Beginning To Feel Like Home

John Brown, solar power water purification extraordinaire, gives us personal insight to his Haiti trips:

I’m sitting in Miami International Airport. Again. This place is starting to feel like home. I’m on my way to Haiti to help a Presbyterian group from Texas install a solar powered water purification system. We will be training the people there not only how to use the system but also the importance of sanitation and hygiene and making sure that they can continue the training for their community.

After that I am supposed to spend a couple of days with a pastor from a large church in Port-Au-Prince that Hope Community Church is beginning a partnership with. It is our hope to come along side the spiritual leaders there, sharing resources, and putting in place a plan to use them as trainers for the church plants we hope to have throughout Haiti. I am humbled to be a part of this. I have been blessed.

If you had told me two years ago I would be doing this I would have said you were crazy. I am learning daily how radical our God is. How He can use an idiot like me. You see, I’m not very smart. I’m not good at memorizing scripture, though I know I should. I never was good at setting aside a quiet time, though I’m getting better.  I would by no means be able to teach you all you need to know about justification and sanctification and the end times.  But what I am learning is that there are hurting people. All over the world. People who have no hope. No dignity. Through what ever reason, they have found themselves in a place of desperation. They have a longing, a void that begs to be filled. And no matter what they do to fill it, it always comes up short. Some of these things they use to try to fill the void have stripped them of any dignity they may have possessed. And they feel like they are not worthy of love. That they are unclean. Well, they may be.  But so am I.  What I know that a lot of them don’t know, is Jesus loves them too.  That he was willing to share a meal with prostitutes and tax collectors. To extend the hand of friendship with the worst of the despised people of that time.  Why?  Because they were worthy. In His eyes, in Gods eyes, they were worthy. And worthy enough to die for. And that is what Jesus did. And that is what they need to know.

Mike Lee, founding pastor of Hope Community Church put it this way, “It’s not about where you are going but who you know.” In my case it wasn’t about going to Heaven or Hell that changed my life.  It was all about knowing who loved me regardless.  I hope my time spent in Haiti will show at least one person that they are loved regardless. That they are worthy. That they are desired.

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