Day 2 | Russell

My my my what a day. Allow me to start by saying that it was a tremendous day of work. The kids worked hard, and we got off to a great start. Supper tonight was a fitting end to the day. An old man who has been a missionary in the area for 9 years stood up and told of a few of his experiences which had impacted him the most during his time here. The first was of how the Lord had guided him in his attitude and decision-making. When he first arrived, he had an attitude which I believe most of us can relate to. He saw himself as the man who would change Haiti, and this left him dismayed and disheartened when his plans did not work out or his projects did not meet his expectations. However, through a series of trials and revelations, the Lord opened his eyes to the fact that he was not called to save these people. Rather, he was only to suffer alongside them, in order that Christ might be glorified through him. He was to have compassion, not command. His second story was equally impacting. It was of a conversation he had with a fellow missionary. The man had told him of seeing a Haitian man washing a car and listening to the song “White Christmas.” For those of you who do not know, snow is a foreign thing in Haiti. So the pastor went and asked the man “What does ‘white’ mean to you?”* The man replied, “I dream of a Christmas like the White People have, where I am with my family, with a large meal and gifts to give to my children.” The Christmas that he dreamed of is the Christmas that we take for granted every year. I cannot speak for those with me, but for me, hearing this man talk was a tremendous wake-up call for what my mindset should be, both now and for the rest of my life. *I’m paraphrasing here.