Ashley

Hi readers! My name is Ashley Hudson. I’m a senior at Northwestern University and loving being a part of Team 3! It’s hard to put into words all that I’m learning about God, myself and the people of Haiti so far but I’ll try!

First off, Haiti is beautiful. I love waking everyone morning to a clear blue sky and gray mountains that are not far from the complex where we live. It truly is a sight. God’s goodness is so evident in this place. He created this gorgeous, beautiful country for His glory, and one day it will be fully restored to that glory.

On Monday, our team went to an IDP (internally displaced person) camp to share the gospel and minister to the Haitians. Tents were organized in rows that seemed to go on and on, and we were told about 2,000 Haitians lived in the camp. My group of four got off the bus and began walking around the camp. The first woman we talked to showed us so much hospitality and love. The tent where she lived was smaller than my bedroom at home but she welcomed us in with open arms. She made room for us to sit down even though she only had one chair. All that she had was ours. I began sharing the gospel with her and she confirmed she had already put her faith in Jesus. Though her circumstances seemed grim, she had so much hope and kept talking about how thankful she was that we had come from the U.S. to minister to her. What joy this woman had. A joy that could only come from the Lord!

The last Haitians we got to talk to at the camp were so hungry for the gospel. More than any people I’ve ever talked to. Our translator (and amazing brother in Christ!) Jimmy talked to them for at least 20 minutes about some things that were holding them back from accepting Jesus into their lives. It turned out many had lost all their clothes in the earthquake and didn’t have anything nice to wear to church and no shoes. It struck me then that these people have such a reverence for God. People in America rarely are concerned about what they wear to church if they go at all. I know that God is not concerned with what we wear to church. He’s more concerned with the hearts of those who worship him. But these Haitians made it clear they understood that God is not like us. He is holy and set apart and worthy to be praised. I want the same high view of God that these Haitian believers have. Though it is easy to turn away from God when things are rough or uncomfortable, they are resolved to trust God. God is bigger than our circumstances and His love never fails.

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to seperate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:38-39