Blanc! Blanc!

“Blanc, blanc!” That’s the call I hear as I walk among the towns and villages, now just rubble with tents filling every open surface. Americans are a draw just because we’re so different. But these kids were telling me about the Brazilians who came just a few weeks ago. We were so blessed to have our Brazilian partners organize and send a team so quickly. And they knew how to engage a community! After working, the team would grab a ball and start a game of soccer in the middle of the community. Suddenly they are surrounded by Haitians all eager to play. Only two of the team speak English, and none speak Creole. But so much can be communicated without a common language, such as, “I’m here to serve you”, “You are valuable”, and the most important, “I’m here to represent Christ, and he loves you.” Though we constantly have to remind our teams from the States that it’s not about the work but about relationship, our Brazilian friends just naturally understand that engaging with the community is what accomplishes the goal.