2017 Haiti Mission – Week 6 (Nov 29)

On Sunday this mission team contributed $400 (US) to purchase a weeks work of food for 20 needy families in Carries. Monday through Thursday a team is scheduled to go into the village to make deliveries to five homes each day. On WEDNESDAY morning I joined four other missionaries to take our turn making deliveries. As we went to pick up the food we came upon an elderly man sitting on his porch. Mr. Eluonie is well known in the village and I have often spoken to him and visited with him as I walked to and from the village. That morning we stopped and had a word of prayer with him. In August 2015 his former home was totally destroyed by a mudslide and he was buried up to his neck in mud and rocks for 3 days. His neighbors had to dig him out by hand because there were no tools or machinery in Carries to perform that task. He is a living witness of God’s grace and mercy, and he often had a word of praise as I passed by his current home.

The first house we visited was home to a mother of eight and she was happy to receive the donation. She has lived in the village a long time and had words of praise for the assistance she had received from the Mission of Grace over the years. I happened to pick up her youngest child while we were talking. As we were headed to our next stop I realized my shirt was a little wet. Almost immediately it occurred to me that her son had baptized me. A friend of mine shared, “if God can turn wine and bread into blood and flesh, surely He can turn pee into an anointing”.

As we continued to our next stop, I couldn’t help but laugh when I realized we were headed back to Mr. Eluonie’s home. I told those who were assembled there was no need to pray for him because we had already done so. However, Mr. Eluonie blew me away when he said, “that was the quickest God had ever answered his prayer”. You see he was hungry and in desperate need of a blessing. Little did any of us know that God had already worked it out.

Our travels took us to several other houses. One elderly woman told us she had trouble walking and thus had a hard time making a living. She shared that the food would be a tremendous blessing to her. Our final delivery was also to the home of a woman. I had met her on my walk with Cullen a few weeks ago. She willingly shared with the group that she had cancer and in fact freely lifted her blouse to show us her wound from a surgery to remove a mass from her breast. Cullen told me that cancer can be a death sentence in Haiti because cancer-fighting drugs are costly and thus unavailable. However, if it was not for her testimony we would not have know the extent of her situation. She, like everyone we met that day only asked that we pray for greater faith and trust in God.

Not only did these missionaries set aside $400 to feed families, they also contributed $150 to purchase food for an orphanage not affiliated with Mission of Grace. The donation meant 21 children would have enough food to last them for 30 days. Often these children don’t even get one meal a day. The “little orphanage” as we refer to it, is a place I look forward to visiting because the children are always so appreciative. When we last stopped by there a few weeks ago with the previous mission team, we noticed a little girl who showed signs of severe malnutrition. It was good to see she showed signs of improvement. She looked healthier, participated in our activities, and she even smiled at us. The pastor and proprietor of the orphanage expressed his appreciation for the much needed gift of food.

After dinner we surprised Missionary Nicole Jackson with a cake to celebrate her birthday. We also said farewell to Cullen Vane who headed back to the United States after spending 7 months walking the trails and hills of the village. Like all who serve, he is headed home for a period of rest and rejuvenation. Cullen has been an exemplary missionary who travels far and wide. Everyone in the village knows “Mr. Cullen” and often as we have walked goat trails people call out to him. He has used is own funds to purchase food for those in need. He has personally carried or escorted many people to the clinic to get needed medical help and medicine. He embodies the Spirit of the Living God and I am sure if he encountered the woman at the well, he too would have stood with Jesus to defend her. His love for the babies and the elderly will be greatly missed. Many times in the last few weeks some people have referred me “Mr. Cullen”. I know they mean it as a compliment and I proudly wear it as a badge of honor.