The Dust
It takes a while to notice the dust. You feel it against your body and it burns your eyes a little before you really notice it. If you’ve ever hung drywall or torn down a plaster wall you know the type of dust… it is fine, it covers everything, you ingest it, it gets on your clothes and skin any time you touch something.
It gets on your teeth, you cannot escape the dust.
First Impressions
Noise.
Smells of burning garbage & charcoal.
Apparent chaos.
These are the first impressions of Haiti when you arrive for the first time. The flight from Miami is short; the leap from Western culture into the third world is immediate. My incoming flight had television screens in the seats showing ESPN and CNN live with air conditioning and wifi. But when the engine turned off? All of that disappears. Welcome to Haiti. Instant sensory overload.
Beyond the Dust
Soon the dust envelopes you. You step in and become part of the cloud. The heat and humidity attach the dust particles, within minutes you and the dust are one and soon you learn that you’ve become Haiti for a time.
Within a few minutes you hardly notice the dust. You squint past the grime to discover what lays beyond. What once felt chaotic, upon closer examination, is a bees nest. More than a million people navigate the city for their daily duties walking, or in small cars, tap tap cabs, retired school buses, and scooters. While there are only a small handful of stop lights, as you weave in and around the city you discover order.
The Beauty
Haiti is a siren. She is a beauty. She calls you. She lures you. While you go to her with pity and a desire to help, she will not be pitied and she has more to teach you than you can imagine. You go to her with a heart meant to serve, but she serves you in breathtaking ways, filling your heart with love.
Like Any Good Journey…
Everyone comes to Haiti with a story of getting there. It’s not an easy place to get to. It’s full of obstacles, delays, unexpected hardships, and– more than anything– unexplained fear. Make no bones about it, there are things in Haiti to be afraid of and it’s hard to get to Haiti because it’s a place the worlds powerful would prefer you ignored. With that said, when you’ve set your mind to come to Haiti you have to set your mind to getting there. Understand that the journey to Haiti is part of the story of your journey. And your story wouldn’t be worth remembering if it weren’t for some hardship.
Is She Calling You?
Here’s my advice to those who have felt the nudge to go to Haiti. Do it. I’ve got friends who avoided the siren for decades. But when they get there they wept. Haiti has a lot to offer you. Sure, you are invited to come and serve God’s church, to step into the unexplainable river of grace flowing there now in the form of revival. But you are also invited to hear the sirens call, to learn her song, and to figure out what she’s telling you.
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