The ticket was bought. Childcare arranged. No plans, no expectations, no structure, just a week to be and see.
The drive from Port-au-Prince to Grand Goave was overwhelming in a fascinating way.
The sights, the sounds, the chaos.
Hundreds of Haitians standing outside the airport to watch the passengers disembark, people weaving in and out of the gridlock traffic balancing huge boxes of bottled drink on their head, the constant piles of trash burning on the side of the road.
Horns honking, vendors calling.
Juxtaposition:
Noun
1. the fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect.
Throughout the entire week, this word kept coming to mind.
Images that are polar opposites run side by side in the country of Haiti:
The blue-green of the ocean in all her splendor sits alongside the crumbling concrete facades and decay of manmade creations.
The swirl of mangoes lined up for sale in front of the sludge where the pigs wallow.
The lushness of the natural, physical beauty in stark contrast to the spiritual oppression that overtakes.
Colorful “tap-taps”, or taxis, emblazoned with “Merci Jesus” roll along the road in front of the voodoo temple marked with disturbing images.
Most telling, Jen and Sean shining their light into the darkness.
The whole week, I was able to observe. Hear their conversations (most in Creole!), see them interact with the workers around them and watch them in the community.
Truth be told, when you’re the one doing the work, often times you don’t see what you are producing. You’re focused on the task at hand and the rest of your to-do list. Rarely, if ever, do you get to sit and take stock in your victories.
To see Jen and Sean and their way of living, to see Jen and Sean and their love for family, to see Jen and Sean and their hope for Haiti…
To see Jen and Sean and the affection their community has for them has left me breathless.
Nowhere could we go without people breaking into a smile and coming up to them.
Driving down the road, at the market, at church, at the beach…
Jen and Sean have created a home; have created a community where none existed. They simply love and by being loving, have built bridges and started relationships for those lost and broken souls.
They are drawing so many to them and living in a way that is profound to those of us who crave ease and comfort.
Truth be told, it’s not all sunshine and hearts for them.
I saw tears, I saw frustration and exhaustion. I heard moments of impatience and had conversations tinged with fear.
Over and over, I was able to see them seeking to do what the Lord desires of them and be exhausted with the day-to-day burdens of life.
They are truly the laborers, the sowers of the next generation. The vision and passion they have for a new Haiti – a gospel-centered one – leaves no doubt at the continued fruit they will continue to bear by God’s grace.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and as I was the beholder this past week, I was captivated by what the Lord is doing, through Jen and Sean, in Haiti.
Yet, one thing is sorely lacking. Prayer.
Being burnt out and overwhelmed in the midst of ministry that goes far beyond a nine-to-five, five days a week job is a dangerous place to be.
If ever there was one thing I would impress upon you, it is to labor alongside them in prayer. Plead, beg, seek the Lord on behalf of Jen and Sean, Major, Addy, and Beckett.
Being blazers of a new trail means no one has gone before them. Being leaders in their community means there is no one to lead them.
They need to be reminded of who they are in Christ Jesus. They need to, at every hour, be filled with the Spirit to continue to do the tasks that are set before them. They need to be filled with an unspeakable joy and a peace that passes all understanding as they have left everything comfortable and familiar to do what is uncomfortable and unfamiliar.
The Enemy wars hard against them because of the work they are doing for the Lord. We need to go to battle with them, holding up their arms for them when they are weary, reminding them to be strong in His might and not their own, and to continue to be rooted in the truth of the gospel and the freedom afforded to them because of the cross.
Jen and Sean, it was a beautiful privilege and joy to have this time with you. May there be many more and may you remember to always keep your mind stayed on him who keeps you in perfect peace (Isaiah 26:3).
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