The Kintsukuroi, meaning “golden repair”, is the Japanese art of restoring broken pottery using precious metals such as gold or silver. The result is a clay vessel that, not only is no longer broken but, is considered more beautiful for having been broken. The Haven CRC team is learning to discern where God is making the brokenness of this world whole. 

To read yesterday’s blog, click here.

Our challenge these past few days has been to embrace the situations and brokenness we encounter rather than looking away from the uncomfortableness of them. In the song Brokenness Aside by All Sons & Daughters, the line “You are a Savior and You take brokenness aside and make it beautiful” is repeated multiple times. Today, our calling was to see the beauty that our Savior has created in this nation, with the brokenness aside. The beauty that we discovered came through the radiant joy that inhabits the Haitian people.

Jinette’s old house

The kitchen place

A young, single mother lives with her four children on a piece of property miles from the village of Pignon, Haiti. One year ago, the father of the home was murdered and the family was left inhabiting a house made of sticks and bedsheets on a piece of property that they did not own. Over the past year Many Hands For Haiti has stepped into their lives and aided the woman and her children in securing pieces of their lives: helping in the purchase of property, building a concrete home, and distributing food. This afternoon, a few group members visited this family’s home bearing furniture and household essentials that were donated for the family specifically. As the few of us brought the gifts into the home we couldn’t help but notice the barrenness of the space. The home was filled with five family members and two beds; the walls and floors were bare, there was no bathroom space, and no trinkets or toys lying around. However, amid the emptiness, all four children’s laughter bounced off the blank concrete walls. We tossed around a makeshift Frisbee, preformed a photoshoot with the best quality our iPhones would give us, and made up hand clapping games. Smiles stretched wide across the faces of Haitian children and “blancs” alike. A member of our group put it best saying, “they find their joy in the simple pleasures.” Not looking away from the brokenness is a challenge that rivals our very human nature, but today we encountered an encouragement for us to keep looking, because if we hadn’t, we would’ve never seen the joy that is uncovered when the brokenness is pushed aside.

Jinette with her mom

Jinette’s family in front of the new house

The rock on the front step says, “Welcome”

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