In the Northern Central Plateau of Haiti, Pignon stands uniquely separate from neighboring towns. Sydney Rennich from Christ Covenant Church gives elegant clarity to the dance between cultures as Americans and Haitians interact on a regular basis. Reveling in the two cultures’ differences while embracing their similarities, Sydney shares her thoughts.

To read yesterday’s blog, click here.

It seems that there is more time in Haiti. In only a few days we have done more than I could have imagined. We had already built concrete floors, spent hours shopping in the market, toured the MH4H campus and much of Pignon, played with lots of kiddos, distributed food and a goat (known endearingly to our team as Donna T. Rump), repaired roads, planted fields of beans and peanuts, worked on projects around the campus, and hiked Mount Pignon. In all of it we have seen scenes that have broken our hearts, brought great joy to our faces, and taught us lessons about our incredible Lord and Savior. Pignon, Haiti is a foreign land filled with people speaking a language unknown to us and living a life style most of us find unfathomable. Some things are sad and hard to witness, others are encouraging and joyful, but most things are just different.

To me, the “different” has been an incredible reminder of the vast bounds of God’s love and glory. On Sunday, we visited a local church and though we could not comprehend 90% of what was going on, it was exuberantly clear that we were in a place of worship. As we sang (or at least attempted to sing) in different languages, we knew that the words we were singing were for the purpose of honoring and praising the Lord. We were surrounded by Christian brothers and sisters who, though different from us in countless ways, were living with the same purpose in their life. To obey and glorify the Lord. 

In everything we have done, God have given me that same sweet reminder. The reminder that he is the God of the entire world, not just my small bubble of influence that I seem to get so engulfed in. For example, the terrain of Haiti is very different from what we are used to, but the orange and pink sky behind the beautiful Haitian mountains mirror the sky I witness behind the smokey mountains from my home. In both instances, I can’t help but stop and praise my creator for the small mercies he shows us in our everyday lives, along with the life changing mercy that he extends to all of his children globally. God loves all of his children and I am encouraged by the fact that one day in heaven I will be joined by brothers and sisters in Christ from every part of the world, all singing the praises of their savior and showing the vastness of God’s glory.

As we continue our trip, I pray that God continues to reveal himself through these differences that captivate me and similarities that shock me. I pray that I will learn lessons about contentment, joy, and faith that seem so strong in many of the Christians I had encountered in Haiti. I also pray that in turn, God will use me to reveal himself to the people of Haiti; that in everything we do we are sharing the love and glory of God, and making disciples of every nation.

Sydney Rennich