written by ASCC Partner, Caroline Tigner
After two trips to the Dominican Republic, I knew that God was stirring my heart for the people of Hispaniola, however I had yet to experience the other half of the island: Haiti. This past Spring Break, during my Senior year of college, I had the opportunity to go to Haiti with a group from the Stone. It was one of the hardest weeks of my life as I witnessed the utter despair of poverty, held starving children in my arms, and served alongside those who have given their lives so that the people of Haiti may know a hope only Jesus Christ can offer. I would not be the same after that week.
Throughout the trip, I was so moved by the way the Body of Christ was serving in the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. We met doctors, mechanics, engineers, photographers, teachers, mothers, high school students, you name it. God was using everybody to redeem the people of Haiti. As the week went on I strongly sensed God calling me to be a part of His redemption there, but I did not understand why or how. I would be graduating from Nursing school in just a couple months with very little practical experience, and was in the process of looking for a job. Not to mention, I have spent the last 8 years studying Spanish, which is not even remotely close to French Creole. What did I have to offer in Haiti?
When I returned from the trip, I was still struggling with what it looked like for me to be a part of what God is doing in Haiti. As graduation approached and the job search was not fruitful, God made it very clear that I needed to consider going back to Haiti. I wrote Lori, a nurse who runs a clinic with the organization Real Hope for Haiti, and asked if I could spend an extended amount of time serving with her and her family. In just a few weeks, God worked out all the details, and I will be leaving in July to spend 2 months in the village of Cazale, working in the Clinic and Rescue Center at Real Hope for Haiti. I cannot wait to see how God uses my time there to teach me more as Nurse and as a servant of His Kingdom.
