Love Mission, Live Mission- Haiti

One thought has run though my mind over and over this past weekend. We are given a command to love God and love others, equally. Not with our leftovers, not as an afterthought but equally. I experienced Haiti this past summer and was rocked to my core. I have reflected over and over that trip and how I feel as if I was split open and parts of me have not be put back in place since. I am surrounded by a throng of people who equally love this place and it's people and who brave the flight to this destination monthly. I thank God for the examples I have of the many who have equally loved God and continue to love others and pray that I might grasp that better. Thank you to the many of you who supported me on this journey. This excerpt was from my first day there and my reflections from the trip are still on going. As I start this new year with new and different visions I pray that God will allow me to have my eyes opened over and over to his goodness in the midst of my overcrowded life. Have mercy on me. 

Isaiah 58:6-7

 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
    and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
    and break every yoke?
 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
    and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
    and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

Saturday, June 22, 2013
I had a stirring in my heart as I chanted prayers of peace as we departed our comfortable land to fly out to the unknown. You can only be so prepared for this kind of mission. Between the obvious language barrier and the smoldering heat you lose all hope of trying to blend in as soon as the wheels touch ground. Being seated in a first class seat as we traveled in luxury seemed so sinful. It is easy to sit back and feel so deserving because we live in a land where hope is a reality, not a mere figment.You can ask, "why me Lord?", just as I am sure the crippled man who was healed asked when chosen out of so many. The locals beg to carry our bags, these bags full of belongings we packed for a week, the contents value of these "survival" items being worth more money than many will see in a lifetime here. I felt guilty and shameful knowing I have food from here tucked within the contents of my bag, more food than many will eat in a week or month. They beg for a job, just to carry a bag and be noticed, but we walk through the crowd like cattle keeping our eyes on the sterile tile as images of the comfort of my home I willingly left flash through my mind. The safety and security we find in our chauffeurs arrival rivals the feeling that the crowds must have felt when word of the Messiah being near had spread. We find such comfort in each other. Although we just learned each others name's we cling to each other as long beloved friends. The roads we drive down and stare at through dark tinted windows are the most shocking I have ever seen. The sight of such devastation and despair makes you want to close your eyes but yet I stare in shock, unable to remove my gaze. The high gate and polite guard surrounding our quaint hotel provide such a false sense of security, as if I can pretend that there are not mothers with babies just like me outside these walls who are desperate to provide just the basics for their babies. Do they know we bring a message of peace and hope or do they look to us for a meal meal and money? Does the sound of an airplane landing provide comfort knowing that help may be on the way among the passengers or is it just a hope of a few dollars being made just to put food on the table. The devastation and desperation can be almost crippling knowing that you can not change it all. But if we can help just one then our job is done.
This is Haiti, day one. Dear Lord please help me to never be the same again.