I went to Haiti for two reasons. 1) Because I cannot act as if I did not hear God tell me to go (and I have said it many times, I was not excited about going at first.) 2) I have a deep desire to see young adults all over the world inspired to be the Church today, make a positive impact on the planet and advance the kingdom. These two reasons in my spirit were enough to get me on the plane. I did not expect anything more than a confirmation of these two reasons. And as I write these reflections, I can honestly say they were confirmed. However, these two reasons were not as compelling as they sound nor did I expect their confirmations to be. I could see God telling me to go to Haiti to expand my worldview (like prerequisites for a major in college) and sending me to the young adults in Tiburon in order to fulfill my general calling to lead this generation, regardless of location and culture. I was not expecting to have the moment I am about to describe.
On Saturday morning, we painted the Church. When I say we, I mean our team, the RMI guys (the organization we work with in Haiti), and a whole lot of men from Tiburon Church. All I can say about this event is that it felt like Church...no worship songs or message, but Church none the less. Who knew that a little yellow paint could bring people together the way that it did that morning? It makes me smile just thinking about it.
During the painting day, I met Amos. Amos is a rockstar...he just doesn't know it. I met him as we were painting. We were actually competing for the same spot as we were both just desperate to do something significant with our remedial painting skills. The amount of English that Amos knew was equal to the amount of Creole I knew. And we both stumbled around the little French we knew. So we just smiled and kept avoiding each other's painting space. When I finished, about to go find something else to do, I looked at him, smiled and said 'great to meet you'. He smiled and replied with 'ou', meaning yes. At that moment, I believe (cuz I am never quite sure) I heard the Holy Spirit say, 'Amos is why I brought you here to Tiburon'.
I will explain the significance of that moment in a second. But from that moment, every time I saw Amos (and we saw each other a lot), we had a regular exchange of 'ca va' (meaning are you well and I am good). Other than that, we did not say much. Just a lot of smiling and fist pounding...but that was more than enough to develop a strong unmistakable bond of friendship. No matter what the event was, I looked for Amos. And if Amos was in the room, he always found me first. I kind of got used to walking out of my bedroom in the morning and seeing him sitting outside...and I was told he was waiting there to see me. I was just as excited to see him. I spent a lot of time with Amos this week.
I'll be honest...I wanted Amos to come back to the states with me and be my 16th brother (you know I have 15 brothers and sisters). I wanted to bring him back to Jacksonville and show him everything I have ever seen. I wanted him to have the same inspirational experiences that have shaped me and challenged me to live a life of purpose. There is a call on this young man's life, but I know that his quality of life and lack of exposure will play a role in his inability to see it. I made lots of friends in Tiburon this week...but none of them affected me like Amos. I will be coming back to Tiburon for many reasons, but primarily, so I can see Amos again. If you could see my boy smile, you would understand why.
It is great to go places because my job and calling demand it. Great to experience new cultures and deepen my understanding of the world. It is humbling to know that God often pulls us into His heart so that we can see the people that He loves so dearly. But all of these can easily be detached from real relationships and connections. After all, it is one more plane ride, one more cultural nuisance, and one more ministry opportunity. But when you hear God say, 'I sent you here for a person', it changes everything. You have no idea how that one moment reshaped the entire context of my Haiti trip. How being sent for one person made all of the inconveniences almost unmentionable sacrifices. From now on, when I think of Haiti, Amos' smiling face will be the primary picture in my head. And whenever I hear about a hurricane in the Caribbean, political crisis or civil unrest in the country, the prayers will become very specific. 'Jesus. take care of Amos, and give him the opportunity to be all that he can be for the glory of Your Name'.
I cannot wait to see Amos again, and I am gonna work hard and pray hard that it happens sooner than later. Praise the Good God!
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