A foundation for faith

In January, Rev. Benito’s family was forced into a tent after the earthquake in Haiti destroyed their home. With children of his own and his possessions shattered, he adopted a 16-year-old girl who had no place to go.

The faith of this man and many other Haitians has been the lifeblood of a people devastated by natural disaster, oppression and poverty.

In 2005, Joe Patterson, Arkansas resident, was kidnapped in Port-au-Prince while serving on a mission trip. Believing he was going to die, Patterson was beaten by the 30-plus kidnappers until his miraculous release. Patterson continues to return to Haiti and has inspired many more missionaries to risk their safety to serve with him.

Paul, another man of faith, stood barefoot outside the airport in Port-au-Prince as the team from Living Hope and New Life churches loaded bags onto a truck to Gressier. Spotting my guitar, he shook my hand and in surprisingly fluent English, expressed his love for the instrument and “to sing to Jesus every Sunday.” 

These three men I had the chance to speak with in a Haitian airport were in circumstances that would break most of us, but something inside reaches far beyond themselves. Rev. Benito couldn’t leave a young girl without a father, Joe couldn’t abandon the work left at the JoyHouse, and Paul saw beyond the unbelievable poverty that surrounds him.

“They had unwavering faith,” said Lindsay Farries, junior health major who went with Living Hope and New Life Churches to help in Haiti. “They were so confident that God was their strength, their refuge, their everything.” 

What a beautiful picture. In the midst of devastation and loss, they know they have everything. These men have experienced the worst the world has to offer and to them it seems insignificant in the light of eternity.

For Christians and other religions, faith allows believers to rise above even the worst circumstances. Members of every faith can worry too much about little things instead of walking by faith, when the fruit of a faithful life is all around. With their eyes set on eternity and hearts to impact the world, even worries about diseases, shelter and food can be pushed out of their mind.

Most of the Haitians around Gressier grasp the difficult concept of a childlike faith. We saw it manifested in their actions, as their happy songs conveyed a life without worry. By trusting in something beyond themselves, they have found a way to live and enjoy their fleeting time on Earth in spite of what could be overwhelming circumstances.

To see this life lived out in Haiti was inspiring, but the same picture is visible with the children in College Station. When a 6-year-old is out playing, he can spend hours running, playing cops and robbers or flying in space without concern for what he will eat later. He trusts that mom and dad will provide, even if it isn’t always apparent. 

A life rooted in faith frees a person to selflessly give and serve others. Faithful living changes the question from, “how will my needs be met?” to “how can I meet someone’s needs?” which was evident in these three men and many other Haitians. Imagine the change that could be seen in America if our mentality shifted like that. But sometimes it is so hard to have that mentality without faith in something beyond ourselves.

We were blessed in Haiti to witness life more abundant and free outside the chokehold of everyday anxiety. It isn’t a painless life, but through the suffering and loss, a deepened dependence on faith leads to a life of hope and joy.