I don’t know if you remember this from my story four years ago, but I wasn’t going to go into theology. End of story.
But when the Lord made it clear and I came, He blessed my obedience by giving me a family. At Emmaus I found my family, my brothers and sisters, the men and women who pray for me, support me, disciple me, mentor me, are my friends, minister with me, even today.
Everything is such chaos in Haiti, everyone doing whatever they want, and when I came to Emmaus, I saw a totally different standard. To live life well and intentionally together, I saw that for every event, for every practice, there was a time and there was a way. Everything is intentional, and I loved that. Emmaus flourishes in this selfless community, and that has changed how I do every element of my life and ministry.
The most life changing thing for me, however, was the way the professors pour their lives into us. It is not really about teaching us, though they do with all their hearts. It is more about us being their ministry, and that was so life changing…especially the brotherhood I have with Pastor Leme, always training me and loving me like a brother, even today.
Another example from Emmaus that continues to affect my life is that everyone is always working for improvement, to do things better, for God’s glory. I loved being a part of something that was always improving, always getting better.
And finally, (and this is silly) but I had loved football (soccer) so much my whole life, but out in the world it is so competitive, mean and…it’s an ugly thing outside. At Emmaus, God gave me a joy for football again, just to play with my brothers and sisters because we are community, and I know that seems trivial, but that was such a grace in my life. I haven’t played soccer once since I graduated, and I miss that good time of having something good and fun and clean and unifying.
The classes the past four years have played such a huge role in my spiritual growth. They gave me more spiritual disciplines and taught me how to do the ministry I am now doing, and not only that, but it is here at Emmaus I found my fiancé!
My number one class was Spiritual Growth. I realized that that we the church often want to serve God, but mostly we are telling God what we want Him to do for us, and how to do it our way. This class really helped me realize that my decisions, my plans, my understanding all needs laid down. He has His way—the best way–for my life and my heart and the way I live, and I am growing when I am searching for His way, not how he can do things my way.
I am working for my pastor at my church. I help him, I lead the Bible studies and Sunday schools, and when he’s gone, I am preaching. This was the church I’ve spent my whole life in, and I want to continue to help the church grow in its evangelization…not necessarily just going out and preaching the Gospel, but how to evangelize in every occasion.
My objective is that God would go before me touching the hearts of every possible person, that I might share the word with them and they may already have a hearts softened by God.
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