CLOSING BLOG ENTRY – 2011 HAITI ORPHANAGE TEAM
We arrived home safely early Monday (May 9th) morning. I think we all had mixed feelings about having to come home because part of us wanted to stay in the hot, humid, dirty environment to keep lovin’ on the kids, and the other part of us missed our families & couldn’t wait to take a hot shower! ;-)
It’s very hard being back – I think the culture shock is harder coming home than it was going over. I can’t explain it in words because you just had to be there & experience what we experienced and see what we saw.
As I’m writing this, we’ve been back 4 days and I know most of us haven’t even felt like socializing because we need time to process everything. We are feeling the withdrawals from each other & from the kids; we formed such a bond with them & with each other – we became a family. This trip was truly about being the hands & feet of Jesus to those kids & malnutritioned babies. Jesus walked the streets always stopping to heal the sick, feed the hungry & help those in need. This particular outreach wasn’t about building anything or digging any wells for clean water, we just went to walk the streets & bring love, joy & hope to those kids and babies, and they loved every minute of it! They just want to be held & loved, to have someone pay attention to them & tell them they are beautiful & smart, and that they are important. This really gave us a “hands-on” experience & true meaning to God’s greatest commandment that we love one another; love – that’s what we are here to do.
Lastly, another key observation myself & others made while on this trip, is that the people of Haiti are so happy & content despite their circumstances. But the truth is, they don’t know any different – whereas, we were there comparing & thinking “how can they live like this!?” I noticed this immediately upon arriving & thought about it a lot during the trip because it fascinated me. In a way, I am envious of their world because they are living very simple, content lives, and they help each other out all the time. They are not corrupted by the “things” & distractions (i.e. material goods, media, celebrities etc) that we are, and by not having those “things”, they are able to be in the moment and be free from comparison. Pastor Ryan often says that “comparison is the thief of joy”…so maybe that’s why they are so happy…I don’t know – just something to think about. It makes me want to live my life more simply & more intentionally.
As the leader of this team, I feel so incredibly blessed by the group God gave me – they were the rockstar team! Everyone had such unique personalities, such amazing God-given gifts to contribute, and wonderful humor so that we were laughing non-stop even in the midst of such hard circumstances. ;-) I am so thankful for the special bond we formed & I know it will never be broken because we shared a life-changing experience together! At the end of our stay, one of the directors at the orphanage said this to us, “Don’t think about what seed you planted in Haiti & in these kids, but rather ask yourselves ‘what seed did Haiti & these kids plant in you?’” I know God is truly at work in the hearts & lives of everyone on this team, and I can’t wait to see what seeds this trip planted & how they grow in the next few months & years!
Thank you all for your prayers & support – God is good!
Heidi
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