Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Who Do We Serve

In Joshua 24:15, Joshua asks his people to make a bold decision:  "But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living."  Each of us must answer;  who will we serve?

Now I'm pretty sure I've never served the gods of the Amorites but I tell you what I have served all too often:  man.  Throughout my life I have all too often worried about what others thought of me.  I have struggled with self-esteem issues all my life (I'm pouring my heart out here....I feel like I should be laying on a couch in therapy) and get bogged down in worries over what others think of me.  This is BAD!! God continues to teach me and remind me that many of my anxieties are built around pleasing others.  Jesus said "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.  Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell."  A few verses later He says "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in Heaven.  But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven."  

We want people to like us.  We want people to be happy with us.  We want people to accept us.  We want people to be pleased by what we do.  Of course we do . . . but are we doing that at the expense of our relationship with Jesus Christ?  Oh to be like Paul.  In Galatians 1 Paul writes, "Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God?  Or am I trying to please men?  If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ."  After Paul surrendered to Christ his life became about nothing else but serving Christ, and pleasing Christ.  In his walk with Christ, he upset a lot of people.  He disappointed a lot of people, and he paid a physical price for that.  However, his desire was to serve Christ, and not to please man.

Pray today for the strength and willingness to serve Christ only.  Pray that the Holy Spirit would overwhelm you to the point where you are not concerned with what others think, but only with pleasing Jesus Christ.  Joshua asked the Israelites who they would serve, and then proclaimed "But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord".  

Serve the Lord today, not man. 

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Haiti - Days 6 & 7

Well, our time in Haiti is coming to a close.  Although I will be glad to step foot back into the United States I will also miss Haiti.  I have found brothers and sisters in Christ here, fallen in love with beautiful children, and seen poverty on a whole new level. 

On Day 6, we spent our time "sight-seeing".  We went to downtown Port-au-Prince, and made a quick stop by the Presidential Palace which still lies in ruins from the Earthquake.  It was an impressive structure and the destruction serves as a reminder of how powerful the earthquake was.  As we left downtown we drove into the mountains to the American Baptist Mission and to Fort Jacques. As you drive into the mountains you find some places that have a little more money, but not many.  Furthermore, you are clearly reminded of the Tropical Paradise that this nation could and should be.  Beautiful mountain sides, lush green forests, tall trees, colorful flowers, and a temperature in the 70s.  It is absolutely beautiful there.  Fort Jacques was yet another reminder of the poor state of this nation.  This is where the French made their final stand against the slaves in 1804/1805 before the slaves defeated them and ran them out of the country, thus ensuring Haiti's independence.  It sits high above Port-Au-Prince with a great view of the entire country.  Unfortunately it has not been kept up and is yet another sight for the homeless to converge upon and for trash to be dumped on.  It is one of the most impressive historic forts I have ever seen, and should be a symbol of pride for this nation, yet instead serves as another reminder of the lack of government and economy in this nation.

Today, Day 7, we are just packing up, resting and preparing for our trip home.  Everyone will have stories to tell.  Everyone will have memories to cherish.  Everyone will have a renewed heart for God's people. (I hope and pray) 

Pray for our safety with the flight and our long drive home.

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Haiti - Day 5

Day 5 - No doubt the most difficult day so far.  Simply because of the emotions of the day.  As I mentioned before, today was our last day at the orphanage, and we all knew that it would be difficult.  Just how difficult, I don't know if any of us fully understood.  Even those who have come before; how can one pretend to know "exactly" how it is going to feel?  To wrap your arms around one of God's precious little children as they are crying because you are leaving them,  knowing that you may never see this child which you have fallen in love with again is truly heartbreaking.  The face of children like Nelsize will be burned into my brain forever, and the desire to speed up our own adoption of Sophia is even more urgent.  To know that my daughter is somewhere in a place like this, hoping for someone to take her home, hoping for someone to finally say "YES - you can come home with us" .... that thought is chilling.

Today was spent playing more games, doing more crafts, singing more songs, and giving more hugs out to the children.  Our construction team finished sealing up the main wall of the orphanage to prevent water from leaking into the yard.  They have worked on this for a couple of days primarily for sanitation.  Understand that where the orphanage is located, water frequently floods into the courtyard, bringing sewage, garbage, and diseases into the orphan yard.  With the job done by our men this will hopefully no longer be a problem. 

You may have noticed that my blog from Haiti has primarily been a reporting of facts and not much reflection or Biblical inspiration.  There is a reason for that.  The problems here are overwhelming and require much reflection on my behalf.  The sadness, destruction, and poverty here are truly unimaginable.  No commercial or news broadcast can fully capture what is taking place here, and for me to come here for just a few days and blog about all the answers would be ludicrous and arrogant on my part.  Despite all the sorrow here, Christ is at work in this nation as well, and He has spoken to me a lot over the last few days about my calling, and about my mission.  Again, for me to just jump right out and speak of that would be uncalled for because there is much more prayer and thought that must be placed.  I will say this to those who may worry, I am not moving down here as a missionary, and I am coming back to the States.  However, for me and my church to neglect this nation would be a sin. 

As long as there are precious children like Nelsize in orphanages crying out for someone to call Mama and Papa, our mission is incomplete.  As long as there are children digging through garbage cans for food and things to collect, our mission is incomplete.  As long as children are longing to be loved our mission is incomplete.  "Father break my heart for what breaks yours" must be our cry, not just a song.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Haiti - Day 4

Day 4 has probably been my favorite day so far.  We spent all day at the orphanage doing a variety of activities. 

The day started off with singing with the kids.  Dax Smith played the guitar and our translators helped lead them in songs such as "Here I am to Worship", "Amazing Grace", Father Abraham, and more.  It was a beautiful sight and sound.  (videos will be available at some point)  It never ceases to move me to hear people singing to God in different languages at the same time.  If you ever doubted that we are ALL God's children, just take a trip to somewhere that speaks a different language. 

My personal favorite moment of the day was spent with 4 little boys playing with stickers.  We all know that kids love stickers, but you cannot imagine the fun these boys and I were having.  We sat down in the dirt with a half sheet of paper and a few stickers and had a blast.  I gave one boy a sticker of a cow, and you would have thought that I gave him the funniest toy ever.  He laughed like it was going out of style.  And I wish I knew what these boys were talking about, but these stickers became serious business as they began comparing their sheets.  We had some serious artwork going on.  It was there I was again reminded how these are God's children, made in God's image, and that His love for them is incomprehensible. 

Tomorrow will be our last day in the orphanage and it will be tough for all of us as we say goodbye.  Pray for us and pray for the kids as we say our goodbyes.

This evening was perhaps one of my most pleasant memories in the ministry.  Me and Eric were invited to preach at a church "30 minutes" away, which when translated always means and hour and a half away.  Obviously this was my first time to preach with a translator.  EXTREMELY COOL!  To share the gospel with people in another country rocks my world.  I am so unworthy of such an opportunity and eternally grateful.  At the end of the service we witnessed one of the most exciting times of praise I have ever seen.  There was some praising that would have literally raised the roof (if there had been one).  This church was devastated by the earthquake and had only a floor and walls.  As the pastor told us later, this was in a community that at one time had 51 voodoo temples, but by the influence and power of the Gospel, there are now only 3 temples remaining.  This was a community that at one point had no children because the voodoo priests were killing all the children, yet at our service there were more than 20 children.  Praise God for the power of the Gospel and for the saving power of Jesus Christ.  No wonder they could raise the roof with their praises.  He has literally transformed a village. 

I will never get over the fact of how happy and grateful and humble the believers in this country are.  Surrounded by complete, and I do mean complete devastation, they still praise God.  Surrounded by the most extreme poverty imaginable, they still honor, praise, and serve Christ.  I know people like that in America, and they are all such an inspiration.  People such as this in America and Haiti and around the globe truly believe that Jesus Christ gives life abundantly, and truly believe that He is true peace.

Haiti - Day 3

The report on Haiti Day 3 is obviously coming out on Day 4.  That's because of the Loritab I was taking last night.  I figured it would not be a good idea for me to be typing while on such meds....I might get myself in trouble.  My back problems flared up big time yesterday and put me down for the evening.  But that's enough about me....you want to know what's going on in Haiti.

Day 3 was another great day.  Our team actually split into two groups.  One stayed at the orphanage while the other went to check out "But God Ministries."  I was on the team that went to check out But God.  On the way we had to make a stop at the airport to pick up James Hutto, who just arrived in country. (That's another story for another day) While at the airport God reminded me how much He is in control of things.  While our Hatian Pastor and Eric went to inside to meet James, myself, one translator, the bus driver, and three ladies were left on the bus to wait.  The waiting turned into an adventure as half of jumped off the bus, thinking we were supposed to, when suddenly the police began yelling at our driver and then forced him to pull over.  Next thing you know our bus driver is getting hauled off to jail for mouthing off at the cops. Our translator then goes off with them to try and play lawyer.  So, I'm left in the middle of hundreds of Haitians coming and going, on the side of the street, with three blond haired white ladies.  Can you say "fresh meat"?  I told Dawn, "just look like you belong here and you know what you're doing"..... whatever that means.  Anyway, God gave me a comfort.  God reminded me that He is in control and there was nothing I could do about.  Guess what....everything worked out fine.  Our translator eventually came back, the bus driver broke out of jail (not kidding), and we got James and went on our merry way.

After a very long and bumpy ride through the country side we made it to But God Ministries.  This is a ministry under the direction of Stan Buckley.  We were all really impressed by what is going on there.  I see potential for a lot of long term ministry there as they already have housing, medical clinic, dental clinic, and more set up.   None of us are experts but from what we can tell, the most effective thing that can be done in this country is to get more people out of Port-Au-Prince and into the countryside where they can farm and sustain themselves.  That is one of the goals of this ministry and they are well on their way to accomplishing that.

A couple of hours after that came the Loritab so that is all I have to say about Day 3 . . .  sorry!

Monday, November 21, 2011

Haiti - Day 2

As I continue to document our "great adventure" here in Haiti, I am coming to you after another great day.  Today we spent most of the day in the "Life is Hope Orphanage" where our team played games with the kids, did some slight repair jobs (electrical, plumbing, etc.), and just loved on the kids.  Although for most of us there is a language barrier, there is one language that is universal, and that is love.  Love and a smile is something all can understand, and there was plenty of that to go around from our end and theirs.  These children are desperate for love and affection and many ask us the heartbreaking question:  "Can I go home with you?"  I hate that question.

After a great supper we drove about 2 hours to one of Pastor Jean's churches where Eric was able to share a message with the people.  I believe we were all moved at worshiping with our brothers and sisters in their church.  Imagine this:  a church with cinder block walls, tarps for a roof, and the tarps being held up with a large wooden pole.  In the middle of what we would call a dump in America we sang "How Great Thou Art" in their language.  Anyone who knows me well knows I'm not a big hymn guy (not that I think they are bad, they just don't speak to me).  However, as I listened to them sing this beautiful song and the wind was whipping the roof all around, stars shining like crazy, and eventually the candle was blown out by the wind, I could not help but raise my hands to the heavens to praise our God. The Gospel is alive and well in the hearts of those in that church, and are led by amazing men of God (Pastor Jean, Pastor Michael, Johnny, and more)

We are back and going to get some rest for another great day at the orphanage.  Needs are so great in this country.  I cannot begin to describe the poverty.  Please remember, I used to teach about Third World Nations in my History Classes.  I didn't do well enough at describing them.  The poverty and devastation here is remarkable, but there is still a beauty here.  I think I see the most beauty in the men of God whom I have visited with that continually brag on the grace of God, and the love of their Savior.  Their willingness to survive and bring great things to their country is amazing.

The driving here is a trip.  No rules of the road.  I think the only rule is, if someone is in your way, or considering being in your way, you must honk at them.  There is no road rage. You just honk and then go around them.  And by the way, its ok if you use the sidewalk or the other side of the road to go around them.  No biggie.  Pedestrians just walk up and down the street in all directions and somehow do not get hit.  And some even jump on the back of our bus and hitch a ride.  Our travels on the road are always a great source of entertainment.

Well, I need some sleep.  God Bless to all my family and friends back in the U.S.  Continue to pray for our team down here and pray for the people of this nation.  Also, spread the word to your friends about my blog.  I would love to have more followers. 

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Haiti - Day 1

I told everyone I was going to try and keep you all posted on our Mission Trip in Haiti.  I also told you all that that was my goal, but it may or may not happen.  Good news is I am posting an update on day one.  So here goes.

After an extremely long drive to Miami yesterday we arrived late Saturday night (well....really early Sunday morning).  We had a great flight into Port-au-Prince and arrived at 12:05pm.  Dawn made a great new friend on the trip down.  Laurent is a Haitian pilot/civil engineering and is now Dawn's new friend.  You know her, she doesn't meet a stranger, and she had a great trip down sitting by Laurent. 

After about a 20 minute drive, we made it to the Missions Guest House where we are staying.  And let me just say, as someone who has never been to a third world country, the poverty we saw in just that 20 minutes was astounding.  Tent cities, people digging through garbage, goats on the street, children washing themselves by the side of the road.  That and much more in just 20 minutes.  God's children, God's creation suffering in this beautiful country of Haiti.  With all that said, it is clear why God is calling so many of his followers to come to this land and to share the love of Christ.  If anything can heal this land it is Christ - and we have already met and seen so many faithful Christ followers in this land. 

We just wrapped up a debriefing as we prepare for tomorrow.  Teams are preparing their supplies for the orphanage and we hope to get some rest.  Some have rested well, others, including me, are working on 4 hours of sleep over the last few days.  Hoping I can sleep tonight for the first time in days.  Praying that our team is strong tomorrow and focused on sharing God's love and bold enough to declare the Gospel.  Continue praying for this awesome team and this awesome country.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Thankful

Contrary to today's title, this is not a typical Thanksgiving post where I say write down all that you are thankful for (although I would encourage you to do that).  Instead this is just a reminder to be thankful for some people we often forget about.

In 2 Corinthians 11 Paul boasts about his sufferings. 

 24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26 I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. 27 I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 28 Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?
 30 If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. 

Paul encountered and endured unimaginable persecution for his beliefs and the message he preached.  Today I am thankful for men and women like Paul who have courageously and boldly proclaimed the Gospel in dangerous places.  People like Paul paved the way for the Church and helped get the Gospel around the globe.  As I sit in my comfortable office typing this, I am reminded that there continues to be men and women in dangerous spots around the globe today, risking their lives for the Gospel of Christ.

Join with me today and Thank God for the boldness of our brothers and sisters who unashamedly proclaim the Gospel, at the risk of danger, persecution, violence, and even death.  Thank God today for the generations of men and women who have boldly spread the Gospel.