Haiti Team Interview Seven: Lee

Hiding behind one team member's thoughtful and quiet exterior is a jovial, inquisitive man. Of all those on the Haiti team, Lee was the most outward-focused. His interest in other people's lives caught my attention early, perhaps not least because that interest included me. Having had the privilege of observing him before and during our trip, I found in him a spiritual maturity, expressed especially through the peace so visibly felt in his life. Peace was not, however, always something so easily felt by Lee. Indeed, he spoke-- in the humility I've come to see is so characteristic of him-- of the transition he experienced through his marriage, from a place of selfishness to one more selfless. On another occasion, you found he and his wife joking with the group about their starkly opposite natures. There is a forbearance in Lee, such that even in moments of disagreement-- I saw them-- he expressed his concerns in a way he knew would not hurt the other. Indeed, such was his consideration of and interest in others that he would not let me interview him unless he could follow by interviewing me.

Lee first heard about the Haiti trip, like many of us, through Sandi, the team co-leader. Orphans had always enjoyed "a warm spot in [his] heart," so he immediately considered joining the team. More than wanting to care for orphans, he also saw an opportunity to mentor the young adults on our team, feeling as he does that it is these adults who will share Christ with the next generation. When he first arrived in Haiti, he had flashbacks to his first trip, flashbacks which included his memories of the poverty in Haiti. He noted, too, that Haiti has a "fragrance of autumn," of charcoal and diesel fuel specifically. In fact, the trip took him from his comfort zone. He knew God wanted him to go, and that he would be changed, but still had no idea what to expect.

Telling of his maturity as a Christian, Lee believes that listening to God's voice is "the only way" he will grow. In fact, it became obvious to me that Lee cherishes relationship. Specific to his relationship with God, he saw Haiti as a chance to experience a "moment" with him, perceiving life as he does as a series of moments that should never be wasted. Specific to his relationships with others, he intentionally asks questions of those around him to get past what he calls the "plastic," or facade, to understand who they really are. I found myself on the receiving end of this practice on more than one occasion; and it occurs to me now, that this was done not in a manner intended to probe for faults, but always gently, as though he were looking for the good in you so he could praise God's inward mark in your life. I believe that, above all, this is what makes Lee mature: seeing the inherent worth in others through God's eyes. If Lee's goal was to mentor young people, he may have done so without knowing it, less by outward teaching and more by example.