I've been traveling down to Haiti since the earthquake in early 2010. Every trip has been unique in its own right...but this one even more so in particular. I've traveled to the country in order to build walls at orphanages, I've been to help conduct vacation bible school, I've gone to shoot footage for videos and perform various levels of admin as a director on the board for Education Impact...but this was the first time I was going, in part, to simply visit family. The Moore family of "Almost Missionaries" represent yours truly's Brother and Sister-in-Law, sweet niece, and two studly little nephews. As you may be able to imagine, there is certainly a mixed bag of emotions that can float to the surface when visiting close loved ones in a place like Haiti.
One of the elements I've always loved about the country, but never been able to really pinpoint until recently, is the pace of life that the place offers. At first glance on a drive from the airport through Port-Au-Prince, there are certainly some aspects of Haiti that could seem just as frantic and hurried as life back here in the states. But if you press a little further, and sit back to truly watch someone doing life the way the Moores are, you start to see things in a different paradigm.
I read something recently about 2 different concepts of "Time" found in the bible. There is the Greek word "chronos" which means time in a quantitative, chronological sense...and the Greek word "kairos" which means time in the qualitative sense and deals with opportunity. As "still not completely converted people", and probably even more so as westerners, we have the tendency to stay focused on the "chronos" and immerse ourselves in "clock time." This is simply viewing time as a means to an end, not moments in which to enjoy God or pay attention to others. When we do this we end up believing that the real and better thing is always still to come. We live as victims to our schedules and try to simply cram every moment of our lives into half-hour slots...squeezing out any room for reflection, celebration, conversational prayer, or God-sized dreams.
The Gospel, however, encourages us to live more in light of a "kairos" time...which deals with recognizing the intended purpose of every opportune moment. In this sense, we are to look for glimpses of how God might be working out his purposes throughout every detail of our entire day. Time becomes not just something to get through, or manipulate, or manage, but rather the actual arena in which God is choosing to work within us. Whatever happens - good things or bad, pleasant or problematic - we look and ask, "what might God be doing here?" We see the events of the day as continuing occasions to change the heart.
When I first came across this "chronos" vs. "kairos" concept I immediately thought to myself, "Ah hah! That's what's going on in Haiti that the Moores are discovering...'Kairos' time." Every moment that one of them has a conversation with another haitian neighbor, every moment that they have to work on the water pump, every moment that they need to check on the battery or fire up the generator, every moment that they head to the market for the bare essentials, or view the sunset from the roof, or simply watch Major, Addy & Becket run around with the other neighborhood kids out front in the heat of the day...every moment...they are embracing what it means to live life in light of Kairos time.
As a director on the board for E. I., I'm thrilled at the progress that Sean and Jen are making with regards to the mission at hand. More than they probably realize, they are learning the language, getting to know individuals and connecting with their community. But beyond that, and more importantly for me personally, as a brother and as an uncle I now have a deep comfort that has come from witnessing them in action as they model what it looks like to live a healthy pace of life.
It's revelations like this that have me excited for what's in store with the Moores and for what lies ahead with Education Impact. Every trip provides the opportunity for our friends and loved ones to learn something new about their world and about themselves. Each trip provides the opportunity to hear from God in ways we might not otherwise. Accompanying me this past week was a group of some of my closest spiritual brothers...one being my actual blood brother, which I'm so thankful for. After returning home to the states one of them had this to say in a text message exchange:
"This morning I thought about where we were: a beautiful country that God loves but that is really evident of a fallen world and the fall of man. Full of young men acting like adolescents, and hungry for some God-fearing leaders to change their country and share Jesus....Then I thought about where we are this morning: a beautiful country that God loves but that is really evident of a fallen world and the fall of man. Full of young men acting like adolescents, and hungry for some God-fearing leaders to change their country and share Jesus."
...here's to God for all that he's doing in and through the Moores.
-Ryan
