Blog Post by: David Aust (first mission trip to Haiti)
So how do you process and come to terms with a construction trip to Haiti? I still can’t answer! This being my first trip to Haiti, I tried to not have too many preconceived ideas of what to expect. However, I could never have been more amazed and overwhelmed at all that God is doing and the many ways He is accomplishing his plan.
By nature and design, I am a task oriented person. So when this trip’s purpose and plan was to build bathroom petitions and wire a building, I felt that this was an opportunity that I could be used in a way to serve others. The part of spending time at the orphanage and loving on the kids sounded great but honestly was outside my comfort zone. Little did I know, this was the part of the trip that God wanted me to see and experience. I am still overwhelmed at the love and joy the kids have, show and give. I often say that english is a foreign language to me but it is still hard for me to comprehend that even though I can’t speak their language we can sit for hours and never need a word. The smiles and expressions say it all.
The phrase ” they have nothing” when talking about the orphans may be accurate of their earthly possessions, but seeing the joy of Jesus in their hearts and smiles convicts me of how little I trust and depend Jesus. I realize that they have more wealth and riches than I because they have a clear understanding that Jesus is all we need.
Yes, we stayed on tasked and accomplished all that we set out to do and much more from a construction point of view. But this trip for me was much more about seeing and realizing that Jesus is all I need. Seeing a group of guys and orphans all drawn together under the name of Jesus changed my world.
