Body, Mind, and Soul

It’s hard to relay everything that happens in a week in a few short blog entries. I hit the highlights in my sermon on Sunday, which if you are interested, is in my podcast, sermons. But someone asked me if we saved a lot of souls in Haiti. I understand where that question is coming from, and it wouldn’t have served any purpose at the moment to say, “no, that’s not really what we are doing,” so I’ll use it as a spring board to a larger question, and the one I think this person really wanted to ask, which is, “Did your trip really make any difference?”

This is a very fair question, and one every mission should ask itself if you are going to spend $1000s traveling to a foreign country and working there. I’ve done enough reading to be convinced that trying to help people is not as simple as, “we did something and got something out of it, so it must be good.” Steps wash away, rooves get blown away, teeth get rotten again. In fact, if you take away the opportunities for locals to take care of themselves, you can actually hurt more than help. And the old, “I got more out of it than they did,” may be true, but hardly validates all the time, money, and effort in my opinion. Nothing we did this week physically will improve the lives of people in Haiti beyond a few weeks or years. 

I am convinced that what matters the most is the relationships you build. The world tells people in poverty that they live in a shithole, that their lives don’t matter, that their future is hopeless. We go to empower, a little with our resources, but more with relationships. Over his 12 years, Hertz has discerned and Patrick agrees that the Haitian culture is largely individualistic, with people unwilling to help each other. Hertz and Patrick’s Work together, their relationship, Hertz describes as brotherhood, empowers people to work together for the common good. Yes, people work for money; they deserve to get paid. But they come together while we are not around and decide to build stairs for their community. 

I’m pretty sure I didn’t save any souls last week. I do think I reflected Jesus to people in poverty by reaching out with love. I do think I strengthened relationships with friends I’ve met over the last two years, and I got to know some new friends. I think I told some kids that they mattered in the world and they mattered to God with my actions, not just words. I think Anna returned a measure of God given dignity to people by treating them like she would any patient paying thousands of dollars, with respect and care. I think her relationship with Dr. Benoit, over time, could lead to improved dental Care for the whole community. In the end, I think God is concerned with the whole package, body, mind, and soul. And I think God worked through us to build up bodies, minds, and souls for the kingdom, both for the good of my own soul and for those whom I served. Thanks be to God for this indescribable gift!