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Why do I go? Once Jesus was asked "Master, what is the greatest commandment?" And he replied: "This is the greatest commandment; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind, and a second is like unto it; you shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and all the prophets." The first time I went to Haiti I went because I believed that in doing so I was honoring the second clause of that commandment, seeking to love my neighbor as myself. Now, each successive time I go, it is as a means of living out the first clause, as an act of loving God. For me the truth about the Haiti medical mission trips is that what I gain from the pilgrimages is more than what I give. I gain a sense of my mortality, and a heightened awareness of the presence of God. I gain a sense of our common humanity, and a heightened awareness of the precious nature of every living thing to God. I gain a sense of the abundance with which Americans have been blessed, and a heightened awareness of that which we lack. I gain a small chance to help others, and a heightened awareness of how richly I have been blessed. I gain a chance to make a small contribution as a pastor to a critically, important team, and a heightened awareness of how much I gain from the team. I gain a sense of the oppression of extreme poverty, and a heightened awareness of the sovereign power of love. I went to Haiti as a means of helping others; now I return as a means of nurturing my faith and learning about God. Jesus said "Love your neighbor as you love yourself." The pilgrimages to Haiti are truly a profound means of doing both. -- Rev. John T. DeBevoise |
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