Under the shade tree.

“Then the King will say to those on His right, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the Kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.” Matthew 25:34

How do you prepare for adversity?  How have you handled this pandemic? How do you react to the highest of hurdles that present themselves along your journey?  When the dim flashes of upcoming problems become brilliant lightning bolts of tragedy into your life, where do you find strength?

Life’s challenges that take us from our comfort zones are somewhat different to an adult living in North America than to a child living in Haiti.  We can certainly try to prepare ourselves for such times, on our own, but we don’t want to because we would rather not experience these stressful times ahead.   While we hope for the best, we also need to prepare ourselves spiritually, physically and emotionally for the worst of times that may catch us off guard.

The energy filled children and the old man in the attached photo are froze in  a moment of time at the Lutheran school at Ouanaminthe after lunch, enjoying the shade from one of the trees in the school yard, enjoying a time of merriment; a game of patty cake which is something that breaks all language barriers and fills that awkward void with endless smiles and contagious flowing steams of laughter.  Enjoying life on this planet under the shade of a tree on a hot morning; together in the shadow of the tree and also together in the shadow of the cross of Christ.

In my preparation for unforeseen problems in North America, and as this child prepares for her future challenges in Haiti; together we stand at the foot of the cross, in the shade thinking about why God has placed us here and praying that no matter what happens to us we are always under His care and watchful eye.  And, when the days are over and our journeys have been completed, we have the promise of a heavenly home which was prepared for us since the beginning of time.

Until then we labor and continue to do His work, seeking and saving the lost by whatever means He has empowered us.  Thank you for being there for them, under that tree, in that shadow, responding to His call by blessing their life with your prayers, your blessings of a feeding program and your encouragement.  We all have different callings in our own journey, thank you for being such an integral part of these children 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

River of water.

“but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”  John 4:14 NIV.

The quality and quantity of water in Haiti is some of the poorest in the world according to a recent article in the National Geographic.  It is no wonder why a river or canal near a Haitian village is such a public gathering place.  As seen in the attached photo near Gonaives, people bathe, do their laundry, gather water for drinking and cooking and also water their goats, pigs and cattle in the same area.

Jesus Christ is the Living Water and that is something that all of us need to survive.  We know that the lack of living water can cause symptoms of “spiritual deadness.”  If you’re feeling spiritually dead, God offers hope to restore your supply channels to his living water.

Our spirits are like streams branching off God’s river.  His river keeps life flowing through our spiritual veins and washes away impurities.  His water satisfies each of us in a special way.  Drinking the living water brings contentment; it nourishes and heals us, enabling us to be fruitful for God and it in turn causes new springs of living water to well up in us, flowing into the lives of people around us.  If you are not receiving living water tomorrow you might need to check the quality of your well.

“He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” John 7:38 NKJV.  How many of the people in this canal know about living water?  How many are still caught in the lies of the local vodou priest and caught in the draught of satan?  Thank you for supporting Christian education in the Gonaives area, for supplying the young missionaries attending school with a noon meal that will provide them with physical strength as they share their river of life with the lost 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

Living water.

“On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.  Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”  By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.  Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.”  John 7:37-37.

Too often, we take the quality and availability of our water for granted here in North America.  As a child I remember being able to drink out of the water pump near the barn.  While working on a survey team in the Nebraska Sandhills our group would go and fill our bottles with water directly from the cattle tanks on the prairie.  Water is so precious, and that gift of water should always remind us of how truly precious is the gift of living water that Jesus shared with us.

The attached photo was taken at one of the Lutheran schools in Cap Haitian, where they are blessed to have a well.  The children at school and people in the neighborhood can come and drink freely of this water.  Our mission team members could also drink of this water, but only through a filtered water bottle lest they become ill.

There are some schools in Haiti that have a cistern that holds water that has either been brought in or was filled with rain water.  There is a huge difference between a cistern and a well.  A cistern is labor intensive and has to be filled with water from the outside. It is not self-renewing and can run dry.  The wells in the Nebraska Sandhills, and the one in the photo in Haiti are artesian wells and they have flowing water that bubbles up with its cool and refreshing blessing.

This same difference exists between a person trying to ‘be spiritual’ and a Spirit-filled person. When we become Christians, Jesus blesses us with his Spirit. That presence and power in our lives makes all the difference in the world.  It is his Living Water inside of us, renewing us, refreshing us, empowering us, slaking our thirst, and giving us life.  Living for Jesus is more than just a spiritual commitment on our part requiring our effort; it is also the gift and blessing of Jesus enabled by his Spirit.

Like the two girls and the missionary at the well in Haiti, we too are filled with Living Water inside of us, flowing through us as we share the news of our risen Savior Jesus Christ with the lost.  Thank you for being a blessing to the children in Cap Haitian who share their living water and message of Hope with the lost and thirsty souls in their neighborhoods.

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

Time to leave.

“After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.  They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them.  “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”  Acts 1:9-11

Mission team members that have been to Haiti, seeing children, sharing their medical skills with people of all ages, photographers who have captured images and people like me who have shook their hands, hugged them, patted their heads, laughed with them, prayed with them and experienced their joy and suffering; we all share the same sorrow when it is time to leave and board the airplane and leave for North America.

Being separated from their smiles is hard; their faces in photographs bring comfort when memories of that short term relationship come to mind.  There are photographs on the walls in my home and my computer is filled with many faces.  Do you have special things that you hold on to, cherishing the memories?  The attached photo is a nameless memory for me.  Somebody’s mother, wife, sister and perhaps a grandmother from Port-au-Prince.   This is a memorable ‘goodbye’ photo, a woman at the airport with a handkerchief to wipe the tears as new friends leave.

There is a Michael W. Smith song that puts these feelings into words.  “Tell me when the time we had slipped away; tomorrow turned to yesterday and I don’t know how.  Tell me what can stop this river of tears; it’s been building up for years for this moment now.  Here I stand arms open wide.  I’ve held you close, kept you safe till you could fly.  Tell me where the road ahead is gonna bend and how to harness up the wind and how to say goodbye.  Tell me why, why does following your dreams take you far away from me and I knew that it would.  Tell me how to fill the space you left behind; how to laugh instead of cry and how to say goodbye.”

Saying goodbye to Haiti, saying goodbye to Jesus; don’t be sad, you will see them again soon.  Jesus left us with His Spirit and Word.  Haiti has left you with their love and images.  And you can continually remind them of you through your generous gift to Trinity HOPE; as their children daily receive a bowl of beans and rice and they share their love and your love of Jesus Christ with their neighbors in the streets 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

Eternal life.

“Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish.”  Matthew 13:47

With every trip to Haiti and every minute spent looking at photos the same question usually arises; “what will it be like in Heaven?”  Will it be more like life in Nebraska, Illinois or Haiti?  Will I even care?  When that time comes, I will probably not care and probably will not recall all the worldly questions that were asked throughout my lifetime.

The attached photo was taken on Sunday, October 3, 2010 in Bon Berger Lutheran Church in Caredeux, Haiti.  There were close to 300 souls in the sanctuary on this hot morning and at about one hour and fifty minutes into the service the distribution of Holy Communion was taking place.  This is a normal occurrence in Haiti; if a service would always last this long in North America the pews would probably be empty.  I heard a song recently, an old Gospel song titled ‘Never grow old.”  The words brought me to think about what Heaven will be like for the souls in Haiti and in North America who will come together in Haiti.

Verse one; “I have heard of a land on a faraway strand, tis a beautiful home of the soul; build by Jesus on high where we never shall die.  Tis a land where we shall never grow old.”

Verse two; “In that beautiful home where we’ll never more roam, we shall be in the sweet by and by; happy praise to the King through eternity sings.  Tis a land where we shall never die.”

Considering what Heaven might be like through these words, it sounds like it will be an improvement to everyone and everywhere on this planet; no matter where we are now living or in whatever our present situation may be; rich, poor, healthy, tested positive, hungry or starving.

Verse three; “When our work here is done and the life-crown is won, and troubles and trials are o’er; all our sorrows will and our voices will blend with the loved ones who’ve gone on before.”

All of God’s children will be in Heaven, yellow, black, red, brown, white; doesn’t matter what their color, they will all be there.  American, Canadian, Sudanese, Haitian, Indian…doesn’t matter they will all be there.  What a shame if the lost didn’t hear the message of salvation.  Jesus said in Luke 19:10, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost."  That is the call to the people in Caredeux and to you and to me…”seek and save the lost.”  Thank you for supporting the children in Caredeux, Cap Haitian, Jacmel, Jeremie, Gonaives and all the other 200 schools throughout Haiti with Trinity HOPE feeding programs.

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

The shoulder tap.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”  John 10:10

There is a thief that comes to steal our time, steal our resources and rob us of our energy.  Satan wants all of our attention, all of our time, all of our resources and all of our energy to be used by him in this sinful world where he roams daily; seeking to devour and claim lost souls for an eternity in hell.

While starting to write this devotion yesterday, I was listening to Bott radio and a Pastor happened to be talking about being tapped on the shoulder and asked what our reaction is when somebody taps on our shoulder.  We generally turn around to see what the person tapping wants to either tell us or ask of us; that would be a normal reaction.

Throughout the Old Testament God tapped on the shoulders of people He had chosen to do His work.  Their replies were varied.  Some said “Here I am” and some said “Please don’t send me there” and too often free will came upon them and they turned away and tried to hide.

In his explanation of the third article of the Apostle’s Creed Martin Luther writes “I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Ghost has called me by the Gospel and enlightened me with His gifts.”  The Holy Spirit comes into our lives, tapping on our shoulders every day; wherever we may be.

Sometimes He finds us in the kitchen peering into the refrigerator, lounging in the recliner staring into space, in the garage with a broom, at the computer, at the store or chilling and grilling on the patio.  He taps on our shoulder and nudges us in a direction that this world would say “you fool”.  He taps on our shoulder and asks “what are you doing with your time?”  Often the replies of this world are “this is too much fun, it is my time, it is my money” or “I will get to your business later, perhaps for a couple of hours on Sunday.”

The Holy Spirit calls, gathers and enlightens us with His gifts.  As we occasionally drift into the alluring ways of this world the Holy Spirit taps on our shoulder and reminds us that there is work to do, more children to feed in Haiti; thousands more children to feed in Haiti; thousands more lost souls to save in Haiti, here in my city, here to the ends of this earth. 

Each of us was given specific gifts, talents and treasures to use for His work.  I listened to the song “three wooden crosses” by Randy Travis yesterday and it reminded me of how important it is to always be attentive to the nudging from the Holy Spirit.  I’m not going to share the whole song but just the first couple of verses.

“A farmer and a teacher, a hooker and a preacher, ridin' on a midnight bus bound for Mexico.  One's headed for vacation, one for higher education, an' two of them were searchin' for lost souls.  That driver never ever saw the stop sign.  An' eighteen wheelers can't stop on a dime.  There are three wooden crosses on the right side of the highway,  why there's not four of them, Heaven only knows.  I guess it's not what you take when you leave this world behind you, it's what you leave behind you when you go.”

I have seen wooden crosses along highways.  There is one just outside of York, NE where my father died in an auto accident.  I have seen them in Haiti where there were bus accidents and Christians lost their lives and gained their Eternal Glory.  This simple song not only makes me think about how many lives in Haiti that are needing to hear the Gospel message from a child in a Trinity HOPE feeding program, and receive their wooden cross when their journey is complete.

The last line, “I guess it's not what you take when you leave this world behind you, it's what you leave behind you when you go” reminds me of what am I leaving behind.  How have I finished the work He gave me to accomplish?  How many tasks have I left undone or turned away from?  I am sinful and I know fully well that I have not always turned around when I was tapped on the shoulder, but too often have turned away.

We need to invite the Holy Spirit into our lives, to come and tap on our shoulder and finish well the work that He has for us to accomplish.  If it doesn’t seem like there is anything for us to do, our Savior tells us to knock on the door and ask; and be patient and wait for His directions.

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

Mwen renmen w.

“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.  Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” John 15:12-13

An event last week drew my relationship with my Heavenly Father into a much deeper level, and I desire to be here for several more weeks; seeking the Holy Spirit to nudge me where to go.  I trust that God will open the door where to proceed and close the door that I came through six years ago. 

This aging process is definitely not for the faint hearted.  For the past six years, it has become more difficult to remember names, and I am wondering if any of you happen to recognize the young boy holding the chair in the attached photo?  He attends the Lutheran school in Cap Haitian and your gift to Trinity HOPE might be providing his noon meal.  Do you remember his name?

When I look at his photo the words “Mwen renmen w.” (I love you) seem to be in his eyes.  Nadine, I hope that my translation is correct as my creole is in that ‘use it or lose it’ mode.  "I love you" is a phrase that everyone longs to hear...often.  Looking at this boy might make one imagine that real love is evident without a word needing to be said.  His eyes are saying “I love you” and thank you for your attention to his needs, affection for his school and sacrifice that you have shown for the other people they care about.  Wish I knew his name.
If you ever wondered about how much God loves you and him, just look at what He's done for all of us. During Lent, my previous congregation, Christ in Lincoln, NE has a ‘canopy of grace’ strung in their sanctuary and the multi colored pin he is wearing represents the reason Jesus came down from Heaven to save the sinners of this world.  When Jesus arms were stretched wide on the cross, He was saying "I love you" more beautifully than it's ever been said before.  But God's love didn't stop there as He daily listens to your prayers and this child’s prayers as if the two of you were the only people in His world.  He brings good things into your life and then seemingly out of nowhere He brings blessings to this nameless boy in Cap Haitian.  God's love for you will not end nor will His love for children in Haiti.

I recently came across a saying by an ‘unknown author’ that said “Jesus did not come to make God's love possible, but to make God's love visible.”   Have you seen any of His love visible in the world around you recently?  Dear friends, there won’t be any nametags in Heaven and you will know his name and he will certainly remember you.  On behalf of this little guy on this side of Heaven I want to personally thank you for supporting this young missionary through Trinity HOPE.

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

Unforgettable sights.

“being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 1:6

There are many unforgettable sights in Haiti that reflect human suffering in unimaginable ways.  The man at the Port-au-Prince airport without any legs, dragging himself along the sidewalk begging for food or money.  The man in Les Cayes without an arm, praying with his left hand to his forehead.  The man in the Central Plateau who was blinded in an accident came up and asked me to pray for him.  The demon possessed man running naked in between four lanes of traffic on Delmas on a busy afternoon.

And then there is the man in the attached photo.  Our office had a woman who cleaned and prepared lunch for the office and Seminary staff.  Her name was Odane and she is a member at Bon Berger Lutheran church in Caredeux.  The man in the photo is her husband.  He had a job as a construction worker and provided for his family until he was in an auto accident and is now paralyzed from the waist down.

Odane wanted me to meet him and see if there was anything that I could do to help him.  It was hard to understand what possibly kept his wheelchair together; wobbly wheels rolling into their house and back into their small front area.  We prayed, talked about life, his family, his faith and we even laughed a little.  His wife is a strong Christian and she was able to have their children in the Lutheran school, and they scratched out an existence.  By the grace of God, a newer wheelchair from Orphan Grain Train found its way from Nebraska into his humble home in Caredeux several months later.

I am mindful of the Apostle Paul’s words in Philippians; we need to be confident that Christ did begin a good work in each of us, and will continue to do so until He returns and we are taken to our Heavenly home.  That is what is really important here; that we on this side of Heaven continue to call upon our Triune God to do His work through our lives until He comes back to take us home.  It is important that we continue to support children in Christian schools in Haiti as they do their Heavenly Father’s work in Haiti; rescuing 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

A lighthouse.

“You are the light of the world.  A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.  Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”  Matthew 5:14-16

When I was a child and attending St. John’s Lutheran school in Seward, NE, we received a plastic reminder from AAL to place on our bed stands; it was the words “God is love” in white plastic and they were glued to a brown plastic base.  Before going to bed, I would put this object a few inches from the light near my bed and then turn out the light and it would glow a strange green color in the dark and proclaim that ”God is love”.

It was a reminder to me, as I was praying and then looking at it before I fell asleep that God loved me.  I had that piece of plastic to remind me, and the young girl in the attached photo has her finger, her little Gospel light shining brightly in her dark neighborhood.  She attends Bon Berger Lutheran school in Caredeux (Care-ah-day) which is a suburb of Port-au-Prince.

She learned the “This little Gospel Light of Mine” song from a mission team that visited the school and she no doubt still had that light on following the earthquake in 2010 that shook her world.  Jesus is the light of the world but He also said to us, “You are the light of the world.”  Our lights continue to shine His light into this dark world.

We have the ‘light of this world’ and prayerfully we are not hiding it, under a bowl, in a closet or in a hectic life pursuing the ways of this world.  Satan would desire us to keep our light under a blanket, in the glove box or in a large cardboard box in the basement and out of sight from others.  One of the verses of the song is; “Don’t let Satan blow it out, I’m gonna let it shine. Don’t let Satan blow it out, I’m gonna let it shine. Don’t let Satan blow it out, I’m gonna let it shine. Let it shine, Let it shine, Let it shine.”

Satan may not be able to blow out our light but the world can tell us that our light will offend others; therefore, we should never put it on display.  The world can also tell us that our light will cause others to laugh; therefore we should always keep it hidden.  This young girl knows that we can’t put it under or a basket or let Satan blow it out.  This little light of mine, I have to let it shine.

Thank you for supporting her and the other 283 light houses attending school in Caredeux who are bringing the light of Jesus Christ into the darkness of this world.

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

The coming news.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”  Philippians 4:6

Reading several daily devotions is such a wonderful way for me and hopefully you to get closer to our Triune God.  It keeps me immersed in the Word daily and also gives me another person’s perspective on this world.  Seems that recently I have been doing a lot of waiting and this quote from John Ortberg reminded me that “Biblically, waiting is not just something we have to do until we get what we want.  Waiting is part of the process of becoming what God wants us to be.”

When I look through Haiti photos of children, like these young boys from the school at Bienc 4 in Gonaives in the attached picture, there are around 100 young missionaries in their school and I wonder how long it will take for their lives to rescue a soul from vodou?  At times I grow impatient waiting for news or stories from our feeding program directors to tell me that a soul was rescued from satan and they were baptized and are now free from sin, death and the devil.  That has happened; I have heard wonderful stories of this happening and I just have to stop being a North American for a moment and be patient and wait for the coming news.

There is a lot of vodou activity in and around Gonaives and I am eager to wait for news of their mission to proclaim the Holy Gospel, but am reminded that I should not miss the opportunity to actually bear fruit while I am waiting.  We all need to continually bear fruit in the Kingdom instead of merely waiting for the Lord to fulfill our desires.  We need to allow our heart to be aligned with Him in active patience through prayer, reading of scripture, and receiving of guidance and wisdom.  These are the ways in which we "rejoice in the Lord always." In this way, we can experience the very best He has for us and for the children of Bienc 4 while we wait

Thank you for daily praying for the over 42,500 children who are being fed spiritually and nutritionally in Christian schools with Trinity HOPE feeding programs.  Thank you for continued support and spreading the word to others who are looking for mission opportunities along their journey, looking for ways to bear fruit for the Kingdom

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