We landed in Haiti a little after 7pm last night. After a smooth flight, minus a few struggles with the luggage, our team of 16 was almost completed with the last member joining us in Port-au-Prince today. Our first team task was to load our belongings and ourselves onto two buses that had just enough room. These buses were our first clue that we would spend this week in close proximity with one another. For some of us, this many have come as no surprise, but for others this may have been a step outside of the comfort zone. Brulan, the Methodist Guest House manager, and the kind staff at the Methodist Guest Home welcomed us warmly when we arrived at our accommodations for the week. The atmosphere they have created is warm and welcoming. Our rooms, although nice, were another reminder to us of our closeness. The 8 women in the group settled into our 4 sets of bunk beds, in the tight room, well aware of the fact that we will have to be mindful of each other and share the limited space we have.
I’m sure the situation is similar for the men.
After a delicious breakfast…
Side note: Already our meals this week have made us aware that
we will have to start our new year’s diet after we return. Our
food has been delicious...
Anyway, after breakfast we received another reminder
of closeness as we were again warmly welcomed to worship
at Port-au-Prince Methodist Church. They showed our group
to seats in the front two pews. We were recognized as
visitors and pinned with beautiful flowers. And once again, we found ourselves close – close to the choir singing in French sprinkled at times with Haitian Creole; close to the few children who were received as they wandered up toward the front throughout the service; close to the many children who flocked to the circular altar during the children’s sermon, and close to the gorgeous stain glass windows and the ornate raised pulpit that was filled with a variety of voices of worship leadership (women and men). We were close to one another, our Haitian brothers and sisters, and our Lord as we gathered around the altar to partake in Holy Communion. Meeting our Lord together at the table was a reminder of the closeness and community we are called to as followers of Christ. Here in Haiti, we have been afforded a beautiful opportunity. I think all of this physical proximity is an invitation into a deeper kind of closeness that this week has the potential to cultivate.
As with all invitations from God, we have the choice whether or not to accept it. Our closeness can stop at physical proximity. As we toured various areas of Petion-Ville and Port-au-Prince it was striking how physically close the poor areas were to the rich areas. Despite the proximity, however, it was clear how far apart the worlds are.
Our team in itself is diverse. We vary in age, race, gender, life experience, calls to ministry, and even denominational backgrounds and beliefs. Tomorrow we will begin the World Methodist Evangelism Institute seminars and we will meet many more new and diverse people. We have the gift of this week in close proximity with many Christian leaders who are gathering here in Haiti. My prayer is that we will see God’s invitation into a deeper sense of closeness.
This evening, the sense of this kind of closeness was captured in the prayer of our classmate Daphne. As she blessed our dinner tonight she reminded us of the connection between us all. Our closeness affords us the opportunity to highlight the inherent connections we share. When those connections are highlighted, by default, our God who connects us is highlighted. May it be so this week.
Grace & Peace,
Amanda
I’m sure the situation is similar for the men.
After a delicious breakfast…
Side note: Already our meals this week have made us aware that
we will have to start our new year’s diet after we return. Our
food has been delicious...
Anyway, after breakfast we received another reminder
of closeness as we were again warmly welcomed to worship
at Port-au-Prince Methodist Church. They showed our group
to seats in the front two pews. We were recognized as
visitors and pinned with beautiful flowers. And once again, we found ourselves close – close to the choir singing in French sprinkled at times with Haitian Creole; close to the few children who were received as they wandered up toward the front throughout the service; close to the many children who flocked to the circular altar during the children’s sermon, and close to the gorgeous stain glass windows and the ornate raised pulpit that was filled with a variety of voices of worship leadership (women and men). We were close to one another, our Haitian brothers and sisters, and our Lord as we gathered around the altar to partake in Holy Communion. Meeting our Lord together at the table was a reminder of the closeness and community we are called to as followers of Christ. Here in Haiti, we have been afforded a beautiful opportunity. I think all of this physical proximity is an invitation into a deeper kind of closeness that this week has the potential to cultivate.
As with all invitations from God, we have the choice whether or not to accept it. Our closeness can stop at physical proximity. As we toured various areas of Petion-Ville and Port-au-Prince it was striking how physically close the poor areas were to the rich areas. Despite the proximity, however, it was clear how far apart the worlds are.
Our team in itself is diverse. We vary in age, race, gender, life experience, calls to ministry, and even denominational backgrounds and beliefs. Tomorrow we will begin the World Methodist Evangelism Institute seminars and we will meet many more new and diverse people. We have the gift of this week in close proximity with many Christian leaders who are gathering here in Haiti. My prayer is that we will see God’s invitation into a deeper sense of closeness.
This evening, the sense of this kind of closeness was captured in the prayer of our classmate Daphne. As she blessed our dinner tonight she reminded us of the connection between us all. Our closeness affords us the opportunity to highlight the inherent connections we share. When those connections are highlighted, by default, our God who connects us is highlighted. May it be so this week.
Grace & Peace,
Amanda