The Moonshine Shack

It has been quite the adventure so far.  God has opened up so many different opportunities.  We have got to meet so many different people.  Yesterday in the morning we got to go on a prayer walk.  We met some really interesting people.  First we got to talk to an elderly man and met his two beautiful daughters, one was in the corner in punishment maybe 6 years old and the other was a 6 month old baby.  This man lived in a one room shack with a full size mattress and a shelf without much room for anything else.  We checked his blood pressure and prayed over his small family.  We ran into several other people and prayed with them and their families.  Some of these people had been infected with chickungunya.  We administered some medication and gave advice to ease the pain.  We stumbled across this family who were sitting under a tarp and the women appeared to be cooking something.  We found out that it was a moonshine shack. The women cooking offered us a shot we politely declined.  As we were sitting there a man approached and we talked with him for a long time.  He really got to me.  He was speaking to us about his country and how tired his people are.  He was saying that missionaries can go around and say “Jesus loves you” and “God is good”, but at the end of the day I’m still starving. It was really eye opening to me.
 It’s one thing to look at someone and tell them that Jesus loves them. It’s another thing to develop relationships with these people and help them meet their basic needs.  The man went on to say that even Jesus fed 5,000 before he preached.  People need to know that you are sincere that you aren’t just out here on some self-righteous trip trying to do your own good works.  I learn something new every time I am in Haiti.  I am always blessed by the people I run into far more than I feel I bless their lives.  
Getting to use my nursing skills has been so rewarding.  Finally realizing that yes I do know what I am doing and I can actually help people.  I get excited knowing that when I see someone sick or with a wound I can actually do something about it not just refer them to someone else to do it.
I’m sure that there are going to be so much more cool experiences ahead of us. God is good.
-Libby