Calvary recently sent a mission team to Haiti which consisted of 5 Calvary folks, a friend who now lives in Chicago, and our Haitian friend, Junior Cineas who lives in Port Au Prince (the other side of Haiti from where the mission team works). I asked each of the participants to write a paragraph about how they saw God at work in Haiti. This is part 2 of these stories. See last week’s ‘Who Is My Neighbor’ for Part 1.
From Nancy Behrens:
As we are on the plane from Miami to Chicago, we are 6 tired, itchy, blessed, and inspired people. We saw Jesus in so many ways this week, but I will choose one story. The team had asked Bob Bills to prepare some Bible studies for use with the pastors and friends of the church at Fev and also with the staff of Streethearts, as time and opportunities allowed. As you would expect, Bob prepared thoroughly, even though he wasn't even sure if he would have a chance to share. But he did have some chances. At both Fev and Streethearts the participants were very actively engaged and had a lot of answers and questions, that reflected varying levels of biblical knowledge, spiritual maturity, and, frankly, interest. But for me, I saw Jesus in the pure joy that came over Bob's face when people were moved by the Holy Spirit and engaged in the study. He would smile radiantly and nod to encourage the participants to dive deeper. He would answer truthfully, including sometimes saying "we don't know the answers" to some questions such as "Who created God?" I have known Bob for more than 30 years and I have never seen him smile so broadly. I imagine Jesus smiled something like that whenever anyone actually showed that they caught a glimpse of what He was trying to tell them.
From Al Behrens:
I would refer to our trip to Haiti this year as an ‘enlightenment trip’. Each of the team members has been on at least one previous Haiti trip, but each trip brings new experiences. Our team might be considered a little unique to other teams that travel to Haiti, as God has put it on our hearts to focus on building relationships with the Haitian people we come in contact with more than building material things. In the beginning of Acts 8, we read about “and all the believers except the apostles were scattered through the regions “. It goes on to say in verse 4 “But all the believers who scattered preached the Good News about Jesus wherever they went”.
This relates back to how God works through our team, just made up of common believers, spreading the word of Jesus Christ to the groups we interact with in Haiti. Every year, I see how God helps deepen the faith of the team through the different experiences we encounter. The Bible study and discussion times we have with the Haitian groups and individuals provides a time for deepening our understanding of their culture and needs. Not only the adults, but the teenagers and little children are full of questions and eager to learn. A lot of where I see God working on our trips is through taking the time to share our love with them.
God has also opened doors through the basketball program we have continued to support through the Streethearts organization. The basketball program provides a means for the staff at Streetheart’s to connect with the boys off the streets of Cap Haitien, and provide a spiritual lead place for the boys to live.
When we meet someone that God has prepared, and we have the opportunity to lead them to faith or to share the Good News of Jesus Christ, the purpose of the trips to Haiti become much clearer.
From Joe Landon:
I saw God in Fèv when I saw Shu Shu and La La as church leaders this year. They were two of the original girls we evangelized in the very beginning. I also saw God working when we were evangelizing this year and three people accepted Jesus Christ into their hearts. All three showed up to church on Sunday.
I also saw God at Streethearts. God allowed me to communicate with several boys by drawing portraits with a crayon. It is amazing how a crayon and God's love breaks down all communication barriers.
Haiti 2017 Photos:
