When we visit Haiti, we join the English class; we speak English with the students, we challenge them, we speak Kreyol with them, they laugh at our Kreyol pronunciation and we encourage them to make mistakes in their English pronunciation.
Most of all, over the last 18 months, we got to know them personally. We know their names. We know their faces. We know about their lives, their hopes, dreams and struggles.
When trying to consider the way I’d describe our first graduation day, there were so many thoughts, insights and of course emotions to share. In trying to think of a coherent way to express what happened during our time with the students, all I could think of was how blessed we are know them and what a miracle that really is – we know them.
Consider a few things – we live 3500 miles apart, speak a different language, are generationally separated (they are teens and young adults , have a different socioeconomic status, and have different cultural backgrounds. To think these things would bring people together is unimaginable. The magnitude of these differences usually guarantees people will never even meet, much less come to know one another.
It seems today differences are a way to divide and create animosity between people. It is rare that differences are a catalyst for us to realize something more important, we all matter to God.
This group of students worked on their own time to learn English, it is an extra-curricular activity for them and takes place on Saturday and Sunday. The community in which they live is an economically depressed (even by Haitian standards) community and English language classes are not within reach. We do not know of any within walking distance of the neighborhood and none of them are free of charge to the student. Additionally, they have limited access to ANYONE that speaks English, making the learning process an even bigger challenge. The determination and commitment to learning in these students is remarkable.
It was a privilege to speak to these students (and kids in the neighborhood) in Kreyol and in English, to encourage them to keep working hard, to congratulate them in their accomplishments, to remind them that they are an example to their neighbors of what is possible. Most importantly, I had the opportunity to tell them in their native language that God sees them, and loves them and has a purpose for their life.
God has a better plan for the foundation of our relationships – it is greater than bonds of biological family, skin color, national origin, political affiliation, age or economic status. The foundation of meaningful relationships is recognizing we all matter to God, he made each of us and he makes no mistakes. We are here for a purpose and that purpose is not ourselves. We are the same.