Jesu Viv!

It is Saturday and we are home now. We got in last night right on time (hoping the same for Dolly in Puerto Rico) and had no problems anywhere with connections or luggage or anything. It was a difficult and sad moment yesterday in the Ft. Lauderdale Airport when we had to separate ourselves from Dolly as we headed to Detroit and she to Puerto Rico. We were all very happy for her though, to reunite with her husband and children, whom she missed so much. Rick and I are glad to be home and just talking non-stop about this or that experience, remembering the warmth of the Haitian people and admiring their never getting upset about anything. The more Rick and I think about it, Dolly was right on when she observed that no one we saw, ever, in the shoulder to shoulder crowd of town was angry or upset or fighting or violent in any way. This is amazing thing given the thousands of people, cars, motorcycles, buses, houses (to be honest, shacks and lean-to's without windows or doors), bicycles, shops, wares, wheel borrows, fruits, goats, vegetables, dogs, people, all literally and physically touching each other with no personal space whatsoever. All of this and no one anywhere is worked up about anything. No vulgarity (well, except a few times directed at us "blancs" as we came by with our cameras taking pictures of them.) What do they have that we don't? Deeper faith I believe, love of Jesus and superior knowledge of the Bible. Practically every vehicle, building, bus and tap-tap is plastered with proclamations of Jesus' love and I want what they have, trust and assurance of God's faithfulness. Everywhere, Jesu Vive! Scripture references everywhere you look, again on car windshields, sides of buses, business signs, t-shirts and hats and billboards too. These people love Jesus and give all glory to him, despite the conditions in which they live. I want what they have. How do we get it? Spend the time each day in God's word, studying and learning and memorizing and meditating on it. They may not have more things than we do but they have more God than we do.


Rick and I are challenged, wondering how we will accomplish this deeper knowledge - in reality. We are challenged trying to decide which stories to share with people because there are so many. I can see that if we just launch into every little detail to every person who asks, we will be talking for 2 hours, their eyes will glaze over and we will still not have adequately described the experience. Rick wants to tell about how and WHEN he and the construction workers on the roof really began to communicate. It happened when they all quit talking. They finally just stopped talking and started signing to each other, pointing and tapping and nodding and motioning and so on and everything started to click up top. There is a lesson in there for all of us, stop talking.
After picking up our wonderful little doggy, we were home before midnight. We sure were glad for the hot shower (the showers at the Voltaire's were outstanding, just not the toasty hot water we are used to.) We got a good night's sleep in our own bed and thanked God for everything that we experienced. A really big surprise God had for us on this trip was our being recognized as mentors. This was true for Rick as a man, for the other young men expressed how they respect and look up to him. Wow. Other married people with spouses at home spoke to us privately about how "we got it going on" in our marriage, wanting to know the secret while while other single folks told us privately how encouraging we were to them as single people, witnessing how a married couple can be so happy and do missions together. It was very encouraging and a great surprise to hear these things. We thank God for bringing us together and for the relationship we share. It is not always easy but ultimately, if we do what Jesus would do and sacrifice our own wants and desires for the other one, how can it not be good?

Later: Well, it is the end of the day now here on Saturday and Rick has become sick with the same stuff that 5 others got on the trip. Glad I kept one bottle of the prescribed antibiotics. Please pray for him. We really want to be in church together tomorrow.

Lynne