I am sad to report that our trip to Port-au-Prince did not
yield the visas we had hoped for. Ruysdael, Johnny and Mikken were disappointed
by the results, but they remain optimistic about the future and PATIENT in the present. They know that sometimes God answers our
prayers with a “Yes”, sometimes with a “No” and often with a “Not Yet”. We are
hoping this is simply a “Not Yet” and we trust the Lord’s timing.
That’s not to say we aren’t frustrated. We took the 2 am bus
to Port early Friday and it was BRUTAL. But we made it into town in plenty of
time to reach the embassy. Outside the embassy, some dishonest men tried to
scam us out of $60, telling us we needed to complete a step on-line before our
appointment. We did not believe them and saved our money. At the front door of
the embassy, I was told I could accompany my three friends to the interview but
when we actually headed to the door, I was stopped and prohibited from joining
them. I sat outside and prayed.
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| A selfie outside of the embassy - I'm praying, eating cashews and looking irritated... |
The biggest frustration, though, was the sole reason
Ruysdael, Johnny and Mikken are forbidden from entering the States: the U.S.
government distrusts their desire only to visit the U.S. for a few weeks and
then gladly return to Haiti. These three young men are followers of Christ and
as honest as they come. The embassy official did not know them; if she did, she
would have had no hesitation in granting the visas.
These three young men had two hopes in visiting the U.S.:
1)
To raise funds for continued construction at
Cowman
2)
To visit FRIENDS
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| Lunch from a local "restaurant" - rice and bean sauce with okra and a bit of beef. |
They do not care about walking through giant grocery stores,
eating at fancy restaurants, or riding a roller coaster. It’s not about driving
on smooth roads, gazing up at skyscrapers, or visiting a zoo. They have FRIENDS
in Iowa and Indiana and Pennsylvania and elsewhere and they would love the
opportunity to visit those friends in their homes. It’s all about
relationships.
The four of us spent the night in Port-au-Prince at Mikken’s
cousin’s apartment before catching a bus back to Cap Haitien the next day. That
evening we sat out on the street and chatted through the sunset. At one point,
Johnny said, “I don’t really like Port-au-Prince.”
“Oh, yeah?” I responded. “Why is that?”
“Too many people. And they are people I DON’T KNOW.”
It’s all about relationships with these guys. And we serve a
God who also happens to be “all about the relationships”. I feel pretty
confident that someday these three will get to visit their friends in the U.S. (and
make some new ones there while they are at it, undoubtedly). We will continue to pray, and
seek, and wait for God’s timing.
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| A bit down, but far from out. |
Until then, if you want to meet Ruysdael, Mikken and Johnny
(and you really ought to!), you’ll have to come to Haiti to do it. And that’s
not such a bad thing…
P.S. We need to give a big shout out and huge Thank You to Phil and Connie Dicks and all the wonderful folks at Grundy Center United Methodist Church for your generosity and efforts toward getting us to the appointment in Port-au-Prince. You all are the best!
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| Perfect hair takes a lot of effort, especially when the power is out. I thought we were going to be late for the bus back to Cap Haitian! |
P.S. We need to give a big shout out and huge Thank You to Phil and Connie Dicks and all the wonderful folks at Grundy Center United Methodist Church for your generosity and efforts toward getting us to the appointment in Port-au-Prince. You all are the best!
