April 1st- Thoughts from our team

From Blan to Ami

As our bus pulled into the village, children's cries of "Blan! Blan! Blan! (meaning white) could be heard through our windows.  It didn't take long for a little Haitian hand to find ours and join us on our journey as we delivered food to local village homes. It was hard not to feel hopelessness for families that obviously have very little especially when we come from a land of so much. But we soon discovered that these people valued families and took pride in their simple homes. We were pleasantly surprised when each family eagerly wanted us to pray for them... for sickness, for their children to love God, for broken homes... they were just like so many of us in our prayers. Even though the day pushed us out of our comfort zones, both physically and mentally, God did not give us a Spirit of fear but of love. So it was only fitting to hear the love from children's cries as we pulled away no longer cheering 'Blan!' but 'Ami! Ami! Ami' (meaning friend).

-Heidi McCartan

Lost in Translation

Bonjour....oh wait! I mean “Bonjou”.  It’s pretty incredible how people communicate.  And although you might not think it, verbal language is only a small part of it.  As a French major, I didn’t know what to expect here in Haiti. 

 I had heard that most people speak Creole...which is kind of like French.  So, I figured I’d be alright.  I can speak French.  Theoretically, I should get on just fine. 

As it turns out,  Creole and French...not the same. Yes, there do seem to be a lot of similarities. And yes, there are a lot of shared words. But Creole has a structure apart.  Instead of saying “I am going”, they say “I/Me go”.  Instead of saying “Au revoir” they say “Orevwa”...which might actually be easier to read for most Americans.

And although  some people do speak French here in Ayiti, it’s less than half the population. So, overall verbal communication is a little more complicated than expected.

Thankfully, there’s a language that transcends linguistic constraints.  It’s a language that  bypasses political and cultural barriers.  It’s a language that has as its focus not different word roots/verb conjugations/vocabulary and all that nonsense, but rather a language that has one goal: unity.

This universal language:  Godspeak.  This is the a language that we communicate not only by our words but by our actions.  When we say that we love someone and we actively seek to help that person out, we express Godspeak.  When we work and sweat to do something not for our own glory, our own honor, our own pride...but rather for God’s glory and His kingdom, we express Godspeak. Namely, Godspeak is God’s speaking through us and working in us. 

Today, I saw this in both the Haiti mission group and in the Haitians.  We were very blessed in seeing how God’s people communicate and work toward His will, even when they cannot understand what the other one is saying.

Bondye beni, God bless.

Orevwa.

Seth Barnes