Haiti

People keep asking me if going to Haiti was a life changing experience for me. And I keep wondering if something is wrong with me because it wasn't an earth shattering, life altering experience for me. It is more a subtle new awareness I've gained by being there.

I loved being in Haiti. I can't wait to go back, and to take my kids. I miss my brothers and sisters I got to know there, and love that we are connected now, in spirit, in prayer, by phone and email and on facebook. :)

How does one describe in words what it felt like to smell the smells, see the people, ride on the street, feel the heat, end the day sweaty, dusty, hot, but filled? To be served and to serve? I can't put it into words eloquently, but I will try to relay a taste of what I experienced and came away with.

Much of our time was spent at the home of the St. Gelus family. Pastor Riccardo and his wife Misselaine have a vibrant ministry in Port Au Prince. They pour themselves and their resources into serving the people around them. It was such a blessing to be with them, to see their passion and love for people and for God. Our team put running water and solar power and appliances into their house. No more outhouse. No more outdoor water pump. No more cooler full of ice to cool things. Hello toilet, shower, kitchen sink, washing machine. Hello ceiling fans, dryer, and refrigerator. Things we just expect to have in our houses in America. God used us to bless them, so that they can be even further equipped and freed up to bless others. And that blessed us.

Riccardo and Misselaine are wonderful, humble people. They are content. They work hard. They have 6 great kids. :) I learned from them to remember that our joy, our contentment comes from Christ and in serving Him, and that the weather, my old ratty carpet with matted spots and a rip or two, my weedy yard, and many other "inconveniences" aren't worth complaining about.

Time was slower in Haiti. It seemed that we spent a lot of time trying to get from one place to another, just trying to buy supplies, eating :) and spending time with people. But you know what? Everything we set out to accomplish got done. And more! After about the third day, I stopped stressing about what time it was, and how we were going to spend the time we had, and just let myself go with the flow and be flexible. And I was always surprised at how much time seemed to be in each day! Coming home, that means not always rushing around trying to get my tasks done before I spend time with my family and friends, and realizing that everything will get done in time. And it does. :) People should often be a higher priority than tasks, though practically speaking there must be time for tasks too.

I loved spending time with the kids at Vacation Bible School. I loved playing with Emannuel and Rothschild (Riccardo and Misselaine's youngest two) and their cousins and friends. I loved riding around and laughing and talking with Jerry (their son) and Reggie, a family friend. They translated for us and drove us all over the place. I loved having long talks with Lindel, the neighbor teen who also translated for us. He was so hungry for learning and knowledge - a sponge. I loved sitting with Misselaine, even though we were unable to converse much because of the language barrier. She is very dear to my heart. I loved hearing Riccardo talk of his dreams for ministry, and seeing him interact with all of us, and all of the people that were always in and out of his house. I loved trying new fruits and foods. I loved visiting the kids in the orphanage. I loved getting a taste of Palto's life (their son who lives here in Newberg now and goes to our church.) I loved being there with my Dad, seeing him be God's hands and feet. I loved watching my husband preach while Riccardo interpreted, and seeing him serve in this country. I loved the unity of our team, and getting to know the other 11 members of our team even better than I knew them before. I loved riding through the streets and seeing all the people. I loved being about the only white people in a huge city. I loved being surrounded by children speaking Creole and trying to learn some of their language. I was fascinated by the traffic and the roads, how the people live, the tent cities, the street markets. I was saddened to see the destruction from the earth quake, the garbage filling the sidewalks and streets, the thousands of displaced people trying to get by day to day.

I'm not sure when we'll get to go back, but I know we will. And I look forward to it with an eager heart. Eager to see God do more amazing things. Eager to serve. Eager to bless and be blessed. And most of all, eager to spend more time with the family and friends I fell in love with there.