While the paint team continued to work, one member set off to tackle another project. Tim thought he and Christi were simply going to survey and photograph the new rental property for Many Hands. With a few missteps, however, the two found themselves off the trail and on another’s land. They were completely unprepared for the stranger’s reaction to their presence. 

To read yesterday’s blog, click here.

Another day is in the books, and the painting team had a great day! With the beautiful, although hot, weather, we were able to paint all day and make another huge step towards finishing the painting of the new building. I had a great time painting with Micah, hearing about what Many Hands is doing in the community, and even learning a new version of the high five!

After lunch, while the rest of the team kept plugging away Christi took me to the new goat project that MH4H is starting. As we walked the property, watching men work, and by work, I mean WORK (clearing a path through brush, cactus, trees, etc. using only machetes, axes and hoes) we visited about the vision of this project. While walking the property we ran into a man named brother Anold. I simply can’t describe this man to you, so thankfully we have a few pictures of the setting we found him in. At least 500 yards from the nearest path, down in a ravine sat brother Anold. A more content man I have not met in my life. He only had one shoe, had a bad leg and a crutch, no teeth, told us he was 89 years old, and was all smiles. 

As Christi visited with brother Anold about the bible (his was VERY worn and used, treasured and held onto,) the thing that struck me was, for this man, Christ is enough! I’ve been thinking about that statement for quite some time, long before I came to Haiti. I’ve often wondered, is Christ enough for me? If I had no earthly possessions, like brother Anold, and if my health was failing, would Christ be enough? Would I still rejoice in the cross? Would I still praise my creator? I was certainly caught off guard. All of a sudden, I was standing in front of a real life example of a man that had no earthly possessions to speak of, and he didn’t care. He was simply excited to visit with Christi, and the topic he chose to visit about…Christ. 

Brother Anold is in love with his Savior, and it showed. I can’t explain what those moments with him were like, other than as I listened to the two of them communicate in a language I didn’t know, I could simply feel the presence of the Holy Spirit there in that ravine in the middle of Haiti, and I knew…this man had what I want. I would have guessed in that situation my first thought would have been to feel sorry for him, but I didn’t. I was jealous of him. I want to love my Savior like that. I want to rely on my Savior like that. I want to worship my Savior like that. 

While I love a good picture, there are some things you just have to be there for. I’m afraid this was one of them. You can see a picture of the man, but it’s not the same as meeting him. You can hear what it was like to be there, but it’s not the same as being there. It makes me wonder…what would my life look like if I spent more time getting to know my Savior, instead of listening to others talk about their experiences with Him? What if I was right there, in the word, instead of listening to someone else who was and is telling me about it? What if my relationship with Christ was the single most important thing to me in my entire life? Where would that take me? How would that look? Tonight I’m not really sure. But I do know this, I want what brother Anold has. I want to be able to say, and truly mean, that Christ is enough.

Tim Harms