Dr. Rob Weingartner of The Outreach Foundation spoke at the final worship service.  He talked about the situation in Haiti and invited 10 pastors and members of "wee kirks" to join him on a trip to Haiti to see firsthand what God was doing through the work of the Haiti Outreach Ministries and Christians who partnered with them.  Funds were available for a scholarship for those who wanted to make this journey.

As I listened to Dr. Weingartner, God seemed to be saying to me, "You need to do this. You need to go."  I wasn't sure about it, but I applied and received the scholarship.  As the day for the trip drew nearer, I became more and more uncertain if this was really what I should be doing.  What about the health concerns?  What about the political unrest?  But God continued to say, "You need to do this. You need to go."

So, on January 7, I flew out of Florence to Charlotte, then on to Miami where I met Dr. Weingartner and the rest of the group.  We began an extraordinary five days.   I saw and heard many things as I traveled with the group and experienced the needs in Haiti; but, I also experienced God at work.

I saw poverty and destruction as I had never seen it before.  I saw people living on the streets or in tents.  I saw people living in houses that were crumbling around them and others living in houses we would consider sub-standard at best.   I saw people without clean water, animals roaming the streets freely, and men, women, and children reduced to begging for food.  I saw men and women fighting to carry our bags at the airport or sell us goods on the streets so they could make money to survive.  I smelled the stench of trash piled up or trash being burned. It did not take me long to realize that, a year after the earthquake, the people of Haiti were far from getting to the point of where they were before the quake, not to mention progressing past that point.  If this had been all I saw and heard and experienced it would have been a very sad and desperate situation indeed; but, I also saw and heard God at work. 

We stayed at one of the four compounds operated by the Haiti Outreach Ministries, one of the organizations The Outreach Foundation supports.  We talked with the Reverend Leon Dorleans, the founder and one of the leaders of the Haiti Outreach.  He and his wife and daughter run four compounds along with Haitian workers and Americans who have come to help and live with them.  Three of these have a church, a school, and a medical clinic offering worship, education, and needed medical help. They also distribute food and clean water to the people in their communities.
    
Starting at 6:00 Sunday morning, I saw, heard, and participated in worship services where hundreds of people crowded into each of the churches at the Haiti Outreach Ministries compounds. They praised God and sang of their love for God.

Starting at 7:00 Monday morning, I saw and heard children being educated at one of the schools the Haiti Outreach Ministries operates.  Each year they accept 35 three and four year olds into the pre-K class at each of their compounds and keep them together in a class until they graduate from the sixth grade.  Their theory is that, if they can offer a quality Christian education to some of the children, they can mold them into future leaders for the country.  
 
It was gratifying to see parents' pride as they dropped their children off at the school every day. It was exciting to see and hear the children march into their school, sing their Bible verses, then sing the Haiti National Anthem as the flag of their country was raised.  I could easily see that these were going to be some of the leaders of the country some day.

In the afternoons I had the opportunity to tour some of the homes being built by the Haiti Outreach Ministries. These are cinderblock two room houses that most of us would not imagine living in, but they seem like mansions there.  People were so proud of their homes, keeping them clean and welcoming us.

What did God show me as I traveled to Haiti? God showed me that He is doing so much in the world and that as we reach out to those in need, we are doing God's work.   

• We can go to areas where the need is so great like Haiti, or now Japan, or we can support the work of those who do. 
• We can sponsor a child in the schools the Haiti Outreach Foundation operates for $300 a year or the orphanage for $400 a year.
• We can send money for the construction or operation of the churches or clinics.
• We can even go and help build buildings or educate children or help do a Vacation Bible School in the summer.   

Every day there are folks from America working with different aspects of the Haiti Outreach Ministries.  While I was in Haiti, the people continued to say to me that God was blessing them just by my being there.  While that may be true, it is also true that God was blessing me and the others in our group by giving us the opportunity to share His love and to be blessed by them.  
 
I would urge you to consider what you can do to reach out to others with the love of Jesus.