“Dear heavenly father we come humbly before you today to thank you for your creation; for showing the beauty of this nation and its history. Thank you for teaching us on this day of rest to abide in you and not return home without a servant’s heart. Let us recognize the struggles of our nation and see those people at home in desperate need of you. Thank you for this day of rest, so that we may be rejuvenated and serve you tomorrow in our labors. In your son’s name we pray amen.”

To read yesterday’s blog, click here.

We, the members of Christ Covenant Youth Team, arose in the early morning, boarding trucks, prepared for a journey ahead. The coldness before the break of dawn was a relief to us who had worked in the sun in days prior. As we drove the first leg we saw the culture of Haiti that ,unbeknownst, to us was a daily occurrence. The children’s journey to school, the adult’s to work, and the work of the animals for their masters. For one of the few times on this trip many looked forward to the sun’s rise over the mountain we had climbed earlier in the week. Dawn’s break showed us a beauty in Haiti, the beauty of God’s creation.

The land that God created is so glorious no man can mimic it. The range of ecosystems was great from one end to the other. We started the morning in land more suitable for sugar cane and congo beans, but the land after breakfast was lush with bananas and greenery due to the river’s nutrients. Last night in our group study, we discussed how God provides for his people. The mango trees in Pignon feed those children willing and able to get one down. The variance of land shows how God had provided for all people, regardless of location. The bumpy roads allowed for a time of reflection on his creation and our activities in it. Every where one looked was beauty, even in the people we saw working or children waving at us as we drove by. The people’s joy was the most beautiful thing as well as their continual labor. The people’s daily habits were so unlike our own. As we made our way to the citadel up the hill kids we walking in school uniforms. To see the journey they made every day for what many of us take for granted was humbling, especially when one realizes those are the lucky ones that are able to attend.

While the palace and citadel do not compare to the natural beauty, they are works of art. It is said the citadel’s architect was killed so that he would not give the plans to the French, and 10,000 workers died to build an unused marvel. As our guide toured us through the buildings we learned a lot about Haiti’s history. The self appointed king who commissioned the citadel, King Christophe, was incredibly paranoid of French invasion and took extreme measures to try and defend themselves from what would never come.

While there we faced confrontation from an unusual source that opened our eyes to the service required back home; the necessity to love you neighbor as your self. We look at the idea of a loving service in order to relate to those in our community. The relationships that Many Hands had made here is outstanding. So much so that our guide spoke very highly of Christy, and people would call out to her as we drove by. Seeing Many Hand’s impact in the community is humbling as well as an example for how we should act in our daily lives. Seeing God’s work in nature and in the community is humbling. The journey of cultural history in Haiti revealed God’s majesty and his creation.