rejoice.

All week I’ve been attempting to process my trip to Haiti but there’s one thing that still resounds just a strong as it did from the first day I was there
We went to women’s bible study that first night and after spending the day walking around the town we were in, visiting tent cities I felt to say the least overwhelmed.
At that point I was just struggling to process it all.
But before the bible study one of the girls on my team and I were trying to put together a few main points we wanted to share at the bible study to “encourage” these women
Well we got there and to say the least it worked in reverse
I sat there amazed out of my mind as this group of 40 or so women shared their testimonies both before and after the earthquake
Stories of loss, healing, depression, suffering, recovery, and sickness.
I went to Haiti expecting people to be depressed at the loss of their country and the things they’d experience individually.
What I found was the opposite.
I found people who although had gone through more tragic things than I had ever known or could imagine who…
Had hope.
Had joy.
Knew faith.
That night at the bible study I looked at these women with absolute awe and my heart sunk as
They told me to NEVER stop praying, to never stop hoping. And to
ALWAYS REJOICE.
I guess that’s what Paul was talking about when he says “I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord…”