“Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.” (1 Jn. 3:18)

Haiti is a country that has heard many promises of hope and love. But once those words have been spoken, how many follow through with actions? As you drive through Port-au-Prince, the desperate situation of the people tells the story of unanswered promises and well-meaning words spoken without action. People rushed to help after the earthquake eight years ago, but the pervading issues of lack of clean water, access to food, and poor infrastructure tells us that words were simply not enough.

And yet there are places in Haiti telling a different story. A story of deep, servant love coming alongside Haitians and showing them not only God’s great love for them but equipping them to make a change in their community. I had the privilege of spending the weekend with one of CompassGlobal’s supported missionaries who is helping Haitians write this very story.

Jen Blevins was following Jesus as a seventh-grade science teacher in the Twin Cities, when a short-term mission trip to New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina opened her ears to God saying, “you could do this.” Not long after this, Jen moved to Haiti with ReachGlobal to show Jesus through not only her words, but more importantly, through her actions.

Jen has been in Haiti for five years now. Living in the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere certainly has its challenges, but the one thing Jen consistently shared was how amazing the people are. Coming alongside them, teaching them, learning from them, and empowering them to be a part of the change has been the heart of her ministry and The Lord has blessed this with changed lives.

Jen’s main responsibility in Haiti is coordinating the GlobalFingerprints program. GlobalFingerprints is the child sponsorship ministry of ReachGlobal, which partners with the local churches to send children to school and help care for their physical, spiritual, and emotional needs. This program is a tangible way for not only Jen to show God’s love to each child, but also for those people who sponsor them. Jen also hosts short-term mission teams. She has an amazing ability to help team members take their words of love and turn them into actions of love.

If you are interested in being a part of a short-term team, please go to thecompass.net/connect/compassglobal.

If you would like to learn more about sponsoring a child through GlobalFingerprints, please go to efca.org/ministries/reachglobal/globalfingerprints.

With any questions, please email us at compassglobal@thecompass.net .