July 9- Time for goodbyes

Hello! I’m Lissy Muchler, and I’m going to be a junior at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP). I’m writing this on Friday, July 9th.

So our time here in Haiti is wrapping up, and today was the sad day that we had to say goodbye to our dear Haitian student friends. I was not looking forward to saying goodbye the whole day, and tears were definitely flowing when we gave final hugs all around. When we were saying goodbye and when Jimmy and some of the gang sang one last song for us, God showed me His heart in that moment. It was an emotional time for me because on one hand, I was heartbroken to say goodbye to my wonderful new friends…but on the other hand, I realized all God has shown me through these students here in Haiti.

I have never been on a missions trip where such close relationships are built and where ministry is done literally side by side everyday with the native people. It was absolutely amazing to have the opportunity to see these Haitian students not as our translators when we evangelized at the IDP camps, but as our brothers and sisters sharing the Truth and love of Christ together with us. I realized that I will have these friendships in my life for an eternity, and even if I don’t see them again on Earth, we will get to worship our Holy God together in Heaven someday. How awesome is that!

God has really brought me comfort by showing me His Kingdom and Christian leadership already in place here in Haiti through these students. I am positive that I have learned more from my brothers and sisters here than I have taught and how awesome and humbling that is! The community and unity of the body I’ve experienced here in Haiti with Haitian and American students alike will impact me forever. The bond between believers, no matter from what culture, is truly captivating. God is already here in Haiti and is working in and through these students’ lives…and I have been so blessed to have had the privilege and honor of getting to work alongside them in God’s huge and perfect plan for this beautiful nation.