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  Religion
Pastor Howle reports on Mission trip to Haiti By Pastor Philip Howle web posted March 24, 2010  RELIGION – Well, I
am back from Haiti. Let
me begin by saying that everyone I encountered from Atlanta to Haiti
and back made fun of my voice. This group includes: Haitian children
who were pretty sure I was an American professional wrestler, old men
and women, Haitian pastors, flight attendants, and other just random
people who heard me speak. They had no trouble just laughing in my
face. I did make a few small girls cry when I told them “God bless you”
in English. I am starting to develop a complex. But moving along, I have been asked by everyone “was it a good trip?” This has left me a little perplexed as how to respond. I don’t want to wrangle over semantics, but the answer to this question depends on how the word “good” is defined and what is meant by it. So I will respond on two different levels. First, was the trip good for me spiritually? Yes. Being taken far outside my comfortable middle-class comfort zone was desperately needed. I recommend all people seek out a mission trip to a 3rd world country for this reason if nothing else. God helped me to clearly see that I have it good, I have too much, I am whiny, I am spoiled, and my supposed prosperity that I call blessing may be the biggest hindrance to me fully experiencing God’s amazing presence in my life. Whew, it felt good to get all that out. We worshipped with Calvary Baptist Church, Pastor John Edmonds, and 500 fellow Haitian Christians. The church met in the courtyard of a school, because their church was destroyed in the earthquake. I don’t speak Creole, but I did pick up when they sang the “Doxology.” We sing it weekly at Antioch as many churches do. But frankly our singing of it can sound like a funeral dirge; theirs however, was so uplifting! This church had lost all it had, including the lives of many of its members, but they still sang these powerful words. “Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow; Praise Him, all creatures here below; Praise Him above, ye heavenly host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.” They praised God for their blessings, but all I could think was for what blessings? Their church was almost completely destroyed. Many of the people were living in tent cities. Food was hard to come by, unemployment was rampant. But they sang of God’s blessings in their life. I was amazed! I was moved to tears because I was a little whiney because my belly rumbled because I missed breakfast and I did not sleep well the night before because I was hot in my tent. They held close that which no earthquake could ever take away. So, yes for me spiritually it was a great trip. Second, was the trip good for the Haitians? I hope so. We stayed at New Life orphanage; I got the chance to love on children of all ages. These were children who had lost one or both parents, many who had lost parents just a few months earlier in the quake. I would routinely have a boy under each arm and one on my shoulders. Their joy and contentment in spite of their great loss was amazing. They were determined to teach me Creole, but I really think they just liked laughing at the way I talked. Our team helped a church try to clean out from the rubble in the hopes of rebuilding. We got to distribute bags of rice to children and families. The three small bags of uncooked rice we gave out would feed these families of four for a week. On Wednesday, we swam in the Caribbean, due to a broken down bus in front of a beach. God is really good! But, at the end of the day, did we save Haiti? No. The devastation is beyond words and pictures, I pray we fed some hungry people and encouraged the churches and the people we served. But there is still much work to be done. They told us that relief is already drying up and people are ceasing to come as the rainy season approaches. Please pray for the people. I have been told that many people cannot reach the mission fields on their feet, but that all can reach them on our knees. Please give money to Christian charities. We saw Samaritans Purse and World Vision all over the place. I saw sadly little Red Cross presence in our many travels through Port au Prince. So, yes it was a good trip. I grew closer to God. I also grew closer to Doug & Tonya Baker, who left behind three kids to go. I grew closer to Sam Stevens Jr., who doesn’t say much, but when he speaks Godly wisdom comes forth, and Lisa Turner, who will go anywhere and do anything the Lord calls of her! These are great folks who challenged and encouraged my faith daily. A big thanks to all who gave money for our trip. It was not in vain, your funds went to buy clothes, sports equipment, and toys for the orphans as well to help rebuild and continue the work of Calvary Baptist Church of Port au Prince, Haiti. Glad to be home. It felt great to kiss my wife, hug my boys, and worship with the great folks at Antioch on Sunday. Pastor Phillip © Copyright 2010
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