I arrived in Port au Prince Haiti on March 8, 2010. A member of the group was at the airport to greet me after I checked through customs. Immediately outside the airport there stood hundreds of Haitians in a barrage of traffic. We made our way through the crowd and out the gates to the “tap-tap”, which was a dusty red truck and our primary mode of transportation. I noticed the painted yellow letters on the back of the truck that read, “Jehovah Shalom”, translating to “the Lord who is peace”, reassuring my heart that He was present and a spirit of courage came over me. I met the other members of the mission on the tap-tap and they informed me that we were already on our way to the first tent-city that needed help. We drove through Port au Prince and the devastation was already prevalent. As we approached the first tent-city I saw a line of people that had to be 50 yards long. The tap-tap stopped and I witnessed the whole GCOM team working together as a make-shift clinic under a blue tarp. I jumped off and didn’t hesitate for one second. The physician put me to work immediately taking vitals of one person at a time. This was the first of seven days in which my life was changed, my perspective was transformed and the immensity of God’s love became clearer in my walk.
Every morning our group did a devotional Bible study in the orphanage we stayed in up the mountain, which was awesome. Although I was quite timid being around all new people I began to feel God telling me that I should not be timid as we should not have a spirit of timidity but to be bold in Christ. This led me to volunteer for leading one of the devotionals, which is something that I had never done. This was just the spark to the fire that was starting in my heart. Hearing the worship music in the morning helped me get my mind right for the long day of mission work. Sometimes, as we rode together in the tap-tap, I thought to myself, “I am just one man, what can I do?” I felt like a drop in the sea and the waves of desperation were breaking over me. I would just pray for strength and the Lord gave it to me. The encouraging words from my team, pastors and translators began to pour in and I had never felt so strong. The entire week was another chapter in my life that I will cherish forever. The miracles I witnessed will be a testimony to Christ for the rest of my life. The people I met in Haiti changed me and the way I live right now. The overflow of love from the orphans and the nanny at the orphanage will resonate in my soul for days to come. I will be there again…In His timing and grace. May the people of Haiti continue to seek His face, in Jesus’ Holy name.
