Haiti: ATL’in It Up (Guest Post)
Earlier this month a church partnering with Church to Church sent a team to Haiti and Dusty Dills was a part of it. Here is a blog he wrote about his experience with ATL's in Haiti. You can read more blogs from Dusty at http://dustydills.theworldrace.org/.
It’s been a couple weeks now since I returned from Haiti. If I’m being honest, it was one of the hardest trips I’ve ever taken, but also one of my favorites! Haiti is no walk in the park though.
(The neighborhood close to where we stayed)
I could spend all day telling you the “good things” that happened. Not trying to be insensitive, but if you’ve heard, “We built a house and played with orphans”, once, you’ve heard it a hundred times. Please don’t take that wrongly, there’s NOTHING wrong with that stuff, but after doing missions for so long, you realize that a lot of times those stories don’t impact people here in the states as much as they should. At least not in my experience.
(The Market)
(I counted to two and told them to scream… This was the product, LOL)
So, I’d like to share one of my journal entries with you that I wrote while on the trip.
Colby and I were blessed to be with a team who were no strangers to Haiti. Our group was from New Hampshire and they’ve been partnered with Church to Church in Haiti for several years now.
(The team with our translators)
Some of the team members were returnees, and others were new blood.
I love seeing people step off that plane for the first time in a third world setting. I truly believe that sometimes that’s what it takes to see “those places” with the eyes of Christ. Which might be the reason so many folks refuse to go overseas or say, “That isn’t for me.”
It’s hard and God shows up in ways we don’t expect and don’t always see in the States. Maybe a tough pill to swallow and a little blunt, but truth is, we sometimes take on the attitude of, “I’m not responsible for something if I never lay eyes on it…”
Coming home from Burkina Faso, Africa for the first time in November 2010, that was my struggle with God. I was now responsible to do something. Eventually, as you know, I went on the World Race.
(Port-au-Prince, Haiti)
Anyways, I’ll get off my soapbox.
Side note: If you’ve never been part of an ATL (Ask The Lord), you should give it a shot. Actually, I challenge you to “try it out.”
Basically you do just that (ask the Lord.) Ask the Lord what He wants to say to you today and then wait for Him to respond. It's pretty simple and can be really fun!
(One of our many walks through the neighborhood)
That’s what we were about to do on this day. We were split up into groups and sent out to “ATL it” and see what kind of ministry we could get into!
I was extra excited because some of my group had never left the country or done an ATL.
Journal Entry: February 25th, 2014
“Today my team was Zach (our interpreter), Janet, Vickie, Dan, and myself. Before going out, we prayed as a team, and each of us received something different from the Lord.
Janet: Black bars
Vickie: A specific bridge
Dan: He felt led to talk to Zach about something’s
Myself: The same bridge Vickie got when she prayed, but there would be a little boy playing in a trash pile next to some pigs. I also got a specific set of numbers on a house.
(The partner church in Haiti that this team partners along side)
Before going out on the “ATL”, I got to share some about my experience in Kenya, when the Lord told me to dedicate a small child named Steven. One of the craziest experiences ever in my life!
Our team then started to walk to the bridge.
When we got there, sure enough, there was a little boy playing in a trash pile with a pig next to him. This is exactly the vision the Lord gave me when I prayed.
Nobody said anything as we walked, but very closely listened for the Lord to speak.
Upon getting to the bridge where the little boy was playing, Janet began to weep. She felt burdened to stay in that area.
(Our "ATL team" at the house. L-R: Dan, Vickie, Janet, Zach)
Right next to where we stopped, there was a house with black bars, and the same set of numbers the Lord revealed to me before heading out. There was something to this house, but what was it…
Zach then knocked on the door, and it soon opened. Upon opening the door, a small pathway was revealed, and there stood a lady and several children whom invited us in.
We asked the woman if we could pray for her, but before we began, Janet began to cry again. ‘There’s somebody sick here in this house! There’s a man and he’s ill!’
Zach then asked the lady where her husband was, and she responded, ‘He’s inside on the bed. Very ill.’
Janet asked if we could see him and pray, and we were ushered into their tiny home.
There he lay, sleeping on the bed. This ladies husband who was suffering from an illness he’d had for 3 years.
And just like that, we began to pray healing over this man.”
(Sunrise from the roof we slept on, under the stars.)
Some say that God doesn’t still speak to people outside of His written word.
I’m here to tell you firsthand, He still speaks… All we need to do is be still and listen.
(Sitting in a "tarp city" house. One of many constructed post-earthquake)
This is only one of the amazing stories that have come out of Church to Church trips. Thank you for taking the time to read our blog, please feel free to share it and visit our website for more information. http://www.adventures.org/churchtochurch/
