Fito's Gift
It has taken me a few days to process my most recent visit to Haiti. It all came spilling out last night as the floodgates of tears finally broke. And so, I'm ready to write about it!
Each experience in Haiti has been unique and different for me. The first trip is when I fell in love with the people of Haiti. The second time was when God confirmed His call on my life, as well as Jeremy's. The third time I struggled with real spiritual warfare, the battlefield of my mind. This time I had the privilege of stepping back and watching others on our team step up. In all my observing and internalizing, I witnessed many profound moments of beauty that deepened my love for that place and those people.
On Friday, I saw God intervene in a frustrating situation at the airport, a problem that nearly kept our team from boarding our very first flight and preventing us from going to Haiti at all. What was likely my mistake proved to be an opportunity for God to show how He was working in our favor.
On Saturday, I saw my sister Emily experience the thrill of sharing the Gospel for the first time. I also got to re-visit a woman whom I had cared for in March. She was quite pregnant the last time I saw her, and I had given her some vitamins and led her to Christ. This time, I got to hold her very healthy, 1 month old baby boy named Borwens. That was pure bliss.
On Sunday, I worshiped with hundreds of my Haitian brothers and sisters, who are completely sold-out for Jesus. I loved to hear their beautiful voices, praising our Father.
On Monday, we met a little boy at the orphanage whose eyes were as yellow as a school bus. This indicated advanced liver disease, probably hepatitis, and definitely communicable. Many of the other children were sick, hungry, neglected. I was confronted with the choice to do what I could to help --or to turn my back and walk away.
On Tuesday, I watched 29 women walk into a women's ministry meeting, feeling timid and shy. Without saying a word or making eye contact, they sat down at the tables and stared at the floor. With beautiful guidance from my friend Heather, before long they paired up and began to pray together. I simply closed my eyes and soaked up the beautiful sound of them interceding for each other, in a language I could not understand. I could only imagine what a beautiful aroma it was to Jesus. By the end of our time together, the ladies sang for us and were generous with hugs and kisses. What an amazing transformation I saw right before my eyes.
On Wednesday, we held a celebration for 75 children who had played in a three-day soccer tournament. Each child received a jersey, a soccer ball, a team trophy, a drink, a snack, and lots of cheers...but even more precious was the fact that they all heard the Gospel, and 30 of them responded by accepting Christ as their Savior.
In just a few days, I witnessed my son grow in his servant leadership. I watched my daughter blossom as she gave piggy-back rides to dozens of little children and hunted lizards on the Joy House property. I observed my husband using his gifts of leadership and strategic planning for God's glory. I saw our team working together, serving the Lord, loving on hurting people, and sharing the good news of Christ.
But perhaps, the moment I'll never forget is Fito standing before us with a gift in his hands. Fito is a young Haitian, maybe 22 or 23 years old, who works for the Joy House. He is shorter than my 12 year old son, but is the pure definition of "lean muscle" (the dude can sprint up the steep "hill of Joy", which is at least a 45 degree angle and a couple hundred feet in length). He is part of the security team at the Joy House, but is as gentle and polite as anyone I've ever met. The men who work at the Joy House are also encouraged to have a second job, and Fito has chosen to open his own "souvenir shop"....he sets up a table at the Joy House with wood carvings, stone bowls, woven bracelets, and hand-painted canvases, hoping to make a little extra money from the teams that stay there. All week long, I had been shopping at his "store", purchasing a few things. But I really had my eye on this gorgeous black stone bowl that had been carved by hand by a local artist who supports his family with his hand crafts. However, it was a little more money than I wanted to spend on myself, so I had to pass.
On the last night, we traditionally give gifts to the Joy House staff, our way of showing our appreciation for their service to us that week. After we gave each one of the 18 translators and security personnel the gifts we had brought for them, Fito called our team together to offer us a gift. With the biggest, whitest grin on his face, he spoke to us through an interpreter, expressing his love and gratitude to us. We all stood there humbled and blessed as sweet, little Fito handed us this gift---the black, stone bowl that I had admired all week. It was the best item he had in his store, and also the priciest. I knew what it cost, and what Fito must have been sacrificing to give it to us. The profit he could make on the sale of this bowl could feed his family for two months. But he gave it freely, generously, with extravagant love, but also at a great cost. Oh, how I cherish Fito's gift! Not just because it is beautifully made, but also because it was given with such great love.
(photos courtesy of {emirose photography} and others on our team)
Each experience in Haiti has been unique and different for me. The first trip is when I fell in love with the people of Haiti. The second time was when God confirmed His call on my life, as well as Jeremy's. The third time I struggled with real spiritual warfare, the battlefield of my mind. This time I had the privilege of stepping back and watching others on our team step up. In all my observing and internalizing, I witnessed many profound moments of beauty that deepened my love for that place and those people.
On Friday, I saw God intervene in a frustrating situation at the airport, a problem that nearly kept our team from boarding our very first flight and preventing us from going to Haiti at all. What was likely my mistake proved to be an opportunity for God to show how He was working in our favor.
On Sunday, I worshiped with hundreds of my Haitian brothers and sisters, who are completely sold-out for Jesus. I loved to hear their beautiful voices, praising our Father.
On Monday, we met a little boy at the orphanage whose eyes were as yellow as a school bus. This indicated advanced liver disease, probably hepatitis, and definitely communicable. Many of the other children were sick, hungry, neglected. I was confronted with the choice to do what I could to help --or to turn my back and walk away.
On Tuesday, I watched 29 women walk into a women's ministry meeting, feeling timid and shy. Without saying a word or making eye contact, they sat down at the tables and stared at the floor. With beautiful guidance from my friend Heather, before long they paired up and began to pray together. I simply closed my eyes and soaked up the beautiful sound of them interceding for each other, in a language I could not understand. I could only imagine what a beautiful aroma it was to Jesus. By the end of our time together, the ladies sang for us and were generous with hugs and kisses. What an amazing transformation I saw right before my eyes.
On Wednesday, we held a celebration for 75 children who had played in a three-day soccer tournament. Each child received a jersey, a soccer ball, a team trophy, a drink, a snack, and lots of cheers...but even more precious was the fact that they all heard the Gospel, and 30 of them responded by accepting Christ as their Savior.
In just a few days, I witnessed my son grow in his servant leadership. I watched my daughter blossom as she gave piggy-back rides to dozens of little children and hunted lizards on the Joy House property. I observed my husband using his gifts of leadership and strategic planning for God's glory. I saw our team working together, serving the Lord, loving on hurting people, and sharing the good news of Christ. 
But perhaps, the moment I'll never forget is Fito standing before us with a gift in his hands. Fito is a young Haitian, maybe 22 or 23 years old, who works for the Joy House. He is shorter than my 12 year old son, but is the pure definition of "lean muscle" (the dude can sprint up the steep "hill of Joy", which is at least a 45 degree angle and a couple hundred feet in length). He is part of the security team at the Joy House, but is as gentle and polite as anyone I've ever met. The men who work at the Joy House are also encouraged to have a second job, and Fito has chosen to open his own "souvenir shop"....he sets up a table at the Joy House with wood carvings, stone bowls, woven bracelets, and hand-painted canvases, hoping to make a little extra money from the teams that stay there. All week long, I had been shopping at his "store", purchasing a few things. But I really had my eye on this gorgeous black stone bowl that had been carved by hand by a local artist who supports his family with his hand crafts. However, it was a little more money than I wanted to spend on myself, so I had to pass.
On the last night, we traditionally give gifts to the Joy House staff, our way of showing our appreciation for their service to us that week. After we gave each one of the 18 translators and security personnel the gifts we had brought for them, Fito called our team together to offer us a gift. With the biggest, whitest grin on his face, he spoke to us through an interpreter, expressing his love and gratitude to us. We all stood there humbled and blessed as sweet, little Fito handed us this gift---the black, stone bowl that I had admired all week. It was the best item he had in his store, and also the priciest. I knew what it cost, and what Fito must have been sacrificing to give it to us. The profit he could make on the sale of this bowl could feed his family for two months. But he gave it freely, generously, with extravagant love, but also at a great cost. Oh, how I cherish Fito's gift! Not just because it is beautifully made, but also because it was given with such great love.
Fito's gift challenges me because it is such a reflection of the gift that Jesus gave me. Given freely, at a great cost, with extravagant love. I am humbled and blessed.
(photos courtesy of {emirose photography} and others on our team)
Comments
Post a Comment