“Ki moun sa?”  “Who is this?”  Martha asked the children in Creole as she held up photos one by one of each child and elderly person currently enrolled in our feeding program.  The children, picture after picture, would yell out the name of the person that needed to be identified, and as each child or elderly person was called by name, a sense of pride and dignity came to the front with them as they gently grabbed that precious photo.  The joy I saw in Pastor Jackson’s and Martha’s faces during this time was priceless and forever embedded in the forefront of my mind.

Earlier…I handed those pictures to Martha and Pastor Jackson only after my failed attempt to recognize each person as they came through the medical clinic. I asked them if they would do the honor of handing out the photos, and without hesitancy they were happy to do so. As they flipped through the pile, they tenderly acknowledged each person, sharing stories of each child and laughing at their silly faces. They knew who each child was, and shared a love for them as if they were their own.

It was at that moment that I learned a little more about who God is and who He calls us to be.  Nothing about this seems extraordinary or even successful in the eyes of those who look to set out to accomplish some great task on a trip to an impoverished nation, but to me that moment would be life altering. Our focus as a team was to build relationships. To love as they love. To love as Christ loved.

So that is what we did.  We didn’t achieve some huge building project, plant a life sustaining garden, or even rescue children off the streets, but we did something so much greater; we lifted up those in whom we set out to serve: The moms and dads who care enough to send their children to school and who tirelessly fight to provide food for their families. We simply took the time to praise the parents, as they came day after day to pick up their children from school, for the amazing work they are doing in raising such beautiful, warm hearted little children. The cooks who sit in an extremely hot tent for 6-8 hours preparing meals; we served them in the medical clinic and gave them thanks for their work.  After all, without them this feeding program would not function.  The masons who work each day, often not getting a break in the hot sun, we worked alongside of them as they guided us through the building process. After all, this wasn’t the first building they were constructing. The school teachers who work at educating the children were given the opportunity to hand out a few gifts to their students for their hard work.  After all, they are the ones who pour into these children each day. We observed and commended Luke Thomas, a young man with a servant heart, who cares for those children and that land with everything he has.  We took the opportunity to learn from other missions in the area; we met with our friends on the streets of Neply; we encouraged; we praised; we lived life not focused on any particular task, but rather our focus was on relationship!

Do we share that same concept in the church today?

Each trip to Haiti has brought a new sense of adventure, a new found appreciation of the Haitian culture, new relationships, and interestingly a better understanding of who I am.  God intends us to serve others, to pour out of ourselves, and through that I am entirely convinced He does more work in us than through us.  God is a God of amazing timing and truth.

Thank you Pastor Jackson and Martha for allowing God to use you in mighty ways not only to those in Haiti, but across the world. You are truly the hands and feet of this organization.  Your heart and works will go far beyond this generation because your foundation is laid in Jesus.

Written by Kyleen Flores, medical coordinator & team leader