Individuals

Many had started out at around 1am that morning, and had hike three hours to the church, arriving before dawn, at the church. Having seen no Doctor for the past five years, and with no nearby schools, no education or hospitals, the Haitian people were eager and willing to wait all day. Yet when our rentals pulled up to the church, I still couldn't believe the mass of people that crowded the small yard- mothers, babies, children, youth, grandparents. And I knew there was only about medication left for 60 of them. There were sisters from the church cooking rice out front under a large palm tree in a big pot, and someone had set up a big tarp to protect the people from the heat of the sun.

The med station we set up inside

The people crowded our white vehicle and we had to push a path through them just to get the medications and doctor into the little church building. I wanted to stop for each one of them and try to help as many as possible, but I knew if I paused in stride, they would quickly come up and start asking for things. We kept looking ahead and begin to set up our last clinical day.

In the one small room, we made a doctors corner, a medical station and lastl,y a give-away station towards the back door. This contained more Bibles, Beanie Babies, toothbrushes, toothpaste, headscarves, fisbees, soccer jerseys, bandanas and candy. All for which they were ready to break down the front door.

The heat in the room was near suffocating, but there wasn't a window in the room to crack open and we had to try out best to keep the people outside the building. “Honestly”, Sarah said, “if I were a mother with a really sick child and this was my one chance to see a doctor, I would push my way to the front also.” It was so true. Yet, if you let one more come through the door, you'd soon have a crowd that you couldn't control. An older man was let inside to lie on a dirty blanket on the floor. He had a wound that stuck out, the size of an apple on his side. Tiny babies were brought to us, burning with fever or with pain the their abdomen. Some of their faces were turned in terror as they looked into the faces of “white people” for the first time, and they begin to cry.

With so many medications down from our initial clinic, we felt as if there was a minimal amount that we could actually do. The people crowded around the building, poking their heads in every window, watching us with intent and getting more aroused as they saw the med table start to deplete. The voices got louder and the room got hotter. Come lunch time, I'd drunk almost my own entire ration of water for the day, and we had served about 70 people. It looked as if that would be our capacity for the day...there just weren't any more useful medications left over.

We still had a lot of other give-aways at the front, and wanted to send families in at a time, so they could still receive gifts. However, the anticipation that some might not get something and that our supply was dwindling sent the Haitians attempting to push through the front door. Galilee, the head guy of YFC, had to forcefully push them back, while yelling at them in Creole. The front door of the little church shut and he put up his hands. That would be it. There was no more we could do.

A few of us were still determined to get the rest of our stuff handed out. We packed what was left in two big hockey bags, pushed our way out the little church and to the rentals, having to ignore the calls for toothbrushes and “poupees” and loaded back into the white rental vehicles. People crowded the sides of the rental and we had to roll up the windows, so they wouldn't stick their hands inside.

On the way up the mountain, it was often that we saw children playing in the dirt or roads by the little places where they lived, or people walking down the road. We were going to reach as many as we could. As we drove out of sight of the church, we created a system. With Jonathan handing us Beanie Babies, lollipops and toothbrushes from the trunk (quite the combination), Sarah, Dorothy, Steph and I rolled down our windows either side and as we begin our decent, we begin to watch for the children so we could hand out the gits.

It was priceless. The look on these childrens faces when we slowed the vehicle and handed them the items. The dances they did in the middle of the road. One little boy was stark naked and started jumping up and down, clutching the bear to his chest and ran back towards the little shack by the side of the road to tell his family. We tossed a soccer ball at a group of teenage boys and they laughed and dove towards it, ready to begin a soccer game straight away.

All the way to town, we gave to the people we saw out the window. I was reminded of the verse Humnan's Love has put on their toothbrushes. “And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things in common. And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, And laid them at the apostles feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.” Acts 4:32-35. I'm seeing that the amount I've been given by the Lord is incredible and I'm so undeserving of it. Everything I've been given by God is still His to do as He pleases, and what greater joy is made when it's given to those who really have a need. It was one of the highlights of the trips to see the difference that it made in the day of an individual. Yet greater so, I was praying and hoping on passing forth the message of the eternal gift.

When I had given the Bibles to the children, there had been some hesitancy as to whether the kids would really value it as much as the adults, and some doubt as to whether they could all yet read. I'd thought about what to do and the verse came to me “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the things whereto I sent it.” Isaiah 55:11. I'd really felt the Lord leading me to go forward with the project he'd given me, so I'd given the Beanie Babies and Bibles to the kids, praying they would value it and read it...and if not them, their families.

When we got back to the YFC base after lunch, encouraging the work being finished by those who hadn't gone “up the hill”, I was really exhausted and moved past the children to the upstairs balcony overlooking the community. Perched on the railing, I looked over the broken town that was just barely holding together, and I thought of the children.

In the alleyway to the right of YFC, my eye caught site of one of the girls who had been at the daycamp on Saturday when we'd shared the gospel and handed out the Bibles and Beanie Babies. She was perched on the sill of her window, with her Bible lying open, her face intent towards the pages. In the midst of the crumbling and dirty cement walls, surrounded by a broken concrete porch and littered in garbage, it was something beautiful.

An older girl stepped forward from the house and turned to look at me from where I was perched on the second floor balcony. I recognized her as a vendor right near the base.

“Bible?” She pointed towards the Bible the girl was reading and then back at me. Then she pointed to herself. I remembered I'd had one box left and quickly left my spot on the railing.

Asking Sarah, and then Mark, to come with me, we ventured outside the metal gate of the base and down the road towards her stand. She was back and waiting for costumers, when she looked up and saw us coming. I had partly hid it in the large pocket in my scrubs; any extra items that were seen given out, immediately attracted groups to crowds of people. As we approached her, I pulled it out and handed it to her. A smile broke her face and she eagerly took it, pressing her lips to the front cover. Laying her hand over mine, she eagerly thanked me, and we headed back to the centre...the mission for the individual accomplished.

Jesus did speak to crowds, preaching, telling parables and performing miracles – proving that He was really the Son of God. Yet, so many times he went out of his way to touch the lives of individuals. Here is where we read of changed hearts, transformed lives and of souls delivered to him.

A little girl that just wanted to be held.

I love running around with crowds of children in a game of “tag”, playing soccer in a dusty and rocky yard and telling His story to a group of eager-eyed children, but even more so, I love holding the little girl with teary eyes, made an orphan from Haiti's earthquake. I love watching the face of one boy light up when he, alone out of curiosity followed a group of strangers into a field and in turn was included in all the group pictures and given the gift of God's word. I love leaving the walls of the YFC base to walk down the road and hand one single Bible to the women who wanted nothing more. It's the individuals that I look out for, and maybe it's because when they look at me with those eyes that have endured so much, when they put their hand on mine, or when I see them do the little dance in the middle of the road, they in turn, touch my own heart. And once more, I'm reminded of God's huge and loving heart towards others. Again, I feel His crazy and undeserving love towards me - How when I was nothing, He chose me and gave me such blessing. So who am I not to share it?

Finally done the project! Haiti 2012!

As the last metal roof pieces were being placed on the outdoor church/school, rain began to fall from the sky – coming down in torrents. Maybe be that was Haiti's goodbye on our last day. We were done our work, soaked to the bone and incredibly happy. The sky can rain all it wants, but when you're doing God's work and looking towards him, nothing can move your spirit.

Jumping in the Rain

“God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord...but be thou partakers of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God.” 2 Timothy 1:7-8