Thoughts from our Haiti trip

I’ve taken a couple of days to process our week in Haiti and have a few thoughts.

The first thing I want to say is how much I love and appreciate the team that went from Hub City. They were awesome. They were a picture of flexibility and hard work. They went above and beyond and had a “whatever-it-takes” attitude.  I am proud of each of you and so glad to be a family with you.

Speaking of our team, we left two of our team in Haiti. Mike and Neal stayed back to finish plumbing all the cottages and kitchens. This is a true testimony of what it means to be a servant. They are supposed to return to the states on Wednesday.

One of our team members was my wife. It was incredible sharing this experience with her. One of our family values is shared experiences. I am so grateful we could share this experience. And I love how many of our team want to go back with their respective spouses.

Saturday was our return day. On the trip from Kalico to PAP Bill stopped by the mass gravesite. It was sobering to say the least. 300,000 people tossed into one big hole. That’s more people than live in Spartanburg county. Words really are inadequate. The tragic part of it is that you could drive by and not even know it’s there.

One of my biggest takeaways for the week is that I was reminded that there is more to life than my little world. We know that intellectually, but we don’t usually live like it. I get consumed with Hub City and Sunday and sermons and our issues. But all of that, while important, is just a small piece in a much larger puzzle. I’ve been trying to put this concept into words, but it’s one of those ambiguous ideas in my head that I can’t quite wrap words around. All I know is that I needed this change of perspective.

Finally, I want to ask you to pray for Bill Howard. He works so hard. Haiti is a tough place to be. Just the way things are done in Haiti is enough to drive the most patient person insane. I equate the building of the new Alex’s House property with trying ot build a house but having to get all of your supplies by shopping at garage sales. It’s a different world. So with that in mind, Bill could use your prayers.

I’ve posted 319 pictures from the trip on my facebook page for those who are interested.

It is an honor partnering with Alex’s House. I can’t wait for teams from Hub City to go serve in 2013. The dates are March 16-23 and August 3-10. So, who’s going with us next year?