Imagine riding in an ordinary-sized taxicab with twelve other people. It doesn’t sound much a like a cozy or comfortable ride, does it? In fact, you would probably be able to imagine what a sardine would feel like when packed with its colleagues in a tiny sardine box. And you will also be able to imagine what it is like to ride in a “taptap”!

What is a taptap, you ask? A taptap is a distinctive, colorfully decorated bus that graces the streets of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The local Haitians consider it as their ordinary city bus. Outsiders, however, consider it to be FAR from ordinary!

If you wish to “experience” a taptap, it is a very easy thing to accomplish, for they are as common as flies on the roads of the capital city of Haiti. They will stop anywhere to take on passengers: In the middle of a road; in the middle of an intersection; even 5 times on the same block! It’s a blessing to those who need a ride, but it’s not such a blessing if you’re in the unlucky car stuck behind one!!!

My first experience in a taptap was quite memorable. It was a blistering hot day, and as I stepped onboard, a wave of stifling air, heavily laced with the stench of many sweating bodies, nearly overwhelmed me (I failed to mention that the taptap does not come standard with air-conditioning, or any other system of ventilation, for that matter!). As I looked back into the vehicle for a place to sit, I immediately understood the source of the odor: Five to six people were crammed onto each bench! Quite obviously this bus was full! I’d have to wait for another one! But when I expressed this concern to the bus driver, the entire vehicle erupted in laughter! What was going on? Had I become a stand-up comic and someone forgot to tell me? I was so confused!

It was friendly laughter, however, and two people on the first bench scooted away from each other, clearing a spot about 6 inches wide. “You can sit with us, man,” one of them said.

In THAT little spot??? I didn’t say it out loud, but the thought of squishing myself that tightly between two other human beings made my feet freeze to the spot. But not wanting to hurt their feelings, and also not wanting to again become the laughing stock of the entire bus, I forced my feet to move, then I sucked in my gut and shoved and squished myself into the tiny space.

Between the fact that I had to hold my breath to keep the rise and fall of my chest from hitting someone and the fact that the stench continued to worsen exponentially, to say that the air aboard that taptap was suffocating would have been an understatement! No wonder sardines are found dead in their boxes! But as this thought was going through my head, I began to get that prickly feeling all over my skin that I was being watched! I looked up. Sure enough, not just ONE set of eyes, but EVERY eye on that bus was riveted on-ME! Their faces were covered with friendly grins, however, and I (rather weakly!) smiled back at them. This broke the tension, and soon all of them began telling me stories of their experiences on taptaps. Despite the fact that I was a foreigner to them, we asked questions back and forth, and before long, the air actually seemed to lighten a little. I felt so welcomed, so loved.

Their friendliness not only made that suffocating trip bearable, but it also made it enjoyable, and despite the crowded conditions and the nauseating smells, I never hesitated to take a taptap again. It became a wonderful means for me to really get to know the Haitian culture. Isn’t it amazing what a bit of friendliness can do?

But what kind of a feeling do we go away with if an experience does NOT make us feel welcome? I remember visiting a small church once where no one greeted me at the door, and no one spoke to me the entire time I was there. Needless to say, I never went back! Is this possibly one of the reasons why this church was so small?

Unfortunately, so many of our churches are indifferent to outsiders. They are too crippled by legalism, by “clique” mentalities and by judgmentalism to reach out to those in need. So many church visitors have the following things to say about their church experience:

“I didn’t feel welcome.”

“Someone came up to me and asked what I was doing there! “

“Someone asked me how I expected to be saved, dressed the way I was! “

“Everyone was talking to everyone else, but not to me.”

What does God think about this kind of “religious” attitude? Revelation 3: 1-2: “I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God.” NIV

Instead of ignoring newcomers or being critical of them, we should be more like the Haitians in the taptaps. We should welcome anyone who visits our churches. We should make them feel at home, care for them, love them and befriend them. Not only will this result in us fulfilling the purpose of our lives, but we will also find ourselves enjoying going to church even more! We will be fulfilling Jesus’ request: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35)

Is it worth it to reach out to people in love? Take a taptap and you will find out!

Rob Chaffart