I just arrived in Haiti today, Tuesday, May 16th.  It was a long day as our flight left the ground at Lambert at 6am, sharp. There was a one hour lay over in Miami and then on to Port Au Prince, the bustling capital of Haiti, just as a Tropical storm was moving over the mountains surrounding the city from the south. Once again, we entrusted our lives to a taxi driver to navigate streets that have never seen a white or yellow line. Our four seater flight to the island of La Gonave seemed destined to have ‘bumpy’ written all over it.  Fortunately, our pilot navigated the storm with the expertise earned with years of experience and our trip was completed with relatively little discomfort. Then came the familiar ride in the back of a pick-up through the dirt streets of Anse A Galets, only this time there was no dust because they have had rains for several days prior to our arrival. The dust has been transformed into mud, and lots of it.

Every time I return to this place, I am struck by both the contrast and similarities of my life in St. Louis. On the surface, there is very little that is similar. The poverty here is stunning. Just trying to survive at the basic levels of life takes up most of their time and efforts. This place is so far off the beaten track that the world would probably not notice if it simply went away. There is no need to be informed about ISIS in the middle east… it is a world away and has little to do with putting food on the table (if they own a table… and if they have food).

This is a tropical Caribbean island just on the front edge of the hurricane season. It is green and lush right now, after four years of drought. It is also so familiar. I now know people here. We greet one another on the street. A handshake for many. A warm embrace for many more.  Kids everywhere… some want a dollar… others just want to help me carry my bags. The same dorm room with two sets of bunk beds and the ever present need for fans to take the edge off the heat.

People may not have as much as we do in the USA, but the basic issues of life and relationships remain the same. Marriages are a mixed bag. Temptations from the world are very real. The ability to make chaos of life is exactly the same. The need for God is the same. The daily choice of whom to serve, ourselves or the God who made us is the same.

I am reminded that people, here and at home, are like sheep without a shepherd. They are looking for a pasture where the grass is green and has water running through it for refreshment. We all want that; we ache for that. Yet somehow, we get life so upside down and inside out and we become satisfied with the ‘carob pods’ that are actually only fit for livestock to devour. We lose sight of the fact that God has so much more for our souls. I am not talking about possessions or money… I am taking about the things of the heart.  God is the only one who can transcend through, over, under and around the cheep trinkets of this world and transform the human heart.

That is why I come here – to encourage these men who shepherd the hearts of their people… because so many people in this place are like sheep without a shepherd… sheep who have no personal connection with the Good Shepherd.  I want to help these pastors help their people. The only way I can come is if you come with me. Thank you. Pray for God’s handiwork in this place.

Kevin