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The Collision of Brokenness

March 20, 2014 By Mike Farag Leave a Comment

I spent last weekend leading a trip to Haiti for one of my favorite nonprofit organizations, The Global Orphan Project.

What I witnessed there this trip was freakishly amazing, I mean that.

Let me set the stage a bit for you.  We were taking a group of “struggling” teens from a therapeutic boarding school to Haiti.  We had over 20 kids ranging from 15-18 years old along with some staff to help them while we were there. These kids aren’t your run of the mill kids.  They’ve experienced brokeness in some profound ways. On this trip for instance we had more than one rape victim, some addicted to drugs, two young men had lost their dads, one of which to suicide.

They look just like the kids going to your kids school, but they are broken.  Shelterwood is putting them back together with care and Christ. So why take them to Haiti you ask?  I did too.  Seems pretty risky.  I mean you are taking kids who sometimes struggle to function in a regular school because of their behavior and you are going to send them to Haiti?!!  Why?

Because when broken kids meet kids who were once more broken but redeemed by Jesus, magic happens.

We can all debate a bit of what it means to be broken and how that effects our world view but the fact is in some way or at some point we are experience brokenness.

The CEO of this school is doing nothing less than risking it all for the sake of the souls of the children in his care.  Think about it, what do you think would happen if something happened to one of these kids on a trip?  Lawsuits galore, press onslaught.  You bet, all calling for an end to this lunacy.  But instead, he leans in.  In his words, “our trips to Haiti are one of the best therapeutic tools we have in our bag because they encounter Jesus”.

That’s the collision.  Jesus shows up in the middle of that meeting. The orphaned children we interact with on the trip are cared for by the local church, that’s how GO Project works.  It’s transforming lives through orphan care and prevention.  Transformed lives on both sides of this equation.

When we left Kansas City one of the kids had asked the CEO to baptize her off the coast of Haiti; however by the time we made it to the beach 13 kids were ready to do the same.  Thirteen who left KC broken, were healed and baptized.  Freakishly amazing.  It’s hard to tell when the shift happened, it was like a swell of positivity.  It was amazing to just be there, watching it.

I really didn’t just spend last weekend in Haiti, I spent it seeing a small glimpse of what the power of Jesus can do.  I was a bystander to real leadership and all the others who serve. I was in the stands cheering as Jesus showed up in the lives of these kids.

We all experience brokenness to some degree or another, we are all in need of colliding with Jesus to truly heal. Sometimes that means encountering him in strange places, like Haiti to do so.

When broken worlds collide, magic happens. I can only hope to be a part of that more often.

 

Filed Under: Advice That Matters, New Experience Tagged With: Global Orphan Project, Mike Farag, Reflection, Shelterwood

Learn From Each Other….

November 15, 2013 By Mike Farag 1 Comment

There is no substitute for serving. Serving changes lives on multiple levels. For example, we learn from those we serve, and they learn from us. Often, we also learn from those with whom we serve. Such was the case for me on a recent trip to Haiti with a fantastic nonprofit The Global Orphan Project.

One was a CEO…

Many men and women have been given the title CEO. Many have fallen horribly short of the leadership qualities that we pray thattitle exudes.

This week in Haiti, I met a man who fulfills that title unlike many who share it.

  • He laughs as loud as he loves.
  • He prays as fervently as he advocates for the children his organization cares for.
  • He preaches with as much passion as he has for his work.
  • He plays with children as easily as he leads. His faith is as powerful as his presence.
  • His actions are real, tangible and faithful.

For my new friend, Jim, who took over 40 of his staff and teens in care to Haiti, it really doesn’t matter if he had the title CEO or not he would still embody everything we desire that title to truly mean…. a true CEO isn’t a title you’re given it’s lived out in action.

Another was a teenager…

“t’s not every day that a 16-year-old young man provides a profound insight into true love. But he did.

It’s not every day that an orphaned child from Haiti teaches him that lesson. But she did.

‘I need to learn to love with no strings attached like they do.’ His words hit me hard. They are still messing with my soul.

How does a child of 16 know so much? How does a six-year-old Haitian teach him? God knows. He delights in using interesting messengers with simple messages.

Our next steps are now the same…strive to love with no strings attached.

To learn more about the joy of learning from, serving with, and loving others, visit my friends at GO Project.

Filed Under: Advice That Matters, Change Tagged With: Advice, CEO, Do Something, Global Orphan Project, Haiti, Mike Farag

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An Ex Corporate Climber turned Entrepreneur (Founder of Fervor). An Adventure Junkie. A Reader. A Passionate Advocate for Change and Impact. Married to Kim and Coffee. On A Mission of Self Discovery...
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