I've been reflecting on my trip to Haiti and the earthquake for some time now, and I admit I'm still broken, confused and sometimes even angry. I wrote an extensive update for my supporters within a few days of coming back, but after the earthquake I realized that some things have changed. Some of the questions I had in those few days have been answered, while other questions have popped up. In the end though, I believe God is glorified through all of this: my team's work in Haiti, and even through the earthquake.
I find myself endlessly editing that original update (it's too long to post), and in the process I can see God's heart for Haiti more and more. I remember reading an article about the evangelist Pat Robertson claiming that the earthquake was God's punishment for a pact Haiti had made with the devil. While God does indeed curse people, and even nations for their sin, I believe that it is beyond us to claim to know God's will in this.
One thing that I couldn't help but notice, in my time in Haiti, was the brokenness: there is no infrastructure, there is almost no economy, and there is often no justice. Corruption is rampant; even Christianity is corrupted by voodoo. But, there was one other thing I saw: Haitians that were willing to do anything to help their people, churches doing everything they could to see Christ glorified in Haiti, and the multitude of foreign aid groups and missions teams yearning and praying for change in Haiti. All of this was before the earthquake. The church, the body of Christ, is reaching out to Haiti before and after the earthquake. In the news reports of Haiti, I have read numerous claims of people on the streets repenting, turning their lives to Jesus, and people singing songs of praise in the face of death and destruction. From the survivors, there seem to be more cries of thankfulness for life than anger from loss. I pray that this will be a time when lives are changed for the better.
From a more personal perspective, it has been really hard hearing updates from people in Haiti. Most of the doctors we worked with have lost all their possessions, and many have lost family as well. I cannot imagine what they are going through and the pain they are feeling. But there is also a sense of joy. One of the doctors who almost died in the earthquake wrote this, "still alive to continue our mission on the earth." Amen.
I find myself endlessly editing that original update (it's too long to post), and in the process I can see God's heart for Haiti more and more. I remember reading an article about the evangelist Pat Robertson claiming that the earthquake was God's punishment for a pact Haiti had made with the devil. While God does indeed curse people, and even nations for their sin, I believe that it is beyond us to claim to know God's will in this.
One thing that I couldn't help but notice, in my time in Haiti, was the brokenness: there is no infrastructure, there is almost no economy, and there is often no justice. Corruption is rampant; even Christianity is corrupted by voodoo. But, there was one other thing I saw: Haitians that were willing to do anything to help their people, churches doing everything they could to see Christ glorified in Haiti, and the multitude of foreign aid groups and missions teams yearning and praying for change in Haiti. All of this was before the earthquake. The church, the body of Christ, is reaching out to Haiti before and after the earthquake. In the news reports of Haiti, I have read numerous claims of people on the streets repenting, turning their lives to Jesus, and people singing songs of praise in the face of death and destruction. From the survivors, there seem to be more cries of thankfulness for life than anger from loss. I pray that this will be a time when lives are changed for the better.
From a more personal perspective, it has been really hard hearing updates from people in Haiti. Most of the doctors we worked with have lost all their possessions, and many have lost family as well. I cannot imagine what they are going through and the pain they are feeling. But there is also a sense of joy. One of the doctors who almost died in the earthquake wrote this, "still alive to continue our mission on the earth." Amen.
1 comment:
That last line rings sooo true. Thanks for sharing your thoughts about Haiti! The healing and rebuilding process will take a long time, but Jesus is there. God has a plan for those people. Take heart in that and keep praying.
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