When we first arrived in Haiti on October 23, 2013 we had been married a little over five months, we were four months pregnant with our first born, we were full of dreams and had zero clue about SO many things. The thing we were confident in was that God called us to make Haiti our new home and that we were to love Jesus and love our community in whatever way He asked us.
Five years later and things look so utterly different than what we had thought… WE look so utterly different! The amount of growth, refinement, perspective change and learning that has occurred over our time in Haiti is not necessarily something I expected when we began this adventure. I obviously understood that God would be at work in us, changing us, growing us… but the speed and intensity in which all that change has happened is quite crazy! And even though it has been very difficult at times, we are so thankful! There are things we have learned here that I don’t think we could learn anywhere else. Refinement has happened here that I don’t think we could have experienced anywhere else. There is glory and joy here that I don’t think we could share in anywhere else. God has truly given us His clear vision for our life and ministry in Gwo Cheval and we love seeing how He works!
The road we have walked these past five years have been full of celebration, great victory and God’s miraculous provision. We can’t help but be in awe! The road has also been filled with unmet expectations, loneliness and great difficulty. But like apostle James says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:2-4)
We look at the road ahead and know that it is filled with even greater victory and even greater difficulty and we choose to celebrate, be thankful and persevere in it all. Would I sometimes rather be eating cheese in a hot tub watching Netflix all day? ABSOLUTELY. (And that’s why we take vacations.) But we sacrifice and give because Jesus is SO worth it. His kids here in Gwo Cheval are SO worth it. Seeing His kingdom come as it is in heaven is SO worth it.
Five years in…. so excited to see what the next five bring!