Yes, I am still writing about our trip to Haiti. There was so much to share and so much that I never want to forget...
We drove into Citi Soleil as Pastor Miguel shared with us the sad and difficult history. It is known as the poorest and most violent ghettos in the Western Hemisphere. Bullet holes decorate the walls of the shantytown shacks and buildings. The children run around naked with bloated bellies. The sadness is so real that it is almost tangible in the atmosphere.
Until we arrive at church. The people are gathered early in the morning. The sweet smile of my Haitian sister greets me at the door. She is beautiful in the midst of the misery of poverty. Her dress is bright green and freshly pressed. Her eyes dance with the joy of the Holy Ghost and I can see that there is no misery too deep that cannot be redeemed.
The children filled the church and we played and sang together. We painted their faces with butterflies and hearts and then someone said, “Jesus--here on my forehead”. JEZI-- of course!!! Then they all wanted JEZI. Red, yellow, black and white, in big letters we painted JEZI!!! As I painted, I prayed “this one is yours Jesus all the days of her life. This one is to be redeemed, rescued by the all-powerful, no violence-too-violent, no-suffering-too severe, no-poverty-too-painful ONE and only REDEEMER. “
When I was in language school, I remember so well when Doug Peterson, our Area Director at the time, taught about what he called “redemption and lift”. I have later learned that this is actually a term coined by social scientists. Historically, repentance and conversion, not social programs, have been the only effective solution for a myriad of problems such as child abuse, child exploitation, poor working conditions, low incomes, high unemployment, alcohol and drug abuse and teen pregnancy. God helps a father to stop drinking and start working; as a result he has more money to provide for the family, he becomes a leader in the church. He is faithful to his wife. He is a good father to his children. His life takes on real meaning.
I have seen the reality of “redemption and lift” over and over again here in the Dominican Republic but never did it feel so true, so authentic as it did in that little wooden church in Citi Soleil.
As we drove away from the sadness and the beauty, Pastor Miguel stopped to purchase something that was being sold on the side of the road in that ghetto. We didn’t know what it was. It turned out to be a perfect representation of both sadness and beauty.
Our last night together in Haiti, we decided to celebrate communion with our missionary host Pastor Miguel and Mairelys. He brought out the strangest piece of “bread”. It looked more like clay than bread. He broke it up and gave each of us a piece.
Then Miguel talked to us about the moment when Jesus broke bread with his disciples, future world changers, just like us. He said that it must have been a difficult moment, as he knew what was to come. Jesus knew that He would soon take upon himself the bitterness of the sin of the whole world. Then Miguel read the scripture and we ate the bread together. An incredibly bitter taste filled my mouth. It was pasty and hard to swallow, a taste that lingered and was difficult to remove from your teeth and tongue.
Miguel explained to us that this was a “dirt” cookie that he bought in Citi Soleil for just a few cents a piece. He told us that many Haitian children survive on eating these “dirt” cookies that are made of mud and lard. It represented to us the terrible reality of poverty that is a result of sin in this world. Tears poured down all of our cheeks, as we together had tasted this reality in more ways than one and that taste would not be easily removed from our memories or our hearts.
Still, the sadness was quickly displaced by the joy of knowing that this bread and the juice that we shared together were the symbols of the very real REDEMPTION that we encountered in Citi Soleil. Because even in Citi Soleil, there was no misery too enormous that can eradicate hope that comes from our resurrected Christ and His saving work.
Viv Jezi!!!
Jesus Lives!!!
I have always said that this blog was more about never forgetting all the amazing works of our missionary God than it was about writing for an audience. I am always amazed when I find out that someone actually reads this stuff. I have always needed a place to put down the details of every story of grace, every miracle big and small, and a place to express this enormous gratitude that fills my heart because of this privelege that I have to serve HIM. So that being said there is at least one more story about Haiti to come.
