Zanmi
Two months from today I have the privilege of heading back
to Haiti with the amazing ministry of Healing Haiti! Last years experience has changed my life, my faith, and my
heart in so many ways. I can’t
even imagine what God has in store for this trip.
Last year our blog title was…”EP Mom’s and Son’s” as our
trip was made up of 4 mom/son teams, team leaders, and some last minute Healing
Haiti additions. This year
God has been in charge of the team make up and has put together a totally
different and unique team. We have
a few EP mom’s, some EP boys (one who is now from Albuquerque), an EP daughter,
some Minnetonka moms, a few Minnetonka daughters, and a mom from Brooklyn
Park. Whew!
It became obvious; our blog needed a new name! Years ago, when I first met
Alyn and Jeff, Alyn made some friendship bracelet kits for our Sunday School
children to make and send to the kids in Haiti. On the bracelet was a charm with the word “Zanmi” which means friend in
Kreyol. I came a across one
of these kits the other day and decided it was the perfect name for our team
blog. Here’s why:
1.
On our trip last year, one of the boys (Jacob)
used the word friendship for his
“word of the day”. He shared how
amazing it was that at every turn on our trip you made an immediate new
friend. The kids at the orphanages
were so glad to see you, the water truck stops were filled with new best
buddies, the Haitian staff became your friends, and the kids near the guest
house waited, looking for their new friends (us) to return home every
afternoon. Haiti was full of
beautiful new friends that touched our hearts immediately!
2.
When people ask me what I am looking forward to
most on this trip, my answer is that I am looking forward to “what I have no idea will occur”. What I mean by that is, the things that
happened on our last trip that were the most powerful and meaningful were not
things we planned for, or thought about, or expected….the most meaningful
things were the ones that God planned and placed in our path or people we met
that we had never even thought of before.
I am so excited to see what he will do with the friendships within our team (since many of us do not know
one another well) and what He will do with the friendships
we make along the way.
3.
Finally, there is no way to go on this trip and
not grow in your friendship with
the Lord. He is the one right by
your side the whole time giving you strength, helping to make meaning of what
you see, giving you His eyes, His hands and His feet to carry out the plan He
has placed before you. How blessed
are we to come along side God and join Him in serving.
So dear Zanmi’s…thank you for joining in this journey and
following our trip! How blessed
are we all to have the beautiful gift of friendships to share this journey of
life!
~Marijo Ose
~Marijo Ose
