Dorcas.

“In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (in Greek her name is Dorcas); she was always doing good and helping the poor. Acts 9:36

The seaport of Joppa will long be remembered because 2,000 years ago a faithful church worker lived there, her name was Dorcas.  She is legendary because of her work for charity.  She was rich both in giving and in personal service, honoring God and helping her neighbor for Jesus’ sake.
During the midpoint of her lifetime, she became ill and died.  The grieving was hard by her fellow believers and we read on in Acts, “Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room.  All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.  Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, “Tabitha, get up.” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up.  He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called for the believers, especially the widows, and presented her to them alive.  This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord.”
Along my journey, there have been many who are like Dorcas in their service to their Lord.  I have seen many photos of mission team members sharing Jesus with young children in Haiti and many memories of Haitian brothers and sisters sharing the love of Jesus with me.  There are many in the ranks of Trinity/HOPE supporters who could wear a “Dorcas” nametag when they get up and begin the next day of their journey, serving Him.  On behalf of these two in the photo and the over 28,000 other children in 141 Christian schools in Haiti, we say “Beni Soit L’Eternal!” (Praise the Lord!) for your continued support.  

Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen.  

May God be with you…Jay

Orange plaid.

Jesus said "... And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:20b

From the mouths of children come some of the greatest inspirations and insights that you can ever fathom.  Priceless pearls of wisdom or darts of brilliant light that help you to understand them and this world through their minds, words and actions.  I don’t recall the name of the boy in the photo, he wore the same shirt on the three days I happened to see him during one week in October; I called him ‘orange plaid”.  He was one of the children chosen for our Trinity/HOPE interview as we try to get an idea of how many of these children were eating at home.
This young boy was happy to be in Ouanaminthe, in school and being fed.  He hadn’t eaten before he went to bed the night before school and his parents had given him a cup of coffee for his morning nourishment…no food.  When I asked what his favorite food was he said “Trinity/HOPE rice and beans”.  What a great advertisement, “next time your mom goes to the store, tell her to pick up a box of the Trinity/HOPE rice & beans”.
The boy was captured in another photo during the week, it was sent a few days ago and he was shown with two other children with a bracelet on his wrist.  This young boy walks to  school, perspiration popping up on his forehead, learning about geography, math…and Jesus.  His life will touch others in the coming years and decades with the message of hope for those who have not heard of Jesus.  Jesus tells us, “and surely I am with you always…”
You will meet many people in your life and do His work in many different ways along your journey.  Prayerfully, you will make a difference in the lives of many through your kind and wise words, encouragement and love.  It is really important to concentrate on those times where we can truly make a difference in another life.  Thank you for making that difference in over 28,000 young lives, preparing His children to go share His message of salvation with the lost  

Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen.  

May God be with you…Jay

His love.

“But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8
A recent Portals of Prayer had the above scripture reading, a message that revolved around love and the attached photo is of two girls living in Ouanaminthe, Haiti and their smiles tell you they have a Savior and are eating Trinity/HOPE food.  How can you help but not love this photo?

“Have you ever loved someone?  Love causes us to reach out to another.  It causes us to make sacrifices.  We sacrifice our time, our money and sometimes our own desires.  Love binds a person to the thing that they love.  Loving is a risky business, because sometimes the one that we love does not and will not love us back.”

That was the opening message this morning for one of my devotion; loving someone, reaching out and making various sacrifices.  Trinity/HOPE supporters love their Savior, their Creator and their Comforter…and His children.  We make sacrifices sometimes and other times we just give.  I am guilty of that, giving without really considering how special the life is that my gift is touching…reaching out to a life that doesn’t know I even exist.

At those times, the Holy Spirit uses my gift, my ‘sacrifice’ to touch that life with a blessing that will prayerfully place an ear to ear smile upon their face.  Not often we get to see such happiness, as in the two smiles in this photo.  They are genuine, they are real, they are thankful and they truly believe that you are a Godsend to them.  I pray that your financial sacrifice, your prayers and your love will continue to touch girls in white ribbons and boys in plaid shirts living in Ouanaminthe.  

Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen.  

May God be with you…Jay

One dollar.

“I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me.  Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it.  I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.  I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.  I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”  Philippians 4:10-12  

While living in Haiti, the words of the Apostle Paul brought me comfort, understanding, peace and patience.  If you know me, that last word may not be a word that you would count as one of my strong attributes or high points.  

Imagine what Paul must have endured on his mission trips.  Imagine the people that he met and the lives that he shared the message of salvation with along his many travels; probably saw faces similar to these four children.  Some comments from people who have seen this photo are these kids look so happy, so clean and friendly.  Look closer at these children who attend a school in Ouanaminthe that is called Messif.  Their school was very, very dark and the flash from the camera poured volumes of light into their dark classroom; no electricity or windows.  The temperature in their classroom at 11 AM was probably in the low 90’s in October and there was no breeze.  

The photo shows two really important facets; the children are in school and very happy to be in school because they just finished eating their lunch.  Also notice the bracelet of the girl on the right side.  She has the message of salvation wrapped around her wrist that may provide a lifeline to another lost child in Haiti on her walk home this day, or tomorrow.   

Trinity/HOPE is so very simple; we feed children attending Christian schools in Haiti and they in turn share the Gospel message with Haiti.  It cost one dollar to feed these four children on this hot day in Ouanaminthe.  The Apostle Paul would be so very happy to have these young missionaries joining in his call, the same call that you and I have from our Lord Jesus; go and seek and save the lost  

Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen.   May God be with you…Jay

Missionary.

“First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world.  God, whom I serve in my spirit in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you.  I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong; that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.  I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.”  Romans 1:8-13    

Have you ever met a missionary?  The apostle Paul was a missionary.  The dictionary states that a ‘missionary’ is someone who leaves their home and goes to live, work and witness in another location.  It doesn’t mention anything about them sharing the Holy Gospel or healing a disease, helping them build a school or putting a meal on their table at lunch time.

I hope that you have had an opportunity to meet a missionary and that they have been a blessing to you and your earthly journey.  The three children in the attached photo are missionaries from the Lutheran School in Ouanaminthe, Haiti.  They are rather young but with your help, they will be very wonderful missionaries to their neighbors who have not yet heard the saving message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.   Their colorful wrist bands tell the story of creation, baptism, death, resurrection and salvation; the saving message is easy to understand in ways that can only be told by a child to another child or their parents or grandparents.  These three would probably have been favorites of the Apostle Paul; they are favorites of mine because they will spreading the Gospel message to the lost throughout Haiti in the coming decades.   

Thank you for supporting missionary preparation through Trinity/HOPE; it only takes a quarter to provide a hot lunch for one of these Kingdom builders.  Consider for a moment that one small quarter could be all that it takes to keep one precious life out of satan’s grips.  One small coin in the right place could win a soul for Christ; that is a God thing and we just can’t begin to fully understand or appreciate the slogan, “ain’t God good?”

Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen.  

May God be with you…Jay

Ten years ago...

"Because I live, you also will live."  John 14:19  

At 4:45 PM on January 12, 2010 a strong earthquake struck below the mountains on the Southern claw of Haiti; bringing destruction from Port-au-Prince to the city of Leogand several miles to the west.  There were an estimated 350,000 lives lost and more injured; and the majority of the survivors were left homeless.  A person from my home congregation asked me "What do people do at such time when they don't have Jesus?"  We who have peace know that we are saved because of what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross; but what about the lost that died clinging to the lies of the vodou priest.  

Following the quake, many Christians were glued to the internet and CNN watching video streaming live from PAP, showing the devastation and desperation as search efforts were undertaken to recues the living and later recover the dead.  What did the unbelievers do without a Savior to help them?  Haiti claims to be over 80% Christian but you need to factor in that an estimated 65% of the county actively practices vodou.  You cannot serve the Lord and the devil too.

In the days following the quake, stories began to make the news of Christians singing hymns of thanksgiving to their Triune God and praying out loud in the dark streets in the evenings.  Faith, their faith, was alive in the camps where they had found refuge.  Their faith was encouraging others to give thanks for their life as they had more work to accomplish for their Heavenly Father.  

The vodou priests had no reply for the strong earthquake; the power of the Triune God silenced their efforts to bring people to continue to fear their evil spirits.  Their ‘religion’ could only bring additional fear, pain and suffering and could not bring any comfort for the vodou followers; all the priests could do was to watch as their followers limped through this tragedy.  Our Triune God has done so much for His children as they grieve, give thanks, survive and as they rebuild.  

There are clear differences between Christianity and vodou; we clearly see and understand that we need a Savior and the vodou followers always need another daily ‘miracle’ from the vodou priest; for a price.  We need a Savior who will rescue us from our pains and problems; who will forgive us for our sins.  In the Person of Jesus, our loving Father has given us such a Savior.  In Jesus we have forgiveness of our sins and the promise that there is a world where there are no tragedies like Haiti has seen; we have a mansion prepared for us in Heaven.  This message is being taught to the children attending Christian schools in Haiti.  Your prayers and generous donations to Trinity/HOPE are helping these children to take the message to the lost throughout the neighborhoods in Haiti.

Today let it be our prayer that the people of Haiti may be brought to this Savior who can help them in this life and bring them to the next; you know the place where there is no darkness and no tears.  

Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen.   May God be with you…Jay

Follow me.

“The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee.  Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.” John 1:43  

This passage from the Gospel of John has always fascinated me and again drew me deeper into these words when a morning devotion discussed these words of our Savior.  A couple of things grab at my question button; Jesus finding, Jesus saying ‘follow me’ and then our own free will.  Jesus found Philip, found you, found me and found this child in Haiti.  Our Savior who later called himself the ‘Good Shepherd’ came to earth to look for the lost sheep; came to seek and save the lost.  It should make each of us feel really special that the Son of God came to earth and looked for us and after a period of time found us.  

We didn’t go looking for Him; we cannot on our own do that as too often we don’t know where to look.  Too often our ‘free will’ points us into directions away from Him and into places that are deeper and darker where we can hide from Him.  Why do you suppose Philip dropped what he was doing and went with Jesus when told to ‘follow me’?  Perhaps he had nothing to do but probably because he realized Who this was who had found him, at that point in history.  Philip had heard about the coming of the Messiah and was waiting and what a ‘God moment’ in his life to have the Savior find him.  Jesus found you and is calling to you to ‘follow’.  You, I and this child from Haiti have been found and told to ‘follow Christ’ and become shepherds and seek and save the lost.  Don’t let your free will tell you that your life is not capable of seeking lost souls or bring them to Christ.  He is with you and the Holy Spirit is nudging you where you happen to be today.

And finally, there is that point in your journey when Jesus will call you home.  Your free will card will do you no good on that day.  He found you, He called you and He will take you home one day and you and this child from Haiti will sit at the feet of the Good Shepherd and bask in His glory.  

Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen.  

May God be with you…Jay

Gospel light.

“You are the light of the world.  A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.” Matthew 5:14  

There are those that really enjoy being in the spotlights of this world; they truly thrive on the applause and adulations.  Conversely, there are those that would rather work behind the spotlight, giving anonymously, serving quietly and living in the shadow of the spotlight.  Their work is important but they would not choose to build their ‘town’ on a hill so that all could see where they are located.  God has created each of us so very differently.  

This child attending Bon Berger Lutheran school in Caredeux is like us; a ‘Gospel light’ in this world.  She like you and I were placed on this earth to serve the One who came to be the ‘Light to the Gentiles’.  Our Savior came so we would not live in the darkness of this world.  He came to encourage us to share our ‘light’, His light, with those still living in darkness.  

If you enjoy working in the trenches of this world and out of the spotlight and you find yourself being applauded for your service, don’t be dismayed, the adulations are for Him who sent you.  Give thanks for His nudging you to send this small child to do His work in Haiti.  

Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen.  

May God be with you…Jay 

Perfect gift.

“But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.” Galatians 4:4-5  

How much planning went into your Christmas shopping last year?  Did you give much thought when picking out a special gift for a family member?  How important was it for you to get that ‘special gift’ for your child and be blessed to see them light up as they removed the wrapping paper to reveal a gift that brought about a huge smile and loud “WOW”!  I had a special ‘theme’ for all of the gifts that I got my family last year and it brought about some laughter from my grandkiddo’s, but the look from my daughters seemed to say “dad is losing his mind”.  Consider the gift that our Heavenly Father sent us.  It only needed to be given once as it keeps on giving through the ages.   

Our Heavenly Father waited until history reached the proper moment in time and then sent Jesus.  The timing was perfect; the Roman rule, Jewish ordination, passable roads, freedom, a degree of safety and a common trading language.  He sent his Son to be a woman's son.  From Heaven He send His Son to earth to be the Savior of the world.  He did it so all of the inhabitants of His world could be called His children.  He gave the perfect gift of all time; for all time.  

Thank you for sharing your gift of support for these children attending Christian schools in Haiti; enabling and preparing them to share the Gift of salvation with those still living in bondage to the vodou priests of Haiti.  

Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen.  

May God be with you…Jay

A willing spirit.

“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.  Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.  Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” Psalm 51:10-12  

The last eight words of the above verses “grant me a willing spirit to sustain me” are words that should be in our daily prayers.  A ‘willing spirit’ needs to drive me in this world where we are often being told these days to mind your own business; don’t get involved.  

How many people did your Heavenly Father place along your journey yesterday?  How many hurting lives brushed up against you at work?  How many lonely souls sat next to you at the doctor office?  How many broken relationships went past your grocery cart?  How many visitors sat in your pew at Church on Sunday?  How many lives searching for a Savior did you share the Gospel with yesterday?  

This little boy from Cap Haitian who is carrying a chair on his head touched my life on the day this picture was taken and today as well; he knows Jesus and lives in a neighborhood where many do not.  A willing spirit continues to move me to help him share the message with the people along his journey.  May a ‘willing spirit’ move you as well to finish well in the remainder of your days.  

Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen.  

May God be with you…Jay