Meet Reuben
Hi! My name is Stephanie Buckmaster and I am junior nursing student at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. I have been putting off writing a blog for awhile now although God has taught me so much and there are so many things I want to share with you all. It wasn’t until
tonight as we were worshipping on the roof that everything I have been experiencing and all God has been showing me finally caught up to me and hurt my heart more than anything I’ve ever experienced.
Yesterday was our fourth time traveling to the camps where those who lost their homes in the earthquake are staying (IDP camps). Each time to the camps has been an interesting and gripping experience, for me yesterday was the hardest. The tents that these people are living in aren’t real tents- they are cloth covering a wooden frame. Inside every tent that I saw yesterday was nothing but a blanket laid on the dirt floor- no bed, no extra clothes, no food. We had the opportunity to go tent-to-tent to share the gospel and pray for people and then afterwards pass out care packages filled with food, hygiene products, and a few other miscellaneous items. Everyone was so welcoming and happy to have us pray over them. One thing that really hurt my heart to see/hear was that not only did these people not have a home or a decent shelter, most of them were sick, others pregnant.
I had been able to keep a strong front, to keep my emotions in check until I met a 17-year-old boy named Reuben. My friends Ali, Jenne, and I talked with him and he said that he loved the Lord. He lived in one half of an already tiny tent, by himself. He didn’t say what happened to his parents, except that he was alone. I asked how I could pray for him, and he asked that I just pray for his living situation. We bowed our heads, and then all of a sudden tears just flooded down my face and I couldn’t choke out a single word, so Ali prayed. Later after we had passed out food, I saw him in the crowd. He did not have 25 cents to buy a ticket that is necessary to have in order to receive a bag that we were passing out. I heard him go up to one of our team leaders, and say in broken english “I’m so hungry”. There was nothing left to give him and the leader apologized. I turned my head and cried.
Tonight God showed me why His heart was broken for Reuben. While most 17-year-olds are having a fun summer with their friends, thinking about colleges, getting a tan, or what new “toy” they can buy with their pay check, Reuben is alone and scared, hungry and broken. He owns nothing but a small blanket. He doesn’t have any money to buy food or even to get a ticket so that he can get the “free” food provided.
I write this blog for a few reasons. 1. I ask that you please pray for Reuben and others like him. There are tens of thousands like him here in Haiti. Also pray for those in charge of the camps and distribution to think of a better system for distrubuting the bags (it’s been chaotic and confusing). 2. As Ali encouraged me last night, I want to encourage you- no matter where you are or what you are going through- there is hope in the Lord! He is with you and will take care of you. Amanda pointed this verse out to us earlier this week, and I have clung to it and hope you will to- “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”- Exodus 14:14. So friends, tonight take the time to cast your cares on the Lord and be still before Him. The same God who weeps over Reuben and fights his battle, will do the same for you! Let Him fight for you, and be blessed!!
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