A good morning in Haiti

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is a blog from Jessica Vanderpool, assistant editor for the Arkansas Baptist News, who is traveling with a mission team in Haiti to report on the ongoing work.

Jessica Vanderpool
Arkansas Baptist News

VanderpoolIt was a beautiful Haitian morning – just beginning to warm up as we headed out. Our team had been split into two groups. The first group went to train Haitian women to minister in prison while our group visited an orphanage and did evangelism.

We started down the main road in front of the compound as we set out for the orphanage, but after a few moments, we turned down a lane and ventured more into the countryside. The grass was green, the sky was blue and the mountains stood out in the distance. The road was really just a muddy suggestion filled with rocks and puddles.

We stopped to laugh and take pictures with several Haitians along the way. We had such a great time! One woman showed me her home, a humble, two-room (if you can call them rooms) structure. She said she had lived there all her life. Her husband, who was in his 70s, had gone to cut some grass for his animals.

Haitian woman shows off her home.When we arrived at the orphanage, we were able to talk to some school children who were in class. One of our members told the story of creation and shared with them about our witnessing bracelet. There was a time for questions and two of the older boys asked questions like “Where is God?” and “Do you love me like yourself?” We answered their questions and prayed with them, and several of the children said they accepted Christ.

On our way home, we stopped to talk with another family who was sitting outside their home. We asked if they were Christians, and they said they all were except one of them. We asked if she would like to accept Christ, and she did. We prayed with her as well.

We headed home under cloud cover and a sprinkle of rain, knowing it had been a good morning.