I want to give you a report on Haiti 2015.
Sara Nan Roy, Hannah McBroom, Rachel McBroom and I were in a small village outside of Thomazeau, Haiti. We joined our brothers and sisters-in-Christ from New Friendship Baptist Church. I have been very blessed to find my missions’ buddy, my sister that shares a mission’s heart: Leanne Powell. It was a joy to serve alongside her and her church.
We served through Praying Pelicans ministry, an organization that connects you with a local church. The church that we linked arms with is building a new church, and we had the pleasure of helping each day with building that church. Our friends at New Friendship Baptist Church blessed this church in Haiti with funding to further the building. When we left, it was not complete, and this satisfied none of us. We hope to go back or assist them.
Daily the people of the church came and helped build, and ladies, I must say that no man had anything on the women. They hauled buckets of concrete and rock like any man. Love that…
Our friends at New Friendship held a VBS for three days. During those VBS times, I led a short devotion followed by a spa day. Sara Nan Roy, Rachel McBroom, Hannah McBroom and I played it by ear, but basically we put ladies’ feet in pans of water, put cooling towels around each lady’s neck, massaged necks, shoulders, arms and hands, and painted toes and fingers. We loved it. Hannah who has always been deathly afraid of feet, overcame her fear and went at it like a pro. We started out with about eight ladies and on our last day together, the room was packed, and I am sorry; even though I am Baptist, I can’t tell you an exact number that were in the room.
I noticed on the last day a man slide in and just listen. There are no screens on the windows in the classrooms where I taught but there are bars, and ladies of all ages were at those windows, hanging onto the bars, listening.
We also walked around the village, just praying with people and planting fruit trees for them. We shared Jesus and our Jesus’ story with them. We offered a chance to believe on Him to them, but two ladies that I was able to share with in my group said no. Still, sharing Jesus with them one morning, loving on Haitian children all day long and having the spa in the afternoon and sharing God’s love using His word…well, that was one of the best days of my life. Ever. It can’t be topped.
My heart longs to go back to Haiti. I do not feel that I will always go to Haiti, but I want to always go somewhere. We have so much, and they have so little. Those women who are part of that church there and their pastor’s wife put me to shame. I think I am in ministry: they really are.
Always, when that plane leaves Port Au Prince, Haiti, I cry. I cry because I am overwhelmed that God allowed me to be a part of something He is doing and by a country that is in great need. They cook over a fire, some have running water, some don’t, many sleep on floors, have never been to a mall or restaurant, and I complain when McDonald’s gets my coffee order wrong. As the prophet Isaiah said, “Oh, woe is me…”
If you are not called to go, you are called to pray and give. If you feel that you have nothing to give, you are probably wrong. We are so blessed that we have no concept of how blessed we are.
Praying about God’s leading for my next trip…
Kathy McBroom
http://www.kathymcbroom.wordpress.com
kathymcbroom@yahoo.com
Check out Broken: A Journey of Healing! Consider it as your next bible study for your ladies’ group.
Life in Paris aka Life with Brown Dog 