Special People +Tears + Reflection = Hope

Tears:
Today was a day filled with tears as we had to say goodbye to Vanessa, a very special young women that joined Deb and I and our ministry here in Haiti for almost two months. She developed many close relationships in the short time she was here. Which isn't really surprizing because that's what special people do, they touch lives. There are 23 girls that now consider Vanessa a big sister that not only loves them deeply, but is someone they can look up to and inspire to be like. She has also touched our children in a very special way. So much so that they even named our new family puppy "Nessa" in honor of her. She has also been there in a very special way for Deb. Spending the first number of months in a third world country with no real friends can be difficult. I thank God that Deb had someone here to lean on, cry with, laugh with, and made her feel young cause everyone thought they were sisters. And of course Vanessa has always had a special place in my heart. So yes there were tears today, but when special people leave you that's what tends to happen.

Reflection:
This is the time of year that we tend to think of others more often. Maybe one of the reasons for that is because it's also the time of year we celebrate the birth of Jesus. If you read about His life, one of the words that has to come to mind is servant. Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve. If he came to be served, then I highly doubt He would of allowed Himself to end up beaten, whipped, and crucified for the sins of all humanity. No, Jesus was a servant. That's why He left His thone in Heaven and came to earth, to serve.
As I was driving home from the airport after saying my goodbyes this morning, I began to think about not only Vaneesa's time here, but her life in general. I began to think about all the times I've heard about how hard of a worker she is. About all the times she took people to the hospital or the doctors for an appointment. Stories of all the times she spent with those that not many people have time for. The times of driving to Lancaster to visit her grandemother. Leanding a hand when no one was watching. Then my mind went to her time here. For those of you that don't know Vanessa. She is a graduate of Liberty University with a degree in Nursing. She worked as an RN at Duke University Hospital for 3 years. Needless to say she is a very smart and qualified young women. She came to Haiti with the hopes of researching what it will take to run and stock a mobile medical clinic for the Haitian people along side her mother Cindy. Vanessa and Cindy are helping Awaken Haiti get the medical area of our ministry under way due to the overwelming need for medical care for people that can't afford to go to the hospital. Even though she was able to do some of that, due to hurricanes, teams, and election riots, there was not as much opportunity as we all hoped there would be. But being a true servant isn't about just doing the things that we think we are here for, it's not about just doing the things we think we are qualified to do, it's not about what feels good to us and what we want our agenda to be. Being a servant is about loving people. Being a servant is about a very educated, very qualified, very smart young women painting a house for a single mother with six kids living in a tent community. It's about laying pavers, shoveling dirt and stone, and carrying rocks so 13 little girls have a place to play and study after school. It's about painting walls, puting up shelves, cleaning bathrooms, and scraping walls so six boys have a nice clean home to live in after the earthquake. It's about befriending, laughing with, teaching, playing, working with, sleeping with, eating with, worshiping with, and mentoring 23 little and not so little girls that live in here at the orphanage. It's about helping to teach two little girls school that just moved away from home to a third world country. It's about sacrificing your own funds to put shoes on 23 kids that need them to exercise in. It's about listening and having late night talks with friends (which is anytime past 8:00pm for Vanessa). It's about helping to fill 180 bags full of rice and beans to hand out to people in need. I could go on and on about all the ways she has touched the people of Haiti and our family. Yes being a servant and a reflection of Jesus is about loving people. What a great example of a servant.

Hope:
My Hope is that I can learn to serve like that. My hope is that if more people come to Haiti and serve like her, people will see Jesus and lives will be changed. My hope is that she knows how many lives were touched here. Every father knows that someday his little girls are eventually going to grow up. My hope is that they grow up to serve like that, love people like that, and love God like that.

Vanessa, thank you for all the lives you touched and showing me what it means to be a servant. You will be missed and on behalf of my family and the children of Good Samaritan, Nou renmen ou!!!!!!!!!!

Jeff