Jesus Loves the Little Children
After an early morning trip back down the mountain to get our two remaining team members--who made it here safely--we gathered for worship with the Haitian Youth Choir. We listened to them sing several songs. We prayed. I talked for a few minutes.
But then we decided to sing together a song that we both knew in our own languages--"Jesus Loves the Little Children" or "Jezi Renmen tout ti moun yo." And we decided to learn it in each other's languages. The Haitian choir director taught us the Kreyol, while Bryan Corbin taught the Haitian choir the English. And we thought it was such a special moment that we decided to share a video of it. You can find the video on Youtube. When you get to that site, type in: pastordonsteele. It should be the very first thing to pop up: SSPC and the Haiti Youth Choir.
Parents, you'll see your kids in this video. And Silver Spring knitters, you'll see the kids who are going to get those comfort dolls you made.
After singing this song, things got really wild, as we figured out that we all knew "This Little Light of Mine" in English--at least two verses. We began to add verses, and then we just started to rift on the chorus, going faster and faster and faster. The Spirit was really moving!
When you watch the video, you need to know that the children and teens you are seeing singing and smiling--they've all lost their homes in the quake. Some are living with other family whose houses are still standing. But many are living in tents. They've lost so much, so young. And one of the men standing in our circle narrowly escaped when his apartment building pancaked down on top of him. Throughout service, he had his head bowed, quiet. But he came alive as we sang together, and at the end of all the singing, he shouted out, "Jesus loves me!"
We come to places like Haiti, thinking we are the ones with things to share, and surely we do have things to share. But again and again, I find myself surprised by what I receive--a faith so strong. These are our brothers and sisters, and Jesus loves us all. And following Jesus, we have a part to play in trying to make things better here, not for our brothers and sisters, but alongside them.
