Saturday, September 30, 2017

Day 5


My sophomore year of college was the first time I thought about missions. A few months later, God lead me into the mission field. During my 6 months in Panama, I gained an incredible amount of perspective on God’s love for people. Coming to Haiti, I expected to see more of Panama. This expectation was crushed before the plane even landed. As we approached Port au Prince, a feeling of brokenness stirred within me.

The more I learned about this country the more brokenness stirred. Within me is an entrepreneurial spirit and a love for business. It was crushing to hear about a 70% unemployment rate in Haiti. It was even more crushing to hear Haitian after Haitian dream of owning their own business someday, but little to no hope of that dream being realized. So many Haitians have ambition and passion. However, the overwhelming thought of no industry, no jobs, no financing, and many having little to no income is paralyzing. It left me in a place of frustration, my strengths of responsibility and achiever wanted to JUST fix the problem immediately! Maybe someday I will have the privilege to be a part of the solution.

Today was different. Today was a day of hope. I could see how consistency with structure has brought change in miraculous ways. The team went to grace village to see the work Healing Haiti is accomplishing here. What we discovered was amazing. The team started with a tour of the clinic, school, and orphanage. We ate dinner at Fleri which is a bakery and pizzeria started by healing Haiti. The pizza was phenomenal! It was exciting to see Haitians running the restaurant as well as dining. At dinner, we met the first graduate of Grace school. He is now moving onto medical school, incredible! I am finding there is indeed hope for the people of Haiti. This hope comes from God moving, stirring one single human heart at a time. It comes from each of us obeying the calling He has on our life and stepping out BOLDLY. Each of us on the first men’s team are discerning our calling, God is certainly stirring. It is now our responsibility to take that stirring, to take our calling, and pick up the pieces of brokenness to do something extraordinary. Not solely for Haiti but for this world God has called us to reach. Because it will be through the body of Christ in which this world is transformed! It will not happen by government alone, education alone, money alone, strategy alone. Transformation will happen through the Son who has the ability to change a human heart alone.
-LT 


Mark: Honor

Jeremy: Unexpected

Ben: Confirmation

Ryan: Hump-day

Jason: Connection

LT: Structure

Jeff: Energy

Josh: Alone