Prepare

Prepare: to make ready beforehand for some approaching event or need This is the process our small team is going through in this 2 weeks before we leave for Haiti. The facts: We are going to a town called Gressier where Touchglobal, the relief branch of the Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA) has been present since the devastating earthquake in Jan 2010. Gressier is about 13 miles to the west of Port Au Prince and has a population of 75,000. Our mission: To develop relationships with the community partners through TouchGlobal and identify future projects for short-term missions to be carried out by Constance Evangelical Free Church (CFC). To learn how to lead future trips back to Haiti in the areas of construction, healthcare, schools and orphanages. To help carry out the mission of CFC: To be a community compelled by Christ's love to bless our world These are some of the ways we are preparing: Knowledge of Haiti and the culture. Here are some startling facts: The average life expectancy is 49 years ( so I'm practically an elder!) It is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere Catholicism is the official religion of Haiti but voodoo may be considered the country's national religion. Most believe their voodoo can co-exist with Catholicism. It revolves around family spirits inherited by the parents. Some are thought to protect people from misfortune by feeding the spirits through rituals and special services. Disease is rampant with malaria, cholera and TB We are also physically preparing with vaccines for Hepatitis A and B and Typhoid. Pills are taken in advance to prevent malaria. Dire warning from the travel clinic are given about unfiltered water or food products with preventative medications given for traveler's diarrhea . It's not pretty! Without prayer for a covering of God's protection, it is easy to become overwhelmed with concern over one's physical health and risks of traveling to a third-world country... Lastly, we are preparing our hearts. We are asked to sign a "contract" releasing our rights: a comfortable bed, familiar food, pleasant circumstances, control over situations and many other things. We lay down our so-called rights at the feet of Jesus and entrust them to the Lord. We ask for prayer support as we prepare for this sure-to-be life-changing experience. I am certain God will move in ways we can't even begin to imagine. We may do some work in the lives of those in Haiti but the most important work will be done by God in our own hearts.