"Isn't Haiti beautiful?"

June 1st through the 11th of 2018 I had the privilege of going on an Apostolic Youth Corps (AYC) trip to the country of Haiti. AYC is an organization that sets up short term mission trips for Apostolic teens and young adults who want to experience culture and the mission field. I applied for the Haiti trip and was accepted in December of 2017. I started fundraising and saving my money for this trip of a lifetime.

This trip truly was the trip of a lifetime. In this blog, I will attempt to tell everything that came out this trip but I am afraid I will not be able to do it justice. My life has been changed just from a 10 day AYC trip.

Haiti is a beautiful place. Beautiful is the exact word I would use to describe it too. Before this trip I would have people come up to me and ask, "Why Haiti? It is such a poor and broken place." I simply told them, "I have no idea why." But now I know exactly why.

"Why Haiti?"

Because Haiti has shown me that there is beauty in brokenness.

In 2010, Haiti was hit with an earthquake that killed over 230,000 people. Driving through Haiti, I saw the devastation the earthquake had brought. But there was something else I saw. Something more than just destruction and ruins; hope. The brokenness of Haiti has provided the nation with a resilience like never before. Amidst the destruction, Haiti is surrounded by mountains. These mountains are jaw dropping. The picture above, which was taken from the Citadel fort where I was in complete and utter awe, proves my point. Even though Haiti is broken beauty is all around.

Because of my heritage and the long history my family has with Haiti.

My great grandma's sister, my great great aunt, and her husband were the missionaries two terms before the Brians, the current missionaries. My dad also spent some time with the Brians when he first came to the United States. I did not know of my heritage until after I applied for the AYC Haiti trip. During the trip, I realized my families history in Haiti. I met the lady who worked for my aunt Bonnie and who still works with every UPCI missionary family. Even though I had no family with me on this trip I still felt like I did. Seeing the places my Aunt Bonnie prayed over and ministered to overwhelmed me with joy. I felt like I was apart of something that my family started a long time ago. Seeing my families lineage come to life in Haiti was so beautiful and precious to me.

Because Haiti has taught me some important lessons.

The first lesson is to never judge based on what you hear and see. As mentioned above, I would hear many people tell me of how poor Haiti was. I went with a misconstrued mindset of Haiti based solely on what I had heard. My mindset was transformed once I was actually there experiencing Haiti. The second lesson Haiti has taught me is that global missionaries are not the only missionaries. Missionaries can be people who reach to their own communities. The third lesson Haiti taught me is that prayer should come before anything else in life. Prayer is the only way to keep a relationship with God. The fourth lesson I learned is that every soul is precious. I fell in love with the beautiful people of Haiti along with my AYC team. They all showed me that you shouldn't make assumptions about people based on what they appear to be. I learned that you have to love like Jesus' loves, which is unconditionally, and that you have to see people like Jesus' sees them, which is without prejudice. Haiti has shown me a God who can move mountains. Literally, He moved mountains in the earthquake but also spiritually. There were many people on the AYC trip who made it to Haiti by the grace of God. So many mountains were moved so people could come. One girl left her job, another had to face fear, and a girl who wanted to come but couldn't was provided a second chance to come! Even though the road was bumpy, even though the drive was long, the view was completely worth it all. I learned that in Haiti too.

Along with teaching me some things, Haiti has given me things to take home as well. Haiti has given me a love for missions. I have loved missions from a far, meaning I have loved the idea of loving it but I truly fell in love when I experienced it. Haiti has given me new friends. I have gained so many U.S. friends but I have also gained a few friends in Haiti. I was given a desire to serve and help my friends and community at home. I have been given this extreme appreciation for my home and my life. Haiti has given me an opportunity of a lifetime and for that I will forever be grateful.

Now I can answer "Why Haiti?" with what I just wrote above. God saw what was going to come out of Haiti before I even thought about applying for the trip. God knew Haiti would teach me some amazing lessons and would allow me to experience some pretty awesome moments. He knew "why" before I was even asked "why."

One last thing. Haiti has stolen something from me and I don't think I will ever get it back. Haiti has stolen my heart. Sis. Brain would always ask the AYC team, "Isn't Haiti beautiful?", and we would always answer with a resounding "YES!" Looking back at this trip I realize there is no other way to describe Haiti but beautiful. Haiti, you have changed my life. You'll forever be apart of me.