United As ONE

As we traveled through Haiti today we saw more similarities than differences. We started the day by going to an orphanage, near Grace Village, consisting of fourteen children who are housed and educated through the grace of God. Isaiah is the “father” to these fourteen children and lives a life of service. We were inspired by his commitment to the children and to the school. As we entered the school, every single orphan hugged each of us with a warm smile. We played with the children with homemade play dough, made cross crafts and getting a bit wild with balloons. Each of them was given a doll with bible verses.  After crafts, we played soccer and basketball with the beautiful kids. Through this trip we found that the kids here like to play soccer, and basketball which is the same in any other country. There are many similarities between the Haitian and American culture, however, in our opinion, Haitians are very deeply rooted in faith. Through all of their struggles from having no food, clean water or losing a limb, they continue to worship and praise The Lord and believe He is for them. Haitian faith is more proclaimed and unashamed. They are excited to talk, share, and praise Jesus in front of anyone. This is our prayer to carry home with us, to proclaim and be unashamed in our declaration to Christ.

 After the orphanage, we have a long journey through the beautiful mountains, ocean view and multiple cities. We arrived at a hidden oasis. It was intimidating being the minority, however, it helped teach us to see how other minorities may feel in our country. There was lively music, people playing soccer on the shore line similar to many other beaches around the world. The beach had large white rocks, palm trees and was surrounded by beautiful mountains. The water was a mix of light aqua and a deep blue. We enjoyed wading in the water and found it funny when Haitians would sneak up behind us to take a snapshot of the “white” people. It was so relaxing to take a break and experience God’s beautiful creation!

With all of the similarities between cultures that we experienced today, we found a deeper similarity. As we have been loving the Haitians and talking about Christ with them, we remember that we are one body in Christ with not only the Haitians, but with all believers from other nations around the world. This helps us stay focused on our mission here and helps us put our differences of cultures aside. 1 Corinthians 1:10 says, “I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.” Through conversations we have had with the Haitians about Jesus, we feel an instant unity with them. We eagerly await the day we bow down together and proclaim that Jesus is Lord. We have been learning to focus on the heart and soul of each individual. We hope to bring this mind-set back to America and love each person for their heart and soul and not their culture, looks, etc.

“For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body-whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free-and we were all given the one spirit to drink. Now the body is not made up of one part, but of many.”  (1 Corinthians 12:13-14).  It doesn’t matter who you are, we all have the opportunity to have faith in Jesus and follow him! We are united as one and live to share this good news and glorify Him!  

In His name,  Carly, Bridget and Monica