An orphan.

“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”  John 14:18

Not sure if you have ever visited an orphanage in Haiti.  Pastor Revenel Benoit in Gonaives had the first Lutheran orphanage in Haiti that I had heard of when I arrived there to begin my 33 month journey in March of 2001.  The orphanage in Gonaives had only boys at the time, perhaps fifteen or twenty and they were in ages from five to eighteen.  The local Lutheran Church there took care of them, fed them, educated them, provided them with a trade and brought them up knowing Jesus Christ.

The longer that I lived in Haiti the more stories of young children came into conversations as Pastors would tell of parents or single parents leaving their children on the steps of the Church or even at the pastor’s house as they could not care for them.  Left alone in the neighborhood they were a prime target for the vodou priest and they would ultimately become the living sacrificial resource for his evil vocation.

The attached photo is of a young boy at the gate of Pastor Bruce Narcles in St. Marc.  His guardian had left him there, in what clothes he had on, outside the gate of the pastor’s house on a hot afternoon in Haiti.  Abandoned, forgotten, a young life left to the world.

This abandoned young child was fortunate; he was rescued and given a home and support.  There are times in our lives when we may feel abandoned by people that loved us or provided for us and we are in a sense abandoned and orphaned too.  During Lent, we read that Jesus knew His disciples would also feel as they had been abandoned and would be in need of help and support during the trying days ahead following His crucifiction.

They were about to see their Lord and Master betrayed, arrested and crucified.  Would they feel abandoned, alone?  Absolutely, you have probably known this feeling at some point in your life’s journey.  But there is good news for you and for the young boy in St. Marc; the truth of Easter brings a promise to your life.  Jesus tells us that He will return to us and take us to see the mansion that He has prepared for you!”
His disciples needed to hear the promise from the Savior and so does country of Haiti who are still living in a country dedicated to satan through vodou.  Children, like this young orphan boy who attend Christian schools are the future missionaries of Haiti and they will share that they, like you are Easter people!  We live in the promise of the One who came to rescue us from the lies of this sinful 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

What will you see?

“Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb.  It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance.  “Take away the stone,” he said.  “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”  Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”  So they took away the stone.  Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me.  I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”  When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”  The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.  Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”  John 11:38-43

These passages from the Gospel of John are telling of the raising of Lazarus from the dead and they remind me of the urgency of seeking and saving the lost souls in Haiti.  The attached photo was taken from the roof of my apartment in Petionville and whenever I would go out and hang my laundry on the line; this was my view to the West.  Honestly; I really do miss this view.

As far as I knew, close to eighty percent of the people living in those little houses on the side of that hill practiced vodou at that time and had not heard the truth about Jesus Christ, the Son of God who brought Lazarus from the tomb and later would himself conquer death and the devil.  Many of the people living in that neighborhood had either not heard about the Savior of the world or had heard and rejected the story, and still believed the lies of the vodou priest.

The ‘story’ of the raising of Lazarus was true as this event took place in front of a crowd of grieving Jews who came to the tomb and mourn with the family; they reported this event to the Pharisees.  This event was an important factor leading up the death of Jesus because it was upon hearing of this miracle that the chief of priests and Pharisees determined to bring about the death of Jesus.  What must have filled the eyes of Lazarus when he first came out of the tomb?  My treasured ‘aunt’ Mureen Bangert passed away yesterday after 99 years of following Jesus and I heard the news early in the morning it was time to reflect upon what her eyes must have seen when she drew her very last breath in Seward, NE. 

Rescuing the people who live on the hillside in Petionville seems to be an impossible feat in the eyes of the world; too often we put God into a box and only think about what we can do and don’t look at what God is capable of doing; it is a very real problem in many of today’s churches.  I listened to a Southern Gospel song recently on Alexa that was called “My name is Lazarus” and the final verse is as follows; “He said, “My name is Lazarus, could I testify?  My name is Lazarus, it feels good to be alive.  When I in chains of death was bound, this man named Jesus called me out.  If you think your little problem is too big for Him to solve take it from the one who’s heard the mighty voice of God.  A living testimony of His death-defying touch, my name is Lazarus”

There are several thousands of children attending Christian schools in Port-au-Prince who are being blessed through Trinity HOPE feeding programs.  These young missionaries will bring the message of the raising of Lazarus by our Risen Savior to the people living on the hillside.  It is a God thing that you have been blessed to take part in their preparation; but their sharing the Gospel message is certainly a God thing.  Thank you for answering the call to seek and save the lost by sharing of your financial gifts and prayers with the children who will take the saving message to the lost souls throughout Haiti.  You, the children from Port-au-Prince, Mureen and me will all see the very same thing that Lazarus saw when he walked out of the tomb and into face of Jesus; our Savior.

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

Don't be afraid; just believe.

Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”  Mark 5:35

The words of Jesus to the leader of the Synagogue whose daughter was either dead or dying, “don’t be afraid, just believe” are so relevant to us today on hump day and tomorrow.  The leader’s sense of urgency was not on the same page as Jesus’ plan.  All too often our impatience with the timing of this world, the lack of a sense of urgency and the seemingly failure of our plans, cause us to doubt and despair.

The road to the church and school at St. Raphael in the Cap Haitian District can be frustrating, much like the road to many of the rural congregations in Haiti; which way to turn.  There are no road signs or road maps that we are accustomed to using in North America.  The attached photo shows the ‘road’ sign alerting you to the Lutheran Church and school at St. Raphael.  There are 144 children attending school here and they enjoy their noon lunch from Trinity HOPE. 

When traveling to congregations in remote, rural areas of Haiti, listening to the driver and interpreter discuss if they should turn left or right, “Agoch oswa adwat” at the ‘Y’ in the road, brought me a sense of being stranded smack dab in the middle of the road to nowhere…often.  “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”

Those words of encouragement always held true, as we always reached our destination.  The 144 children attending school at St. Raphael wondered when they would get a feeding program; “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”  The Holy Spirit directed a team from Trinity HOPE to their location and provided a donor to bring the gift of food to their school.

If you are facing times of high hurdles, raging rivers flooding your future, waiting for the vaccine, pain and suffering at every turn, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”  The most important thing in your life is your relationship with Jesus Christ, the champion of this world, the conqueror of satan, the carpenter’s son, the Son of God who has prepared a place for you in Heaven.  “Don’t be afraid, just believe.”

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

Sharing the truth.

“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”  John 8:32

Sharing the truth to the lost is a precious message for them, and also for our Triune God.  The lies of the vodou priest have for two centuries told the people of Haiti that Jesus Christ died on Good Friday and was buried and that was the end of him.  There was no resurrection and there will be no mansion in Heaven and above all, God does not love them.

If the lost souls in Haiti cannot hear the truth, they have only a lie to believe as the truth of this world and that provides them with no hope; only fear.  I heard a song recently by Bill and Gloria Gaither called ‘Passin the faith’ and its words seem to reinforce what our purpose in life is in this world.

“The runner of a relay, finds in his baton the purpose for the runnin' and the strength to carry on.  We hold within our grasp, the faith that makes us strong and like the relay runner, we seek to pass it on.  Passin' the faith along to my brother, passin' the faith along.  Helpin' to build the faith of another, passin' the faith along.  Sharin' a word of faith with another, helpin' to make him strong.   Passin' the faith along to my brother, passin' the faith along.  Countless generations of saints have come and gone.  A spark ignites into a flame, and the faith continues on.  A challenge for the young, and assurance for the old.  The faith burns ever brighter, each time my story's told.  Passin' the faith along to my brother, passin' the faith along.  Helpin' to build the faith of another, passin' the faith along.  Sharin' a word of faith with another, helpin' to make him strong.  Passin' the faith along to my brother, passin' the faith along.”

The children in the attached photo attend a school in the Les Cayes District and I’m having a senior moment as I write this and cannot retrieve the name of their school.  It really doesn’t matter where they are because I know where these souls, and you and I are going to see Jesus face to face, because we know the truth.

Thank you for helping to share the message of the truth of Jesus with the young messengers living in Haiti, through your financial gifts and your prayers.  May your labors in North America bring many more living in Haiti into the Kingdom before your race comes to a close.

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

May your time be blessed.

“Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.”  “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.”  Revelation 14:13

It has often seemed that when God nudged me to follow His call and go and live in Haiti, it was either a learning opportunity for me to improve my patience when walking on uneven ground with my artificial knees and arthritic ankles or perhaps it was His way of bringing moments of joy into His activities because my engineering background brought me endless moments of torture seeing the condition of the roads, water crossings and lack of traffic regulations.

Transportation in Haiti was and still is, an adventure; at times a frustrating adventure.  When Dr. Doug Rutt from the LCMS came to visit in 2001 and found me in a 4-wheel drive leased pickup truck he chided me for not taking the taptap which instantly immersed me into the Haitian culture and I had tried that option on numerous ocassions; but after several attempts it seemed to be too physically constraining and dangerous.

Modes of transportation included driving through rivers, wading through rivers, walking for hours to visit small rural congregations on dirt pathways, riding an old horse I probably should have carried up the mountain, a small airplane and even a boat.  I came across the attached photo and it was possibly taken in 2002 and the man to my left is Pastor Israel Isidor from Les Cayes and at that time the President of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Haiti.

His earthly work ended several decades ago and his legend in Haiti is still talked about by those of us who remember him, loved him dearly and miss his bright, strong energetic witness.  On the day this photo was captured we had been visiting congregations and schools in his Les Cayes district and this day we drove from Les Cayes to Port Salute and up the coast to Tiburon.  There Pastor Isidor told me we would either spend an hour in a boat or walk for four hours to reach Carcasse, a congregation that he didn’t get to visit very often.  The answer seemed obvious; rent the boat.  The first boat shown me was a wooden Haitian boat that appeared to have been constructed by the French in 1800 and should have been in a museum; the cost was $200 Haitian for the voyage.  I am a strong swimmer, but I knew that Pastor Isidor was not so I asked if there were any other boats for rent and by the grace of God there was one other, the fiberglass boat in the photo.  It would cost me $400 Haitian dollars but it was well worth fee.

Pastor Isidor had a briefcase in his arms and his knuckles turned white clutching it as we rocked back and forth on our hour journey.  We arrived and walked on a narrow tree lined, dirt pathway probably thirty minutes back into the mountain to the Church and people kept coming out of the foliage along the hillside to find out who the visitors were and where they were going.  There were probably a 100 people following us by the time we reached the Church.  Pastor Isidor encouraged the congregation for their work, told them who I was, we sang a few hymns and we prayed.

I pray that the remainder of your journey will be fruitful as you take the message of our Lord Jesus to the lost of this world through your words and actions.  May your labors bring many more into the Kingdom before your time spent here; serving Him, comes to a close.

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

I read a story.

Give us each day our daily bread.“ Luke 11:3

I was going through a box of notes and clippings from Haiti that I had used back in the day and came across a story from the Lincoln Journal Star about school feeding programs in the Lincoln Public Schools and how they would be affected by new Federal regulations.  This was probably in 2012, and it seems that First Lady Michelle Obama had recently unveiled changes to the national school lunch program and the ‘changes’ went virtually unnoticed at the Maxey Elementary cafeteria in Lincoln.

There, students lugged blue trays full of the sorts of changes championed by the first lady: un-breaded chicken teriyaki on brown rice; barbecue (un-breaded) beef sandwiches on whole wheat buns.  There were green beans and applesauce, lettuce and orange slices, low-fat milk and the reactions to this meal varied.  One fourth grader commented “Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad" and another child commented while picking at the chicken teriyaki on his tray "terrible," while yet another classmate was momentarily horrified when he thought he saw mushrooms.

Another fourth grader is not a fan of the whole wheat buns, which ended up in the trash, untouched along with the meat and a few seats down the table a boy had eaten every bite of his sandwich along with ranch-drenched lettuce.  North America; we take so much for granted; our children don’t understand how truly blessed they are to have a blue tray of food on their table at school with a large variety of food; every day.

This bowl of rice and beans is the choice of the day at a Christian school in Haiti; most every day at schools that have Trinity HOPE feeding programs.  It reminds me of the children of Israel receiving manna from Heaven each day while wandering through the desert.  While the Israelites grumbled after having to eat manna again and again, the kids in Trinity HOPE feeding programs love the food that their cooks make each day.  Thank you for helping to make this possible for over 42,500 children attending Christian schools in Haiti; your support is making a huge difference in their lives.  I close with the words to the hymn ‘Our Heavenly Father, hear’ which was written by James Montgomery in 1835.

“Our heav'nly Father, hear the prayer we offer now.  Thy name be hallowed far and near; to Thee all nations bow.  Thy kingdom come; Thy will on earth be done in love as saints and seraphim fulfill Thy holy will above.  Our daily bread supply while by Thy word we live.  The guilt of our iniquity forgive as we forgive.  From dark temptation's power, from Satan's wiles, defend.  Deliver in the evil hour and guide us to the end.  Thine shall forever be glory and power divine; the scepter, throne, and majesty of heaven and earth are Thine.”

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

God wants you to sing!

“O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.  Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.  For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.  In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also.  The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land.  O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.  For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.”  Psalm 95:1-7 (KJV)

For those of you baby-boomers who grew up Lutheran, you probably recognize these verses from the Liturgy of decades ago; perhaps a century ago.  There were a few Lutheran churches in Haiti that sang that song in French, and it was a joy that I could sing along in English as they sang in French and it caused me to think about what Heaven will be like; all singing praise to our Creator in one language together.

Worship in Haiti is slightly different than in North America.  We both share in common the Liturgies, Lord’s Prayer, Confession and Absolution, the proclamation of our faith through reciting the Creeds and the Sacrament of Baptism and Holy Communion.  Sermons are much longer, choirs sing more songs, Sunday children and adults recite their Scripture reading at the beginning of the Church service…and did I mention that the sermons were much, much longer?

I heard a song recently about singing praise to the Lord on a Gospel station on the satellite radio and it caused me to think about Haiti.  It was called “God wants to hear you sing” and was written by Rodney Griffin.

“Their chains were fastened tight down at the jail that night.  Still Paul and Silas would not be dismayed they said, “It’s time to lift our voice, sing praises to the Lord, let’s prove that we will trust Him come what may.”

The attached photo was taken several years ago near Cap Haitian as people were traveling to Church on Sunday, getting ready to lift their voices and sing praises to the Lord.  I have yet to see people come to my Church here in North America, packed into the back of a pickup.  When I would drive my truck to church at Bon Berger in Caredeux there would usually be six church members in the cab with me and another twelve in the back.  There are many differences between Sunday in Haiti and Sunday in North America.

“God wants to hear you sing, when the waves are crashing ’round you, when the fiery darts surround you, when despair is all you see.  God wants to hear your voice when the wisest man has spoken and says, “Your circumstance is as hopeless as can be.”  That’s when God wants to hear you sing, He loves to hear our praise on our cheerful days when the pleasant times outweigh the bad, by far.  But when suffering comes along and we still sing Him songs; that is when we bless the Father’s heart.”

Singing praise to the Lord, during good times and sad, in or out of the pandemic; He loves to hear us sing.  God loves to hear the children you are supporting in Haiti sing praises of their creator, redeemer and comforter throughout Haiti to the lost 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

Be My witness.

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”  Acts 1:8

Mission teams from North America; following the call of the above scripture to go to ends of the earth to be His witnesses, sharing the love of Jesus with the lost souls that have not accepted Him as their Lord and Savior have unfortunately at times not remembered Who they serve and to Whom they belong.  And, sad to say, sometimes in our own congregations we seek to make serving Him more about me…and less about Him.

Back in the day when I was a missionary, my LCMS synodical supervisor in Haiti, Pastor Jim Tino AD for the Caribbean, shared with me many truths while I was living in Petionville, Haiti.  I was classified as a guest in Haiti; I was not to push my North American culture upon my hosts, I was to be a brother in Christ with my fellow Lutheran Haitian and should try to live as they lived.  Some lessons were easy and some were not because of my cultural expectations of having things right now!  Food, rooms, nightly animal sacrifice noises from the neighborhood vodou priest, lack of electricity, clean water and did I mention my lack of patience?

I heard a song recently called “Lord keep me in your will” and the words brought back memories of my prayers while lying in a sweltering small bed with gnats buzzing inside my ears in Haiti and my frustrations and humiliation while working with some other North American mission teams visiting Haiti while I lived there on the side of the mountain in Petionville.

“Sometimes I think I'm in control and I act so foolishly facing problems on my own.  I don't know what's best for me, my mistakes at times disturb all the plans you have made.  Lord, keep me in your will, so I won't be in your way.”

The attached photo is a plate of food that was served to our Trinity HOPE team in Cap Haitian a decade ago.  I didn’t hear any complaints from any of that team, but I have been with North Americans who would have turned up their noses and demanded something different than the rice, carrots, peppers and goat.  I recall one LCMS Pastor sending back an omelet at Hotel Kinam because it didn’t have the green peppers, onions and ham that he liked, expected and he even went into the kitchen to try to find those ingredients so his meal would be to his liking.  Close to seventy percent of the over 42,500 being fed rice and beans every day in their school are thrilled and thankful to have a meal.

“And, put me where you want to, not where I want to be.  If I should ask, for things I want just give me what I need.  When I complain from time to time, forgive me Lord I pray.  Lord keep me in your will, so I won't be in your way.”

Many people have commented that they could not understand how I could have lived ‘there’ and I sometimes wonder how or why I am living ‘here’ in this country.  Mission team members have needed hot water in their shower, cold water to drink, flushing toilet and air conditioning.  We ‘need’ these things and ninety percent of Haiti does not have these luxuries.

“Remind me Lord, I'm just a glove in which you place your hand.  Not my will, but yours be done, though I don't understand the best laid plans I've made somehow always go astray.  Lord keep me in your will, so I won't be in your way.”

Interesting concept; we are the glove that is going out to share the gospel message with the lost and inside of us is our Triune God, directing us to do His work.  Being a North American is not a prerequisite to be a glove; being His child is what is important.  Thank you for helping support the work of the children attending Christian schools in Haiti to go out into their neighborhoods and country and share the love of Jesus 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

A thorn in my side.

“Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth.  But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, or because of these surpassingly great revelations.  Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.”  2 Corinthians 12:6-7

God does not promise any of us a care-free life like some of the celebrities in North America seem to be enjoying every day.  “Why?” we are tempted to ask.  Only God can know all the reasons, but according to this scripture reading it is sometimes God’s way of forcing us to depend upon Him; that is a tough pill for this North American to swallow on some days.

Paul tells us that God purposefully allowed Satan to torment him.  The Bible teaches us that satan is like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour and therefore we may assume that he is allowed to attack many of God’s children here in North America, in Haiti, in Nepal and throughout this world.

I don’t ever recall at this moment what Paul’s particular ‘thorn’ may have been.  When I see the word ‘thorn’ it reminds me of what my ancient feet seem to touch every morning when I arise.  It seems that perhaps this ‘thorn’ in Corinthians may be more about pride.  We in North America have many thorns to deal with, who happens to be “Number One” this year, new boat, new house, new gold watch, COVID vaccination; and the list goes on and on, we are proud of so many things.

Not every thorn has to do with pride, but perhaps more do than we would like to admit. Regardless of the reason, this we can know; God will not allow thorns to afflict His children without first there being a divine reason.  But what we need most to understand is that God’s reason is not for the purpose of punishment, but rather for the purpose of provision.

The attached photo is a stark reminder for me, to give thanks for where I live, what I have and most importantly ‘Who’ made all this possible.  This woman in Gonaives holding two small children does not have the ‘stuff’ that we have in North America.  I cannot imagine hearing her boast about anything, but I can tell you that when she receives a blessing from you, it is as if God placed the energy bar into her hand instead of you.  Why can’t my ‘thank you’ be like her “THANK YOU?”  Satan must be smiling as we wallow in our wealthy ways and seldom give thanks to God for all that we have, the words may be in our mouth but our hearts have difficulty embracing how blessed we truly are by his providence every day. 

Please don’t doubt my sincerity when I thank you for supporting feeding programs in Haiti.  The over 42,000 Haitian children receiving a noon meal thank you and will see you one day in Heaven, where there will no longer be any thorns in your side or in their lives as they run to hug you.

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!

“When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”   “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”  Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”  Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”  He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”  Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”  The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”  Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”  Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.  Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.”  Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”  John 21:15-20

A few simple truths from our Savior; ‘seek and save the lost, feed my sheep and follow me!’  When you travel to Haiti with a Trinity HOPE mission team, you will see living evidence of these instructions from our Savior.  You will see the vodou flags in the neighborhoods and know that the presence of satan is within your reach.  You can see it, smell it and hear it in their neighborhoods; it has been there since Haiti became an independent country and continues to try to lure His children into the snares set with lies and fear. 

When you visit one of the over 200 Christian schools throughout Haiti with a Trinity HOPE feeding program you will sense the need to ‘feed my sheep’ as you see the children who are not eating daily bread and hear their responses to the questions; “did you have anything to eat last night before bed or this morning before school?”  There is no fridge in their home with meat and cheese or cupboards with pop tarts and cookies.  Their families live from day to day not knowing if there will be food on the table tomorrow.

When you witness their class learning about the Apostles Creed, or listen to their meal prayers you will better understand the pressing command to ‘follow me!’  These are just a few the children who are eating lunch in their Christian school and will be the next generation of missionaries in Haiti; taking the love of their Savior out into the streets and pathways, sharing the message of salvation with the lost.

The girl in the attached photo is from Ouanaminthe and she is receiving one of the over 42,500 meals that were being served throughout Christian schools on this particular day.  Over forty-two thousand five hundred of His lambs were being fed on this day and will be fed tomorrow and the next day.  Their strong voices will spread His words, “follow me!” to the ears that have not heard that message and voices silenced by the lies of the vodou priest.  Thank you for sharing in this miracle by supporting their mission to 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