“ He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.” Revelation 21:6
Last year our trip to Ca Ira led us to the realization that this community had no access to clean water. In fact, they had to drive 30 minutes just to get drinkable water. Currently they have to pay $50 US to have a truck fill up a big tank for them…and that’s not a guarantee. After thinking about the thousands our team raised last year to go there and being convicted about how many wells that could’ve drilled for them…this year we set out to Ca Ira with $4000 in our hands and hopes of seeing a well drilled in this village.
To our amazement, God worked out more than we could ever imagine this week. He gave us a teachable experience about how missions should be done, drilled a well, empowered a village, and transformed us. We just showed up and God did the rest.
Oftentimes short term missions involves someone from the outside coming in, leading the work, doing it themselves, and patting themselves on the back at how good it felt to do good for the poor people. We leave feeling grateful for all we have but largely unaffected by their pain. Okay, perhaps that sounds a little harsh, but it’s not far from what I’ve seen in Haiti over the past years. I’ve seen a lot of ‘helping’ actually hurt Haitians and their country.
This year we learned a lot about empowering Haitians to bring about change as we followed their leadership. It was the men in the village who stepped up and negotiated with well-drillers and NGOs as well as organized a community meeting around cleaning up their beach. Our presence, support, and money was enough to see a village empowered in ways that will have huge ramifications down the road. There is so much more to the story about how different NGOs worked together to get it done and all in a matter of a couple of days. Something unheard of from my experience in Haiti. The best part is we heard upon arriving back home that the night we left they found water at high pressure and the whole community responded in celebration. I’d love to tell you the whole story, but can’t type it all here, so feel free to ask me about it!
Our team, including 3 staff and 7 students (5 from GSU), was profoundly impacted. We struggled with not being able to work hard and sweat like we wanted to. But the joy from seeing leaders empowered and a community come together made up for what felt like at times a week of sitting around. In addition, our time in Scripture and teaching sessions challenged us in the way we live while people in Haiti are living in conditions unlike anything we have ever seen. Here are some quotes and stats from the trip:
“The trip made me more missional and motivated to get my small group involved in serving.”
“I want to love and serve the poor, even if it is uncomfortable.”
“It helped me learn how to live a more simple life and be an advocate for the poor.”
“I realized I have guarded my heart against what God is calling me to do. I discovered the time to change is now.”
Because of the trip, of the 7 students:
-4 committed to meet regularly with God in prayer and Bible Study
-7 committed to being a better steward of their money
-6 committed to getting involved in a local ministry in their city
-4 committed to seek out ways they can use their major in college to help bring an end to poverty
Because of this trip a little bit more of the Kingdom of God broke into Ca Ira and our lives. Praise God for all He did!
I love the empowerment model here. I did a short-term mission in Mexico and what you say is right. There’s no empowerment. Just people who feel sad and sorry for “them.” Then they come back and tell their story. But as a student of international development, I like you want to see more missions in developing countries use empowerment models such as this. Listen to the people, gather the resources they need, empower the communities, follow their lead. That way, sustainable development takes place.
[...] University, led a team of 10 students and staff to the earthquake devastated nation of Haiti. Read more about his trip here. Crystal Fang, a Campus Intern also at Georgia State, is currently in Bangkok serving the poor. [...]
[...] Nick and Liz Johnson serve as InterVarsity staff in campus ministry at Georgia State University. They have ongoing international mission work with Haiti and have just returned from their annual trip to the country. Visit the Georgia State InterVarsity website to read their thoughtful reflections on their latest experience – and to learn more about what these incredible Kairos members do. http://georgiastateiv.wordpress.com/2011/06/22/haiti-global-plunge-2011/ [...]