Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Book Review: Miracle On Voodoo Mountain by Megan Boudreaux

For He has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness. Colossians 1:13(NLT)

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

"It took months of God waking me up in the middle of the night before I realized I was the one He was calling to leave my comfortable American life and move to Haiti."

This is an eye opening read
Miracle on Voodoo Mountain is the inspirational memoir of an accomplished and driven 24-year old who quit her job, sold everything, and moved to Haiti, by herself-all without a clear plan of action. Megan Boudreaux had visited Haiti on a few humanitarian trips but each trip multiplied the sense that someone needed to address the devastation-especially with the children, many of whom were kept as household slaves on the poverty-stricken and earthquake-devastated Caribbean island.
God guided her every step as she moved blindly to a foreign land without knowing the language, the people, or the future. From becoming the adoptive mother of former child slaves, to receiving the divine gift of the Haitian Creole language, to starting, building, and running a school for more than 500 children, "the amazingness of what God did after I made the choice to be obedient is incredible," said Megan.
Three years later, six acres on Bellevue Mountain in Gressier is the home of the nonprofit Respire Haiti at the former site of voodoo worship, and in the area that many still come to make animal sacrifices, Megan and her staff of nearly 200 are transforming this community as they educate, feed, and address the needs.

About the author:

Megan Boudreaux, at the age of 24, founded Respire Haiti, a non-profit to fight for the freedom of Haiti's estimated 300,000 child slaves. Megan followed God's call to begin a feeding program and transform a barren hillside into a refuge and a school for 500 children. A medical clinic is nearing completion with future plans for a church, community center, and library. Megan has adopted four Haitian children and in 2013 she married her best friend, Josh Anderson.

My Personal Review:

Miracle On Voodoo Mountain by Megan Boudreaux tops my list as one of the most touching and inspirational books I've ever read!  This young woman tells her story of God calling her to step out in faith and obedience to change the lives of hurting children in Haiti and specifically in Gressier.  Megan shares how she lives out a daily trust in God and watches in amazement as He literally turns mountains into His harvest field.

Miracle On Voodoo Mountain is Megan's story of God's stirring within her heart to make a permanent difference in the lives of the children in Haiti.  This work journals how she followed His leading to the Caribbean Island of Haiti to assist enslaved children, despite what appeared to be insurmountable odds.  This book is sure to impact the reader, as it reveals the dire situation that the children of Haiti are born into. 

Megan Boudreaux's courage and insightful spirit are endearing, as she candidly describes unthinkable scenarios in the lives of the child slaves for whom she has been specifically called to help.  The slavery, abuse, and neglect of children in Haiti is rampant and rather than "swoop in" and remove them from the chaos, she has chosen instead to "move in" and bring the needed change to the people for a lasting impact.  She began with meeting the basic needs of the children through feeding programs.  After those needs were being met, God grew her vision to build the "Respire Haiti" community.  It has been created on Bellevue Mountain to provide Christian education, medical care, food, and the love of Christ to the people of Gressier in a continuous gap free delivery system.

This is my "trailblazing friend", Katie
holding a needy child on her recent trip
 to Haiti.  Katie has a servant's heart &
a love for bringing lasting hope to
desperate kids in dire situations.  (Read about
her in one of my previous posts by clicking here.)
  
The exploration of the Haitian culture through the eyes of this spirit filled young woman as she sets out on a pilgrimage of love for the children is without a doubt one of the most moving writings to date.  The author describes the emotions evoked from the cruel treatment of children and the practice of Voodooism that saturates the island in a manner that unmistakably transfers to the reader.  This work creates a veil free look at the stark reality of the consequences of poverty in a land not so very far away.  It will bring hope to your heart and boldness to your prayers as you read of Megan's dependence and allegiance to Christ.  

Miracle On Voodoo Mountain  brings James 1:27 to life;  It states, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this:  To look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."  

I would like to thank Thomas Nelson Publishing through the Booklook Bloggers program for this review copy of Miracle On Voodoo Mountain by Megan Boudreaux. I was not required to write a favorable review of this book, but simply to read the work in it's entirety and provide my honest opinion.