You know the old saying, “It takes a village to raise a child”? Well, since moving to Haiti I’ve created my own saying: “It takes a team to keep a family on the mission field!”
I recently experienced this firsthand. In December, I struggled with homesickness, wished I could be back in the U.S. to support family during a difficult season, and was disappointed to cancel a much-needed getaway. Our house’s batteries needed replacing, which led to daily stress about whether to turn on the generator or wait for city power, and the car I normally drive was out of commission all month. Then in January, we dealt with the insecurity of repeat intruders on our MAF neighbor’s property (while they were on furlough) and a close friend of mine narrowly escaping an attempted kidnapping (she was shot in the leg as she escaped).
I would be lying if I said that some nights, as I lay awake listening to the neighborhood dogs bark (again), and wondered if I should get up and shine the flashlight on the neighbor’s property (again), I wasn’t tempted to buy a one-way plane ticket back home. If this is what life was going to be like in Haiti, I didn’t know if I wanted to stay.
But that’s when my team stepped in! Friends took me out to coffee and offered babysitting. Some teammates fixed my car and another facilitated a short trip out of the city (to an orphanage we fly for often—a great reminder of why we’re here!). Our program manager approved new batteries for our house, and a VP back at MAF’s headquarters authorized a brief out-of-country trip so I could process the trauma of my friend being shot. Emails poured in from our ministry partnership team, buoying my spirits and girding my faith in our continued calling here in Haiti.
While it’s not always easy here, I know I’m where God wants me to be and have no plans to leave anytime soon—thanks in large part to my team, both here in Haiti and back in the United States!
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