International Prayer Day First Monday each month 10 am

Joel Griffith 4/1/20 Joel Griffith 4/1/20

Avril.

“And he said, 'No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.' He said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.'" Luke 16:30-31 (ESV)

On the Haitian calendar that was on the wall of my office in Petionville, last month was ‘Mas’ and this month is ‘Avril”. A new month, and another day of sheltering in place here in Normal. Recently we were told that in Illinois we will continue to ‘shelter’ until April 30; ugh! The devotion on my calendar for today had the above scripture reading, and these passages in Luke caused me to think about the parable Jesus was teaching was about a rich man and Lazarus, and he asked that Lazarus should be brought back from the dead; because then this miracle would make believers of those who were witnesses of this wonderful moment.

Jesus told them that their ancestors had Moses and the Prophets and the people did not listen and if He raised Lazarus from the dead, they would still not change their evil ways. Do you ever wonder what you would have done if you had been out aimlessly wandering in the desert, following the pillar of smoke and eating manna; what would you have done? Did you ever think that if you had been there when Jesus called Lazarus from the tomb what you would have done when he came out after being dead for four days? Surely, we would have believed and not turned away or fell asleep in the garden as Jesus prayed before he was arrested.

The children in the attached photo attend Ecole Lutherienne in Osse and they like you, have heard the story of the Son of God and the miracles He did on earth. Before they learned of Jesus Christ, they had heard about Erzule Dante and all the other evil spirits that are called upon by the local vodou priest. Those are the memory lessons planted in their minds by their parents, who learned them from their parents from the beginning of their lives.

We are blessed with an opportunity to share what we have been taught and know with the children in Osse so that they can go out and share it with the rest of Haiti that relies upon satan and the vodou priest each day. They live in doubt, fear and hopelessness. In John 20:29 Jesus tells us “Blessed are those who have not seen but believe.” Thank you for helping to bring that message of hope in a risen Savior to the lost of Haiti.

Dear 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

Joel Griffith 3/31/20 Joel Griffith 3/31/20

Do you know who you are?

“May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 15:5-6

Do you know who you are and why you are here? Have you found the purpose for your being? These sound like simple questions but for some that continue to wait for more delineated directions they are difficult questions. All of my lineage came from Germany and I don’t think that 200 years ago my ancestors envisioned me sitting here in Normal, IL, writing a devotion for TrinityHOPE. Beyond my great-great grandparents, their names are known to me but not their vocations. In one hundred years my legacy too will have vanished, but prayerfully somewhere and at some point along my journey a life will have met Jesus because of a word or action that the Holy Spirit inspired in me, was shared with them.

So…do you know who you are? The children in the attached photo attend Grace Lutheran School which is up in the mountains of the Les Cayes district. Their ancestors came to Haiti from the west coast of Africa on French slave ships in the mid 1700’s. Their ancestors most likely practiced vodou and probably didn’t know that from their lineage would come these young missionaries who would share the story of the risen Savior of this world with the lost souls of Haiti.
Their purpose, your purpose and my purpose is to share the news that our loving Heavenly Father sent His Son into this world to live, suffer and die for us. His blood washed away the sin that we have done. The following lyrics are from a song that played recently on this computer and it explains the meaning of our purpose so well.

“What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus; what can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Oh! precious is the flow that makes me white as snow; No other fount I know, Nothing but the blood of Jesus. For my pardon, this I see, nothing but the blood of Jesus; for my cleansing this my plea, nothing but the blood of Jesus. Nothing can for sin atone, nothing but the blood of Jesus; naught of good that I have done, nothing but the blood of Jesus. This is all my hope and peace, nothing but the blood of Jesus; this is all my righteousness, nothing but the blood of Jesus. Now by this I’ll overcome, nothing but the blood of Jesus; now by this I’ll reach my home, nothing but the blood of Jesus. Glory! Glory! This I sing, nothing but the blood of Jesus. All my praise for this I bring, nothing but the blood of Jesus.”

Because of Him, we are saved, because of Him we have the joy of sharing the message of salvation with the lost souls of this world in America, Haiti, Mexico, Germany and to the ends of this planet. Thank you for sharing of your gifts and prayers in the time you have been given.

Joel Griffith 3/30/20 Joel Griffith 3/30/20

A beacon of Hope.

“Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” Hebrews 12:3

Simple things can accomplish so many good things, they can reap enormous benefits; they can lay the foundation for future generations. There are some who look at a plastic bowl of beans and rice resting on a plain board in front of a smiling Haitian child and don’t see the hand of God in action. At times, our world would prefer to spend countless hours and hundreds of thousands of dollars purchasing land, building large churches, acquiring earth moving equipment and then repairing that earth moving equipment again and again, and bringing people to become dependent upon their wealth. Often, too often the plans and directions of this world are sadly exceedingly expensive and we should always ask if these resources are being used wisely in the growth of His Kingdom.

The photo of two plain iron pots setting over chunks of charcoal inside a crude corrugated metal shelter in Cap Haitian are much like a ‘beacon of hope’ for the young missionaries who will take the Gospel message to the lost in Haiti.

The photo is simplicity at its finest, no electricity, no cupboard with costly spices, no exhaust fans or even a door. Really quite simple isn’t it? This is the making of a lighthouse ready to prepare young children to send the Gospel light to the lost. While driving home from Wahlgreen’s last week and back to my ‘Shelter in Place’ home, I heard a song called “Send the Light” and it reminded me of those two pots in Cap Haitian.

“There’s a call comes ringing o’er the restless wave, “Send the light! Send the light!” There are souls to rescue, there are souls to save, Send the light! Send the light! Send the light, the blessed Gospel light; let it shine from shore to shore! Send the light, the blessed Gospel light; let it shine forevermore! We have heard the Macedonian call today, “Send the light! Send the light!” And a golden off’ring at the cross we lay, Send the light! Send the light! Let us pray that grace may everywhere abound, “Send the light! Send the light!” And a Christlike spirit everywhere be found, Send the light! Send the light! Let us not grow weary in the work of love, “Send the light! Send the light!” Let us gather jewels for a crown above, Send the light! Send the light!”

To those of you who have helped to keep those two simple pots of rice and beans full in Cap Haitian and 140 other locations throughout Haiti, thank you. Thank you for following His call, for trusting in His simple plan to send over 30,000 children out into Haiti and send the light, the Gospel light, to the lost in Haiti.

Joel Griffith 3/28/20 Joel Griffith 3/28/20

I am trusting Thee.

“She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21

When the Angel of the Lord spoke to Joseph through a dream, telling him about the event that was going to dramatically change his life and also forever impact the residents of this planet what must he thought? His son Jesus will save God’s people from their sins.

Being saved, how important is that really? I am sitting here today in a climate-controlled room surrounded by a world filled with the COVID 19 crud, with my fingers tapping on a plastic keyboard, not thinking too much about being saved. At this present moment I feel physically safe but as I look at the word ‘salvation’ it is very clear that my sinful nature which has been with me from the beginning, caused me to need a savior to rescue me.

The child in the attached photo attends the Lutheran school in Bois Marchand and he would tell how important this verse in Matthew means to him. “Se li menm ki pral delivre pèp li a anba peche l' yo” brings a smile to his face because he knows that ‘Jesus will save his people from their sins’. Christ saves His people "from their sins." Not the vodou priest who practices just down the road, he only adds to their sins.

Thank you for blessing this child and his school in Bois Marchand with a meal every day and for helping to prepare him to go and share the Gospel message with those still living in fear and unaware that they have a Savior. I close with the first two verses of the hymn ‘I am trusting Thee, Lord Jesus’ that was written by Frances Havergal in 1874.

“I am trusting Thee, Lord Jesus, trusting only Thee; trusting Thee for full salvation, great and free. I am trusting Thee for pardon; at Thy feet I bow, for Thy grace and tender mercy, trusting now.”

Joel Griffith 3/27/20 Joel Griffith 3/27/20

Do not fear.

“Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.” Revelation 2:10 (ESV)

Imagine how a child living in Haiti must feel about walking to school for hours in the early morning, having had nothing to eat but knowing and expecting that there will be a plate of food for them at school; it is always there…like their Heavenly Father…always there. That is a face of faithfulness. God is always faithful to them and to us. Stop and consider how this COVID 19 event has broken your calmness; fear of sickness, fear of the stock market, fear of loss of job and uncertainty that lies ahead. Fear not, God is always here by us and faithful to us.

Faithfulness is not a word that we hear very often in North America these days. Sometimes we hear it at retirement gatherings; “After 40 years of faithful service, we present you with this gold watch.” Perhaps you have a dog that has lived with your family for 15 years; what a faithful friend old Buck has been through all these years. About the only really faithful thing that I ever saw as a child was Old Faithful in Yellowstone, the Park Service had a clock that told visitors when it was going to erupt; I remember that we watched it spew water twice. In North America we love things that are on time, every time, every day…we love things that are faithful.

The five girls sitting at their school desk in Ouanaminthe are basking in the faithfulness of our Heavenly Father. One of His children in North America parted with a $1.25 so they would have a lunch on this particular day in October 2010. It is not easy finding somebody who can be counted on every day, all of the time; somebody who will be faithful to the very end. Not all of the people who are donating funds to feed these five girls in Ouanaminthe may be there next month or next year; our Heavenly Father may have other plans for them.

God has always re-loaded Trinity/HOPE with new donors; new groups have stepped up, grants from various sources…always some surprise. God doesn’t want these young heroes of the faith to go hungry, they need to be healthy as they go out and tell about their faithful Heavenly Father who gave His only Son, Who faithfully went to the cross for our sins. The faces in the attached photo know all about faithfulness, they know all about you and they know all about their Heavenly Father.

May God be with you…Jay

Joel Griffith 3/26/20 Joel Griffith 3/26/20

Seek and save the lost.

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost." Luke 19:10 (ESV)

During Lent we focus on the last days of the life and earthly journey of Jesus Christ; his suffering, humiliation, scourging, beating, death and resurrection. We also are reminded about why He came here for us, what His purpose on earth was and why we daily should turn to Him with thanksgiving for our gift of Eternal Life from His death on Calvary’s cross. The attached photo is of a rural market near Fond Baptiste, which is high on a mountain in the Arcahaie District. Here people from miles around gather twice a week to hopefully sell a small pan of vegetables or fruit, or a basket, or a dress or something that they have made or trade something for something that they might be needing.

I don’t know how many people were there but suffice to say there was a mass of humanity there and I can’t begin to tell you what the noise of their voices sounded like on that hot morning alongside the road to Fond Baptiste. The man in the center of the photo, scratching his head with his right hand is Pastor Joseph Romulus; he was looking for ‘zaboka’ or an avocado. Pastor Joseph is like you and me, a sinner. The other people in the photo are also sinners. Close to 65% percent of the people living in Haiti practice vodou, they are sinners who have not accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

Our Lord Jesus sent Pastor Joseph, you, me and over 30,000 Haitian children attending Christian schools in Haiti to take the Gospel message to the lost still practicing vodou in Haiti. Those vodou followers either have not heard the truth or have and still believe the lies of the vodou priest; that Christ did not rise from the dead and satan won the victory. Seek and save the lost. I heard a Lenten hymn online recently, “Jesus, Your Blood and Righteousness” by Nicolaus L. von Zinzendorf and it is one of my favorites and always reminds me of why Christ came and then the Holy Spirit moves me to follow the direction Christ gave us; to seek and save the lost.

“Jesus, your blood and righteousness, my beauty are, my glorious dress; mid flaming worlds, in these arrayed, with joy shall I lift up my head. Bold shall I stand in that great day, cleansed and redeemed, no debt to pay; for by your cross absolved I am, from sin and guilt, from fear and shame. Lord, I believe your precious blood, which at the mercy seat of God; pleads for the captives’ liberty, was also shed in love for me. Lord, I believe, were sinners more than sands upon the ocean shore, You have for all a ransom paid, for all a full atonement made. When from the dust of death I rise to claim my mansion in the skies, this then shall be my only plea: Christ Jesus lived and died for me. Then shall I praise you and adore Your blessed name forevermore, Who once, for me and all you made, an everlasting ransom paid.”

Thank you for blessing the lives of the teachers and children in Trinity/HOPE programs with your prayers and financial gifts that daily uplift them as they go out into their world and seek and save the lost.

Joel Griffith 3/25/20 Joel Griffith 3/25/20

You will never know...

(Jesus said) "But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:33

I hope and pray that you have had an opportunity on this side of Heaven, to show somebody a random act of kindness and heard them utter the words “You will never know how much this means to me”. Perhaps the words didn’t leave their lips but you could just see them in their eyes or feel them in the warm hug that they gave you. It is a warm fuzzy moment…it is a God moment.

I’ve been blessed to see doctors in Haiti receive those words through a translator, teachers receive that hug and a nurse receive that through two sets of eyes and a pair of smiles. It is a moment when our Heavenly Father is smiling at what has taken place. He told us ‘you don’t know how much you mean to me’ when He sent His Son to the cross. There have been many faces in Haiti captured on film that seem to say ‘thank you, you will never know how much this means to me.’ The attached photo of a school girl at Bon Berger in Caredeux seems to be telling Lori Wolfe-Beerenstrach that, as the lens of her camera opened on a hot Haitian day as school was getting out.

It is too bad that I could not attach a photo from every one of the schools that have Trinity/HOPE feeding programs so you could see over 30.000 children saying “you will never know how much this means to me.” We also need to say to God every day, “You will never know how much it means to me, that You gave Your only Son to die for my sins.” That random act of our Heavenly Father’s kindness and grace is immeasurable and unthinkable by human standards. Thank you for continuing to ‘make their day’ by supporting Trinity/HOPE and preparing those children in Haiti to do His work, spreading the Holy Gospel to the lost in their neighborhoods.

May God be with you…Jay

Joel Griffith 3/24/20 Joel Griffith 3/24/20

Prepare a child.

“From childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” 2 Timothy 3:15

Ask a North American mother what qualities she hopes her child will have when they are grown and many will list attributes like independent, free-thinking, individualism, leadership and somebody who doesn't go along with the crowd. Ask a Haitian mother the same question and you will probably get a different answer. Many Haitian moms will say they would hope that their child would get an education, a job and have a better life than they have had.

If you have ever been to Haiti and have been in their homes; you would have witnessed them preparing meals or tending to their small gardens and you would understand those differences. If you have visited life in rural Haiti you can see firsthand what life might have been like here in the mid to late 1800’s as time there seems to have stood still. The rest of the industrial world has not visited the small hamlets except for the gasoline powered vehicle.

Haitian people are for the most part very patient and orderly as they stand in line waiting for the arrival of a taptap; wait in line hoping for a day of work, waiting to get some water or food. What do you want for your child? A better life than what I have endured. That is what the parent living in Ouanaminthe wants for their son attending the Lutheran school in the attached photo.

Christians want their children to grow up knowing and walking with Jesus. One of the greatest needs of the Haitian parent is to realize how important it is for their child to know Jesus as many of them only rely upon the vodou priest and bring up their children without faith in the Savior. Perhaps ninety percent of the schools in Haiti are Christian schools and the next generation in Haiti will believe they have a Savior. At the present time, there are over 30,000 children attending over 140 Christian schools in Haiti who are learning about their Savior and receiving a meal from Trinity/HOPE. Thank you for helping the parents in Haiti to make a better life for their child, and also for answering the call of our Savior to seek and save the lost.

May God be with you…Jay

Joel Griffith 3/23/20 Joel Griffith 3/23/20

Delivering food.

“In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he became hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, "May no fruit ever come from you again!" And the fig tree withered at once. When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree wither at once?" And Jesus answered them, "Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' it will happen. And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith." Matthew 21:18-22

I received a flyer from a company called DoorDash on Saturday and it is probably a good idea for some but I still am able and like to cook. It is funny how the Spirit leads, but after reading about the list of restaurants that will bring food to my door, the attached photo resurrected. To the Bon Berger school in Caredeux back in 2002, my truck was a Haitian version of TrinityHOPE food being brought via DoorDash to their door.

That brochure, the photo of my truck and the above passage recounted many memories of my life’s journey in Haiti, in ways that I had not really thought about before. This passage, flyer and photo grabbed me by the throat; had read it before but like most of Scripture, the more you read it the it more opens up to your life.

I don’t know where your journey has taken you, but mine has certainly had its ups and downs and there have been many occasions when I have stumbled only to find Him there ready to pick me up and set me back upon my feet. That is a God thing; taking the least of this world and setting it back upright to try again at doing His work. What are your thoughts when you read about the fig tree that produced leaves but no fruit? Where has your journey led you? Going through this COVID 19 event has certainly placed a blip in our journey, but don’t let it stop you from being productive.

Many children were fed from this food. I am so thankful that so many of you have followed the call of the Holy Spirit to go into the mission fields of this planet and assist with the harvest. Thank you for sharing of your time, talents and prayers with the children, His children living in Haiti who are being fed Spiritually and nutritionally in over 140 Christian schools in Haiti.

May God be with you…Jay

Joel Griffith 3/21/20 Joel Griffith 3/21/20

In God's hands.

“When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” 1 Corinthians 13:11-12

Are you having difficulty planning for the immediate future or even tomorrow? On this coming Monday, I was planning to have surgery to remove a tumor from my pituitary gland, as shown in the attached photo. I was planning to write you today that I would be ceasing these messages for at least three weeks, but now, with the COVID 19 around us; plans changed.

Much has changed in the past few weeks and will probably change more today and tomorrow; God’s knows what is happening, He is in control. Right now, our understanding is limited; it is very finite. God’s wisdom, however, is incredibly infinite and great. The above verses remind us that here, we know little and when we reach Heaven, we will know fully what God’s plan for us was through all of this. Stay in His Word. When you begin to wash your hands, start saying the Lord’s Prayer and don’t washing your hands until you have finished the prayer. He would love to hear from you.

May God be with you…Jay