Breezy answered the call to becoming a missionary last October. She graduated Impact 195, now known as Rock School of Ministry, a year before; making her decision to live in Jérémie, Haiti for a year-long internship. Breezy has helped the Haiti team execute an Impact school there in Haiti, lived at the Hopestart property with a group of Haitian children and their caretakers. She loves teaching English to the children and is obedient to where God has her in her life right now.
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The devastation was insurmountable. Tr
ees pulled up from their roots, houses flattened, church buildings destroyed. Thousands of people left without shelter, in desperate need of help. This was the situation in Jérémie on October 4th, in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew.
I’ll never forget the heart-piercing screams of that terrified mother. She was clinging to her small baby and young son while trying to navigate through the 100 mph winds and rain of Hurricane Matthew. Forced to flee their home after Matthew tore the roof off their house, they were desperately trying to find new shelter. Adrenaline pumping and heart racing, I urgently made my way into the storm—I needed to help them. Large fragments of sheet metal and others debris flew by us at deadly speeds, but those objects could not touch us, for God’s hand of protection was upon us. Although she was still crying and very much afraid, I could sense the relief of this mom of two as the stranger in a yellow raincoat approached. I embraced them closely, shielding them from any debris that might come our way. I was holding them and Jesus was holding us, and He brought us safely to one of His designated sanctuaries—my concrete-built home.
Over the next several minutes, more people left their vulnerable homes to find shelter. Some would go to the small school house next door, others would come to my house. By the time the last person came in, there were over 30 people tightly nestled in my small living room. Shocked, wet, confused, but safe.
My gates remained on the ground and my doors remained open. If anyone needed a place to sleep, a shower, or a drink of water, they could find one in my home. “My house is your house, I am here to serve you,” was my response to those who offered thanks for the kindness shown them. The reality was that God had blessed me beyond measure by allowing me to love and serve these people. I will be forever grateful for that opportunity.
The remainder of October was spent coordinating and providing relief to the many displaced people around Jérémie and the nearby villages. I saw the love of Christ beautifully displayed through the selfless efforts of my teammates Lindsay, Melissa, and Aaron and our ENPAK195 disciples as they worked side-by-side to get much-needed aid into the hands of the people. Though many of their own homes were without a roof, our disciples spent long hours in the hot sun, enduring hunger pains and thirst, to love and serve their fellow Haitians.
As international aid and relief workers continued to pour in, our focus shifted. We would not rest until every one of our disciples had a roof over their head. Our classroom was destroyed, but the teaching soared to new heights. One-at-a-time, our disciples worked to rebuild each other’s roofs, learning new physical skills and timeless spiritual lessons along the way. The Body of Christ provided the building materials, our team provided the leadership, our disciples provided their hearts, and the Spirit provided the growth—a beautiful harmony of God’s people working together to change lives.
As we approached the end of November, our disciples had endured one of the most devastating natural disasters to ever hit Jérémie. In these two months, God taught them more than a lifetime of classroom teachings ever could. On the 3rd of December, these 18 battle-hardened soldiers graduated from ENPAK195 and were commissioned to “go and make disciples” (Matthew 28:19).
