Hope from Haiti

When I met him for the first time he was surrounded by displaced people living in tents amid the ruins caused by the earthquake which hit Haiti in2010. Then the 72-year-old pastor led a prayer service after thanking us for the new camp-toilets which were placed with funds received from Alliance people. Under dreary circumstances, his eyes twinkled full of hope.
Last week I visited Haiti again. Eighteen months have passed and I meet the same pastor, who is now 74. He invites me to take a look at the new church building. Well, building ....  All I see is a foundation and some layers of bricks. But he and his wife see what it will become. With enthusiasm they tell how the building will be used by the congregation. Being Dutch I ask: "Do you have funds to finish it?" He answers: "No, but we still have some cement and we rely on God", and his wife says: "Amen!". When we say goodbye, his eyes twinkle with hope again.
Back in Europe, the newspapers report about the euro crisis and the unemployment-rate. Serious problems, certainly. But I came back with hope, from Haiti. I was inspired by an older couple that focuses optimistically on the future, because they trust in Go.