Haiti Day 5
WOW! How in the world do you begin to put into words ALL the Lord has done today? It seems impossible but I will do my best and give it a go. We were out the door by nine o clock and made our way to Source De la Grace orphanage. I was lucky enough to get to ride in the tap-tap and as we drove through the middle of Haiti traffic, God began to download so much into my mind and heart and I was finally in a place I was ready to process. I was quickly reminded of something our translator, Du Du, had said the previous day. He said, “The sun always shines in Haiti.” Jesus agreed. By looking at Haiti, one might not feel the same, but in that moment, it was as clear as day that the sun and God’s Son are ALWAYS shining in and on Haiti. So I decided this morning to choose to look for it. I felt the weight, or importance, of what He was saying so I rode in silence as to not miss a thing. He began to show me his love for the Haitian people and it was almost too much to hold in my soul. He seemed as excited as a child on Christmas morning to show me each one of them and how He loved them. Every place I looked, my eye was met with what seemed like millions of Haitians. God wanted me to take note of each one and made a point that each hair on their head deeply matters to him. Sometimes when I think about loving, I think about people who look like me and think like me and God has totally blown the lid off of my reality of love and what it should look like. Very humbling……… As we continued to drive, I also felt a different heaviness. If you were to look around, you would see what looks like devastation, chaos, and noise. It seems to be an overload of the senses. God has been so sweet and gentle in my processing. As gently as you can imagine, he responds to my questions, outbursts and tantrums. I feel like I can easily look at the circumstance, judge it through my broken vision, and instantly get overwhelmed. God always breaks into my questioning and panic with, “Yes, but I am bigger. I was here before you came and I will be here when you leave. I have posted watchmen over the city. I do not slumber or rest. I love this place and these people.” This week is about you learning more about love. So, just rest and partner with Me today so that the people in Haiti AND YOU will see the kingdom of heaven crash down into the earth.” He then reminded me of the day before riding in the tap-tap when He whispered to me “rebuild the walls.” I have noticed that God either speaks in phrases or half sentences, or it could be that I continue to cut Him off and interject. Needless to say, He said rebuild the walls. I said “That’s good. Can I have more information please?” He then begins to show me Jeremiah 31 and Isaiah 61 and 62 which talks a great deal about restoration and rebuilding the walls of the city. So sweet. Please join us and read and proclaim these words over the city of Haiti. When we arrived at the church, we were able to pray this and declare this over the church and city. We got to the church and began painting, hanging out with some kids, and filling files. For me, it’s really easy to get focused and busy doing something that I miss what’s going on around me. So I hopped around to the different areas trying to catch the many glimpses of the Kingdom of heaven braking forth. I look to my right and I see faces through bars, peering out. You can’t help but smile and go. I walked through the fence and was soon covered in beautiful children. I’m not sure there is anything sweeter. They immediately grab my face and begin to kiss my cheeks. The boundaries of language are broken when we embrace. The boundaries of cultures collapse when we are wrapped in each other’s arms. The kids are talking in Creole and I am talking in English and it is as if we are speaking the same language. It sounds like the language of heaven. However, I soon realize we may need a translator as the conversation gets deeper and I can no longer answer every question and statement with, “huh?” The continuing question for many of the kids is “When are you leaving and how long are you staying?” My heart breaks for the inevitable. I begin to have all the what-if questions ramble around in my head but the truth is that I get on a plane in two days and they stay here and somewhere deep inside if I am honest, I am not okay with this. So I begin to groan and cry out for the Father to come because it is too much for me to handle. All around us, kids are playing, taking pictures(which by the way they LOVE) and dancing. But for now, it’s as if time has stopped and all is right in the world and as it should be as I gaze into the most beautiful, gentle, and accepting eyes of the sweet boys and girls. Each child had their picture taken and received the Polaroid to keep. These are more precious than jewels to these children. As the house mothers call for lunch, we realize our time here is coming to a close. The sweet love of a child I am embracing squeezes tighter and I can feel her stomach moving in and out as I pull her closer. I grab her face to look into her eyes and see tears streaming down her face. The translator asks why she cries and the answer is already known. She motions for me to follow her and she leads me to her purse. She pulls out her picture and hands it to me. I am now crying, not because I realize my time is coming to leave, but because first thing this morning God said he was going to show me what love is and I am already getting the picture of it. This child does not know me and has never seen me, but is willing to give up ALL she had for me. The most precious tangible thing to her, she freely hands over to me in an act of love. Before Haiti, I could say honestly say that my stuff made me pretty happy. The world became a little more right side up for me in this moment. This child wanted me, who has so much stuff that doesn’t matter, to have her something that matters more than anything in the world. It will be a picture that will remain in my heart forever. She then walks me to the gate and grabs Du Du our translator. With tears still streaming she says something in Creole. DuDu looks at me and says, “She says that even though she may not see you again, you are deep in heart and she will remember you forever.” This is love. And this love has made an imprint on my heart more than words can express. As I walked back to the tap-tap, my heart was broken and I was devastated. The why questions began to come again and I once again began to flail a little bit. I hear a “Ssssshhhhh. Remember, the sun always shines in Haiti.’
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