Chelsea Godina recently returned from Haiti after serving on a mission trip with a youth team from her church in Ogallala, Nebraska. We are so thankful for people who come to serve in Haiti – mission trip team members like Chelsea who are willing to give of themselves, share the love of Christ, and also learn a little along the way. During her flight home from Haiti, Chelsea reflected on the time she had spent there…

“As I fly home, the high of Haiti is still overwhelming my head and flooding my heart with passion, love, and a need to serve. As I sit in my seat my mind turns to every hand I held this week, and every precious child I hugged and shared a giggle with. I wonder what they are up to tonight. Have they eaten? Did they get enough to drink today? I send prayers up to our loving Father to comfort and care for them. 

The language was a barrier, but the wonderful part about the way God designed communication is that 80% of what we say is nonverbal. And boy did this youth team communicate love. Every night they went home tired, dirty, and drained because they spent every day giving 110% in obedience to what God called each of them to do. Your heart would have exploded if you could have seen it.

But the most wonderful part of Haiti wasn’t what we gave, but what we were all given. This was clear to me during the prayer walk when my team was repeatedly asked to pray for person after person. A total of 10 people asked us to pray for them. And as I stood there in front of my Haitian brothers and sisters in Christ, I felt so unworthy. So unqualified to pray for people of such amazing faith and knowledge of our Good Father.

 

But I remembered that God doesn’t call the qualified,

He qualifies the called.

 

I felt blessed. He gave my team HIS words for HIS people. He allowed us to be used for HIS glory. Wow. The God of the universe used these Ogallala kids in huge ways. Such a blessing to each of us. At the end of the week we had played hard, sang songs, painted a home, attended a women’s conference, met countless families and had the joy of forming bonds with our translators.

We were again blessed when we had the ability to count up every last penny in our Haiti fund to fulfill some needs that fell heavy on all our hearts. A woman that lost her husband a year ago was frantically searching for ways to pay the last $260 off her 20-year land loan before her landlord kicked her off the property losing the home her husband built for them. A pregnant mom with 5 kids needed 6-months rent totaling all of $60 after losing her home.

A family of seven teens trying to finish high school after they lost their mom to cholera 10 years ago needed sponsorship. The oldest of the children, now 24, has raised them since. These are good, bright kids with goals. A future doctor, nurse, surgeon, engineer and journalist stood before us having overcome battles that I as an adult couldn’t even imagine. God blessed this team with just enough money remaining in the account to meet all these needs once we got a little financially creative. Tell me that’s coincidence. I think not. 

I’m not always good at Bible verses, but I find God often speaks to me in song. This week Reckless Love just spoke to my heart over and over. God’s love for us is reckless, not in that it is crazy or uncalculated but in that it stops at nothing and will destroy anything that gets in the way. I am so thankful for the ways He recklessly showed His love in Haiti this past week.”

God is definitely at work in Haiti through His people. What a blessing it is to partner with amazing people like Chelsea and the group from New Hope Church in Ogallala to meet needs, fight poverty, share Christ’s love and partner with our Haitian brothers and sisters to spread the gospel. We are so grateful that they chose to come on a Haiti mission trip. Thank you New Hope team! 

 

Haiti Mission Trip. World Wide Village. Serve in Haiti. Haiti Charity.