Esther

I remember my first trip to Haiti, I met a little girl named Esther. She hung out in the nutrition program area during the mornings. When I interned, I got to know Esther and her family better. Her mom worked as a cook at the mission. Esther was a strong willed girl, could make you laugh, and keep a very captive audience. In my first six months living full time in Haiti, Esther's mom unexpectedly passed away. It was a heartbreaking time for the whole mission family. Although she was only 13 years old, I remember her strength through that time. When their father said he planned on leaving after the funeral and wasn't going to be around, she and her sisters stuck together and journeyed through it. Her resiliency and unwavering faith have always been humbling to me. That summer after her mom's death, Esther asked if she could join me and Emily on our morning runs. We agreed and every morning she met us at the mission gate. Over that summer, she invited more friends to come and what is now the "Wind Speed" running club was born. During those runs, she openly wrestled with her emotions and often had intense questions for us while we were running. Our morning runs became more than just runs, they became moments where the girls could vulnerably ask questions about God.  At the end of the summer, she was baptized. 

Fast forward five years and Esther has grown into an incredible leader. A few Sundays back, I sat in church as she led worship. I was overwhelmed by her journey, of God's faithfulness in her life, and of her confidence in Him. We were at a youth service recently and there was some very evident spiritual warfare happening. One young lady was obviously struggling with a demonic presence. Esther stood up and started leading the rest of the youth in worship and prayer. After I read Romans 8, Esther reminded the kids that if we believed that Christ in us was far stronger than any force in this young lady, that we needed to sing and pray like we meant it, that Christ was capable of what we were asking him to do. Their voices lifted higher and higher, that you could hear them singing inside the mission campus despite there only being 20 of them in that church building. It was an intense time of crying out to God, on behalf of their friend. 

It's been incredibly humbling to watch how God has worked in her life. I have the opportunity to serve on youth group leadership alongside her and 6 other youth. She's passionate and desires for her peers to know the Christ that has redeemed her life. The way that God is equipping her and using her to reach her peers is powerful. It stands testament to what it looks like when we have the confidence that God truly is good in all things and that he will use the faithful and obedient- regardless of age, education, or life situations.