Exactly What I Thought, and Nothing that I Expected

Saturdays are typically a little bit of a lower paced day at the Miriam Center considering that we make no trips to Bonneau or any Outreach in the afternoon. So, I got permission from Autumn and Melonee to tag along with Caitlin and her team to Ansefelour. Ansefelour, Haiti is the known as the northern voodoo capital in Haiti. As it is commonly said around here, “Haiti is 70% Catholic. 30% Protestant and 100% voodoo.” Many people here believe in the power of Voodoo and spirits. Even those who are members of the church, especially the Catholic church are well known followers of voodoo practices.  

When we arrived in Ansefelour, the bus dropped us off at the corners of a street. We ended up taking a small path right off the road up to the monument. Caitlin asked Kelsey (whose group left this morning and also came with us since she had the day off until the group she is tagging on with got back this afternoon) and I to take the back of the line to make sure no one got lost. This was good because I was able to talk with Kelsey which was great and I didn’t have to worry about keeping up any kind of pace. Although, I soon realized that I really didn’t need to worry about a pace as the group wasn’t fast at hiking at all. The climb was not too bad at all. It was certainly uphill, but I had heard it referred to as ‘billy goat hiking’. Not that bad. Not that long. I had pictured in my heard just the steepest, narrowest hill I had ever seen. Therefore, I was pleasantly surprised to see what we were climbing today, not that bad.

When we arrived at the top of the hill, we reached the monument. Also, I was thinking this REALLY tall monument in this really open area right next to the temple. Nope. Not at all. In fact, the voodoo monument in Ansefelour is on the edge of a pretty tall mountain and was once a pretty tall concrete cross. However, soon after it’s final construction a storm rolled through the mountains and lightening struck the cross, causing the top portion of the cross to fall off and tumble down the mountain. It is said that at that same time, a doll feel from the sky, landing where the cross had stood. This doll is famously known as St. Anne. She, along with the Devil are the two voodoo ‘gods’ that are worshiped here on the main island. The monument is now actually the base of the cross where voodoo followers come to ‘pray’ and burn incense to the Devil.

When we arrived at the monument the group took a couple of minutes to look around at the view and town of Ansefelour while Caitlin explained all of this information to them. When then had a chance to gather around and pray to our true God in Heaven, that he would redeem this town and this nation and call them back as followers of Himself. We prayed that He would open there eyes to the foolish ways that the Devil and St. Anne have deceived them and that His glory would ultimately shine through in Haiti.

We then took the hike back down the hill and then several blocks down the road where we had been dropped off to the actual temple. At first, I was confused that we were really at the ‘temple’ because it looked like just your average building on the street in Haiti. There was even a sign about some sort of restaurant painted on the second floor. It was rather bizarre. When we entered it was certainly not like any place I have EVER been in before. The first room you walk through is so dark and has a tree that once grew inside the building that is now marked with the scares of burnt incense and soot. We walked through this room into an open area where people where gathered in a line. This was apparently the line to walk up the stairs into the room that the doll, St. Anne and the shrine to here are located in. People come in and leave all sorts of burning candles, flowers, and other offerings in this room. People come all throughout the country to pray to St. Anne and offer up some sort of offering. For those who are not able to come, either due to work or health, have friends or family travel to the temple with a cell phone so that they can pray to this doll over the phone. The line was so long that we were not able to actually go up into the room, so we followed Caitlin into the back courtyard of the temple.

It was here that Caitlin explained to the group of us, that here in the courtyard is where animal sacrifices take place. Thankfully no sacrifices were taking place while we were there, even though the followers of voodoo are preparing for Holy Week in just a few weeks. This week is supposedly the week leading up to St. Anne’s birthday. It is within this week that voodoo is heavily practiced both within Ansefelour and all throughout Haiti on a much higher scale than usual.

We also learned that people actual bring their families into the Temple to stay if they or someone in their family is sick. They pray to St. Anne, the Devil and all of the spirits to be healed. If they aren’t healed then they believe that they just are not good enough or spiritual enough to be healed, so they just continue to pray and practice more and more voodoo. If they are healed, then they praise all the spirits. So either way, it’s a lose-lose situation. 

Once Caitlin had finished telling us all about the Temple itself, we were able to circle up once again and pray for those who were currently living in the temple, those who were visiting today, and those who were trapped in the lies of voodoo practices.

When we walked back through the temple to exit, I was able to look into these rooms in which families move into. It was rather heart breaking. These rooms where so over crowded and small. There were people just laying on the floor. The one thing I really took note off as we walked through the temple was that no one seemed to be joyful or had any sort of happy expression or smile on their face. Every Haitian there just seemed to be standing or laying down with this sober look on their face. It was as though there was just no life in their eyes. It was rather hard to witness, but definitely made my heart ache for these people.

When we had finished touring the temple, we continued to walk a few more blocks down the street to a restaurant. Along the way we passed several store huts that were selling an assortment of items as always, including paintings of St. Anne for sale.

The food at the restaurant was certainly worth the wait! Turns out the mission had helped the female owner of the place open it several years ago financially. Instead of physically making her pay back the money she owed, the mission allowed her to pay them back by allowing teams to come eat at the restaurant for free until she broke even. Now, teams still come in to enjoy her delicious food and pay her family, so that she now make profit and income for her family. The food was amazing! We had this sort of veggie pasta, plantains, chicken, fried breadfruit, beans and rice with an onion sauce and a cold Coke to wash it all down. It was a great break and great lunch to finish off the rest of our time in Ansefelour.

We continued our adventures at the beach by hosting a VBS for the kids there. Caitlin’s group had some great things planned. First, the kids sang a couple of songs in Creole. Then, with the help of a translator, they shared the story of Noah and the Ark. After finishing the story the Americans showed the Haitian kids the song, Baby Shark and the Macarena. The kids absolutely loved this and asked to sing it over and over again. When they had finished with the dances, the group passed out animal crackers to each of the kids to go along with the story of the Ark.

As our VBS came to a close, our group went to the beach for just a few minutes to put our feet in the water and take a few photos before we needed to leave due to dark clouds forming up the mountain. We did have enough time to make sure the group got a picture on the beach together and they graciously took one for Kelsey, Caitlin and me.

Overall my time at Ansefelour was very eye opening. On the bus ride back, in between conversation that Kelsey and I had about life in general, I thought to myself about all the things I had seen in the course of just a few hours. I thought about the fact that these people believe in a thing like voodoo simply because they are scared, just don’t know any better, grew up in voodoo, or think they have nothing else to believe in. When I process this for too long it can be really heartbreaking. I mean, I firmly believe that I am sinful and Christ made a way for me to be in Heaven when I die by sacrificing his own life and making a way for me.  I believe this will all my heart and when I even see things around me like these beautiful mountains or the incredible children in the Miriam Center, I think to myself, how can people not thing there is a higher being, a Creator of all things. But the problem is these people do, they just believe the Devil and St. Anne are these higher powers, not alone God. There have certainly been times in my life where I have doubted my faith in the Lord. The trouble is, there are visible and known doubts in voodoo, such as the fact that the doll, St. Anne who resides in the voodoo temple and apparently travels to Tortuga on Sundays, has not always had the same appearance. In fact, many believe that the doll has been switched out in years past. Jesus has ALWAYS been the same person, and Christianity has always stacked up against the toughest of atheists. Just look at C.S. Lewis.

It is sad because these people feel like they need to pray to a doll. It is heartbreaking because these people feel that witch doctors have true powers here. It is tragic because these people believe in the power of spirits and curses here (when witch doctors at times pay people to beat someone up, burn their home, or kill their animals when an individual puts a curse on them). It is troublesome because these people have committed their lives and hearts to the work of the Devil rather than the Lord Almighty.

However, at the same time there is a peace in knowing that the Lord can chose to win Ansefelour, the Northwest and all of Haiti whenever he desires. The Lord can and one day will redeem Haiti. He will make this nation and these people whole. I believe with all my heart that He is going to do so not through me, groups of Americans, or this mission, but through the Haitians. He is going to restore this nation through the very people we are pouring into now. He can bring this nation back to Him through the generation of kids we are pouring into now. The kids we danced and sang and told the story of Noah’s Ark to today. Those very kids could be the ones who bring this nation back to singing praises to the King of Kings.

Please continue to pray for the nation of Haiti in this regard. Pray that He would restore and redeem Haiti.

As I sat on this bus riding back home though. I began to realize that even though my heart broke for the people of this nation that 'just didn't get it'. That would go to a church service on Sundays, but practice voodoo all through the week, just didn't get it. They were so close, but just didn't fully understand the Truth right in front of them. My heartbreaks for these people, but I became convicted for all the others. All the other people in this world who simply just don't get it. The Jews, the Atheists, the Hindus, the Mormons and every other person in the world so is walking through life without knowing the Name of Jesus and what He has done for them. My heart breaks for all of these people. 

Overall, today is exactly what I thought, and nothing that I expected. I thought that I my eyes would be opened to the voodoo practices in this nation, but I never thought that I would see it in such a way. I thought that I would be heartbroken for the people of Haiti, but I never thought I would feel pressed to pray for everyone in the world who didn't know the Lord today. I thought that I would be able to serve the Lord today, but I never thought that through what I did today, I would continue to feel the hint of the calling He is placing on my life. The calling to serve His people. The broken. The poor. The Hungry. AND THE LOST. 

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16