January 30, 2013 at 5:54 p.m.
world impressions / Haiti, the land of mountainous
Mission moved by Haiti's heart-wrenching poverty
We'll learn about less affluent countries and the lifestyles forced upon their people. We'll understand how we can pray for them while we grasp spiritual applications that can change our lives and perspectives. We'll gain a better appreciation for Bermuda as we realize our responsibility to make a positive change in others' lives and begin to put our faith into practical action to help others.
As Paul left the church in Ephesus to go to Jerusalem where he later was arrested for being a Christian, he said...
"In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive'" (Acts 20:35).
This month we led a mission trip to Haiti. Upon landing in the capital city of Port-au-Prince you know that you are in totally different place... the sights, the sounds, and the smells are unique to one's normality.
The population is mostly French-speaking due to French occupation from 1697-1804. Haiti, incidentally, is one of the few nations born of a slave revolt.
'Haiti' means mountainous and it has outstanding natural beauty - once you move your eyes past the poverty to the vast mountain range outside Port-au-Prince.
Unlike Bermuda, the majority of the population lacks ready access to safe drinking water, adequate medical care, and sufficient food. Haiti is the most 'food-insecure' country in the Western Hemisphere and ranks
second in the world.
Consequently, Haitian life expectancy is 54 years; the child mortality rate is 13 times greater than Bermuda's. It is hard for us to comprehend that more than 80 per cent of the population makes less than $150 U.S. per year which equals $13 per month or $3 per week!
They suffer from poverty, political unrest, massive unemployment, and soil erosion.
Haiti is a very 'dark' country spiritually. Before being exiled by the United States for supplying arms to rebel civilians, President Aristide and his government officially sanctioned Voodoo as a religion, allowing practitioners to begin performing ceremonies from baptisms to marriages with legal authority.
Black magic, spells, and the demonic world is a present reality in the world. It is estimated that 70 to 80 per cent of Haitians - over 6 million of the estimated 8.2 million people - practice Voodoo! The present population is estimated because a proper qualitative census has not been conducted due to the poor governmental infrastructure.
You cannot live among the Haitians, even for a short time, and not have your heart impacted. Those involved in this
mission - members of Cornerstone, Calvary Gospel Chapel, and Brooklyn Tabernacle - returned to their homes changed people.
During our 10-day trip this October we assisted two ministries, Caribbean Grace Tabernacle in Port-au-Prince, which feeds nearly 400 children every Tuesday and Thursday, and Christ Love Tabernacle that feeds approximately 200 children Monday through Friday.
Using effective visual aids we shared Jesus with people on the streets and the Jacmel prison, and we visited the homes of the painfully poor in the ravines. Our hearts are changed forever.
What touched us? Ayesha Vickers-Brown, a teacher at The Berkeley Institute, was touched by the sight of a boy cleaning the dirt off his body using water in a puddle left by the morning rain.
Berkeley student Alexis Smith's moment came as she witnessed two little girls, one no more than seven, carrying her two- year-old sister. The older was the main caregiver for the day because the mother had left to hustle for food, the only food they would have for the day.
The heart of Pastor Mark Hall, pastor of Calvary Gospel Chapel, was moved by a woman, crippled in both legs, crawling outside of her house...he not only prayed for her, but he sought to help her by giving her the resources to get food for her family.
We cannot witness dire poverty and do nothing for our brother's physical and spiritual needs.
"Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, 'Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,' but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." James 2:15-17.
Perhaps the greatest expression of faith is to use our arms and legs to go and reach out to others in need.
As people in an affluent country, we have the danger of getting too entangled in materialism, looking to obtain the latest and the greatest.
However, as we become more and more like Jesus Christ, we realize that life is not about being a consumer and a 'getter' as much as being a servant and a 'giver'.
How can you and I serve others more?
We don't need to look far: people in our own country are in need of help and hope. Let's develop the eyes to see them and impact our Island and the world. Life is too short to only live just for yourself.
Join me next week as I share some highlights of the lessons learned in Haiti that will impact your heart and encourage you to be a life-changer.
Pastor Gary C. Simons serves as the Senior Pastor of Cornerstone Bible Fellowship where Sunday services are held at Ruth Seaton James Auditorium, CedarBridge Academy, Bermuda.
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