Just over four months ago I would not have known anything about Haiti beyond what you read or might see on TV. After I asked a simple question at a fundraiser back in August and, in turn, received a challenging question that would end up changing my heart. An offer to have me travel to Haiti and see what the nonprofit was doing first hand. Little did I know as I write this I have been to the country twice now and had my heart shattered and slowly rebuilt. When anyone steps outside of their comfort zone they tend to never be able to go back like they used to be. Similar to when you pack for a trip or try to put something back in its original packaging, things just never are the same. As I revel in the Haiti honeymoon hangover of this past weekend’s trip I figured I would share some lessons learned from my latest mission trip shared with the Haitian people. Lessons that will leave me forever changed, longing to go back and willing to take you along the next time I go if you are so inclined. Lessons Learned from my Latest Mission Trip Joy is Real As Americans, real joy  seems to come few and far between. Sure there are some people who are overly happy that it is borderline annoying. Yet real joy still seems to be missing. We complain about the simple things in life, yet in Haiti, they are happy and joyful over the simplest […]

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The last few posts have chronicled the journey both physically and emotionally that I recently took to Haiti. While in Canaan, Haiti there were some takeaways that anyone going or thinking about going on a mission trip should consider. These are lessons that I wish someone had shared with me in detail before stepping on the plane. Mission work is for everyone – Whether you do work over seas or at home, we can all benefit from mission work. You not only help those you go to serve but in turn they help you become the person you were designed to be. You will never be the same – as cliché as that sounds it’s true. You will see and do things that will change you. You will have your heart-broken and rebuilt in a new way. The pure innocent joy through those you meet will change your mind and heart. The one that is served is you – sure you went there to make a difference. Maybe it was to build a school, share some clothes or food. Perhaps it was even the gospel,  whatever your purpose you will come away more blessed than you could ever provide to them. The children of Haiti only wanted to know that we cared. They are not as unhappy as you may think. – Just because they don’t have what you have. It doesn’t make them less, in fact it makes them more. They find pure happiness even in the simple things we all take for granted.  You will […]

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Spend some time with those that have little and you will find there are no orphans of God in Haiti. Once the ladies were done visiting the women’s ward in the hospital we were led to another ward in the hospital. We crossed the open courtyard to the infant ward, where there was a lady tending to the children. The first half of the room was full of cribs with young children that the woman, who we had found out was only a volunteer was doing her best to keep them from crying. Naturally the first instinct of many in our group was to want to comfort the children any way they could. In the back part of the same room in the ward there were a few family members gathered around their children. We had noticed that some of the children had no family, so we asked the volunteer. She shared with us that the children were dropped off by their parents, who since they could not afford the expense would not be back. The children in turn would remain at the hospital in the ward until they were fetched by the government and transferred to one of the many government-run orphanages. Looking into the eyes of one of the children in the cribs, my heart began to ache and tears welled up in my eyes. I told my wife I needed a moment and I stepped back into the open courtyard to get some air. The reality of the environment started to fill […]

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