No Doubt A Life Changer

When asked to write a post about an experience at RHFH, I had no idea where to start. Do I share a story about the hard times, the easy times, the joyful times, or the mournful times. Working and volunteering at RHFH has been nothing short of awesome, but also has stretched and grown me in ways I didn’t think imaginable. Serving at RHFH anywhere from 1 week to 5 months for the last 5 years has shown me that life is not always grand. It has shown me that life is not always fair. It has shown me that we live in a very broken world. But in this broken world, we have the opportunity to serve and worship a God who is completely and 100% in control. Serving at RHFH has taught me what the Lord’s faithfulness truly looks like, and that His love is always sovereign over us.

With every trip to Haiti, my eyes have been opened in new and fresh ways, but my first 2 month summer trip to RHFH brought the most life change. This trip brought me my first experience with a child’s death due to severe malnutrition. Growing up with the all too familiar western culture mindset of “somewhere out yonder in this world, there are children dying of starvation, so we shouldn’t waste anything on our plate,” you could say it became very real very quickly as I saw this child laying lifeless in front of me. Is this for real? Could this actually be happening? That evening I sat on the balcony of the guesthouse with my thoughts racing from utter disbelief that this was truly happening in front of my own two eyes, to thoughts of anger thinking, “Why on earth are these kids dying from something that could have been completely prevented?”! It was with this first death that the Lord instilled a huge fight in my heart to help the least fortunate. Whether it be in prayer, giving of earthly resources, giving of my own time and service, or sharing and raising awareness of the battle happening there to those around me. Returning year after year and dealing with countless other deaths, this feeling of shock doesn’t go away, but the urge to fight harder becomes stronger. And thankfully, there are 10x more stories I could share of miracles of healing and hope, than those of death and despair. The number of children I have had the privilege of watching being brought back to health could keep me sharing stories for days!

“The Lord did not make too many people on this earth and not enough resources to go around” is a quote I have reflected on multiple times over the past few years, and I believe could apply to every one of us. I don’t believe it was the Lord’s intent from the beginning to let these types of things happen on this earth. But I do believe that He uses life changing situations like this to teach us about Himself. To teach us that life is not about us. In fact, life is far from about us. I can be the first to say that it’s hard not to fall into the temptations of this earth; to buy a few more luxuries, to host a few more parties to bump your status, to head away on that extra vacation. But here’s the deal, this life was never meant for us to live it the way we want to. As believers, our purpose on this earth is to live for Christ and give of ourselves for Him, and He has given us so many opportunities to do just that. So I urge you to prayerfully consider how you can shift your life to be a lot less about you and a lot more about Him. Maybe it’s to serve at a local drop in centre or soup kitchen. Or maybe it is to consider supporting a ministry like RHFH, who is working internationally to spread the hope of Christ. My personal experience with RHFH has shaped me into the woman I am today, and I am always in awe of what they can accomplish there in Haiti. If you are feeling an urge to support RHFH in some way, please don’t hesitate to reach out to them and ask how you can help. Maybe you have a gift of sewing and could get involved in some sewing projects. Maybe you aren’t feeling the tug to physically go and serve, but have been blessed with a good paying job and would like to donate financially. Maybe you are in a trade of some sort and would like to be put on a volunteer list for when they start building up on the new land. Or maybe you could take a week to fast and pray for RHFH and their ministry. I simply ask that you open your heart and become willing to what the Lord may have in store for you. His plans are always perfect, we just have to let go and trust Him.

Katrina Reimer

P.S. Just another plug for all my fellow Canadians – you can follow the link below to donate online to RHFH and receive an income tax receipt for your donation. Or email katrina@realhopeforhaiti.org to get more info about setting up a direct deposit, or sending a cheque in the mail.

https://gcfcanada.com/real-hope-for-haiti/