Haiti (prequel)

We are headed out to Haiti tomorrow morning with a Mission:Haiti team to a small community not too far from Port-au-Prince called Bien Amie. Google Maps and Earth doesn’t show much out there. Helen, our trip leader, reports that no mission teams have yet been to this area. This will be their first exposure to the medical care and education we can bring to them. 

It’s been five years since my last trip to Haiti. Where did that time go? The last time we took a group from our church and did a lot of work with Lutheran Schools in the Port-au-Prince area. It will be interesting to see what has been repaired and rebuilt since my last time there and since the earthquake six year ago.

Our friend Lophane shared that the government has closed the tent cities that dotted the landscape around Port-au-Prince, forcing families to find a new place to live in outlying areas. Our congregation has long provided scholarships at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church’s school, but many of those families were among those who had to move, so the enrollment has changed. We should be able to attend the Saturday feeding program and discovering how best to continue our ministry partnership with our friends and the children there.

Lisa and I have also learned a lot about poverty, mission and ministry over the past few years through our work with Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod Mercy Medical Teams and her involvement with Trades of Hope. Our experiences have motivated us to learn more about what people need, the best ways to help, and expanding the mission and ministry circle of people in our church.

Though my wife will serve as a medical provider, I’m going without a specific job description this time. I might work alongside those building a church there, be a gopher in the clinic, play with the kids or teach a class. We’ll see what the needs are. But I’ll definitely be praying to be a blessing to the Haitian people who are always a blessing to me!