I found myself scrolling through Adventures’ website at 3am one night. I could not sleep and did not know why. I had been praying for the Lord to send me overseas for months, and I was ready to commit to going to Zambia, Africa for a month through AIM’s Passport program. But for some reason, every time I decided I was going to fill out the application, something stopped me. I didn’t have any peace about Africa, but I had wanted to go there for so long that I was ready to just go for it. I was coming out of a hard year and a half, and knew the Lord was calling me to do something for the Kingdom. But here I am, wide awake at three in the morning, unsure what the Lord was calling me to do. I decided to just click on Adventures’ short term trips, just to see what was offered. I came across Haiti and clicked on it, and felt the Lord tell me “this is it, Catherine.” The next day I applied for the Haiti trip and soon after was accepted.
What the Lord did in Haiti, was something I never saw coming. Jesus taught me so much about love last week. He reminded me what it means to love the gospel. Being able to be in Haiti and share the gospel with people who may have never heard about Jesus before was so sweet. Being the hands and feet of Jesus was such a beautiful thing, even if the kids we were witnessing to couldn’t always understand us. One day, I sat next to this little girl during Recreation time because she didn’t want to play the game. I asked her her name and age, and that was about all I could say to make conversation in Creole. Then, the Holy Spirit reminded me of the most important thing I could say. I turned to her and said “Jesu renmen ou,” which is “Jesus loves you” in Creole. She didn’t say anything back, but the Lord used that moment to remind me that living life for the Kingdom is about planting seeds. I also saw the love for a country. Haiti is very broken and is not in great conditions, but that does not stop it’s people from being proud of it. I heard so many people say “We are family, because we are Haitian. This is who we are.” I walked around wondering “Would I love America, if this is how I lived?” But really, it’s not about your surroundings, but who the Lord is and how you love people. And Haitians love people unlike any other. They love holding your hand, smiling back at you, hugging you, or sitting next to you. They are grateful for the time you spend with them and the snacks you give them. Their hearts are so big, and I had forgotten what love like that looks like until I got to spend time with little ones who aren’t worried about material things, but who is sitting next to them. I went on mission with a group of nineteen people who loved me so well and reminded me what Christian community means. I spent six days with people I had never met before, but by the end of the trip I felt like they were my family. They reminded me how to laugh hard and to love deeply. I loved getting to know my team, as we all came from different backgrounds and different places. I am so thankful for Haiti, and I miss it more and more each day. I had forgotten what love looked like, and Jesus brought me to another country to remind me. Jesus is so good.
