I’ve
been back from Jacmel a little over a month now and my experience there is
still very vivid in my mind and heart.
It is a place I will never forget and I cannot wait to return. Since I’ve been back I’ve told countless
numbers of friends and family about my trip and they only seem to ask about
what I consider to be insignificant parts of the trip; my personal safety and
concerns about what people do and don’t have.
Even in sharing my photos about the trip it didn’t seem like
people were getting the gist of what I wanted them know about my trip and
exactly what I experienced. As I was
looking back through my photos I realized that they were, obviously, from my
view point but represented different encounters with God. Some were pictures of kids, goats, cows,
people, etc. and each is like a hug or a reminder from God that He is always present
and in many forms. While in Jacmel I’ve never
felt safer and surrounded by people with such abundance. The abundance of God, love and community was
overwhelming. The moment we landed in
Port-au-Prince and I looked out at the mountains I knew I was surrounded by God. Riding to Jacmel, I knew I was surrounded by
God. I saw God in everything in Jacmel.
As
time goes on I've been trying to figure out how to describe the experience to
others in a way to make them not focus on "lack" but the spirit of
God that is present there. It's hard to explain an encounter with God and
resting in His arms daily. Ephesians 3:18-19 was my experience in Haiti,
it happened but it is difficult to put into words. It's all of the
feelings, the hugs, the words, the smiles, the kids calling out your name, the
sounds and everything I saw...all of which I've found simply unexplainable. It's
hard to explain Jean-Mary singing at the work site on a hot day to someone that
wasn't there or the kids that show up at the work site to help without being
asked. I came to Jacmel hoping to make a difference in someone’s life and I
suppose searching for something and what I found was that God was searching for
me and He had to bring me to Jacmel to whisper in my ear and even use a child
to remind me of His love for me and how He is constantly chasing after me even
when I don’t always make myself available.
I could attempt to come up with a detailed account of my trip to Jacmel
but this sums it up:
...to
grasp how wide and how long and how high and deep is the love of Christ, and to
know this love that surpasses knowledge-that you may be filled to the measure
of all the fullness of God. ~ Ephesians 3:18-19~
This was Jacmel. I look forward to meeting God again.
And the presence of God which transcends ALL understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. ~Philippians 4:7~
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