Ryan’s Reflections

On November 11, 2020 I returned to Haiti after 10 days in the US and brought my adopted son Bryan Nails and my niece Ryan Arrendell along with me. For both of them it was their first opportunity to serve as missionaries in a foreign land. Bryan and Ryan had not met before arriving at the airport in Port Au Prince but took to each other right away. I can tell there is now a lasting friendship forged by their shared experiences during the five days they were in Haiti. Below are Ryan’s reflections the mission. Bryan’s experiences are shared in a separate post. Vernon.

2020 Haiti Mission Reflection by Ryan Lindsay Arrendell

To know the Haitian children, women and men served by Mission of Grace is to know God’s profound and unconditional love for His children. Haiti is a country that continues to be impacted by colonialism, capitalism and corruption. On my morning ride to the airport from Carries to Port au Prince, I saw buildings that were still standing, some barely, some surrounded by rubble, and the people who have made those buildings homes and businesses of many kinds. Just ten years ago, more than 220,000 Haitian lives were swiftly ended because of a devastating earthquake. Over 300,000 people were injured and more than 1.5 million became homeless. I saw those still living, those homeless, and from a distance, a mass gravesite. Carries, the village where Mission of Grace’s soup kitchen operated was burned and pillaged earlier this year because of civil unrest. Despite that, Mission of Grace’s school, orphanage, church, elderly home, and clinic still thrive.

Each day, children eager to learn arrive at the gates of the school, dressed in their uniforms. The day begins at the flagpole where the Haitian flag waves in the wind, as students join together in song and prayer. The focus is not on what they don’t have—like windows, running water or electricity—but what they do have: a safe space to learn with educators who are committed to their success, and a place where meals and clean water are available without question. It was an honor to be able serve lunch, observe the children learning and to help get computers, tables and equipment ready for the solar-powered computer lab that’s in the works.

When the school day ends, some children head home to their village. For many others, the Children of Grace Orphanage is home. There, they play, dance, sing, sleep, and eat in safety. In many ways, it’s like one big family. The children will quickly capture your heart with the sheer joy they have for living and laughing. I, “Madame Wyan”, was quickly welcomed by the girls. We spent afternoons talking, many convinced that I knew exactly what they were saying in Kreyol, learning games (I taught the hand game Slide, they taught me theirs), and challenging each other to arm-wrestling and thumb-wars because, why not? I photographed some of the children using my Fujifilm instant-photo camera—“Madame, photo?” I wished I had enough film for everyone. A four-year-old boy and I bonded as well. I often picked him up and walked around the grounds with him on my hip. He was quiet and observant but could sometimes be caught cracking a smile, even if only with his eyes.

It became harder to leave each day because of just how much a blessing the children were to me by just being themselves. The reality is that for many of these children, their lives have been colored by abandonment, abuse & other adverse experiences that are too painful to even imagine. And yet, their joy persists. For that, I am grateful. Through them, I see God’s enduring love.

On Sunday, it was a true joy to be in the house of the Lord! We sang songs that were recognizable by their melodies alone and became even more familiar when the praise & worship team would sing a few verses in English before returning to French or Kreyol. My years of French in school were certainly put to use during my time in Haiti, perhaps the most special moment when reading Psalm 40:1-5 from a weathered French bible. After service, we worked alongside Mission of Grace staff to sort items for a distribution that would provide over 100 people from the mountains and villages near and far with clothes and shoes for themselves and their families.

A charred portion of Ocean View, Mission of Grace’s resort property, is a solemn yet poignant reminder that God is with His people even in the flames. Earlier this year a fire partially destroyed one of the buildings on the property. Thankfully, no lives were lost and the building, though harmed, is still standing. The view of the Caribbean Sea, the sunsets and mountains are beautiful to say the least but truly beyond words.

It is evident that every single person working with and for Mission of Grace believes that how Haiti is amidst the unrest is not how it will always be and that audacious hope, love and humble service can counteract those profound C’s—colonialism, capitalism and corruption. I left Haiti believing all the more heartedly that God is indeed close to the brokenhearted and that indeed, blessed are the meek, the pure in spirit, the peacemakers, and those who mourn and are persecuted.