But God...

When describing my story of salvation to people, I inevitably always find myself uttering two words: "but God". I start with where I was in my life, explaining the struggles and the path up to the point of change- all the things in life that happened and would have continued to happen, "but God". I then explain my struggles of unwillingness to fully awaken to his love, my want and desire to submit to the world, and my complete ineptitude to understand the totality of forgiveness, which all sounds pretty dire before those two words get uttered just once more..."but God". Looking back on my life, it amazes me how much different my life could have been without God, and how much better it is because of God. This past week I was blessed with the opportunity to spend the most meaningful six days of my life in Thomazeau, Haiti. I honestly had no idea what to expect and even had questions if this was the right time and place for me to go. Now sitting in America, back at work, back at school, I have no doubts about God's timing or his ability to work in amazing ways. I could have gone to Haiti and returned the same, I could have gone to Haiti and worked half-heartedly, I could have gone to Haiti and not fallen in love with orphans, I could have.... but God.

 

Most people will probably assume that I am simply on a spiritual high after taking my first overseas mission trip, and maybe that is partly true. However, I doubt that anyone would write off their first trip as insignificant or inconsequential. Haiti was one of those experiences that I will keep in the front of my mind for a very long time- something that will push me to do more moving forward and to become complacent in our comfortable country much less. I would not say Haiti changed me as much as it confirmed all that I already believed. One of those main beliefs is that this is a broken world "but God". We saw terrible sights in this country: poverty, starvation, lack of clean water, lack of adequate housing, lack of clothing. 35% of the country is starving. Starving. Not simply hungry-quite literally, dying for lack of food. I saw a man have a seizure in front of my eyes, old men and women dying with untreatable illnesses, and kids who had never eaten a piece of meat. All of these sights would have been enough for anyone to ask the age old question, "If God is so great, why does he allow suffering?" I think that question is superficial and lacks an understanding of the power and sovereignty of God and also fails to see where God is working, moving, and providing for his people. The first part of that last statement is a powder keg of religious doctrine, so let's focus on the second part.

Haiti is a pretty miserable place, but for God. I have already told you a good bit of what we saw while we were there but there is more to that story. Haiti is also a desert. It is hot, filled with cacti, and has a seemingly unending crust of rocky ground. According to local legend (how much of this is based on absolute fact is still being researched) Haiti was not always this way. A long time ago when the Haitian people, a colony of slaves from West Africa, declared their independence from France, the French obliged with only one stipulation: cut down all of the islands trees and send them to Europe so that palaces, buildings, and ships could be built. The Haitians agreed and the first and only slave colony to gain their independence was formed and Haiti was founded. Obviously, cutting down an entire ecosystem has consequences and deforestation occurred, leaving the Haitian soil rocky and (mostly) without farmable land. This story seems to have basis in fact, as there really are no trees over a couple years old in Haiti and by the fact that right across the border in the Dominican Republic, sits a lush, green land filled with rain forests. The Haitian's were dealt a tough hand before the massive earthquake that rocked the island in 2010, making an already bad situation much worse. Through all of the destruction and desolation that is Haiti, however, was the complete and overwhelming presence of God.

He was there in the landscapes:

He was there in the smiles and spirits of orphans:

He was there when 1,200+ received medical care.

He was there when 700+ starving families received food.

He was there every morning and every night when we had the opportunity to play with the children.

He was there when we were not at our best.

He was there when we did not know what to say.

This trip would not have been humanly possibly, but God. God was there and God was moving and God was changing and God was calling. God willing, our nation and our generation will continue to wake up to the cause of the widowed and orphaned, to the starving and lost. We have all been called, we have all been commissioned (Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15). So often we forget there are enormous struggles in the world- that orphans go unclothed and that the poor starve to death. It is so easy to forget all of these truths behind the safe borders of our country (which we have been unbelievably blessed with) and long lists of "to-do's" that preoccupy us with the meaningless. I am as guilty as the all the rest, of course. And I am sure that in the very near future, I too will forget and slip for a time into the comforts of the world. All of this would worry me if not for two simple words... but god. But God will awaken me. Just as he always has. Just as he will awaken my generation or a generation to come to bring his truth and goodness to all nations, to all people, and to all tongues. Until then... we sojourn. We sojourn on this planet and do so solely to spread his glory, until we end our journey on Earth and find our permanent residence on high.

Haiti is by no means a vacation spot. Most of the country lacks clean drinking water, electricity, paved roads and so on. But I find myself, sitting in the most comfortable country in the world, and would do anything to go back to Haiti. And I will...Soon.

Drew