How is it that 3 months living in Haiti completely flew by before I knew it?

How did I so easily transition to living in the majority world?

How did it become home so fast?

When did I become the girl that is freezing on the airplane next to a sleeping aisle neighbor, so I can’t get to my hoodie?

Why was I so nervous to leave Haiti this morning?

I am anxious and apprehensive about being in the states and actually had the thought while landing in Atlanta that I don’t know if I could easily live in the states again even after 3 months…what’s going to happen after a year?!?! No one fret…just an initial panic at seeing so much wealth in roads, infrastructure, homes and businesses while flying above it all.

But the states are so unrealistic compared to the rest of the world. It is as though a facade has been put over what reality looks like and no one wants to peel back the layers to get to genuine community and incarnational life. We hide so much from each other, and we have the luxury to do that when most others in the world don’t even have the choice of that type of privacy. There is so much distraction and distortion that God is unreachable without real effort to wade through the clutter most of the time. Outside of the states, the veil between heaven and earth is so thin that it is tangible to feel, hear and touch the heart of God. Especially when spending most of my time around orphans.

My life is a symphony of roosters and goats, teams coming and going, songs and soccer cheers from over the compound wall, pizza as a special treat, language barriers, drivers, security guards and a lot of amazing kids.

But my life is also submerged in passionate prayers in Creole, Haitian worship, and Pastors who are not only living what they preach and doing extreme things for Jesus, but are also for sure on prophet status. As well as, kids living in children’s homes asking ME if ‘I love Jesus.’ The faith of these kids rivals and exceeds ANY American Christian. It will humble you to your knees, and it should.

Put yourself in the situation of an orphan asking you to pray for them. In that moment, the American gave a great response of ‘Of course! Will you pray for me?’ And I guarantee you she will pray her big heart out for him and God will honor those prayers in gargantuan ways. What a dose of Kingdom reality, eh?

One of my biggest global pet peeves are the ‘missionaries’ wearing T-shirts that say, ‘Bringing Jesus to ______.’ Are they truly naive enough to think Jesus isn’t already there? Really? That God had, in some version of warped theology, abandoned people in need?!?! That as Americans we possess enough of him that we could actually have something the collective ‘poor’ need?

This morning the Haitian immigration agent says to me, ‘Wer ou pahng?’ I had no idea what he said and had to ask for a repeat, while opening my translating ears. More enunciated, ‘Were you prah-ying? Your eyes were closed in line.’ Not realizing that I’d had my eyes closed, I said, ‘No…but I do pray. I just wasn’t praying in that moment.’ His response? With a peaceful smile, ‘That is good. Praying is always good at any time of the day. Any time of the day!’

Yes, sir, it is. Any time. And thank you for the reminder as I head to the states for my three month break. And by the way, here is the green immigration card you need from me, since you forgot to take it during our God conversation.

Where else would you receive such TRUTH while exciting a country from a GOVERNMENT employee?!?!

Haiti.

My temporary home that I gladly claim for the time that God has placed me there. Because today I became ‘that girl’ who gets asked, ‘Where are you coming from? Vacation or business?’

Haiti…I live there. And it also tends to be a good dose of reality for anyone brave enough to encounter God’s Kingdom in its purest form.