Greetings in the name of Christ.
As I write this post for our blog, I feel inundated with all the political marketing going on right now. I find it disheartening that candidates will belittle each other so blatantly. Here’s a wild thought: what if we required every running candidate to take a mission trip to a developing country before running? (insert deer in the headlight emoji here)
~What would that even look like?
~What if, upon their return, their platform would include how that trip might have changed them?
~Or how it made them better? (instead of just focusing on their opponent’s weaknesses)
I don’t know… I personally think it might be a game changer for our country and our government, but I’m a dreamer, and I’m sure it will most likely never happen. (one can pray though right???- lol)
I know that mission trips are not for everyone. I’m sure there are many folks who have traveled and had a most disastrous trip. Perhaps they got sick on their trip; didn’t get to serve in the capacity they had intended; travel was more than a hassle…. I’m sure the list could go on, but for some, travel and service in a developing country was life-changing. I guess I’m speaking personally. I took my first trip to Haiti on an icy cold February morning in 2016. I haven’t been the same since. I so greatly long for the humid Haitian breeze, the smell of diesel fuel and bug spray, the sights of children walking – oh so happily- to school… excited for learning and a good meal! I long for worship in a Haitian church where I have absolutely NO IDEA what is being said, but the richness of their Faith is so abundant that language and words are secondary. The Holy Spirit is palpable in the air around you. I long for days filled with hard work where in the evening you just feel thankful for a glass of water and place to sit for a while. I long for that beautiful ocean view from the mission center where you somehow feel just a little closer to God. I miss no cell phones… I miss no wifi… I miss the simplicity of just living; day to day. It’s so difficult to emulate that here in our First World culture where my phone pings more often than I blink, and there’s a sense of urgency with everything that is difficult even to describe. Lord help me.
Friends, I have no good news to share about the situation in Haiti. Gangs continue to infiltrate even the tiny little pockets of the country that were once safe. They are stealing food, looting, shooting, killing and kidnapping. When will it end? How will it end? I think it’s ok to ask these things over and over to our God in our prayers. Having a relationship with Him means being able to keep asking, keep begging for answers and even more so for peace. Cholera is on the rise now, just to make matters worse. This disease affects children the most. Their little bodies cannot handle the intense vomiting and diarrhea for much more than 24-48 hours. Hospitals and clinics have had to close due the break in the supply chain and medical folks not being able to even leave their homes. Picture the worst-case scenario: that, my friends, is Haiti right now. Please keep them in your prayers, and for those of us who long to return, let’s keep praying that someday soon God will take us back!
— Belinda Ernst, Medical Coordinator
