Wednesday, September 27, 2017

Day 3 - Children of Haiti

The story God has been telling me since I've been here is not the story I expected to hear. Amongst the rubble, the pain, the hungry, the heat, and the suffering, I saw something beautiful. I saw God. In the smiles of the children, in the service of the volunteers, in the beauty of the mountain side, in the laughter of the babies, and in the resilience of the people - God is here. Working to bring something beautiful out of rubble and dust. Working to bring life out of death. I came here expecting to see the devil at work, but if you look close, you can see God's hands. Here - as in life - you can choose to see only the negative, or you can choose to see God. I saw God today, and it was so fulfilling to be an ever so small part of the beautiful work he is doing here in Haiti.

It was a very hard day for much of the team. I think at one point or another we all did our best to hold back tears. And I think that's saying a lot considering we are a group of 8 guys who are not supposed to cry (especially around other guys). Today we spent a lot of time with kids - some who were disabled, some who were sick, and some who were forgotten. This morning we visited a home for sick and disabled children. We pushed wheelchairs, sang songs, and did our best to show them God's love. From there, we drove down the road to a school where we got another chance to play with more kids and sing more songs. I'll never forget their beautiful smiles. After a quick stop back at the guesthouse, we got an opportunity to tour Papillon which stands for "butterfly". Papillon is a local business that more-or-less turns garbage into jewelry and provides jobs for 267 Haitians. Our last stop was at another home for sick children. There we had a chance to cloth, feed, and play with more beautiful children.

It was certainly hard to see some of the children in the state they were in, but it was so beautiful to hear their laughs and see their smiles. I thought I came here to minister to the Haitians, but I can't help but think God had something else in mind.

"Let the little children come to me and do not try to stop them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Matthew 19:14

~Ryan

Word of the day:

Jeremy - Darkness
Jason - Numbers
Jeff - Heartbeat
Josh - Faith
LT - What
Mark - Glory
Ben - Love
Ryan - Beauty