Welcome to the Healing Haiti + Eagle Brook Mission Blog. We invite you to follow mission team members as they experience what God is doing both through them and in them while in the mission field of Haiti.


'For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Amusing Tears Of Joy

Today was filled with diversity as we visited the stages of our existence on earth. The youth of the morning brought us to the Mass grave of the people who parrished in the earthquake. The beauty and tragedy of life was characterized by a heap of crosses that lay atop the gravel set aside as a memorial on a hillside with a stunning view of the ocean. The simplicity of the memorial is a parallel to the simplicity of joy that exists here in Haiti. Many of the team members were moved by the observation that so many of the Haitian people celebrate life and the eventual resureection to heaven with glad hearts. Our driver and friend, Junior, told us that he visits the site weekly to remember the people who passed. But his constant joy was obvious even in his respect for death.

We passed a funeral the first day we were in the city and everyone was wearing white as opposed to most people wearing black in the United States. Several Christian groups publicly declared their faith on the "Day of the Dead" or what we would call the "Day of the Belly ache" (the day after Halloween). Our eyes were opened to the celebration of meeting The Father from the Haitian perspective.

We then moved onto visit some elderly people in the village of Titanyen. Several of us had the privilage to assume the position of which Jesus set the example by rubbing lotion on the arms and legs of the elderly. This was far more satisfying than one would think. We delivered food and water while spreading the word of God. Their genuine spirit and faith touched our hearts. We were able to have lunch on the side of the road overlooking the ocean where we met a man who needed a ride. He attempted to hail a taxi several times but was unsuccessful. After awhile we decided the man was harmless and offered to take him down the road with his bushel of wood. It felt almost Biblical. How often do you get to help a man with a bushel of wood? As we were driving to the school we saw a man on the side of the road whose car had broken down. Junior pulled over to see what was the matter and we discovered the man was a pastor of a local church. I can only imagine that he had prayed for help and the prompting was delivered to our truck. We felt that Mathew 25:35 probaly includes giving rides to the stranded. I often think about people on the side of the road and wonder about the phrase "one of the least of these," we all felt proud to be able to live it for today. (All the while keeping safe for those worriers at home).

Almost as if God's journey for us today was to work backwards in the life cycle we ended our day by visiting a school, then an orphanage. The children at the school mobbed us with hugs, smiles and kisses. Two of our teammates commented on how they could see the image of Jesus sitting down and saying "let the children come to me" as Heidi sat on the floor and the children surrounded her. After we were nearly suffocated with love we went to Guillaume's orphanage. Once again we were greeted like Justin Beiber in a junior high school. We felt so loved and so needed. We had a great time with the kids. We played games, colored, gave lots of hugs and sang. Each visit reminds us that the thing we need most is each other. Afterall, we were created for relationships.

The hugs and cuddling were more valueable to them than anything we could bring them. We all felt the pure fun in this amusing day. Standing in reflection at the foothill of Grace Village we can feel the heaviness of the lack of opportunity for so many kids in this town. But on the other side the bright red heart of Healing Haiti stands out to represent the resounding effect that people can have on the future when we live out the example that was set for us.
submitted by Elizabeth

No comments:

Post a Comment