I woke up after a good night’s sleep to the smell of an open wood fire, roosters crowing, and goats bleating. Most Haitians cook outside since homes tend not to have indoor kitchens or bathrooms. By 6:45am I take a quick cold shower-no hot water available, spray on insect repellant from head to toe, eat a breakfast bar and we head out towards the chapel where the conference will be held. Conference registration is scheduled from 9-11am but pastors start to arrive at 8am. We quickly learn that we will have to “go with the flow” since there were a number of factors beyond our control-unreliable electrical supply, miscommunication, unplanned events and delays, and a container still stuck in customs. In other words, we needed to expect the unexpected.
God was working powerfully as we saw Him breaking down the stoic culture of Haitian men through two
specific ways. First, the Haitian pastors who agreed to lead the 25 small group arranged by regional clusters agreed to lead their groups with honesty and openness regarding their struggles since the earthquake. Second, when Paul Randolph was listing the symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress in the first session, the pastors were openly acknowledging their struggles through a show of hands. Pastor Luke shared about his suffering as he lost both a son and daughter on the same day through the collapse of two separate educational buildings. His son was the only student who was killed at STEP seminary and his daughter was killed as she attended classes in a downtown building. God used Pastor Luke’s testimony to personalize the grief and pain in my heart and mind-suffering in Haiti was no longer a concept, but real grief was now connected to a real person, up close and personal.
The pastors scattered into their small groups after each teaching session. They enjoyed getting to know fellow pastors in their own region and unpacking the teaching sessions. One pastor said he enjoyed the small group time because he was able to share openly with other pastors who could relate to all he has been through as he has been pouring out his life to others in his church. We took advantage of the time we had to hang out and chat during our lunch and dinner times to get to know the Haitian pastors.
The team debriefed at the end of the night. We praised God for the beautiful work He was doing not only in the Haitian pastors’ hearts but in us as well. The day started out with many unknowns but it ended with many reminders that God is good and faithful, and His people are precious regardless what part of the world you find yourself. We sprayed the screens once again and fell asleep to the night sounds of Haiti.
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Pastor Robert,
Thanks so much for sharing this! Thanks so much for going to Haiti! Thanks for loving God’s people so intensely!