Buckle up with the Belt of Truth

I’m a horrible godmother.

I suck at Creole.

I’ll never get good at life in Haiti.

That’s what I wrote in my diary not long ago.

Below that I wrote a prayer begging God to help me fight these lies.  (How can you know something is a lie and believe it anyway?  Perhaps this paradox is one of Satan’s schemes to draw us away from God.)

As I prayed desperately for God to fight these lies for me, I was reminded of the armor of God.

Ephesians 6:10-14

Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes…Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist...

The belt of truth was what I needed to fight these lies, but I felt helpless to buckle it around my waist.  But I thought I’d better try.  After all, this is the armor of God.  It’s infinitely stronger than any scheme the devil can come up with.

I remembered what I used to tell my kindergartens every day when I was teaching in the states. “Repeat after me: My best is always good enough.  My best is ALWAYS good enough!”

My diary entry continued like this:

*I’m new at being a godmother.  Yes, I make mistakes and feel awkward sometimes, but I am the best godmother I can be, and my best is ALWAYS good enough.

*I’ve only been in Haiti for 10 months.  And for 10 months, I’m getting pretty good at Creole.  My Creole is the best I’ve got, and my best is ALWAYS good enough.

*Not only am I speaking a second language, I’m doing daily life in a completely different culture.  It’s hard, but it will get easier.  And in the meantime, I’m doing my best, and my best is ALWAYS good enough.

And most importantly, I AM ENOUGH.

There.  BAM.  Belt of Truth.

(Then I went on to write this on my mirror where it still reminds me every day to trust in God’s promise that I am enough.)

Rainy Day Reminders

     The last two days have been a pretty constant torrential downpour.  School was cancelled and most people aren’t even leaving the house.

     There have been a lot of problems because of the rain.  The internet has been down for over a day with no sign of being fixed anytime soon.  I’m out of propane with no way to get more.  No cooking, no baking, and no warm showers.

Last night as I was taking a freezing cold shower and longing for warm water, I thought of the students who live in Balan (the impoverished area around my school).  How many of them are showering in muddy water from the street right now?

This morning when I wanted to bake cookies for some friends but couldn’t because my house needs propane, I thought of my goddaughter’s house.  I remember watching Miverdine’s 12-year-old brother climbing to the roof to string up a tarp to keep the rain from leaking onto the family’s one bed.  And that was weeks ago, after only a small rain.  What kind of shape is their house in now, after 12 inches of pouring rain?

And now, as I sit in my safe, dry house writing this blog post, I think of the way my American neighbor had to use a kayak to get her Haitian friend out of a completely flooded house.

So what’s the conclusion of this blog post?  That I’m a selfish American for caring about things like propane?  Is it wrong to be frustrated because I can’t work due to lack of internet?

No.

The only point I want to make is this:

Don’t take things like power, internet, clean water to shower in, a safe house, or a dry bed for granted.  Not everybody is blessed with those things.

So as you read this post on the internet, and as you take a relaxing shower, and as you lock your front door and then slip into your warm, dry bed, say a prayer for the kids in Balan.  For my goddaughter and her family.  For so many others whose lives are turned upside down by a single rainstorm.