JerozalJourney: Haiti trip reflections

Thank you all again for your interest, prayer and support for me and the team I was a part of travelling to Haiti last week.

Our goal to have members of our team conduct a conference for women leaders in 25 Open Door Haiti (ODH) churches, and for the guys on our team to build 30 benches (to be distributed among 3 churches) was executed very well. However, any trip led by God's Spirit is always about WAY MORE than the tasks accomplished!

I had never been to Haiti before. When you land in Haiti, a few things are obvious. Visually, it looks poverty-stricken...anywhere you look. Your tactile sense immediately reacts to the weather, which is HOT and sticky. As in, sweat rolling down under any clothing not already sticking to you. You also are unavoidably aware that if your skin is not the beautiful, Haitian deep-chocolate color, you stand out a bit.

Current events in Haiti reflect a deepening desperation and frustration among its natives. The government has run this small country into the ground. Well...maybe it's not so small. It's 12 million people. Corruption has increased gas prices, blacked out electricity in many areas, hiked the price of food, and made necessities difficult to access. With all that in mind, I was unsure what type of reception we would get being Americans. Protesters in a Haiti would like the U.S. government to stand up against the Haitian government oppression. Research to determine what the US response to Haiti has been thus far is a bit elusive. SO, how would we be received?

In the end...we were welcomed with relief. ODH's leader, Pastor Wiljean, was doubtful we would even come. Several teams have cancelled their trips due to news of unrest amidst Haiti's oppressive government. The majority of seats on the plane from Miami to Cap Haitien were empty, a telling indicator of how few people are entering the country - especially since only one flight a day makes its way in and out. Pastor Wiljean was more than happy that we followed through on coming. It is clearly painful for him to not only watch his homeland become barely a shadow of itself, but to also experience a decline in team partnership activity that helps to build up the nation's churches at this time.

Arriving to the grounds of ODH, we unloaded and settled in. We attended church Sunday AM, and spent the rest of the day acclimating, prepping for the days ahead and getting a tour of the grounds. During our week, we only ventured within walking distance of the main compound. Inside the walls of the campus were the guesthouse where we all stayed, their church building, a kitchen house, goats and their babies, chickens, a school and a medical clinic. A ten minute walk away is where we found the orphanage they run (about 50 kids), and a seminary building which is functional, but not quite finished yet. ODH carefully trains its pastors, spread throughout Haiti, so that their faith is verified, and their integrity and knowledge of God's Word is sound. I learned that many churches in this country exist simply because a man, declaring himself a "pastor", wanted to gain a measure of power and money in that area. ODH makes sure that is not the case in their churches.

Anticipating the arrival of the women for the conference, Pastor told us that women from several of the churches would not have easy journeys. The farther away they started, the more walking and road blocks and changes of transport they would encounter. Despite this, women from 24 of the 25 expected churches arrived. Total attendance was about 120. They were housed in the seminary building. On Tuesday morning, as the women walked over to the main campus and had a meal while waiting outside for the conference to start, their body language and eyes on us were guarded more than excited. We saw that change over the next 2 1/2 days.

The outline for the conference content is detailed in my previous post. Here's the summary:

Theme: You are God's Masterpiece

Theme Verse: Ephesians 2:10 - You are God's masterpiece, created in Christ Jesus, to do good works that He has created in advance for you to do.

Session #1 - You are created with PURPOSE.

Session #2 - You have a STORY (before Jesus, meeting Jesus, after Jesus) - Mary Magdalene

Session #2 - You have SKILL(s) - Acts 18, Priscilla

Session #4 - Your purpose is propelled by PASSION (because of God's love for you).- Tabitha

The first two sessions took place on Tuesday, followed by an interactive breakout session. Each session was powerful, as each speaker from our team that day had an impactful story of brokenness and pain to tell, including how God has loved, forgiven and transformed them. The Haitian women in attendance were surprised (we learn later) to realize that the tragic, painful and even regrettable parts of their story brought God's forgiveness and transformation into an even brighter light. Which means that each woman can stop hiding the shameful parts of their own stories and be open about them, because it gives them a chance to tell of God's great love and forgiveness through Jesus, and the resulting transformation that occurs when accepting this. The afternoon breakout session gave women a chance to prepare their own personal story. They practiced telling their story to two other women.

The second day of the conference focused a little bit more on practicalities. I was grateful to teach about Priscilla and Aquila from Acts 18. Priscilla had a skill - tent-making. With that skill, she was able to have an income, and be exposed to many different types of people. That exposure provided opportunities to potentially share Jesus and his good news. Priscilla also practiced hospitality. That practice allowed her and her husband to partner in Paul's mission, even to the point of moving from Corinth to Ephesus with Paul. In Ephesus, they were able to help Apollos in his mission teaching the Word and spreading Jesus' good news. This then sheds light on another skill... knowing God's word and being able to teach and share it. Having a skill, practicing hospitality, and learning God's word to be able to share it are areas that every woman can participate in, in partnership with telling their story about Jesus in their own life. This connects back to Ephesians 2:10 and HOW God has intentionally prepared us to do good works. The breakout session after this teaching went one step further by allowing each woman to complete a spiritual gifts assessment, to discover what they find themselves good at that allow them to minister effectively in their family, church and community. The afternoon teaching brought it all together talking about being fueled by the passion of Jesus' love for us to serve others with our story, our skills and our gifts. Our speaker taught about Tabitha (Acts 9) being so compelled to use her skills and her story (we can assume) to serve others, that "she was always" found doing so. The sum of all these parts adds up to the intentional purpose God has created each of His daughters with.

While a primary goal of this conference was to teach and encourage women, we also communicated that the teachings and materials we provided were meant to be a resource for them to teach to the women in their own families, churches and communities. Pastor Wiljean took some speaking time to address and emphasize this goal.

Our team knew that God had done some deep things among the ODH women during the conference when we asked the ladies for feedback. While all together in the church, with a microphone available, the women had an opportunity to stand up and share what they got out of our time together. It is my humble pleasure to share some of their conference testimonies here:

I grew up in the church, but I never knew about having a purpose. I have worked in the church but had problems that made me feel bad. Through the testimonies and teaching, I know my purpose. When I go home, I will do what I learned.

If you share your story and Jesus with one person, they can share with another.

No one can take away from you what you learn from God.

Pastor asked me to come to this conference. I told him it is hard to make this journey. But I came. I expected that the U.S. women had no problems, but I heard Sue's testimony. I have considered suicide because of my problems. When I heard Sue's testimony, I was comforted and encouraged.

It is a pleasure to be at the conference. Sue's testimony touched me. I had similar experiences when I was 22. I learned that I can confess to Jesus and He forgives. I am thankful He forgives so that I don't have to regret when I worship. Would like this conference to be taught at our church.

I came on a rough road to be here. The testimonies got into my heart. I thought before that problems were only in Haiti. I learned problems are everywhere.

I have joy today because you came to bless my life. I thought only bad sin in Haiti, but I know now sin everywhere. We can repent. Thanks.

When I told my testimony about my life, I am happy to learn if you ask God to forgive, you go to heaven. If you do not say your sin, you can't have God forgive. Now I know I have a future. Thank you. Come back for one week!

I am sad you are here only three days and leaving. Come every year.

This conference is a new experience. I did the homework [from the breakout sessions]. Everyone must not throw their homework away. I learned about gift of generosity - I know now to give some money to the church. I had to answer "zero" of gift test to these, but now will give some money to help in church.

Before I could not admit my sin. U.S. ladies came to teach and give their testimony. They are serving God. It is hard to come here at this time [due to Haiti difficulties].

I can share my testimony even with hard things now.

I am surprised to learn how Priscilla & Aquila did so much working for Jesus. Come every year because I love you so much.

In past I became angry when others don't listen about Jesus, but now I am challenged to still talk about Jesus and be loving to others.

And that is just a sampling.

This is what YOU have also been a part of with your love, your prayers and support. Thank you SO much!

Before closing and including some pictures you can scroll through, let me share a couple other experiences from this trip with you.

First - prayer mountain. In the mornings, anyone on the team had the opportunity to hike up to prayer mountain. This is 20 minute, rocky little hike up to a 360-degree-view vista. To begin one's day here, in the cool of the day with a light breeze and a lovely view, was a fun treat (when I was willing to get up at 5am, which wasn't every morning...). Aside from this serene place to spend time praying and communing with God, it was a unique privilege to witness other Haitians also sprinkled about, standing and praying out loud and singing their prayers and praises. I would do the experience a disservice by trying to use too many words to describe it. Suffice it to say, it was inspiring, encouraging and utterly beautiful. On our final day on prayer mountain, we had gathered together again before trekking back down. A frail old Haitian man in a tattered shirt and decrepit shoes walked into our midst with a near toothless smile, and reached out his arm toward us. He touched each woman on their should, uttering what we surmised to be prayer and blessing for us. He put his arms around the belly of each man and continued praying for each in Creole. Our minds could not understand a word he said, but God's Spirit in us let us understand a measure of the weight of his words in God's presence on our behalf. One of our teammates photographed him that morning as he praised God during the sunrise, before he'd ever approached us. It was a touching experience. I know that since the greatest in God's kingdom are often considered the least on this earth, I can't wait to meet this little man in the place of honor God must be reserving for him.

Second, - for Haitian people, prayer appears to be a full body experience. When we asked the women to pray in pairs for each other with someone they had not come to the conference with, they held hands, they prayed out loud ALL AT THE SAME TIME, and there with almost no just-standing-still. Arms waved, voices were raised, faces lifted up. When they sing worship, again there is movement. Movement, loud songs, radiating joy. We got to sing some songs that we all know - we sang in English, they sang in Creole. Special memories. To enhance our time together, during a delay on closing the final session, another of our team members shared her story of having an adult son who is struggling with addiction and depression. A few Haitian women gathered around her to pray loudly. Then, they asked the group of women if any of them had older or adult children in similar situations.

Seriously, three quarters of women in the room came forward. The whole one-room church them became a prayer war room...tears, hugs, prayers. A solidarity of human experience, need for God, and Christian sisterhood. An unforgettable privilege to be a part of.

AND there is more. But we'd all be here hours. I hope and pray that you are encouraged as you've read through this and know that not one second of prayer or pennies donated was at all wasted.

Thank you for being part of building up women in Haiti as they live out their faith in a hard place, and teach women in their families, churches and communities to do the same. Please add them to your ongoing prayers if you have the margin to do so. Thank you for being a valued partner in what God is doing here at home, in all our hearts, and across the globe. Especially Haiti.

Pictures below.