What a day...it started with a simple sit, hanging with the guys and the kids. As we were sitting made a little friend named Robins. While we sat there we watched a woman carry about 5-7 buckets of water on here head. Back and forth...the women work here. I thought I knew work, but I didn't know work until today. We saw that over and over today...
Ryna, is a nurse and today we had the chance to walk through the allies of the shanties and talk with the women. She was hoping to better understand the needs of the women, struggles, lifestyles. We visited about 15 homes. Every home we visited, there was a woman, but no man. We got to talk with some more than others, but the common denominator was the man was absent. The woman was raising the children. We met with one woman that left me without words and stumbling on my thoughts. We came down the alley and walked behind the sheet to find a woman sitting in a one room "home." She had three large washing buckets. She was hard at work washing. The washing buckets, her sitting, and the twin bed, piles of clothes took up the entire room. It was probably the size of a van, maybe an SUV. We talked for a bit to find that she doesn't work. She expects the father of her children to come every month, maybe. When we asked where her and her 3 children slept she pointed to the twin bed that was up against the wall. A twin, I complain about a twin and it is just me. The walls were tin, the roof was tin, it was far from a home, but it was her place. It is so deep here. The poverty, the oppression, the struggles, it leaves your head spinning and spinning, trying to grab hold and comprehend something. What makes sense? At the end of the day, it is God. His peace passes our understanding. At the end of the day you hold fast to his love, his grace, and his promises and you continue to keep the faith and fight the good fight.
As we walked farther we came to another house. On the tin wall was written, "Tann Bondye, Kwe nan Jezi, Gen puisans pou Bondye." I had to smile at what was written. Wait for God, Believe in Jesus, Have patience for God. In a shanty, in the middle of Cite Soleil, I was reading the very words that I struggle to do daily, that I believe we as people struggle to do. It is so hard to wait on the Lord and to have patience in his time. I know I don't even know the half of what it means to wait on the Lord. I wait a day for something and it is too long. These people have been waiting for years. I visit with these people and listen to their hearts, waiting, praying, and continue to be amazed and humbled. It is a true testimony.
In my head today I kept hearing the word, "revival." Lord, I want to see a revival in this place. I want to see men love their wives with passion, patience, and honesty. I want to see a revival for the children, their hearts to know the beauty and richness of you, how you provide. A revival where people come together and worship in unity. A revival for the women, where they don't have to work day to day, but they can have the freedom to live and joyful come together.
Still processing the day...working to be present, open to listening, displaying love.
Finished the day with a fruitful meeting and hopeful planning for the next couple of days. We let the kids crawl on us a bit. The smell of urine and dirty hands in my hair was nothing to scare me away. Might have scabies by the end of the week, but grateful for his grace, his love and how he continues to move in Haiti.
Continue to pray for our time here. Pray for the time in Cite Soleil. Pray for the days ahead that is would bear fruit. Pray that we would have fruitful conversation with our leaders in Cite Soleil. Pray for time with the women. Pray that God would continue to reveal and help us determine our steps.
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