maggie younker

Really, a more appropriate title for this post might be “organized chaos” or maybe even “completely chaotic with a nice attempt at organization.” Whatever you might call the activities we were a part of over the past couple days, you would without a doubt have to describe it as an absolute blast.

This past week was a national holiday in Haiti called Carnival. We wanted to put on our own carnival or retreat for kids, teens, and twenty somethings in our community. We started with a talent show on Sunday followed by two full days of games, skits, crafts, singing, dancing, music, and food. We wanted to create something for them, in a world where there aren’t a lot of people cheering them on or communicating how valued they are. These kids work hard. They spend the day at school, then go home to cook dinner, hand wash their clothes, carry clean water home, take care of their siblings and so much more. These three days gave almost 200 kids a chance to laugh uncrontrollably, be crazy, get picked up and tossed around, play, sing, and be loved.

This lovely product in Haiti has been the cause of both confusion and laughter. Maggi (nope, not a typo) is an ingredient used when cooking. Using “Maggi cubes” in your sauce or chicken or soup will add flavor and make it taste better.

Confusing? Yes. When I first got here and had just started meeting everyone on staff, Katie who coordinates all our meals for us was talking with Eliana and Jolina–two Haitian women who work in the kitchen. “You know Maggie, right?” Katie asked them. Picking up a cube, they looked at her as if to say, “Duh, we use this stuff all the time.”

The kids in Chambrun, the village just down the road, think it is the funniest thing that my name is also a cooking ingredient. When the mention of my name is followed by giggles, I’m not quite sure if it’s endearing or if they’re just making fun of me. Maybe it’s both.

This is the warehouse on campus where I’ve been spending most of my days for the past four weeks. (Whoa. I’ve been here for four weeks already?) It is full of medical supplies, food for distribution, emergency relief supplies, school supplies, clothing, Creole Bibles, tools, paint, and much more. We also have thirteen shipping containers sitting outside the warehouse that we use to store more food, construction material, hospital equipment since the hospital is still under construction, tents, cots, shoes, and more.

I’ve been working with Brandon, Jordan, and Faince to clean up and organize this warehouse. Brandon is from Indiana and is our missions team coordinator. Jordan is from North Carolina and will be interning here for six months as well. And Faince is from Haiti and is on staff with NVM as the warehouse manager.

I worked in the office at my dad’s warehouse for six months before I came here. Jordan has warehouse experience as well. Brandon and I both have a degree in Industrial Engineering, and our minds are working out ideas for a good inventory management system. I had no idea that I would be working in a warehouse before I got here. Good thing I already knew how to drive a fork lift–thanks Dad! The other day some guys from another ministry came to pick up ten pallets of food. As I jumped on the fork lift to load it into their truck, they all looked at me like, “What does this little white girl think she’s doing?” I was slightly intimidated, but they were great and super helpful.

We’ve been working really hard over the past month to get this warehouse into shape.

This is what it looked like before:

This is what it looks like today:

We still have a long way to go. But we are so excited to help NVM continue to be a great steward of donations and resources.

“God is glorified not only by His glory’s being seen, but by its being rejoiced in.”

Jonathan Edwards

Every Wednesday morning for the next three months, I’ll be spending time with some incredible women. Campus Crusade has a campus ministry here in Port-au-Prince that meets on Saturdays, and I was able to get to know some of the students who are a part of this ministry on my first trip to Haiti. They are a major reason why I fell in love with this country. A few days after I arrived for this internship I heard about a Bible study with some of the women who are student leaders in this ministry, and my immediate response was “Count me in!”

We are led by my friends Brodie and Regine. Brodie is an American who has been doing campus ministry in Providence, RI, with Cru for about nine years. She’s here working as Pastor Pierre’s assistant for eight months. Regine is Haitian and has been working for Cru as an accountant but recently joined full time staff to do student ministry in Port-au-Prince. They are both amazing women who love the Lord and want to see students love Jesus well.

I am so looking forward to this time with these girls. Our focus is the gospel– how do we live it and share it, how do we use our gifts, how do we lead like Jesus. We met for the first time yesterday morning, and I am so excited! These girls and I come from two completely different places on this planet. The things that we have experienced, or seen, or grown up with are probably not very similar. We look different. We speak different languages. But we are women who love Jesus and are meeting together on Wednesday mornings to know our God better.

So if it’s Wednesday from 9-11am and you find yourself with some time, we would love and appreciate your prayers.

I am absolutely fascinated with feet here. I can’t stop looking at and noticing people’s feet. Dirty, dusty, rough, calloused feet. Tiny feet. Big feet. (Ok honestly I haven’t seen too many Haitians with big feet… I just needed a parallel to “tiny feet.”) Tough, leathery-skinned feet. Feet that go unprotected from rocks and thorns. Feet that look like they have walked through miles and miles of hurt. I can’t get in my bed unless I have clean feet. These families live in mud huts with dirt floors. There’s no way a child could keep his feet clean even if he immediately went from the bowl of water he washed with straight to his bed.

This has completely revolutionized the image in my mind of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet.

“Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.” John 13:3-5

Jesus. Knowing he had come from God. And was going back to God.

The One, who has everything in subjection under his feet.

Humbled himself.

I can’t stop thinking about it. Thanks to the feet of this beautiful place.

With each day that goes by it has set in more and more that this is where I live now. I live in Haiti. And I am more than thrilled to be here. I feel privileged and honored to be in this country and to be a part of this ministry.

It was pretty surreal sitting on the runway leaving Atlanta. I had been talking about this day, this moment, this adventure for months, and it was all happening. The best word I think I can use to wrap around what I was feeling is peace. That word came up in a conversation with my mentor, and it had been floating around in my head in the days leading up to my departure. And as I was sitting on the plane I was overwhelmed with it. The Prince of Peace lives in me, and the peace of Christ rules in my heart (Colossians 3:15). “For God is not a God of confusion but of peace” 1 Corinthians 14:33. What an amazing truth for me to hold on to and for this country to hold on to.

The team that God has placed here is the absolute best, and it is amazing what has happened here in the last few years. This ministry has just exploded. Last Thursday was the 2nd anniversary of the earthquake. We had a service at church to remember those lost and to celebrate the life we have and the faithfulness of God. It was a beautiful thing to be a part of it. Can I just tell you that Haitians love to sing! With all their hearts they sing praises to their Maker. It’s strange to think that I probably wouldn’t be here if the earthquake hadn’t happened. And a lot of what has happened at NVM came about so quickly because of the response after the earthquake. The vision that Pastor Pierre had for this place is happening now, not 10 years from now. So many people have invested in and poured resources into Pastor Pierre and his ministry, and this community has truly changed because of him and his team. This weekend we have been celebrating the 3rd anniversary of the church and all that God has done. Again I’ll say that I am privileged to be a part of it. This morning we worshiped our Father together for almost four hours. I didn’t catch every word that was said, but it was clear that our God is faithful and He is on our side.

I believe this week has set a great tone for what is to come. I have had joyful reunions with Haitian friends I met on past trips. I have made great new friends that I look forward to getting to know. There have been hilarious moments that would only happen in Haiti. I have killed more than a few bugs. And I have laughed so much. I am really looking forward to this.

Thank you. All it took was 40 days. I wasn’t exactly looking forward to the whole support raising process at first. But the Lord took something that I was dreading and turned it into a moment where He could be the One who is able to do immeasurably more than I could ask or imagine. (Ephesians 3:20)

What I imagined was that at the last minute my parents and I would be paying for whatever I had left to raise, and honestly I imagined that number to be large. Instead, in just 40 days God has provided over $6700. More than enough.

So thank you to all of you who are behind me. Thank you friends, family, sorority sisters, teammates from past trips to Haiti, complete strangers,  church family, and coworkers. Thank you for your prayers. And thank you for giving.

God has been abundantly good in this time. I cannot wait to see what will happen in the next six months.

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G-chat is one of the best distractions from productivity. I usually opt for being “Invisible” so as to avoid interruption. But sometimes I’m feeling like having my attention averted.  Today one of my g-chat conversations was short but challenging. A good friend and I were talking about vision, and he told me to ask myself, “What exactly is my vision?”

I daydream about Haiti all the time. I’ve been before, so it’s not hard to do. But what is my purpose? What is the reason? What do I hope to do or see?

My role from January to June 2012 will be “Intern” for Nehemiah Vision Ministries. But that is the extent of my job description.

The things I dream about and pray about, and the things God has undeniably put in my heart have led me to believe that my vision is this: investing in, connecting with, and lifting up Haitian college students, loving children, equipping families to be successful in their communities, and making Nehemiah Vision Ministries a better organization.

I can’t wait to see how the Lord will bring this together, shifting it and shaping it to look more like the vision He has for me.