It’s a good thing I’m only a few days away from finishing this series on my mission trip to Haiti. It’s only been a few weeks, but details are starting to disappear from my memory. So let’s go on to the last work day of the trip.
Day 7: A Day of Blessings
Even though this was the last “work” day, we actually had a lot of time for relationship building and meaningful conversations which resulted in a lot of blessings. In the morning we were able to hear the story of Jacob’s Well camp from the missionary Gerson. We also went hiking up the mountain and saw a nice view of the valley. I know there were a few work projects going on during the day. I was still finishing up the painting of the Ciel FM radio logo. It was quite entertaining to hear the Haitians in the camp say “Ciel FM” every time they walked by. But the one thing I will always remember from this day is our conversations with Frandy, Peter Marc, and Gerson. I’ll start with Frandy.
Frandy was an interpreter for us during the week. He was more involved with the fence project than my painting project, but we had still gotten to know each other fairly well since he is also an artist. In fact, the conversation I’m talking about happened while he was showing off his artwork for us to buy. As people were picking out bracelets and paintings or t-shirts to purchase, Frandy began to tell us how blessed and encouraged he was by our presence. We were surprised and encouraged by his comment and asked if he told every group the same thing. He said no. I was surprised. As we conversed further, we decided that because some of the other groups were quite large, it was harder to build close, encouraging relationships. But it was good to know that our group had not been a burden to our interpreter, but an encouragement. Most of us even friended him on facebook once we got home.
It was such a blessing to me, to know that our group had been a blessing to Frandy and that he wanted us to know that. Our next conversation, that I don’t want to forget, is with Peter Marc.
Throughout the week we had been sharing our testimonies with each other, but on this evening, we invited Peter Mark to join us and share with us his testimony. It was such a blessing for me to hear how God was working in his life and how he had chosen to follow God. He simplified the Christian walk so well, he simply follows God where he leads, whether that’s moving from Porta Prince to Limbe, or telling his congregation about the freedom in Christ. He expressed the gospel so clearly. Peter Marc said people ask him “why are you so happy, and how can I be free from spiritual oppression too?” Peter Marc’s only answer is Jesus.
Peter Marc’s testimony was a real encouragement to me. He reminded me that my life isn’t that complicated. Just like Peter Marc; my purpose, my mission, my meaning in life comes from simply following Jesus.
Lastly, I wanted to share a story that Gerson told our group. Even though this conversation happened in the morning, I wanted to share it last, because it’s my favorite story. This is the story of the cross at Jacob’s Well camp. When Gerson wanted to put a cross on the hill beside the camp, God provided by having the whole community help him take the heavy cross to the top of a hill. And once it was standing up there, people from the community began to ask him, “What does this white cross mean?” or “What does it symbolize?” You see, in the Haiti culture there are a few different crosses: the black voodoo cross, and the Catholic cross with Jesus’s dead body hanging on it. Both of these crosses symbolize oppression and slavery to the people. But Gerson told the people that this simple white cross meant freedom.
In the end, this day was very encouraging to me as a believer. It showed me that there are hidden blessings in everyday conversations and that no matter if I’m in America, Haiti, or somewhere else; the gospel doesn’t change. It is declaring the good news that knowing Jesus brings freedom.
NovelSisters 
I’m so happy I finally got to read some of your stories from Haiti! I definitely want to write about each day on my next mission trip.
Yes writing about the trip really helped me process all that had happened. And it was a great way to share with friends and family what actually happened on the trip. 🙂 I enjoyed reading your letter about your summer too.