My Summer in Haiti
As most of you already know, I spent 10 weeks living in Haiti this summer serving as the ministry coordinator for all of the short term mission teams that came down. To say that it was an incredible summer would be an understatement. It was challenging, amazing, frustrating, enlightening, incredible, and difficult all at the same time! God worked in amazing ways, and revealed His glory to myself and my staff on numerous occasions! I’d like to share a few of those ways with you.
Before I do, I want to tell you how the summer started. During our flight from Miami to Port-Au-Prince, God began speaking to me about the summer and putting me at ease about what was to come. I went into it rather nervous and anxious about the responsibility of ensuring the success of our ministry in Haiti. I felt a lot of pressure to say the least. As I was praying about this on the flight, I began to see an image in my mind. It was a square of sorts, and the perimeter of the square was actually words. The words were the fruits of the spirit. I wresteld with what this meant. As I sat there on the plane, I began to hear God speak to me. God said to me “you have been annointed to unleash a fury of passionate fire to the people of Haiti, and to each other. You are going to see miracles if you stay out of the way.” I immediately grabbed a napkin and wrote down the vision I was having. God continued to tell me that everything would be alright, as long as we operated within the fruit of the spirit all summer. If we stayed within the boundaries shown to me in my vision, we would indeed see miracles happen. At the time, I had no idea how true this statement would be!
I kept this napkin in my Bible all summer, only pulling it out once during our first week there and sharing it with my staff. This became the guiding direction for me as a leader, and I tried my best to apply it to each day. I wasn’t always successful, but I tried hard.
As a result of our obedience as a staff to stay within the boundaries that God asked of us, He was faithful to show up and allow us to witness miracles within our ministry and the relationships we formed in Haiti! Here are a few of those miracles:
– Prayed healing over a woman experiencing pain in her breast as a result of tumors and cysts that were related to her cancer. During our prayer, (which lasted well over an hour), the woman began feeling a cooling sensation followed by a warm sensation. Immediately after that the pain was gone. She was pain free for the first time in months! The next week, her doctor could find no trace of cancer, her tumors, or a single cyst!
– Ministered to a broken and suicidal teenager, and ultimately watched as she experienced true unconditional love from God for the first time in her life!
– Baptized over 30 people (Haitian and American) into the family of God!
– Watched dozens of people, to include an entire Haitian family at once, commit their lives to God and accept Him into their hearts!
– Ministered to an angry and bitter woman who was mad at God. By the end of the week she was surrendering to His grace and mercy…got baptized…and then moved to Haiti full time to serve Him!
– Saw countless people learn to accept the love that God has for them as a result of encountering Him in Haiti!
– I watched as emotional healing swept over the masses of people who came to Haiti this summer!
– I saw God reveal Himself in numerous ways when I least expected it!
– I watched as a human trafficking ring involving young children was shut down and justice delivered!
– I watched sick people become well through prayer!
– I saw injuries healed before my eyes as we prayed!
– I saw God in an elderly woman who cares for 25 kids on her own, and the love that she pours out on them each day!
– I witnessed money for food distribution miraculously show up when we had none left to give!
– I saw lives changed forever as a result of God using a 14 year old boy to speak life and truth into grown men about who they were as Christians, fathers, and husbands!
When people ask me how the summer was, I simply smile because I do not know how to articulate what God did this summer. I cannot describe the hundreds of people who will never be the same because they came face to face with God this summer! To say that my summer was incredible…well, that’s just an understatement. I was BLESSED to be used by God this summer to do His work! I was BLESSED to be witness to the power of His miracles! I was BLESSED to be surrounded by a devoted and amazing team of leaders to serve with!
How was my summer….? BLESSED!
I was blessed as well to spend a week witnessing and partaking in these miracles. God is so good! I love to see your heart for these people and the way the Lord uses you Steve! I support you as you continually walk obediently in your calling and “stay out of the way” as you put it. I’m so proud of you!
YAY God!!!
What an incredible summer and useful message to “stay out of the way”. Something we all should do no matter where we are. I heard you will be going back to haiti… can’t wait to hear about that experience (hopefully in person!).
Steve! I rejoice with you over what God has done in, through and alongside you in Haiti this summer. You know there is a particular point on the list that has my heart dancing? I know you can easily pinpoint which. God is good!