Not What I Expected – June Haiti Team Member

 A team from Florida and few from Colorado went to Haiti in June 2019 to serve at the Feminine Training Center and the Children’s Feeding Program. We will be sharing thoughts from various team members. 

This is a post from Tracey Golden. 

Haitian people are so loving and giving. I went to Haiti fully expecting poor people living on the ground eating unimaginable things just to survive. What I found was some of the nicest, sweetest and giving people. These wonderful people probably have not eaten in a few days, but they gladly would give up their last bit of food to help someone else. To me this makes them wealthy. Sure, they may have only a dress to wear to church, but you better believe they are going to the Lord’s house. They are going in there very best. After all, isn’t that what God deserves. Do we give our absolute best to God?

They hold fast to their faith and stand firm in that belief. These Christian Haitians know what is meant by pray without ceasing and they pray with a joyful heart. They know their answers are coming from God and they do not give up. I was amazed at these wonderful people. When they pray, they pray expecting God to work. They keep praying until they get their answer. And then they give God all the praise and thanks. You see them on their knees. And they stay kneeling before God. No five second prayer for them!

This trip put my life into perspective. I met people whose church meant being able to worship God, to know His splendor. People who were willing to give up what little they had to be a child of God. Often it meant giving up the family they depended on. They know the price of their belief and freely give that price. Having learned of just a few things that being a child of God meant for them made me look at my life differently.

What I expect from my life and what God expects of me, Him having given me this experience, we find in 1 Corinthians 13:13. “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

Serve the Lord with a joyful heart. To love the Lord completely. And to study His word then follow where Jesus leads. Not to let this be the end of my experience but the beginning.