6:50pm
A year ago this month I entered Sheridan Lutheran Church for the first time. I've been in reflection of that day a lot while on this mission trip. I knew something was missing in my life; I had taken the first steps in my spiritual journey prior to Sheridan but there was something lacking. I didn't know anyone at Sheridan when I came but I felt like I walked into a home that Sunday morning. So many welcomed me and I felt that hole in my heart begin to fuse in a new way. Even though personal relationships had yet to develop, I knew I had found a family of faith in the people at Sheridan.
I share this with you because it is that experience that has shown me what the love of Christ feels like and what it means to share it with others. I began to better understand what it truly means to be a Christian because of you.
I've written a bit about Tek Tek, our Haitian friend and brother in Christ. Tek Tek has a name; his real name is Ev (not sure on the spelling but that's how to pronounce it). Mike, works for EyeCare Specialties, is traveling with our group to help with the clinics. He has demonstrated a true example of a Christian while on this trip and I have enjoyed his mentoring. Mike was the one who asked Tek Tek about his real name and I'd like to share this story as a witness to what God has shown me here. Nicknames are great and they're fun to use; but we didn't know who Tek Tek was beyond being an artist and 'manager' for other shops. He called us family and we still didn't know much beneath the surface. We learned that he has two children, Eve and Evo and that his wife left him. It's easy to get wrapped up in the seemingly insignificant questions. It's hard to dig deep, to unmask another layer of someone else's life out of fear of knowing that it just may be worse than simply knowing the conditions they live in and how they make they're living on the streets.
I know that it's hard to be that person on the other side and what it takes to reveal the struggles faced. What I've learned here is that no person's struggle is any more or less significant to anyone else's. Our personal struggles are significant in their own way; and often times, it's the struggle we face that leads us to the work God is calling us to do. I've learned that God doesn't place hardship in our lives with ill intention, but that there's purpose in the hardship we'll face along the way. Maybe it's a broken marriage, an addiction, or loss. The simple fact is that everyone is facing their own Haiti - and for this reason I emphasize again, 'We need Haiti more than Haiti needs us.' I believe it's in these absolute depths of despair that we come to the top gasping for air - that's the moment, in desperation, that we find hope.
Recently I've played the same song over and over... it has become a daily prayer and one that I say from the person inside me who knows struggle and how to overcome it to the person in me that sometimes still struggles to find the way. It's on my mind tonight and as I close this post, I'd like to end with the words I would say to someone facing any hardship in life (whether that's in Lincoln, NE or Jacmel, Haiti):
I share this with you because it is that experience that has shown me what the love of Christ feels like and what it means to share it with others. I began to better understand what it truly means to be a Christian because of you.
I've written a bit about Tek Tek, our Haitian friend and brother in Christ. Tek Tek has a name; his real name is Ev (not sure on the spelling but that's how to pronounce it). Mike, works for EyeCare Specialties, is traveling with our group to help with the clinics. He has demonstrated a true example of a Christian while on this trip and I have enjoyed his mentoring. Mike was the one who asked Tek Tek about his real name and I'd like to share this story as a witness to what God has shown me here. Nicknames are great and they're fun to use; but we didn't know who Tek Tek was beyond being an artist and 'manager' for other shops. He called us family and we still didn't know much beneath the surface. We learned that he has two children, Eve and Evo and that his wife left him. It's easy to get wrapped up in the seemingly insignificant questions. It's hard to dig deep, to unmask another layer of someone else's life out of fear of knowing that it just may be worse than simply knowing the conditions they live in and how they make they're living on the streets.
I know that it's hard to be that person on the other side and what it takes to reveal the struggles faced. What I've learned here is that no person's struggle is any more or less significant to anyone else's. Our personal struggles are significant in their own way; and often times, it's the struggle we face that leads us to the work God is calling us to do. I've learned that God doesn't place hardship in our lives with ill intention, but that there's purpose in the hardship we'll face along the way. Maybe it's a broken marriage, an addiction, or loss. The simple fact is that everyone is facing their own Haiti - and for this reason I emphasize again, 'We need Haiti more than Haiti needs us.' I believe it's in these absolute depths of despair that we come to the top gasping for air - that's the moment, in desperation, that we find hope.
Recently I've played the same song over and over... it has become a daily prayer and one that I say from the person inside me who knows struggle and how to overcome it to the person in me that sometimes still struggles to find the way. It's on my mind tonight and as I close this post, I'd like to end with the words I would say to someone facing any hardship in life (whether that's in Lincoln, NE or Jacmel, Haiti):
Be strong in The Lord, never give up hope. You're gonna do great things, I already know. God's got his hand on you so don't live life in fear. Forgive and forget but don't forget why you're here. Take your time and pray. Thank God for these days! His love will find a way. These are the words I would say.
No comments:
Post a Comment