What a gift I was given this past January; I was able to see the same God that we love and worship doing amazing things in Haiti! Mission work is one of my passions that I love to share with the students of Immanuel, Macomb. I try to instill within the children the need to look around and recognize the opportunities God lays before them to share Jesus with others.
The opportunity for me to share Jesus with the Haitian people came about through our Hearts for Jesus 2013 mission work. All the Lutheran schools in Michigan worked together for one purpose, to raise awareness and monies to help Christian Children Concern Society (CCCS) as they reach out to over 200 schools across the world. After our endeavor, I was awarded a life-changing opportunity to represent the Lutheran school teachers of Michigan as I traveled with CCCS to Haiti.
God’s beauty is found everywhere in Haiti in its rocky mountain terrain, coastal plains, breathtaking sunsets, and its people. The people of Haiti are hardworking and generous. The minute I stepped out of our vehicle the children surrounded me and looked at me with those beautiful brown eyes. They loved to be held and sought my full attention.
My week was spent with a group from Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Kansas City, Kansas. They have been partners in ministry with Christ the King Lutheran Church in Merotte, Haiti for the past 10 years. It was amazing to see all the work the Lord has accomplished during that time period between people from two very different places.
I was part of the vacation Bible school (VBS) team which led the children through Bible stories, skits, and prayer. The children sang songs that showed their love for Jesus. The highlight was the day we placed their pictures in frames they had decorated. The children held their frames tightly and stared at God’s beautiful creation.
The mission team also set up a medical clinic in the church. Each morning the lines of Haitians wanting so desperately to have medical care seemed endless. For most of the Haitians that arrived at the church doors, this would be the only medical assistance they would receive for the entire year. Babies to the elderly worked their way through the clinic each day. The medical team was able to help 500 Haitians within a four-day period. Our God is amazing!
During the warm afternoons, time was spent building relationships. The VBS team helped in areas of need, and ran basketball and volleyball clinics. You could always find a game of soccer going on and the children enjoyed sharing with us some of their Haitian games.
The students of Immanuel were able to come with me on the mission trip through their love gifts of school supplies. All the classrooms in Haiti that I visited were quite bare. Most had benches for the children and a board for the teacher to write on. I only saw one box of crayons during the entire week. The children were surprised when I opened up the ‘Haiti Blessings’ suitcase and shared the gifts with them.
One of the highlights of the week was the worship celebration on Sunday morning. The Haitians came to church in their Sunday best. The service which was filled with glorious music sung from the hearts of the Haitians lasted almost three hours. We worshipped our God through song, Scripture, and prayer. Even though I could not understand Creole, I knew with all my heart that we worshipped the same God.
Spreading the love of Jesus is a privilege God grants to each one of us. It was an honor to do God’s bidding and to witness His hand at work among the Haitian people.
Children’s Christian Concern Society is based out of Topeka, Kansas and currently educates and shares the love of Jesus Christ with over 26,000 students in 28 countries around the world. http://leadachild.org.
