organization that helps over 69,000 people in Haiti!  Please check out their website and read more about the incredible things they are accomplishing, it's amazing! http://www.mohhaiti.org

... all the glory to him
- his beloved