“For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.

And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way; bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God.”
Colossians 1:9-10

I stopped blogging about Haiti when I realized I was consistently being advised to not travel there. I had to let go of the expectation that I could always have my next trip booked and instead would be camped out in this holding pattern, waiting for permission to return.

There is so much to learn and process and educate others about, but I have felt that Haiti’s stories aren’t mine to tell anymore.

The reality is that places you spend your life in become part of who you are. And the relationships made don’t end simply because your location changes.

My time in Haiti opened me up to hundreds of wonderful individuals primarily in two communities, Titanyen and Cite Soleil. And the tragedy, the violence, the utter evil and devastation both of those communities have seen in the past months is inexplicable and heart-wrenching.

That isn’t really where this blog is heading, though. I learned about the recent passing of two more elders yesterday. And that hurts.

Still, I find with news like this, I am struck with enormous gratitude for the opportunity to have loved. To have met and served and been loved by so many people, my heart doesn’t have space for the gratitude.

I look forward to traveling to Haiti again. I miss the people there dearly. I look back at my time living there, and of course, I have my regrets. There are always things I would have done differently in hindsight.

But regret only serves to distract me from the overwhelming gratitude. I am thankful for sacred encounters, several of which I had no idea would be lasts. Friends who lived on dusty streets, now dancing on golden ones.

Please pray for the situation in Haiti. But more than that, pray for real people living there. Pray for their wisdom and knowledge and that their lives would center on loving the Lord.

Until we meet again.