Goodbye Haiti, mwen renmen ou anpil!

Where to start? I know it’s a lot to read through, but bear with me as I try to wrap up this time in Haiti. There will be many more posts about my time here but as for now this will have to do.

HAITI. I am head over heals for this country… 

Coming back from leading an outreach in Jamaica with my team I honestly did not want to come back to Haiti.  As we loaded our tiny little plane the excitement grew though as I looked upon the thrilled faces of my students, a huge smile spreading all throughout the team as we came to realize we were going “home!”

CHANGE. Flying in to Port-Au-Prince we came in over City Solei and were able to point out both water tanks that the DTS built over the summer. Home to one of my girls, I was reminded of the great privilege it was to be apart of the lives of so many incredible brothers and sisters in Haiti, as I watched what is known to be the largest and most dangerous slum in the western hemisphere pass us by.  It’s true - their lives have forever been changed. Three of the 4 Haitian students on my team haven’t even finished high school yet! And to have had such an amazing encounter of God’s love, to have walked in the opposite spirit of the land, preaching, traveling internationally, living among a different culture and language, and having people who genuinely care and are all about championing them in the pursuit of their dreams – I can hardly imagine what God is going to do with them over the next few years!!!

This nation is beautiful and I have become captivated by it.  I spent my last evening on the roof at Belville, watching the sunset, and couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed by the awe and beauty if it all. Looking upon the mountains with sun rays spotlighting the mountain side, covered with concrete houses, metal shacks and tents propped up between the two; a sunset of brilliant gold clouds morphing into a dusty navy with molten orange and pink behind it… The city is quieter since we left.

It’s something that we have spoken about frequently in the last week as a school. Nearly everyone, upon returning to Haiti after outreach, felt that the atmosphere here in Port-Au-Prince is exponentially lighter than when we left. It’s an interesting topic as we believe that it has to do both with the fact that we all came back having left fears, strongholds and doubts of who God is behind us – walking in confidence that our God is greater and we are above the spirits of the land; and also the really the spiritual atmosphere of the city has changed since the beginning of the school. There is peace here now. Where once one used to be on edge walking the streets, driving through densely populated alleys; hearing and seeing fights, gun shots, the cat-calls and rude comments poured over you when out in the city… now it’s as if most everyone has found peace.

FEARLESS. The streets are so calm that at first it was eerie driving back from the airport; when going to the grocery one feels totally comfortable walking in an with everyone; I’ve watched as students, once shy to talk to the Haitians, now initiate conversation (in Creole) and end up praying for them on the spot – believing that God will provide exactly what they need.  I am not at all kidding when I say that our students are fearless now. We graduated 46 of them on Friday having only 2 that we started with in June not graduate with the rest for their own reasons and since then most of them have scattered through Haiti over the weekend, some going several hours away and some just adventuring it in City Solei for a day… It’s amazing to me the amount of boldness and love they are walking in now!

Leaving tomorrow for a few days vacation in New York City before heading home to Texas, it is a bittersweet mix of emotions.  It has been an amazing 6 months immersed in the Haitian culture and language and I will truly miss it. Going back into a society completely driven by consumerism from a 3^rd world country is going to be hard I know, but I am trusting in God to continue providing the grace and compassion to walk day by day wherever He leads me to. 

After being in YWAM for well over a year now with a 7week break in the middle, I am very tired and rest is very much needed. I have felt for a couple months now just the deep need to process through all God’s taken me through and finally am feeling the release to take the next few months to rest and recover physically, emotionally, and spiritually. There is so much more to learn from my experiences working in the red light districts of Thailand, slums of Haiti, communities in Jamaica tied in false doctrine and lust, and even just with these incredible DTS students… there is so much to grasp and process through. 

THANK YOU for standing with me as I have served this nation for the last 6 months, I am honored to have seen the change first hand. I will miss these people so much and am already looking forward to the day that I can return someday. Thank you for praying with and for me as I've taken on greater roles as a sister, friend, and leader to the nations - I couldn't have made it without your love and support.

Love Always