Every single time I think I got it...that I have a handle on the way forward...that I know what needs to be done to achieve the next goal or hit the milestone that is next in line, not only am I not right, I'm not even thinking right.
Let me tell you how this works.
By the way, isn't that the cutest baby you've every seen? When it comes to this stuff she's smarter than me and certainly wiser.
See, she doesn't think like an American in a different country. You know the old "this is what we need to do, and we need to get this moved, and then we can create that, and then it'll be just what I think you need!"
Nope, she thinks like a Haitian and, let me tell ya, Haitians think super smart! Smarter than any foreigner. Haitians know what is needed and how to move ahead. Their plans might not (you should read that as never will) align with what we Americans think, but they are never wrong about what is best for Haiti.
Case in point. We've been wrestling with next steps on a building for the community to gather, for extracurricular instruction, mentoring, a place for free WiFi and to charge your phone, maybe some cool drinks, and plenty of comfortable chairs to come together for fellowship, worship, learning, growing.
We walked away from a place we found that could have been good but we eventually determined it was too far from the center of the neighborhood we serve. So, I figured we'd find another one, probably a bit smaller, closer to where it needed to be.
I prepared to travel to Haiti, brought a tape measure, grid paper, a fancy camera, and a certainty that my idea of what we wanted was exactly what the neighborhood needed.
See that little girl above? She's laughing at me.
The people she knows who live in her neighborhood (ok, it's her parents) had their own idea. I was floored when they proposed it to me and am still stunned a few weeks later. It's a different approach. It's a little more money initially but over the long term it's actually less money and it's a real investment in the community. It's exciting and we'll be talking about it a lot more in the coming weeks and months.
And it's exactly what is needed. Because Haitians know best about what is needed in Haiti.
When I got home I was asked "how was the trip to Haiti?" My answer was and likely will continue to be for every trip for some time "it was nothing I thought it would be -- and that was the best part!"