I first visited Haiti in 2011. There went tents everywhere as people struggled to live under the hot Caribbean sun with scant resources. I remember visiting one home early in our trip. I stuck my head into the make-shift house and saw a boy sleeping on a wooden bench with a tattered, dirty cloth blanket. He had no shirt on. He got up and came over to me. Without a word he reached his arm up to me in a kind and humble gesture of welcome and desperate need. He was probably seven or eight years old. His arm was no wider than two of my fingers. I was heartbroken and began a lifelong love for the people of Haiti.

I would return the following years to Haiti. We did construction projects, house painting, and village ministry. Each trip was wonderful, other than my terrible reaction to the Malaria medicine. I tried three different types of Malaria pills, but all of them would send me to the ER with a violent reaction. Despite that struggle, I kept going to Haiti and eventually learned that I needed to just skip the pills. The experience and opportunity of being involved was worth it.

One of my favorite trips was with my wife Hadley in September 2014. The trip was geared around leading worship. We had so much fun. We sang in a small church in the village on Minoterie. We fell in love with the village and the people there. It overlooks the ocean from the hillside. The people there have incredibly little, but are full of love, laughter and kindness.

In May 2015 events unfolded that would shape both our family and the village of Minoterie forever. We were in a terrible car accident. We were hit from behind by a large box truck and a distracted driver. Our two year old son Dobbs was instantly killed at impact. Hadley was 36 weeks pregnant and rushed to the hospital for an emergency c-section. Our second son Reed was born, but only lived two days due to head injuries sustained in the accident. We went from fullness of parenting joy to empty-handed grief in the blink of an eye. Words can’t describe the deep pain that comes with losing your beloved children.

Yet, what the enemy means for evil, God turns for good.

Donations poured in from all around to support our family financially. We raised close to $200,000 via a GoFundMe account that was established to cover medical bills. People demonstrated great generosity and love towards us in those days. We were humbled by their generosity.

Yet, the majority of our medical expenses were covered by insurance and we had all of this money to steward. We very quickly knew we wanted to see how we could bless our friends in Minoterie, Haiti. So, we were able to forward on this considerable donation to Mission Of Hope so that they could discern highest and best use of the resources. They called us shortly thereafter with a remarkable plan.

Mission Of Hope decided that they would build a school in Minoterie and name it in honor of our boys. The school is called the Dobbs and Reed Eddings Primary School. It sits on top of a hill shining at the heart of Minoterie. We got to attend the opening ceremony for the school and see hundreds of children line up in celebration. Then, we got to witness them eat a delicious hot meal that they are provided daily. We gave praise to God that day, because we know that He had worked redemption from our tragedy.

Our story echoes that of Joseph in Genesis. Joseph endured years of suffering and hardship. He didn’t deserve any of it. It didn’t make sense. But, in the end he could see that God was working good through it all. What the enemy meant for evil, God turned for good. That is who God is. He is the Redeemer of broken stories.

²⁰ You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.

Genesis 50:20 NLT