The Haitian Nation (Social and Spiritual Openness)

Social and Spiritual Openness

An aspect of the Haitian culture that stood out to us was their openness.  One of the first things we were told in preparation for our time in the Haitian culture was that we should throw personal space out the window.  More than just a higher comfort level when it comes to personal space, we experienced a higher level of social and spiritual openness.  Now, I'm no expert in Haitian culture from visiting Port-Au-Prince for one week, and my general observations are going to be a result of my experience.

As foreigners, we wanted to try our best to follow the social norms of the culture.  We were a bit concerned about how we were interacting with the Haitians we met on the street and the children at VBS.  We wondered to ourselves, what does a Haitian man think if an American woman starts a conversation with him?  What does a parent of a child think if their child is sitting on a strange American's lap?  So we asked one of our translators when it is appropriate to talk to someone and when it is not.  His response clarified much of the Haitian culture in our minds.  He said that you can go up and talk to anyone at any time!  It doesn't matter if you are a man talking to a 3 year old girl, or a woman speaking with a single man, it is socially acceptable and people do not read into the interaction (as we in the U.S. probably would).  In comparison to our American culture, the Haitians are much more comfortable in conversation with each other, even with strangers.  

Not only do the Haitians have an openness when it comes to social interactions, they also have an openness about their spirituality.  It was very common to see buses, tap-taps (pick up trucks used for transportation), and signs that were blatantly God-focused.  "Thank You Jesus", "Merci Jesus", and other simple praises were all around us.  Could you imagine the fuss people would have in the states if people plastered their praises to God on their vehicles?  By walking the streets, you would certainly think that Haiti is a "Christian Nation" with all the praises and scripture references.

When we talked to people on the streets about God, EVERYONE engaged in conversation with us and was very quick to have a spiritual conversation.  People were very open to sharing their faith in God, as well as personal prayer request with complete strangers. 

The Haitian Nation (The faith of the Haitian believers)

Kristi and I had the opportunity to travel to Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, last week with the Adventures In Missions organization.  We were able to spend a week with 10 other members from our church family, as well as 23 other people from all across the United States.  As we process our time in Haiti, we will be blogging about specific aspects of our trip to share our experience with all of you.  We hope it will give you a glimpse into another part of the world where God is actively at work.

The faith of the Haitian believers

Throughout the week, we partnered with a local church to put on a Vacation Bible School for the children, attend their revival services, and invite the church's neighbors to attend the revival as well.  A benefit of partnering with the local church was our ability to observe and interact with how the church functions, as well as observe the faith of the Haitian believers.  From our observation, the Haitian believers were much more visibly passionate and excited about their faith.  I think they are much more desperate for God, something we are lacking in the states.  As Americans, we have so many other things to find our comfort in, whether it be our busy schedules or all our 'stuff' that fills our homes.  Since we have so much, we often forget that we NEED God.  We have much to learn from our Haitian brothers and sisters.

Above you can see the outside of the church building where we put on the VBS and attended revival services.  Believe me, it is nothing fancy.  Concrete walls and tarps for a roof.  There were minimal decorations, no uniform seating, and even electricity was spotty.  But none of that mattered.  When the Haitians came to church, they were both emotionally excited and physically reverent.  With as little as they have, they put on their "Sunday best" and their focus was the worship of God.  Services would last for hours, and they would sing with passion and gusto.

One Haitian believer that had an impact on me was the man pictured in the photo above on the far right.  This man was at the church 45 minutes before the service began, on his knees, literally crying out to God in prayer.  He sang songs all on his own.  He begged and pleaded with God.  He yelled his prayers.  He visibly shook so much during his prayers that he was dripping sweat off of his face.  He thanked God over and over and over.  Even though I had no idea what he was saying, it was very clear that he had a deep, intimate relationship with his God.  He was desperate for Him.  He knew the power of prayer.

 

 (Vacation Bible School)

The last story Ill tell about the faith of the Haitians is about a man in our neighborhood.  As we were drifting in and out of sleep in the muggy 80 degree weather during our first night, we were awoken before the sun rose at 5:00 a.m. by a man walking the streets and shouting at the top of his lungs.  "Welcome to Haiti," we thought.  The next night, we slept much better, but were awoken before the sun rose by the same man, yelling at the top of his lungs.  This was getting aggravating.  We noticed that the man was saying the same thing each morning, so we asked our translator what he was saying.  Our translator explained that he was shouting, "Wake up!  It's time to get up and go to church to pray!  Wake up!  It's time to go to church and pray!"  

This man did this every day of the week.  As aggravating as it was, he was fulfilling a conviction he felt to call everyone in his neighborhood to start their day in prayer.  Could you imagine someone doing this in the states?!?!  What would you and your neighbors do if someone knocked on every door on your street at 5:00 telling everyone to wake up and pray!  I'm thinking a strangling is a strong possible outcome of that situation.

I want to be bold in how I live out my faith in my neighborhood.  I want to worship deeper.  I want to pray with passion.  I want to be more desperate for God.

We are grateful for our interaction with some of the Haitian believers, and come away encouraged and challenged in how we live out our faith as believers in America.