Beauty
Maddie Duede
Haiti consists of trash baking in
the heat, rivers of sewage lining dirt roads, and more poverty than any American
could ever imagine. Most people are jobless, homeless, widowed, ill, or all of
these. The smell is unbearable, but the
people living here are used to it. The broken glass and scattered trash is
abounding, but they know nothing else. As we have driven through such
conditions this week, it can be easy to get caught up in how poor Haiti is and
miss out on the beauty that rivals it.
Mountains
stretching to the sky, the picturesque ocean lapping on sand, the smiles and
laughter of a child who is happy to simply play soccer with an empty 7 Up
bottle in the street, but most of all, the strong faith that many Haitians have
in Jesus Christ.
I have met
tons of people in my life that genuinely love the Lord, but never have I seen
praise so authentic before this trip. We have done different types of mission
work this week, but one thing we’ve done consistently is lead worship for
people with our instruments and voices. Every time men, women and children,
young and old, have raised their hands, sang along with us and rejoiced,
despite the fact that most of the time they don’t quite understand what we’re
saying; but they’ve known the message we are trying to get across. Quotes like,
“We have nothing, so God is everything,” and “You can bring me water, you can
bring me food, but nothing will satisfy me like Jesus can,” have sincerely
rocked me. The authentic praise and faith I have seen in these people is such
an inspiration. It is beautiful. They are beautiful.
We came to
Haiti to serve “the least of these”, but in reality, they have served us just
as much if not more so. Amidst the garbage and suffering, there is an
indescribable beauty that can only point to God’s hand. These people may be
lacking in worldly possessions, but they are storing up miraculous treasures in
the kingdom of heaven.
Praise God!
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