I’m Back from Haiti

       Bonjou! I’m back from Haiti now. I had planned to share some of my reflections on my short-term mission trip, but I don’t feel like I’ve had quite enough time to process it all yet. I will say I definitely agree with the pros and cons brought up in GotQuestions.org’s article on short-term missions.

       I have a much better understanding of what’s going on at the YWAM base in St. Marc, Haiti (even though they were in earthquake disaster mode while we were there). I also understand the needs a little better and feel even more motivated to give – especially after having developed relationships with some of the Haitians. I also saw God’s power working in Haiti and in our team, and I feel the trip drew me closer to Him. Our plans changed completely but they still glorified God. And that’s only because His hand was upon it all.

       But it was an expensive trip, and I still don’t fully comprehend what’s required of long-term missionaries. I saw a bit of it, but you can’t really know what it’s like in just a week and a half. And while we were able to renovate a rundown building into a hospital for refugees from Port-au-Prince, we probably didn’t have a huge long-term spiritual impact. We couldn’t speak the language (though I did learn some), and we didn’t have enough time to develop meaningful relationships with the local people. I’m sure God will work through what we did while we were there, but the mission field needs long-term people more than short-term.

       That’s all I’m going to share for now. I want to take some time to think about what I experienced and saw in Haiti. I also want to wait to get some pictures from other team members so I can share them with you. I’ll be getting back to regular posting now, but I’m sure I’ll be updating you on what’s going on in Haiti at the YWAM base in St. Marc. One of our team members kept a blog updated about our activities while we were there, so you can check that out if you want to read specifics about what we did. Also, you can find several videos about the earthquake relief efforts in the video gallery of YWAM Haiti’s website. Finally, Emily Troutman of AOL News wrote up an article about the relief efforts in St. Marc and mentioned the YWAM base and our work. I even made it into a picture at the end of the article.

       Stay tuned for more info, some pictures, and my reflections on the experience. And as always – thanks for reading!