“‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will send you out to fish for people.’” Even though Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere, they live in a constant, united community with each other which is richer than any Earthly possessions. Neply, Haiti has changed my outlook on the world, and the children and adults impacted my life tremendously through their joy they find in Jesus.
We began our service work on Sunday, by attending church under the mango tree followed by arts and crafts with the children. On Monday, we worked alongside myLIFEspeaks and Haitian adults picking up fields of trash or rocks on a soccer field. In the afternoon, we did team building games with our teams. I was on team “danser papiyon”, and we ended in first place. At the conclusion of every day, we would worship alongside the Haitians, and learn more about living out how to “swiv Jezi” (follow Jesus).
My team, “danser papiyon”, grew closer through discussion time, service, and team building games. My team consisted of Luda, Reilly, Eramene, Whitty, Milah, Naomi, Michela, Regal, and Lauren. They taught me so much about executing the work we had while still having fun and building relationships. Luda was our team’s translator, and he is super memorable and honest. He is the village DJ, and he has dreads, in Haiti they believe you can’t be a Christian if you have dreads. He said he believes in God, but isn’t a Christian because he doesn’t want to be a two-faced Christian where he would live a life not glorifying God then go to church on Sundays. This stuck out to me because many people use God’s grace and mercy as a cop-out for sins that they can control or stop pursuing. One of my favorite parts was worshipping alongside the Haitians and singing “I’m no longer a slave to fear, I am a child of God.”
I made so many relationships with Americans and Haitians that have extremely impacted my life. I grew closer to people from Hyde Park that I barely even knew before we left. We encouraged and had a great time together. The interns and staff at myLIFEspeaks were constantly showing us how to pursue Jesus. My time in Neply, Haiti has changed my outlook on third world countries, and has taught me a lot about my own life.