One of the most beautiful things in the world is when two people connect who are born into two different cultures and have a major language barrier. At that exact moment there is nothing wrong with the world. It is such a sweet innocent moment that sadly, not everyone can experience. The moment of perfection. As the days are going by, we as a group have been talking about how we see God during the day. Almost every single time we say "I saw God through the youth" or "I saw God through the way the church worships". Today for me personally, I saw God through this little girl named Doni. She made me see how to love in a different way. She showed me that despite the language barrier and the countless "I have no clue what your saying " faces, she shows me and many of our group so much. It's crazy really, how you can't understand them but their love is so passionate that they teach you things without words. For me, that's God and I've never experienced such a compassionate love then what these orphans have showed me.
-Whitley
This morning I woke up feeling overheated and sweaty. That's nothing new. I mean, this is Haiti after all. However, these past few days it hasn't really bothered me at all. I usually cannot stand being outside in weather warmer than eighty degrees but after only a few days I hardly notice anymore. It's true that the Lord provides what you need. That's really something this trip has reinforced. Normally when we see or hear about the level of poverty here in Haiti we feel pity, or shock, or some other form of displeasure. As a people, we americans want to fix things, to make them better but one thing that you realize very quickly that they don't want fixing and they certainly don't need it. On a surface level there is more poverty than I ever have seen but these people are rich in a completely different way. The children from the orphanage are the most affectionate and accepting people I have ever known. The orphans have very few material possessions but are happy because they have what they need. They have love and they have intense faith in the Lord. When I got here I was intimidated. Here I was in a developing country, trying to follow the Lord and I had no idea what I was doing. But every time I start to feel inadequate or overwhelmed Samentha or another one of the children grabs my hand, one of our group members says something that makes me laugh and relax, or I remember some bible verse I read a long time ago that completely relates to my current situation. Things are so different here (and not for better or for worse) and yet some of the most important things are the same. If you ask for Him help (whether it be with having what it takes to not mess up a carefully chalked-out mural, creating lasting relationships with the Haitian people, making it to the top of a particularly steep hill in a tap-tap, or getting to know the Lord on an entirely new level) he will help you. It may not be pretty, speedy, easy, or at all what you expected but He will provide what is necessary. That's something I have really come to understand on this trip and felt I needed to share.
-Bradie (See mom! I told you I would blog!)
