The Protocol
1. Get permission to come on property
2. Ask the survey questions
3. Give medical attention if there is a medic present
4. Pass out supplies
5. Pray

Changing The Protocol
One year God convicted me to change the protocol Now my protocol is
1. Get permission to come on the property
2. Immediately pass out supplies, asking them if I can give them some rice and beans and clothes on behalf of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I tell them that I have not gold or silver but what I have I want to in the name of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, give freely.
3. Give medical attention if there is a medic present
4. Ask the survey questions
5. Pray

From past food bank experiences in America I never liked it when the church folks made the homeless listen to a long boring sermon before they would feed them I learned during those American experiences that the people can't hear when their stomachs are so loud with hunger.

Feed the people first…it's a God thang


Two Bibles
One year God provided Bibles for us to pass out during home visits. I was ecstatic! That year we also had an African American man who was on his first ever mission trip. I was ecstatic! On home visits we divide into teams. We divided into 3 teams of 4. My African America brother and I were on different teams. I was ecstatic!

“Please suh, may I have another Bible for my wife who is at the market?” The Haitian husband asked the male African American Missionary.

The male African American's Missionary team had run out of Bibles. The African American Missionary said to the Haitian husband, brother to brother, man to man, “I will get you another Bible.” The other European American Missionaries overheard the request and the African American Missionary's response.

“No! One Bible per family.” Said the White Missionary.

When my team joined the other teams at the truck in order to return to the compound, the African American missionary pulled me aside. He explained to me the situation and expressed his deep pain because he had given his word, “brother to brother, man to man.” The third team of missionaries joined us at the truck. They had some Bibles they did not get to distribute. I grabbed one of the extra Bibles and began to walk back up the path accompanied by my missionary soul brother. One of the other missionaries admonished us.

“If we give out more than one Bible to a family then we won't have enough to go around.”

Something about the tone of voice hit my spiritual nerve. I turned with the wrath of Jesus in the Temple.

“How many Bibles do you have at your home in America? I'm only guessing, but I am embarrassed to say, I'm sure I have at least 12 and I for sure have not read the Bible 12 times through. And I'm ashamed to say I've barely even read one of them from cover to cover.”

I proceeded up the hill with my brother of color who was also my dear brother in Christ . Off we went to the very gracious and beholding man who just wanted a Bible for his wife. I can still hear more than 4 years later his “merci” (thank you) ringing in my ears and see the crinkle of love for his wife in the corners of his eyes.

When we returned to the truck, one of the missionaries hissed, “How do you know that he isn't just going to sell the other Bible for money?”

I didn't think to pray. Forgive me Jesus, I pounded my fist in the palm of my hand. I hissed back, “Then he, his wife and his family will eat!”

Help me Jesus, I need prayer.


Happy Haitian Homes
I helped build a Happy Haitian Home. Upon the completion of the home I asked if we ever went back to pray with and visit the families after we built their homes. I was told that we usually do one follow up visit 6 months to a year later to check on the construction.

“So we document the status of the building but we don't document the well-being of the family for which the building was built?”

No response.

I decided to tag along for one of the annual revisit inspections. We knocked on the door of one of our Happy Haitian Homes from the past. Only the houses in the mountains that we Americans build have the luxury of a door. After what seemed like a long while the residents came out and stood in front of the house. I wondered how often they had visitors who came and knocked on their door. The missionary inspectors snapped pictures. Strangely the Happy Haitian home owners looked just like the same starving and famished family that stood in front of their original lean-to home made of sticks and mud and banana leaves.

To my naïve amazement, concrete floors, American walls and a permanent weather proof roof do not a Happy Haitian make.

Happy Haitian Hearts
Not only are they famished for food
But they are starving for the joy of Jesus
We bring physical construction
But we neglect the spiritual resurrection
We are building homes without a foundation of hope
We have all the supplies we need
But the wrong parts
We are lacking the materials that matter.
We sweat hard and I worry that
The new houses we build will never become homes
For lack of biblical instruction
And the tools for constructing
Happy Haitian souls
That turn into
Happy Haitian Hearts
That reside in
Happy Haitian homes.


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