Thank You Columbus Crew!!!!
Georges Duges coordinator for the Haiti's Central Plateau, my wife Debbie and I traveled to Columbus to participate in the Crew's Faith and Family Nite. There were 19,000 people inm attendence and we were able to talk to many of them about what we are doing through sports outreach and our strom relief efforts. To to it off Ricardo's Crew trounced the Revolution 4 - nil.
The Caribbean sun washed down on me as I came out of the sole secure place in Haiti, Louvatuer International Air Port. I didn’t know if my partner had arrived yet to pick me up. So as the sun baked my ever balding head I didn’t really know how cooked my goose was, too. However, with in three steps I found a familiar face.
Jacques is a Red Cap, the Haitian equivalent of a Sky Cap, a here at the airport. You would recognize him because he’s only one arm. Once, several years ago, during one of Haiti’s most turbulent summers in recent memory he waited with my daughter and me when we missed our flight had to go back out and try to find a ride to a guest house or something until we could figure out how to get out o the country. We had already waited all day on “standby” but because of the situation that summer everything was booked solid and there was no “standby openings for at least three weeks and we ended up on a cargo plane operated by a missionary supply company. I think I remember that some 200 people were kidnapped that year. Haiti is bad all the time but it was particularly bad at that time. So, the simple act of just standing there with us until our ride came was the kind of gesture one does not expect here, especially not during that turbulent time.
Life in Haiti is hard and most people are fixated on meeting immediate needs, so, to have some one stop and put themselves at risk is out of the norm. On top of this, the Sky Caps at the Port Au Prince airport have the reputation of piranhas. When you first come out of the doors, you are surrounded and ten people try and grab your little cart so they will be eligible for what ever tip you offer even when you tell them repeatedly, “No thank you.” There tactics are more than pushy and I know that I have had the tendency to look down on these guys for that fact alone.
As I wrote this account I didn’t know where I was going with it until it dawned on me that there was another group of people who were looked down on. And just like 2000 years ago, the shunned “Samaritan” stopped and invested himself in me even though he was someone I might have ignored or even scorned before. All of humanity needs Christ, no matter the color of his hat, the color of his skin or the country he is from.
This morning we had the opportunity to work with three girls teams from three different towns here in the Artibonette Valley. As far as Haiti goes, this is the unreached people group. Girls have little investment and to often are the first to suffer in this male dominated society. Every time I come here I am reminded of this, but by then it is typically too late and those teams get the leftovers and I am ashamed that I too did not remember them. This year is a little different, if only by centimeters. I purposely brought extra equipment into the field with me for the occasion that I came across a team of organization in need. Again I did not think of the girls but I was able to give from the top of the box this time and not scrape the bottom.
As I am typing this I am sitting on the side line of the final match here in Verrette with announcers standing behind me in the bed our truck. In only a few minutes a young seminary student will share the message of hope in Jesus Christ at half time. Counselors will mingle through the crowds sharing their faith and just being available to anyone who is curious about this Jesus stuff we are touting. Our boys are running down a little, I just looked up at Jonathan yawning while juggling a ball with a group of kids. If we did nothing else I believe we had a very successful trip. But we are not done yet!
Tonight we are showing the Jesus film here on the field. I am told there was not much advertising and that there is little chance of it being successful but I insisted that we were here and had the supplies to make it happen so we should go ahead and let God work out the details, so we are going to run with it. Jonathan and Steven have been praying for mighty things, maybe this will be one of many.
Tomorrow we are working with compassion international again and offering a half time message and supplying the sound system for the event then going off into the country side to visit some historical sites in this area. Saturday we are going into the mountains to hold a clinic for some children there who see very few outsiders and really live one step out of the stone age. This will be another eye opener for the JMU guys, it still is for me.
This morning we had the opportunity to work with three girls teams from three different towns here in the Artibonette Valley. As far as Haiti goes, this is the unreached people group. Girls have little investment and to often are the first to suffer in this male dominated society. Every time I come here I am reminded of this, but by then it is typically too late and those teams get the leftovers and I am ashamed that I too did not remember them. This year is a little different, if only by centimeters. I purposely brought extra equipment into the field with me for the occasion that I came across a team of organization in need. Again I did not think of the girls but I was able to give from the top of the box this time and not scrape the bottom.
As I am typing this I am sitting on the side line of the final match here in Verrette with announcers standing behind me in the bed our truck. In only a few minutes a young seminary student will share the message of hope in Jesus Christ at half time. Counselors will mingle through the crowds sharing their faith and just being available to anyone who is curious about this Jesus stuff we are touting. Our boys are running down a little, I just looked up at Jonathan yawning while juggling a ball with a group of kids. If we did nothing else I believe we had a very successful trip. But we are not done yet!
Tonight we are showing the Jesus film here on the field. I am told there was not much advertising and that there is little chance of it being successful but I insisted that we were here and had the supplies to make it happen so we should go ahead and let God work out the details, so we are going to run with it. Jonathan and Steven have been praying for mighty things, maybe this will be one of many.
Tomorrow we are working with compassion international again and offering a half time message and supplying the sound system for the event then going off into the country side to visit some historical sites in this area. Saturday we are going into the mountains to hold a clinic for some children there who see very few outsiders and really live one step out of the stone age. This will be another eye opener for the JMU guys, it still is for me.
