II Timothy 1:7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid,
but gives us power, love and self-discipline.
While waiting for the second .... or should I say third.... leg of our journey to Port-de-Paix, we waited for several hours at the small regional airport in Port au Prince for our flight to the other side of the island. There were several Haitian men there "working the crowd" of foreigners trying to sell artwork, DVDs, jewelry etc.
One man (we later named him Leon Joe) was selling fabric with paintings on them He attempted to barter with everyone. We were all offered different prices for the paintings. He tried every sales persons trick in the book to get us to purchase paintings from him. He even once handed Rob and I one "free" as a "gift" then walked away slowly with his head hung low....an attempt to guilt us into buying from him. We returned the "gifts" to Leon Joe but I am pretty sure Rob gave in and bought one. I wish now that I had too.
Another man was much more reserved in his sales strategy. He had this mobile convenience store selling snacks, cigarettes and gum. He appeared very nervous. He allowed me to take a photo of his stand but not him. I was told that the Vodou followers believe that a camera can steal a part of their sole. I wondered how much it takes for these men to hear "no" all day long as they are taking this opportunity to make a living and support their families. Or what it is like to have "tourists" try to steal their sole with cameras etc. Fear is the enemy of entrepreneurship. God wants us to go out with the power he gives us to pursue our ideas in business. I had this same gift of fear from Satan as I was preparing to leave for this journey. I admire these men for taking advantage of the opportunities presented to them and overcoming the gift of fear. I especially admired the man that brought something that weary travelers would need and stood silently to the side waiting for us to be hungry.
One man (we later named him Leon Joe) was selling fabric with paintings on them He attempted to barter with everyone. We were all offered different prices for the paintings. He tried every sales persons trick in the book to get us to purchase paintings from him. He even once handed Rob and I one "free" as a "gift" then walked away slowly with his head hung low....an attempt to guilt us into buying from him. We returned the "gifts" to Leon Joe but I am pretty sure Rob gave in and bought one. I wish now that I had too.
Another man was much more reserved in his sales strategy. He had this mobile convenience store selling snacks, cigarettes and gum. He appeared very nervous. He allowed me to take a photo of his stand but not him. I was told that the Vodou followers believe that a camera can steal a part of their sole. I wondered how much it takes for these men to hear "no" all day long as they are taking this opportunity to make a living and support their families. Or what it is like to have "tourists" try to steal their sole with cameras etc. Fear is the enemy of entrepreneurship. God wants us to go out with the power he gives us to pursue our ideas in business. I had this same gift of fear from Satan as I was preparing to leave for this journey. I admire these men for taking advantage of the opportunities presented to them and overcoming the gift of fear. I especially admired the man that brought something that weary travelers would need and stood silently to the side waiting for us to be hungry.
Tami, your writing is amazing. Thank you for sharing your heart.
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