Picot 2013; More Than Choir Robes

Going to Picot is always like going home.  I wasn’t even in the country two weeks before I headed out to Picot with the team for the first time in 2009.  Then in the fall of 2009 I did a two week language emersion study in Picot.  So I’ve spent a lot of time there and every time I visit, it’s always a special time.  It is no different for the folks from Trinity Bible Church. They’ve been a Sister Church for over 20 years, and Pastor Calixte and his wife have visited Trinity Bible Church as well.  So when the two churches reunite, its always a special time. 
This year was no different.
When the Trinity Bible Team arrived in Picot, there was excitement in the air.  Team members could hardly wait for the trucks to stop rolling so they could get out and go hug their family!  And as the sound of the trucks were heard as they pulled into the yard, the Picot folks poured out of the building also anxious to reunite with their loved ones.  “I’ve been praying for you since last year!”, they exclaimed to one another over and over again.  It was a beautiful sight; especially because I knew it was true.  They HAD been thinking about, longing to see, and praying for one another since last year. 
Once the dust settled and the excitement of the arrival subdued, the team had something special they wanted to present the church.  They had ask Pastor to make sure all the choir members were present, because they had something special to give them.  Excitement buzzed as the team called the choir members up one at a time and presented them with a robe.  Each robe had been measured to fit the individual and had been marked inside with their name (they had gotten measurements from pastor a head of time).  They might as well has just been given gold.  The choir members were beyond excited.  Once all the robes had been distributed the choir gathered at the front of the church and sang for the team.  There were tears in the eyes of many of the team members as they began to realize just what a special gift they had given the Picot Church. Pastor Calixte shared with the team that the Annual MEBSH Convention was coming up in a few weeks and their choir was scheduled to sing at the opening service.  It was important for them to have some kind of robe or uniform and since they didn’t have their own, they would need to rent.  But they really didn’t have money to rent robes for everyone so they weren’t sure what they were going to do.  “But”, Pastor said, “We signed up for singing at the Convention, regardless, and trusted God would provide.”
Indeed he did provide!
The team was a mix of returning members as well as some who had never been.  One of the team members had flown all the way from Liberia to join the team.  He is a member of Trinity Bible but spends much of his time Liberia overseeing a ministry he started to help those in Liberia suffering in some of the same ways he had, himself having grown up in Liberia.  His parents had practiced voodoo.  He had grown up hungry and with no education.  He was a victim of the Civil War, had been captured by the Militia, rescued and put into a Refugee Camp, which is where he met Christ as his savior.  Sunday morning, Eric shared his testimony of suffering and rescue and it resonated in the hearts of many who heard it as it helped them to realize that its not just Haitians who experience suffering, but that it exists all over the world. 
The rest of the week was busy.  Busy with meetings, and church services, and visits to shut-ins among other things.   The ladies on the team met with a representative from the Domestic Center (located in Cayes) along with the Picot Ladies Leadership team to discuss the possibility of a partnership.  Team members (and spouses) Marie and Ralph, both long time educators themselves, met with the teachers at the Picot school to learn more about their needs and to find ways they could come along side the teachers and support them.  There was an open air service, a kids meeting, a men's meeting, a ladies meeting, a deacons meeting, and a satellite church visit.  On Wednesday before leaving the team visited with some of the churches widows and shut-ins where they prayed for the members and left them with a box of food. 

(L: The Ladies of Picot Church meeting with the Ladies from Trinity.  R: Praying with one of the widows the team visited on Wednesday.)
But the highlight of the week just may have been Tuesday night.  The church was full and an excitement filled the air.  Outside the back door of the church a crowd was assembling.  As they gathered, they all had one thing in common.  They were all wearing their new cream colored choir robes.  When the time came for them to sing, they entered the church and the team was thrilled to see them so proudly adorning their new robes.  Each robe was a perfect fit.  They filled the stage and they began to sing and in the same way their bodies filled the stage, their voices filled the church, as though a heavenly choir was present, so said the team.  It was a beautiful, moving moment that I doubt those present will ever forget. 
All in a great visit with every activity encouraging and uplifting both the Haitian and American Churches, strengthening their partnerships and solidifying their lifelong commitment to one another.