Patrick was our first male intern in the Mole! We were so excited when we read through his application last year and saw that he had a heart to be a medical missionary! It was so evident in reading through his answers that this was a man who loved to love! His passion for people just jumped off the page.
Though he was really applying to intern on our St. Louis Campus – I could not help but ask if he would consider coming to the Mole. We’ve been praying for a young man like this to lead our male youth for years!
Patrick whole-heartedly agreed! For those of you who came to the Mole this summer and got to meet Patrick – you know what a phenomenal guy he truly is! It didn’t matter who was in need – Patrick was the first one to lend a helping hand.
He spent two days a week sorting medications in the clinic and helping us prepare for our official opening. Every SINGLE day he was playing with the children in the orphanage! AND every SINGLE day they got to feel what it was like to have a papa that cared so much for them.
Patrick spent Friday mornings helping my kids with a special project in school and Friday evenings watching movies with them at our house. He spent Saturday evenings holding kids in his lap during our community movie nights.
If he wasn’t on campus loving on kids – he was down in the town-square playing soccer and engaging the men who often choose not to be apart of any ministries we offer.
I DON’T KNOW of a college-age guy that loves to engage every single kid they come into contact with! 🙂 I mean it was so amazing for our entire staff to watch him – and it set such a Godly example of what our male staff should be doing too!
We’ve been trying to start Bible Studies with the boys and/or men in the Mole for 4 years now. When teams come in and host events for our ladies – hundreds will come. When teams come in and host events for the men – we might get a handful.
When we lived downtown there were teenage boys that came to my clinic needing wound care from beatings they received from their grandmother. I remember looking at their backs and thinking… this must be what the back of Jesus looked like when he was beaten. In this village – I’ve watched young girls contract STDS & trafficked for sex…… and I’ve watched young boys beaten within an inch of their lives and yelled at that will never amount to anything.
If the young boys are only told they will never amount to anything – that they are a disappointment – that they are unworthy of love – then what kind of men will they become? What will the Mole be like when the next generation leads?
So although Patrick would only be in the Mole for a few months – I wanted him to step into this repetitious cycle passed down from one generation to the next of physical, emotional, and mental abuse.
Patrick came to the Mole truly excited and on fire for Christ about this specific ministry! He was a man on a mission! Very dedicated and ready for battle! If he could have – he would have spent every single day pouring into the men in the community. He made every effort possible to make this ministry a reality.
The problem is – in order to pour into someone – they have to show up. It’s easy to think that full-time missionaries must have unlimited successful opportunities to reach people. The truth is people are people no matter where they live. The same struggles you have in the states to reach people are often the same struggles we have in Haiti to reach people.
My parents used to sing this song when they would go and speak at churches and the words are just as true today as they were back then.
MY HOUSE IS FULL (BUT MY FIELD IS EMPTY)
There is peace and contentment
In my Father’s house today,
Lots of food on His table
And no one is turned away.
There is singing and laughter as the hours pass by,
But a hush calms the singing as the Father sadly cries,
My house is full, but my field is empty,
Who will go and work for Me today.
It seems my children all want to stay around my table,
But no one wants to work in my fields,
No one wants to work in my fields.
Push away from the table.
Look out through the windowpane,
Just beyond the house of plenty
Lies a field of golden grain.
And it’s white unto harvest,
But the reapers, where are they?
In the house, can’t the children hear the Father sadly say,
My house is full, but my field is empty,
Who will go and work for Me today.
It seems my children all want to stay around my table,
But no one wants to work in my fields,
As Christians living in any country – it’s easy to be completely content sitting around the table with the Father! It’s a glorious place to be. The truth is – the fields are often empty because the work is really laborious.
We try daily to plant seeds and watch them grow. Sometimes there’s no one to see the seeds or there just aren’t any more seeds available. So you spend all your time making the effort but not always seeing any reward. It can feel like you spend all day shoveling and fertilizing the ground – but never getting the chance to actually plant the seed.
Patrick did a lot of shoveling this summer and although it might feel like there wasn’t much reward – God couldn’t be prouder of the work he did in the field. He was the face of Jesus every single day. He set a Godly example of what a young man on fire for Christ looks like! I saw the way our church, our youth, our interpreters, our staff, our orphans, and our children were touched by his daily perseverance and unwaveringly love. In a world full of inconsistency – he was steadfast.
I often share with teams that as Americans visiting the Mole – we are often content with footprints in the sand! The Mole has one of the nicest beaches in all of Haiti. It’s fun to draw circles, create sand castles, and take pictures of our footprints. The problem with that is – tomorrow when you come back – your footprints will be gone. They will have washed away. We have to stop being content with footprints in the sand and start putting our feet in some cement! (Can I get an amen?) We need to be leaving something that can’t be washed away when every wave of struggle comes!
Patrick was able to lay a lot of groundwork for a ministry that I know will yield much fruit! This is why satan is fighting with us tooth and nail!
And what I didn’t realize is that not only would Patrick be speaking into the young men in the Mole – but he was also speaking into the young men in our home!
Gabriel, Levi, and Asher are quite the handful! I know that’s shocking to hear for any of you who know them. They’re so mild mannered in public right?
Due to medical emergencies – I didn’t get to spend much time with Patrick this summer- but my children did. Morgan and Emily have always been able to speak into my girls but for the first time there was this young fun guy – who was sold out for Christ – showing my boys what it means to be a Christian man. He was someone that they could look up to. I watched him lovingly correct them, teach them how awesome respect can be, and make “being good” look so cool! (Can I get another amen?)
Thanks Patrick for serving so faithfully in the field this summer! Your footprints are EVERYWHERE!
