“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” – Matthew 25:40
For the past year, I’d looked online at mission trips through my home church, just somewhat sporadically. I felt God wanted me to use my career as a nurse, in some way to help, but never could feel where. In February, on another online search, I came up void. I just did not feel His hand anywhere. The next morning, I got a text from a friend asking if I’d be interested in going on a medical mission trip to Haiti in May, but she needed to know pretty quickly, so I had to pray about it fast! Of course, I knew automatically it was where He was leading me. As I prepared over those next few months, I had no idea what God was going to do, or even what I was supposed to do. I truly trusted the whole process, and I allowed the experience to unfold.
The drive from the Dominican Republic into Haiti was a long one; however, I loved the scenery, and I used it as an opportunity to thank God for my life here in the USA. The time spent at The Promise Land is something I can’t really put into words. God is there, and He loves those people through the ones He sends. When language is a barrier, other means of communicating love are heightened. The people are kind and loving with their smiles and touches, and it’s not something that needs to be said, because there, it’s felt. As part of the medical team, I helped get the patients ready to go in and see the doctor and nurse practitioner, so I didn’t have as much interaction with the children, but the adults were just as precious and loving. There were elderly people and mothers concerned for their babies, but they all waited so patiently, and they were so grateful. Yes, we helped them, but they ministered to me more than they know.
Lysa Terkeurst said in one of her devotions that, “Our job is obedience, God’s job is results.” That just makes life so much better to know it’s not our job to save the world, it’s only our job to obey. God will produce the results, and I love resting in that. I know the people of Haiti felt loved and cared for by us, and by doing that, God was seen.
“We think that poverty is only being hungry, naked, and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty” Mother Teresa
These sweet people may live in “our” definition of poverty, but they are wanted, loved and cared for. I’m so grateful for the experience and look forward to going back!
