Si ou ka imajine... If you can imagine

If you can, imagine that you're on a space shuttle.  You're so excited to see it up close and to actually live there. But you get hungry... where do they keep the food? How do you eat in zero gravity? Where do you put the trash? Now you're thirsty; you find something to drink in the same place as the food, but how do you get the liquid in your mouth. Uh-oh, now you need to find a restroom. How does one flush a toilet in outer space?!


Now imagine that you're in Haiti. You've grown up in a hut with a grass roof and a dirt floor without electricity or running water. You've heard of these modern conveniences, but you've never flushed a toilet, opened a sliding glass door, changed a light bulb, or turned a faucet on or off.  How would you learn? How long would it take you?


Earlier this week, Maya and I discussed these things as she described to me training staff to work here in the guest house.  It's been neat for me to get to practice my Creole with our incredible staff,  but it takes a while to train someone how to work things that we grew up watching grown-ups do. Now, we teach grown ups how to use these modern conveniences. 


Now imagine something a little harder...  Imagine that you haven't eaten today and have no idea where your next meal is coming from... This is so much harder for me! I don't know that I've ever been that hungry, with no concept of where my next meal could come from. When Haitians pray before eating, they ask the Lord to provide for those who haven't eaten yet today. Hunger is such a real threat in this country that one remembers his countrymen in prayer often.


Last Sunday, we attended church with a great group of believers in a very destitute area. It's about 45 minutes outside of Port Au Prince, and we rode in the back of a truck with the pastor and his son, incredible, warm-hearted men of God!! This is what it looked like:

When we arrived, they were in the middle of a really awesome Sunday School lesson. We then had the opportunity to talk with the pastor about his dreams for a church building. Currently, this is where they worship; the pastor and his wife and son:

There is a small river nearby, and when it rains, the church, which also serves as a school, floods. Carl is going to talk with some teams coming from the States about putting this into motion. Here's the inside:

After church, the pastor's wife, who's a nurse, and I discussed some of the needs of people. Imagine not having enough money to be able to buy your sick, febrile baby a little bit of Tylenol. Sometimes I would hear that from moms in the ER in the States, but they almost always had a pack of cigarettes, a bag of doritos, and a cell phone in there purse too. Here, the needs include clothes and shoes for children, medicine for diarrhea and vomiting, vitamins and vaccines. Where do we start to meet these needs that are still hard to imagine existing after growing up full and healthy? 


I'm still trying to figure out my role in all of this, and how I can meet these needs that seem so overwhelming. Even if I were to return today to my old job in the ER and send all of my salary to Haiti, it would barely be a drop in the bucket! In a country of so much need, what can one person do?


As I prayed through these things this week, the Lord showed me a powerful verse from 1 Peter 1:18-19. It says, "For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect." It is  not with silver, gold, sliding glass doors, or flush toilets that these precious people will be saved from an empty way of life. It is only with the precious blood of the spotless Lamb of God that makes a sacrifice efficient to wash away our sins and give us life, and not just life here but an eternal Home with Him forever. And as much as I hope to help alleviate hunger and illness here, I do these people a disservice if all I offer them is silver or gold or a new church building. 'Tis only the precious blood of Jesus Christ that offers them lasting aid. 


No matter which country you're in or what you grew up with, the Lord offers you the same thing. He offers you His blood to cover your sins that separate you from Him. He offers to save your from an empty life, to live an abundant life following Him now, and life forever with Him after death. And that offer is free and for everyone! It's something that no one has to imagine living without!