You can be a superhero

They call him "Superman."  No, he is not the caped hero you see on the big screen.  Superman is someone I met while serving in Haiti years ago. I don't know his real name, but to me, he is Superman. 

I visited Haiti many times, but on this particular trip, I became very ill.  Haiti is not a great place to be sick, but many people experience illness there.  Haiti is the most impoverished nation in the Western Hemisphere, and one of the poorest places on earth.  I became severely dehydrated and suffered extremely low blood pressure.  I was experiencing acute renal failure. For ten days in Haiti, and about a month back in the states, I felt pretty lousy. 

While in Haiti, our team performed considerable physical labor.  We installed plumbing and dug ditches nearly every day. Now I'm not much for physical work these days.  It sometimes wears me out just getting to the refrigerator and back during commercials.  But I wanted to do my best to help. 

Can I tell you, it's tough to dig in 100-degree heat with extremely low blood pressure?  Your brain keeps wanting to shut down, and your muscles tell you to buzz off.  It is easy to pass out. But I kept trying. I worked five minutes then rested so that I could stay conscience. Work, rest.  Work, rest. The process continued most of the day.

I know this sounds exciting, but it wasn't as fun as it sounds.  It was downright nasty.

So, here's the deal. I'm working with this Haitian guy who can do more physical labor in his sleep than I can do fully awake.  I could sense he liked working with me-or working around me, as was the case. I liked him too.  He was just a poor guy, making about six bucks a day, trying to feed his family. He must have felt sorry for me.  I'm sure he noticed the anguish on my face.  So every time I buckled, he picked me up, took my shovel, and started working in my place. One time, I pretty much passed out, and he mostly carried me back to my bed.  He saw to it that I got water, and he followed me around for a week. 

I don't know why some poor Haitian decided to help me.  The fact is that I had gone there to help him! But I do know this. He is and always will be Superman to me. 

Before I left, I gave Superman my watch and several other articles.  They were a small price to pay for a strong shoulder and an open hand in my time of need. I'll never forget the look on his face, leaning against the wall as I walked off the site, back to my life of luxury. 

Thanks, Superman.  And thank you, God, for teaching me that it is not how much you have that matters. It's what you do with what you have.  

Make a difference in someone's life today. You may not need to lift someone physically, but there are a myriad of ways to help others along their journey.

P.S. It was only a few years later that I received word that Superman had died from illness easily treatable in the States.  I hope God has given him a proper mansion in heaven.