Do They Know You By Name

Matthew 25:40 "The King will reply, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."

Today we went to an IDP camp. It was one of the most amazing and overwhelming days as I felt the Lord speak to me in ways that I have never felt before. As soon as we entered into the camp, the Haitians started running after the "tap tap" with huge smiles on their faces thinking we had food to give them. It was really hard to watch them keep running after us as we kept driving. When we got off the tap tap more Haitians started gathering around us. We had nothing to give them, all we were there for was to tour the camp and hike up the mountain. As soon as we started hiking, some of the kids and families joined us. This one little boy walked his bike all the way up. I waited for this little girl that was following me to catch up to me. She got the biggest smile on her face when I reached out my hand for her to hold and starting walking with her. As I was getting higher up, holding this little girls hand while looking down at thousands of tents, I just became in awe at what the Lord had called me to experience.
When we got to the top, Aaron shared with us an amazing message about when we interact with the Haitians and the poor, we are interacting with Jesus. It was a beautiful moment as we were looking down at such poverty but at the same time learning about Gods love and His heart for the poor. I felt God presence in an amazing way.

Matthew 25:40 really spoke to my heart and made me realize that we have an opportunity to meet Jesus when we meet and care for the least of these. When we are doing something for them, we are doing something for Jesus as well. Ive learned that we all need eachother. They need our help, but we need them for us to learn about who Jesus is. Seeing the brokeness of Haiti and interacting with the poor is showing me the brokeness in my own life and within myself. We are all impoverished in some way. Being here has made me have a stronger desire for Jesus and has shown me that whether your rich or poor, we all need Him.
God promises us that there will be suffering, but He also promises us that He will always be with us. I was holding the little girls hand again on the way down the mountain and I noticed that her shoes were about 2 sizes too small. They only covered the front part of her foot. I was really sad but I was also comforted when I reminded myself of the promise God gives us. I feel helpless most of the time here. There is so much to do and so much to fix. Today we were challenged with the question, "How do you help?" What does it really look like to have a heart for the poor and invest in their lives? Relationship is the most powerful and fulfilling thing God gives us. Theres more than just giving a hug and passing out rice and beans. The best way we can restore what is broken is through relationship. Are we really going to care enough for the poor to actually build relationships with them and have them know us by name.

Luke 10:27 "Love the Lord your God with all of your strength and with all your mind, and Love your neighbor as yourself."