Haiti is the name of a country that many of you heard for the first time on January 12th, 2010. For me, this impoverished country was placed on my heart in 2007. The Lord placed a very clear calling on my heart that I was to go to Haiti and share His love with the Haitian people. After continuous reminders from the Lord I finally began planning a trip. In February 2009 I lead a group of 7 others to the Hands and Feet Project Children’s Village, located in Cyvadier, (near Jacmel) on the southern coast of Haiti. The preparation for our trip was overwhelming to say the least, here I was 22 years old leading a group to the poorest country in the western hemisphere, a country full of violence, and consumed with voodoo, this terrified me, however, I knew I had to push through. Every door that was opened was just another confirmation that we were to go. After a year of planning and researching it was time for us to go. Arriving in Haiti was the most rewarding experience of my life. I knew without a doubt in my mind, that each person on our team was EXACTLY where we were supposed to be for that moment in time, in a world of uncertainty I had never been so certain, or felt so safe. Haiti was full of things I had never seen, the most beautiful place I had ever been, yet the poorest place I had ever been, the contrast was surreal. I can’t even begin to put into words the emotions I felt just driving from Port au Prince to Jacmel, I would never be the same, and we had to arrive at the project. Working with the children at Hands and Feet was more than rewarding, children from all different backgrounds, each with their own testimony, from being rescued from a toilet, to being rescued from child slavery. I began to realize the importance of James 1:27 and Isaiah 1:17. God calls us to care for the orphans and widows in their distress, I now had a face for these orphans and widows. It was beginning to become personal. Jesus wanted each of these children to recognize that there was hope in a world of chaos and that he loved them unconditionally, and the Lord had called me, and the rest of our team to be a part in showing them this, how rewarding!! I wish I had the words to describe...After leaving Hands and Feet I made a commitment to return every year as long as I could. Our next trip is planned for April of this year....but because of that day...January 12th, 2010, we are not yet sure if we will be able to return in April. I hope this brings you some sort of perspective about why my heart is breaking and my emotions are running high. Imagine committing 3 years of your life to knowing and understanding something, spending 3 years hearing the Lord speak specifically to your heart, and then watch it be destroyed in a front of your eyes, through the television, when you are over 2,000 miles away and people you love and care about are in a state of thinking "it’s the end of the world." What do you do? Your heart aches and you feel helpless, it is the worst feeling you can imagine. This is why I am affected by the 7.0 earthquake that devastated Haiti that day. My hope and prayer is that we, as the body of Christ, will step up and be the Hands and Feet of Jesus as our brothers and sisters in Christ are suffering. I pray that we don’t forget about this country, which has literally been destroyed, but that we remember them daily in prayer as they struggle to rebuild a nation that has been torn. I pray that through this devastating time the people of Haiti will lean on Jesus, the One true hope, and turn their nation to Him. And latestly, maybe selfishly, I pray that our team will still be able to go in April and help with the relief efforts of this tragedy
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