Haiti Day 2: Lazareth by Emily Estes

10/18/2012

8:34pm

Our journey to the eye clinic today has been named 'through the river and over the mountain.' The group traveled to Lamontaigne, an area southwest of Jacmel, this morning with Verbo and Meri Lee (a brother and sister whose parents still live in Lamontaigne) to set up an eye clinic for the day. We traveled by way of a 'tap tap' - these are small pick-up trucks and some larger trucks that have seating along the outside of the box of the truck. The larger tap tap began with about 13 people and a smaller tap tap was carrying around 10 people (what seemed to be maximum capacity for both...). Due to some technical difficulties along the way we had to leave the small tap tap alongside the road midway up the mountain and those 10 passengers joined us in the larger tap tap! I think we began to feel like true Haitians through this experience. Some of us moved to the top of the tap tap where luggage is usually stored - personally, I'm grateful for having been raised on the farm as the ride was, in its own way, similar to the crazy 4-wheeler rides across very rough pastures! Just imagine a very rocky road, with some giant holes here and there, passing motorcycles and other vehicles on either side of the road (just depends on who swerves which direction first), and many tree branches hitting us along the way.... I'm not sure it's describable without experiencing it but hopefully some pictures and video will be up soon to give you a better idea! :)  The view from the top of the tap tap was impeccable! The beauty of God's creation here just brought tears to my eyes. The manner in which many Haitians make a living is through selling various goods alongside the road. We saw many of these setups on the way up the mountain to Lamontaigne.

This morning and through the afternoon we offered the eye clinic. I'd like to share a piece a scripture that provides a biblical context of what we experienced today:

A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, "Son, your sins are forgiven." Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, take your mat and walk'? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins." So he said to the man, "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!" (Mark 2:1-5, 9-12 NIV)

The location we were at today had a whole in the roof last year. One of the many improvements this year was that the roof had been finished! The story of Lazareth was mentioned many times today; like Lazareth, many people were brought to our clinic seeking that healing touch to restore their eyesight. We served 118 individuals today! Many of them received eyeglasses, eye drops, sunglasses... best of all, a new opportunity to see the world around them in a new way! I held back tears of joy much of the day. The joy that came in watching people, all ranging from age 2 to 94, be able to see well is indescribable! I feel like we had the greater blessing in witnessing these incredible miracles all through the day. They took their gift, walked away, and shared praise and gratitude with others - that is the truest of blessings to witness!

I'm reminded today that we are called to be servants to Christ and witnesses to the work He does through us. It's evident that we do not have to travel to third world countries to serve those in need - the Lazareths of the Bible surround us wherever we go. We can face a paralysis of the body, mind, or spirit... and sometimes all three. I believe the depth of the circumstances here in Haiti have begun to open my eyes in new ways and in a deeper level than what I've allowed myself to see at times back in Nebraska.

I could write for days about this one day in Haiti. My prayer for this entry is that you will join me thanksgiving for the work being done here. I feared there would be many tears of sorrow through this experience - my experience has been quite the opposite. The love shared in relationship and service has been positively overwhelming! Tek Tek shared another journey with us through the town this afternoon- he gave me a necklace with a cross and said that we are family now - brothers and sisters. Indeed we are. We are brothers and sisters in Christ - no language, ocean, culture, or skin color can put a boundary between the bond God created among us. Today we talked about the journey that the Haitians and Americans have begun to travel together... one of fellowship and movement forward. May we all come to know the true meaning of the relationship we share with others.

With a heart filled with love and joy,
God Bless!
Emily