“It’s not our job to fight against the world. Jesus has overcome the world (John 16:33). Instead, our job is to spread the light.”
-Megan Boudreaux
I don’t know if you remember, but earlier this year I mentioned how I wasn’t much of a reader. I mean, if you knew me in person, you might have even thought I was allergic to books. I’m not kidding.
Turns out, I just hadn’t found my books. Turns out my books are about people. And when I think about it now I think: DUH! Of course my books are about people! The fullest and most memorable parts of my own story have always involved other people so OF COURSE reading about and, in turn, getting to share other people’s stories would fill me up too! 😀
Anywho, I had planned to read one book per month this year, but hands to the heavens, I just finished book #7, Miracle on Voodoo Mountain, last week.
Have you read it? If not, I highly, highly recommend it. It was written by a young woman from Louisiana named Megan Boudreaux who, after a work-related mission trip, felt like she was supposed to move to Haiti. Like, immediately—as if her spirit was relentlessly being lured there.
She had been there twice before she made the move. Once right after the earthquake in April of 2010, and then again later that year in October of 2010. When she got back home from the second trip, she started having recurring dreams about a tamarind tree. Night after night, she would wake up, in a bit of a panic, wondering what it meant. She didn’t recall where she had seen the tree at first, but it looked so familiar, and she eventually remembered that she had seen it on top of Bellevue Mountain in Gressier, Haiti. In her book, Megan says, “it had a thick, heavy canopy of bright green, feathery leaves, and from a distance, it looked like a giant fern plopped on top of a big stick”.
When her dreams about the tamarind tree wouldn’t stop, she knew God was pursuing her, so even though she had recently graduated from college and had just started working for a hospital she loved, she told her boss she needed to go. To Haiti.
So, at age 24, Megan followed God’s call to Gressier. She didn’t know *exactly* what He was calling her to do, or where she was going to stay, but it didn’t take long to figure out the answers to either of those questions. With the help of a Haitian translator-friend named Bernard, she was able to find a rental house (with no electricity or running water) the day she arrived in Haiti. (Whoa! Talk about closing your eyes and letting God lead!)Â Megan said her first couple of days were “miserable”. She said she just sat inside and cried and ate energy bars and thought, “I should go home. I have made a terrible decision”.
But after venturing outside and wandering around her new “neighborhood” a bit, everything came into focus. Megan quickly discovered that the kiddos on and around Bellevue Mountain were starving. Both physically and mentally. And after a powerful encounter with a 6-ish year old girl throwing rocks a blackbirds (hoping for a meal), she knew *exactly* what to do: feed hungry children…physically and mentally.Â
She began by enlisting the help of the only people she knew: Bernard—her translator friend, David- a 19-year-old boy who lived in a camping tent on her roof, and Say Say- a woman who lived with her children in a makeshift tent in her front yard (after the earthquake, they were still too afraid to sleep under a heavy roof). The following Saturday they purchased and cooked a large sack of rice and some beans & vegetables. When everything was ready, they hired a local taxi driver to take them up to the top of Bellevue Mountain so they could hand out plates of food. Fifty hungry kids showed up. The next Saturday, 150 came.
Realizing that most of the children did not attend school, Megan decided to rent a one-room church and began teaching first through fourth grades. Shortly thereafter, she was able to purchase a tiny piece of land around the tamarind tree, and officially started Respire Haiti. (res-pur-ay). Did you catch that? UNDER THE TAMARIND TREE. !!!
I don’t want to reveal any more of the (wild/wonderful/heartwrenching) story but I will tell you that each time I curled up with Megan’s book she absolutely transported me with her words. I shot straight across the Caribbean and back to the island where my baby was born. Her descriptions of the ceaseless goat-poultry-pig-people sounds and of air so warm you literally sweat while you shower made so many memories come rushing back.
(Megan and her husband & kids!)
PS- Megan writes a blog called Blessed With A Burden and you can find her on Facebook or Instagram at @MeganInHaiti ! 😀
Thanks for the recommendation, I just added it to my “to read” list. I almost requested it from the library right now, but I’m currently reading 3 books and don’t know if I can keep a 4th straight (audio book for my commute to/from work, ebook for reading on breaks at work, hard copy book for reading at home). All of the reviews of this book are 4 and 5 stars on Goodreads, can’t wait to start it!
Yes! I’m downloading on my kindle as I type this. L-O-V-E these kind of stories for a reminder of what God has in store for us is better than what we can ever imagine on our own (sometimes God has to hit me with a 2×4). Thanks for sharing and I can’t wait to read it!
Will put it on my list for sure. I am predicting you will LOVE reading to Sonny and that there will be books all over your home! We as parents and grandparents have to set that example for our children and grands. May I suggest, in no particular order, Jamberry by Bruce Degen, Snuggle Puppy! by Sandra Boynton, Dairy of a Wombat by Jackie French and Bruce Whatley, Small Blessings – A Book of Prayers for Children by Don Harp, The Monster at the end of this Book starring Lovable, Furry Old Grover by Jon Stone, – oh my I could go on! SO happy for y’all and your sweet boy!
Yes, it truly is a miraculous story.I have followed Megan’s journey from the beginning, and our husband and I are blessed to be supporters of her ministry. Amazing young woman who was willing to surrender to God’s calling. She was all alone when she began, didn’t even know the language. But God took care of that (New Testament miracle there!) and continues to bless Respire Haiti. HE sent her a great husband who is a perfect partner and father to her adopted children. By the way, the child who was throwing rocks at a bird because she was so hungry is now Megan’s daughter! 🙂
How fun that you have followed Megan from the beginning, Jackie! I didn’t want to give away that part about her speaking the language or Michaelle becoming her daughter, but YES- SO amazing and Wonder-full!!! 😀
Oops, sorry about that, Layla! Still a must read, though. I live in Baton Rouge and Megan used to attend our former church, which is how I know about her and Respire. This church sends mission groups several times a year to Respire, mainly to help build new classrooms. I don’t know how far Gressier is from your little guy, but if you get the chance, you and Kevin should definitely go by for a visit. I believe you and Megan are truly kindred spirits!
Ha! No worries, Jackie. 😉
And, yes, Megan and I have been messaging back and forth for a few days now and I am more determined than ever to go to Gressier! 😀
Amazingly selfless act. Not many would do the same. Chicken soup books tell stories of people so you might enjoy them.
My heart is bowed down by God’s faithfulness to those who leave everything to follow Him.
Amazing story! I’m sometimes scared to read books like that. I don’t want to open up the hurt. That sounds selfish. It probably is. But, you know what I mean? It’s scary. A missionary speaker at our church recently talked about surrendering fully to God, and said that he has struggled with it often. He said when he catches himself holding back, he tries to think of the worst possible thing to do or place to go that God could ask of him, and then prays something like, “Lord I am willing to do whatever you require of me, even if it means _____.” He said that God doesn’t always ask him to do the things he fears most, but that once he really surrenders fully, he has peace about doing whatever it is that God does call him to do. It was a powerful message.
I will definitely read this one. You MUST read Kisses From Katie. It is one of the most powerful books I have read.
I read ‘Kisses From Katie’ right before I read ‘Miracle on Voodoo Mountain’, Susanne! 😀
Hey, Ladies! I’m so happy we can HELP Megan in her work as well as read her book. Hooray! All we have to do is donate on Megan’s website. So easy.
When I see a project like this, I take it to my family and say…”Guys, can we give up a movie night for this orphanage?” I share the story and we donate the funds from our family night out. Then we play a crazy game of SCRABBLE instead 🙂
I try to remind our boys that we have SAFETY and CLEAN RUNNING WATER for hot showers and POPCORN and BOARD GAMES…so let’s give our movie night to kids who own nothing except their own smiles & hearts (sometimes, so horrifyingly, they don’t even own their own bodies).
Thanks for letting us know, Layla. Let’s HELP these children.
Just ordered it, sounds like my type of book! These types of books are my favorite! If you need a few books to add to your list, Shadow of the Almighty by Elisabeth Elliot and End of the Spear by Steve Saint are fairly similar genres and sure do tell a story only God could author! The first story is the Jim Elliot story and the second book is the fruit that came from the the sacrifice of Jim Elliot and his 4 fellow missionaries. It’s written by the son of Nate Saint. They won’t disappoint!
Thank you for sharing Megan’s story with us. I spent quite a while reading her blog tonight and started following her. I also ordered her book. It is so easy for all of us to get caught up with these silly everyday things that we sometimes forget about the big picture.
I can totally get how you like to read about people. I used to love to read and then I realized how certain popular authors became so predictable I just turned my back on it. One of my all time favorite books is Bean Blossom Dreams. I believe it was the only book written by the author but boy did I feel like I was there on that farm with them. I hope one day to have the courage to leave everything behind and move somewhere brand new too.
Just finished reading Miracle on Voodo Mountain. All I can say is it humbles me to know what a loving and powerful God we have.I am sure he will continue to shower his blessings on this project.God bless everyone that helped make it hqappen.