Today we wanted to get a closer look into another of the team's members. We talked to Ann and Tracy Chang a little bit about their experience so far here in Haiti.
Anne was a missionary in Taiwan for 4 years prior to this trip while her sister Tracy had never done anything like this before. They both have really enjoyed being able to share this experience with each other being in a new country.
They both would say that they highlight of this trip for them has been getting to know all of the other team members. They both have only been a part of Grace Community for about one year and still don't know too many people in the church. This trip has really offered an opportunity for them to get to know members of the church that they might not have had the chance to interact with otherwise.
Ann says that she has been to many churches before she came to Grace and one of the things she loves about Grace is the way that the people seek to live out the gospel. She has really enjoyed watching everyone on the team act and serve in a way that really lives out and displays the gospel. The way that they have gotten to see everyone live out the gospel over the past few days has really amazed both of them. The love that the team has been able to display through their interactions has really shown God's love through their care for one another. Many of the team members have served in ways that are very minimal or disgusting, and it has moved them both greatly that so many people would be willing to serve in any way, even something as humbling as hauling water to flush toilets for the other team members.
They also have really enjoyed the unity of the team that this kind of serving has produced. They both have pointed out that the team has been so joyful in serving in even minor tasks over the past few days. They see this experience as an opportunity to see every one's strengths on display. They described it as a well oiled machine, and both of them expressed such a thankfulness to be able to be a part of a Church that lives the gospel out daily.
One of the things that has most stood out to Tracy about Haiti is the amount of poverty. She was shocked to find that so many people come to the clinic to be cared for. Many of them walk for long distances and bring no food or water for them or their children. She found it hard to believe that so many people can live in these kinds of conditions. They also found it surprising how many people are sick with some kind of illness. It is very rare here to find someone who is in good health, which is something that they hadn't exactly expected.
Ann also mentioned that one of the more adventurous parts of the trip is experiencing the different bathroom situations they were forced to use each day as they travel to different locations with the medical clinic. There were times when they were taken to bathrooms and when they looked at them they honestly thought people were playing a joke on them by telling them that what they were seeing was the bathroom they were to use.
They also commented on the cultural differences of the facial expressions of the Haitian people. Ann said that a lot of the people have a facial expression of such hardship in life that they look almost "numb" lacking any kind of emotional expression. She described it as having "no light" in their faces, and she thinks that it's just another expression of the fact that the Haitian people in many ways are not only living in physical, but also spiritual poverty.
One thing that they think that they will take home with them after this trip is their altered perspective on life. Before the trip they said they just saw people, but now after having the privilege of serving along side the medical clinic by praying for everyone who came before they could be seen by the doctors, they feel that they have been given God's eyes and now see the saved and unsaved. They describe the difference this has made in their lives already as an altered perspective on life that brings out the compassion that Christ has for His people.
I hope you have enjoyed this look into another two members of our team, and I hope it has bless and encouraged you all. Feel free to leave comments!
Signed, Lisa Sharpe for the Haiti Team
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