Haiti Devotion

Devotion written for CBS Leader's Council
October 30, 2012

    When God put a mission trip on my heart I knew it was going to be an opportunity to learn something new and that I would be responsible in sharing my story.  Before going to Haiti there were two truths about me that you may or may not have known. One is that I am a control freak. Flexibility is not in my vocabulary. I thoroughly enjoy planning -down to very last detail. Prior to the trip I wouldn’t have said this was a negative trait. The second is that I am not a hugger. While I know who to expect hugs from and can prepare myself for it, it is not something I would typically seek out and do on my own.
    On my trip God decided to break down these barriers immediately. It is a simple fact that you cannot go on a mission trip and be a control freak. I was even warned about this prior to leaving and had tried to prepare myself for it. God didn’t waste anytime in teaching me this lesson. Upon landing in Port-Au-Prince, I received a simple text from my husband, “Tyler is croupy, 102* fever and going to doctor.” Seriously?!? This detail did not fit into my plan for the week. Forgetting the fact that I am blessed with an amazing husband, that is more than capable of caring for our child, the mom in me panicked that I was unable to care for my son that was now hundreds of miles away.
    After a moment of tears, a friend on my team reminded me that this was Satan attacking.  Psalm 43:3 came to mind, “Send me your light and faithful care, let them lead me; let them lead me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell.” Thus began an important lesson that would be refined in me throughout the week; being controlling removes the opportunity for the Holy Spirit to work. When I am set on the way I will do things and am inflexible, I miss opportunities that God is trying to use me. I skip over the moment that God is working for my own agenda.
    I also realized for the first time that my children aren’t mine. They are God’s and it was time for me to let go and trust Him. Whether I am near or far I must trust the care of my family to God. God was telling me, “I’ve got this- focus on what is in front of you. Stop trying to control everything.” These were HUGE life changing revelations I was having and I wasn’t even to my final destination yet.
    The next lesson began a couple of hours later when we arrived at the airport in Port-De-Paix. God was wasting no time with me this week. Our host family met us at the airport with a large group of teen boys. They greeted us with hugs and kisses that were so genuine and loving, but I barely noticed because I was really uncomfortable. Can you imagine a group of teen boys hugging and kissing strangers in America? It was time for me to adjust to this culture shock. The following day was Sunday and we attended service with the Haitian people. This was an amazing experience that is a testimony on its own, but due to time I’ll stick to my hang up on the hugging. When church was over we stood in a receiving line to be greeted, hugged and kissed, by every man, woman and child. I have never been touched by so many people.  Suddenly, the walls I had built up around me began crumbling down.
    Somewhere in the middle of that line my heart started to melt. That’s when I also realized my cheeks hurt- I had never smiled so much! This made me wonder what have I been doing at home? Obviously not smiling as much as I should since my cheek muscles were fatigued.
    Larry Owen our host told us part of our ministry when we were out and about was to look people in the eye, smile and say hello. This may be the only time someone takes the moment to see them as a person.
We had the opportunity to be God’s light and give them hope, love and acknowledgement. The person I waved to may have not eaten for several days, they may be sick, or worried about how to get through the day, or how to provide for their family but I could show God’s love through my smile and give them the encouragement that they may need to face the day.
    Smiling is universal, so is acknowledging someone and saying hello. At home, I sometimes choose not to look someone in the eye and say hello because it makes me uncomfortable. I worry about being rejected, about myself,  but what if I focused on what God wanted. If I took myself out of the equation and showed love the way Jesus commanded us. John 13:34- Jesus commanded us to love one another. “As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”
    I’d like to say I’m a loving person; I love my kids, my husband, family, friends, but what about strangers? What about the Haitian boy that is dirty and smells of body odor because he doesn’t have a parent to care for him or clean water to bathe in? What about the grumpy guy at the checkout in Meijer or the lady that cut me off on Charlestown Road? How often do we push ourselves to love the unlovable. Luke 6:32 says, “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ love those who love them.”
    The bible talks about love 551 times. God sent me to a third world country to teach me how to love others. I thought I would go to Haiti and love on babies and little kids. Instead, I fell in love with an eleven year old boy named Santoni. Santoni lives in the mission because his mother suffers from AIDS and could no longer care for him. He stood by my side all week, constantly holding my hand and calling me Momma. I fell in love with several teenage boys that are orphans and lived on the street before Waves of Mercy took them in. My heart aches for these kids in the same way it does for my own children. Removed from my comfort I was able to understand what is written about love in 1 John and I fell in love with God’s people. If you have time, I recommend reading 1 John and let your heart ponder the words of love.

Here are a few verses.
    1 John 2:10 Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble.
    1 John 3:16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.
    1 John 4:7 Let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.
    1 John 4:10-11- This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
    1 John 4:19- We love because he first loved us.

Prayer:
Dear Lord, thank you for showing me what it means to love others and being able to share with my friends the ways you have changed my heart. Help us to be your light and shine brightly by loving the way you love us. Remind us to smile and say hello to strangers that come our way so that they may see you through us. I pray that we can live out what 1 John 3:18 says, “Let us not love with words or tongue but with action and in truth.” Thank you Lord for your ultimate sacrifice of love so that we may be saved.
 In Your Holy Name,
Amen.

My Haiti Maties!