Lord I Lift Your Name On High
As we prepare to go to bed in our dorm and I reflect back in my first day in Haiti, I am beyond amazed and grateful to be here. I have heard friends talk about it for the last several years, but I never thought I would be here myself! With the snow and ice we had leading up to the days before we left I still didn't think it was going to happen. It is a miracle we did, and we believe it is a reflection of God's desire for us to be here. When I think about the unbelievable feats that took place for us to get here - icy roads all the way to the airport; no flight delays in Raleigh or Atlanta, smooth flights with no issues and our landing in Port au Prince that was at the exact time printed on our tickets. God had a plan and I can't wait to see how the week unfolds! Our first day was q busy day that started early with the roosters crowing- no alarm clock needed! I think I might have had roosters wake me up once or twice when I was younger but I forgot they don't just crow one time, they kept crowing every few minutes until the sun comes up. The perfect snooze buttons- it was fascinating and much better than a man made alarm. Delicious coffee, homemade oatmeal, and fresh mangos were the perfect breakfast! After we ate, we went on a tour of the Mission of Hope campus. It has so many parts and each one as desperately needed as the next - an orphanage, a medical clinic and prosthetics lab, a warehouse, a school and a transition home for the older orphans. Last but not least was the beautifully simple open air church built in the shape of a cross. What a privilege it was to worship with the people of Haiti in their joy filled service. Imagine my surprise when one of the songs was a contemporary favorite, but in a different language. "Lord I Lift Your Name on High"! It is just as powerful, maybe even more so, when it is sung with new friends in a different language and culture. They took us to Bercy and Leveque - two local areas where their good work also takes place. We came back and had an amazing authentic Haitian meal prepared by girls transitioning out of the orphanage. Our night ended with a wrap up video about the founders of MOH what led to this great work. They are doing transformational things in Haiti, but to me the most important thing they shared was that they are not here to "do for" the Haitians. The mission here is to empower the people of Haiti to do for themselves. There are only 15 Americans on staff but there are over 400 Haitian people working for MOH in all the different areas combined. It is an amazing atmosphere and we heard about all the great dreams and plans they have for future work. I can't wait to see what the rest of the week hold in store for us! Thank you to everyone back home for your prayers and support!