Haiti Round 3

*Note: Friends, there are no words to express my week in Haiti and it would simply take many hours to fully do it justice. Here is my attempt to express the emotions I felt throughout the week, as well as give you insight on what we did.

Have you ever been to a place so many times that you become familiar with the sights, sounds, and smells? You are so accustomed to this place that you expect what you are about to experience. Imagine going to grandma's house. She has lived there for many years and you know that every time you go, you are going to get the same treatment, have the same food, stay in the same room, and play the same card games over and over. This is how I feel about Haiti. I know where I am staying, the food I will be eating, and I don't expect to be surprised by anything I am going to see. At least this is what I thought. This week proved to be very different than any of my past trips. 

From the very beginning, months before we even left, Satan was planning his attack. It was evident in each of my team members lives. Satan knew that God was going to do something so amazing this week, and he wanted to stop it at all costs. Team members literally had to fight just to make it to the airport. Walmart runs the night before in order to get a suitcase because theirs had been taken. Being locked in their own neighborhood because of a power outage. Being delayed a total of 3 hours on two flights. That's Satan's work. That is spiritual warfare. 

We arrived in Port-A-Prince two hours behind schedule and luckily the airport was a breeze. We all expected the worst, but it ended up in our favor that we were able to get to the bus without an issue. As we were on our 45 minute drive to campus, I was sitting there admiring the beauty of God's creation. Haiti is truly a breath-taking place. Watching the sun go down on the mountain is one of my favorite views. We made a quick stop to grab Toro (the best energy drink ever) and we were on our way. I thought to myself "God is here. He loves Haiti and he cares so much for the people." I had an overwhelming sense of peace and happiness knowing that God was here with us. Less than 5 minutes later, that happiness was shattered by an awful accident on the side of the road. The strange thing was that there were no cars evidently involved. Our bus soared pass a lady laying on the side of the road, with blood retreating from her mouth, an obvious sign of internal bleeding or head injury. Cars continue to pass, and all I could think of is "who is going to tell her family." While the cause of this death is uncertain, I do know one thing for certain: This was planned in God's perfect timing, but also Satan used this opportunity against those of us who saw. Never before have I ever seen a recent death. I have seen family and friends in caskets, but never have I seen a death so recent that there was no cleaning up.

We continue traveling to the campus, and all of a sudden we pass it. We sit there for 10 minutes in silence before someone asks "Where are we going?" To our surprise, we were staying at the Bercy campus. If you have been to Haiti, you know the immediate differences between the Titanyen campus and the Bercy campus. On my first trip, Bercy wasn't a fully functioning campus yet. Bercy is missing a roof top to eno on, Madame Cheap Cheaps, the orphanage kids to play with on the basketball court, and of course the convenience of being 5 minutes away from Minoterie. As we passed Titanyen, I watched as some team members cried because they knew the obvious loss. I personally was excited for the new adventure, and also the cool breeze that comes with Bercy. Bercy is right by the ocean and there is about a 10 degree difference at night (which is really nice). 

Looking back on it, I know that our time would have been different if we would have stayed at Titanyen. I don't believe our team would have bonded in the same way. We found a pretty amazing place to hang our enos and that is where we spent most of our time. Although I missed the familiarity and convenience of Titanyen, I am grateful for our week in Bercy. 

The curveballs we experienced this week were pretty frequent. Here are a few:

• We showed up for village ministry and were taken to a construction site. We obviously had to decline this request because of our lack of appropriate attire (9 girls wearing skirts probably wouldn't have been the best decision). 
• Our intern got sick and couldn't attend the last few days
• I got what they call the "Haitian Sensation" and couldn't attend one of our days of ministry
• There were shootings in Minoterie when we were there (so close that we could hear the gunshots)
• During a ceremony dedicating the well Forest Hill sponsored, the people in charge called and said they wouldn't be able to make it (after they were already 45 minutes late). 

These aren't even all of them. Although we experienced a lot of surprises, we know that "In all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." The tests we endured this week only brought us closer to God. Satan FAILED. 

Our hearts shattered on Tuesday. This was by far the hardest day for our team. We left around 8am to do village ministry. Basically, we are lead by translators and village champions (leaders in the community) to houses that have the most need. The group split into two, with 5 going one way and 8 going the other. In my group, our first house was a 17 year old and her boyfriend. They had the cutest 5 month old baby boy. She was unable to attend school because she couldn't leave her baby, but she also didn't have the money to go to school. I tried to put myself in her shoes and imagine having a baby at 17, no parents to support me, and no money to attend school. I know that things like that happen all the time in other countries, including America, but seeing the desperation in her eyes ripped through my heart. She loved Jesus and was seeking his provision. We prayed over her and continued on our way. 

Our translator took us to a house that was near to his heart. My team walked in and immediately the Haitian's got up so that we could sit in chairs. We sat along the edge of the room, with a lady dressed nicely sitting in the middle. The translator begins to explain that it was a "special day." I was thinking to myself "This is awesome. We are here to celebrate something wonderful." I couldn't have been more wrong. It turns out that the lady in the middle lost her daughter just the day before. The girl told her mom that she had a feeling she was going to die soon and made her friends go to the ocean with her, where she passed away. This girl was one year away from completing school, and happened to be best friends with our translator. The expression of grief on the faces of those in the room is indescribable. One of the staff members prayed over the lady, and as soon as she finished, our eyes were opened to a new part of Haitian culture. A family friend came running into the house screaming to the top of her lungs and threw herself on the ground next to the woman. They begin to wail together very loudly. We were ushered out of the house and I immediately looked at the expressions on my team members faces. Sitting in unbelief of what we just saw, we huddled up and prayed outside of the home. I will never forget the images of grief implanted in my mind. 

This was my teams last stop for the day. The other team visited two other houses and encountered demon possessed people, as well as a lady who needed serious help. Jacqueline is an older lady with what appeared to be a broken hip. She had no family in Minoterie and couldn't move from the waist down. If she ate, it was because of the grace of her neighbors. With no money or transportation to a hospital, it appeared as if Jacqueline was in a hopeless state. Thankfully, the next day, the village champion was able to take her to the hospital and in 4 months she will be able to receive surgery. Knowing that she was going to get help was a highlight for our team after an emotional day. 

After Tuesday, our week got slightly easier in terms of emotional stress. We saw hard things, but nothing like Tuesday. On Wednesday, I was plagued by the Haitian Sensation and had to sit out for the morning. Let me tell you, if you have never gotten the sensation, don't ask for it. IT IS NOT FUN. To my surprise and even my attempts to refuse her offer, Bekah stayed with me and we read books and enoed while I waited for my stomach to settle. We were able to go out around lunch time and enjoy an authentic Haitian meal. I was really praying that I would feel well enough for this because it's my favorite meal of the trip (and the Lord answered that prayer). As we were waiting to go into the restaurant, there were these boys that were about 12 years old that called me over. At first they were just joking around with me saying things like "Do you love me?" "Do you want to marry me?", and then one boy turned serious and said "My sister died two days ago." I knew that he was related to the same family we had met the day before, and again I was reminded of the images of grief. I walked away feeling despair for that family. 

With all the pain and suffering we saw and experienced, my team and I did have a lot of great memories. My favorite memory on this trip was probably beach day. It's always nice to get to go and relax after a hard week. We went to my favorite resort (I have only been to two) Moulin Sur Mer, which has a wonderful place to set up enos. My friends decided to be a little adventurous, and hung up their enos under the bridge. At one point, there were four enos hanging above the water. It was nice to be able to laugh, relax, and soak in the beauty of Haiti with this team. 

We had a lot of fun together and we will carry many memories. Some of the ones that stick out to me are:

• Singing "Boom Chicka Boom" on the canter with our translator
• Dancing to Lecrae with the Haitians
• Sitting on top of Gabe's roof and chilling
• Enoing at the conference center
• Playing football and soccer on our last night
• Telling kids that "I eat children" and watching them run away

There are so many things I can list, but that would take forever! I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to go on this trip. I am looking forward to my next trip in 90 days! Knowing that I am going back so soon helps me keep my eyes focused on the upcoming trip instead of feeling sad that I am not still in Haiti. Thank you to everyone who prayed over my team this week. We needed y'all big time.