Mangoes, Bibles & Soap

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Mango season has started here in Haiti and it’s pretty fantastic. It means we get to eat all kinds of mangoes (I had no idea such a variety of mangoes existed!) almost on a daily basis. It’s a simple little joy that God has blessed me with because I really enjoy eating them – I feel like a little kid during summer time, getting to eat a great snack and not having a care in the world if my face and hands are covered in sticky mango juice.

Over the past month we have received several Creole Bibles that were donated by our mission partners – THANK YOU! Because of your donations, we have been able to go out into the village and share the Word with our neighbors. It has been incredible to witness how God provided us with a better handle on the language and how the people we visited were so eager to receive the Gospel. Saint Irenaeus once said, “The glory of God is man most fully alive,” that came to mind when we got to break open the Word in people’s homes – my heart was brought to life in a new way, because I was given the opportunity to go and share the Good News, in a language I am still learning and despite my own fears and insecurities. God is so faithful!

Last week we had a group of 8 youth ministers/core members come to spend a week with us at the base. It was so GREAT! I absolutely loved having people join in on our rhythm of life – praying with us, sharing meals, working side by side on work projects, visiting the poor, visiting those in prison, visiting the sick – it brought my heart great encouragement to be around people whose hearts are convicted in truth and who have the same love and desire to make Christ known to the ends of the earth. We have encountered Love Incarnate, we know the Solution for the aches & pains of this world - woe to us if we do not share Him!

Soap? Well, today I was excited about taking my shower because I was covered in bug spray (mosquitoes have been particularly vicious lately). Unfortunately I didn’t get very far because as soon as I had soaped up, our water stopped working. So there I was covered in suds, I had to wipe off the soap and get a bucket to fetch water. It was somewhat comical, I was standing there in unbelief, laughing out loud thinking, “Um, what am I supposed to do now?” Paul & Anna saw me walk out of the bathroom with my disheveled wet hair, soap covered feet and big white bucket. I laughed and explained what happened, and they both reacted to sweetly – they said that next time I can just scream and they can get a bucket for me. Paul took the bucket from me, cleaned it, filled it with water and carried it back to the bathroom for me. What struck me was how my missionary brother & sister really cared and took the time to help a soapy sister out. It was like getting a hug for my heart. That lead me to think of recent conversations I have had with some of my missionary brothers lately (Fr. Louis, Paul & Sean). After having a series of good, fruitful and insightful conversations the past few days, I have come to realize how I am blessed by their love & care for me. They have shown genuine interest in my well-being and have shown how they are protective (in a good way) of my heart. They’ve also shown how they really desire good things for my life. It wasn’t grand gestures that made me realize this, it was just conversations that brought this beautiful gift to my attention.

God is doing good things here in Haiti. People are coming to know and believe Whose they are and what they were created for, and that is literally setting hearts free to be fully alive. I am excited for what God has in store. My heart is at peace with His movement, even if I can’t always see or understand what He is doing – what I do know is that it is good, because He is all good, and He cannot go against Himself. So I have confidence in that unshakable truth.