HIS everlasting arms!

“The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him,” Nahum 1:7

Yesterday, while I was reading ‘The Seven Days that Divide the World’ by John C. Lennox and listening to Alexa play a variety of Southern Gospel music, the song “Leaning on the everlasting arms”, brought a few back in the day memories of Christian friends in Haiti.  What seemed like fresh memories came flooding back into vacant spaces that were not filled with the minutia that this world had poured in yesterday.  The words that caught my attention were; “What a fellowship, what a joy divine, leaning on the everlasting arms; what a blessedness, what a peace is mine, leaning on the everlasting arms.”

Seeing a Haitian child in a school the size of a single car garage in North America, sitting on a board tucked between two other students in a dark room that is 90 humid degrees, learning about geography, French or Jesus and beaming with an ear to ear smile is unimaginable to our way of thinking.  How can they possibly be happy?  They have the promise of a Savior and they daily lean on his everlasting arms.

They do not understand health insurance, retirement plans, savings accounts, three meals every day, a closet full of clothes, a cupboard full of processed food, an air conditioner, indoor plumbing, lights, television, a computer…they have Jesus.

“What have I to dread, what have I to fear, leaning on the everlasting arms?  I have blessed peace with my Lord so near, leaning on the everlasting arms.”  Too often, we drift away on our own taking on tasks that ‘we’ can handle and don’t lean or even think about leaning; after all we can do it ourselves.  Too often we only lean when the mess we have gotten in to is over our heads. 

What a beautiful picture it is to see children leaning on His everlasting arms.  The children in the attached photo go to school in Cap Haitian and they stopped after school to have their picture taken.  They are happy, they know Jesus, it was His love through somebody like you that brought all of them their lunch for two dollars and fifty cents.  Look closely at the young girl with one yellow sandal on her right foot and a white shoe on her left; she is just happy to have something on her feet, something in her stomach and a Savior that she can lean on and feel His love every day.  She is ready to go out and “Shine the Light”.

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

Been hungry and thirsty?

“Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle.  They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away.  Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.”  Psalm 107:4-6

Have you ever been wandering in the wastelands, hungry and thirsty?  When deer hunting in the Pine Ridge of Nebraska there were times that I was wandering endlessly for hours through the pine trees, Russian olive groves, shrubs, deep gullies and canyons of Sheridan County but never do I recall being really hungry or thirsty.

Back in the day, on one visit to a Lutheran school in the Jeremie District we walked for several hours up a very long and steep hill; did I mention long hill in intense heat and humidity and I did get really thirsty but I had a water bottle and drank to replenish what I had lost on the ‘Haitian stairmaster’.

There are many children attending school in Haiti who are hungry and thirsty when they arrive for class.  Sometimes they saunter into class in the morning crying because their stomachs are empty and their comment is “Mwen gran goo” I am very hungry.

I can only imagine that the only time I cried because I was hungry was over 70 years ago when I was a baby and announced through tears that I was hungry.  In most North American homes, solving the problem of hunger is generally only a few feet away to the nearest cupboard or fridge and you will find food.  Such is not the case in almost every home in Haiti.

The attached photo is of a girl at the Lutheran school in Ouanaminthe in March of 2010, before they received a Trinity HOPE feeding program; not a lot of energy, no bright smile running to greet me.  It is easy to walk into a school in Haiti and know if there is a feeding program, just look at the children, shake their hands, pat their heads, look into their eyes, listen to their voice…tired, weak, clammy, listless and faint.  Hungry and thirsty; “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”  Matthew 5:6.

Trinity HOPE is now bringing a lunch program to over 61,000 children in 268 Christian schools throughout Haiti.  Their hunger pains have subsided and their bodies continue to grow physically and their minds grow Spiritually with the Bread of Life.  Thank you for bringing them this life giving food.

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

Kouray.

“…but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:31

When you hear the word ‘courage’ what kind of image comes into your mind?  Often, we may think about soldiers, policemen and fireman; people who risk their lives to defend or protect us.  Is real courage restricted only to such acts of heroism that they perform?

One definition of the word Courage reads “The ability to confront fear, pain, danger, uncertainty, or intimidation.  Courage is acting in spite of fear.  "Physical courage" is courage in the face of physical pain, hardship, death, or threat of death, while "moral courage" is the ability to act rightly.”

What about a wife and mother who doesn’t give up following their husbands sudden death or a person with terminal illness or the suicide on-line counselor?  Real courage comes from trusting in God.  The Creole word for courage is “Kouray” and these children who attend the Lutheran school in Dondon have ‘kouray’; much like the rest of the over 61,000 children in Trinity HOPE feeding programs exhibit daily.

Every day their witness is seen by their parents, uncles, aunts, grandparents and neighbors who still may be following the lies of the vodou priest or hunkering down in fear of the gangs; their Christian witness of the Triune God is seen daily as they confront the lies that have been woven for the past 220 years in Haiti.  Thank you for helping to strengthen their courage, their resolve…their witness.

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

Hand in hand.

“The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.”  In the same way after supper, he took the cup saying, “This is the new covenant in my blood; do this whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”  Now may this true body and blood of our risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ strengthen and keep you in the true faith until life everlasting.  Amen.”  1 Corinthians 11:23-25

I am hopeful that the above passage from 1 Corinthians is very familiar to each of us; in Haiti you will hear the Pastor speak these verses usually in French and sometimes in Haitian Creole.  Receiving the Sacrament of Holy Communion in a foreign country really puts the work of the Holy Spirit into a more profound setting; reminds us of our commissioning to “go and make disciples of all nations…”

There is a song written by Carolyn Arends called “They’ll know we are Christians” that has some wonderful lyrics and here are just a few of them;

“We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord.  And we pray that all unity may one day be restored.  And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love.  They will know we are Christians by our love.  We will walk with each other; we will walk hand in hand.  And together we'll spread the news that God is in our land.  And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love, they will know we are Christians by our love.”

Hand in hand; the hands in the attached photo belong to a Haitian woman waiting to receive Holy Communion at Bon Berger Eglise Evengelique Lutherienne in Caredeux which is a suburb of Port-au-Prince.  Where do you suppose her hands have been during her lifetime?  Her hands certainly appear to be filled with much personality, probably have seen their load of trials and challenges, the earthquake, political problems, troubles, gang warfare, cholera and prayerfully there were also times of rejoicing.

Look at your hands for a moment, where have they been during your journey on earth?  Have they toiled in the hot sun, done laundry outdoors on a washboard, labored in the garden, changed diapers, mended clothing, repaired equipment and seen moments of rejoicing at the direction of your journey?

Imagine if the photo would have shown the hands of Jesus; where have they been?  His worked with wood, changed water to wine, healed the sick, restored sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf and speech to the dumb, raised the dead and were nailed to the cross for you, me, the Haitian woman in the photo, your family and over 61,000 Trinity HOPE kids.  Christ did it all for us.

When you next prepare to receive Holy Communion and are standing at the foot of the cross, holding the Body and Blood of our Savior take a long hard look at your hands, think about the hands in the photo and then think about how much His hands accomplished for you and how much you have accomplished for Him…we have so much yet to accomplish to further the Holy Gospel throughout this world; shine the Light.

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

Richest of fare.

“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat!  Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.  Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?  Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare.”  Isaiah 55:1-2

Back in the day with a Trinity HOPE mission team, when returning to our Hotel in Cap Haitian in October of 2010, one of the team members shared with me that at times, it seemed like life in Haiti was much like it must have been shortly after the slave revolution in 1804; frozen in time.

If there were no gasoline powered trucks, cars and busses or motorcycles it might seem like you had gone through a time warp.  I remarked that we were seeing the more ‘urban’ part of Haiti.  If you spend more time up in the mountainous and rural areas away from populated areas the daily activities would even more resemble the early 19th century way of life.

The children in the attached photo are drawing water from the well near the school at Torbeck which is located about seven miles west of Les Cayes in the Southern claw of Haiti.  At the time of this photo, the school and church were also home of Pastor Lafayette and since this time a Church has been built and by now, the Pastor has probably received his glory.

There are not many of the 268 schools with Trinity HOPE feeding programs that have water wells on their property.  This well is not potable for drinking for you or me, but serves as their source for drinking, cooking, washing and bathing needs.  Hate to beat a dead chicken over a stump over and over again, but we sure take our comfy lives for granted…don’t we?

These students are at the top of their peers, a school, a feeding program, a well with a good rope and bucket and most importantly; a risen Savior.  ‘They are truly delighting in the richest of fare.’  Some of these children may teach school here in ten years and perhaps one will be a Pastor and prayerfully each of them will bring another in their neighborhood into the Kingdom and away from the lies of the vodou priest.  Beni soit L’Eternal!

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

When you grow up.

“…just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:28

Back in the day, probably a few years ago I shared a photo of a Haitian child and asked you ‘what type of future do you suppose her parents hoped for this child’.  As it usually happens, that devotion came to mind during a message from Pastor Tom Wirsing a few weeks ago while serving as our guest pastor as Our Redeemer Lutheran in Bloomington is still in vacancy.  And, last Sunday, Pastor Wirsing gave us an answer that should fit well for how we answer the above question in the title.

So today, I will ask the question a little differently.  "What do you want to be when you grow up?"  I am now treading heavily into my 70’s…I’m grown up and old; I want to be ‘pain free’.  That's a favorite question we enjoy asking children and our grandchildren.  And the answers that we get usually are "a police officer" or "a nurse" or maybe "a fire fighter."  Back in my day ‘cowboy’ was high on the list   Some kids today are visionaries and they answer "a movie star" or "a singer" or "a doctor" or "a pro ball player."  I have seldom heard car mechanic, garbage man, politician or prize fighter; never a drug dealer.   

Let's take that same question and ask it another way.  This was inspired by the Andy Stanley Bible study called ‘The Bible for Grown-ups”.  Try to imagine asking Jesus Christ what He wants us to be when we grow up.  His answer covers all ages.   Suddenly, it's a whole new question.  I honestly believe He would give the same answer to every one of us: "I want you to be different; to be a servant."  Have you ever wanted to be a servant?  It sounds lowly, humiliating and lacking in dignity.

We find it encouraging to think of ourselves as God's servants.  Who wouldn't want to be a servant of the King?  But when it comes to serving other people, we begin to question the consequences.  We feel noble when serving God; we feel humble when serving people.  Serving God receives a favorable response; serving people, like these kids in Haiti, has no visible benefit or glory from anyone except from God!  Christ gave us the example: "The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."  Dear brothers and sisters, to be a servant of God, we must be a servant of people.  When we serve, we think first of the one we are trying to serve.  Pastor Wirsing encouraged that our call was to ‘Shine the Light’ of the Gospel throughout our journey on this side of paradise.  May we faithfully shine that Gospel Light.  

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

What is true?

“The simple believe anything, but the prudent give thought to their steps.” Proverbs 14;15

I saw a cartoon yesterday that instructed the reader not to go to the Internet for the truth…instead go to the library.  It could have included the news on the television.  These days, it seems that if you spend any time on your phone, the Internet or watching TV, you’re going to get a lot of information from a lot of different sources.  It’s important, now more than ever, to remember that not everything you hear is true.  Not everybody who speaks on the Internet, social media, TV, or radio knows what they’re talking about or has some reason to cover the truth.  Not everybody who’s talking is worth listening to.  You need to be selective.

Many people take advantage of any crisis and bring to it their own agenda. There will be some who try to use difficult days for their own political or financial advantage.  I’m sure you have heard them.  They will scare people into making rash decisions.  Don’t fall for it!

The Bible repeatedly says that, especially in a crisis, you should always base your decisions and actions on the facts; not faulty statistics, fads, fear, or feelings.  God has given you everything you need to be wise and prudent in a crisis.  You can test everything against His Word and have the confidence that it will always steer you in the way of wisdom.  As a follower of Jesus, you have the Holy Spirit to give you discernment.  And you’ve got good sense too!  It is a gift from God, and it’s important to use your reason and caution in a crisis.  As disciples of Jesus, we should not just be people of faith, we should also be people of facts.

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

An important blessing.

“You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.  I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory.  Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.  I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.  I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.”  Psalm 63:1-5

As I was going through another group of photos of Trinity HOPE children the attached just leaped out at me.  Pastor Enko had sent me some scriptures that I will use in future Prayer Guidelines and these verses from Psalm 63 seemed to be a good match with these children.

This group of children attends the school at Acquier which is in the Les Cayes District in the Southwest claw of Haiti.  There are 155 children attending this Lutheran school and it is sponsored by the congregation at St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Franklin, TN.  The congregation has an annual fund raiser to support this feeding program for the entire school year.

I wish my words could adequately describe the reverence of their meal prayer.  They are sitting at a table in their school, temperature is around 90 with matching humidity, the school has no running water or electricity and the majority of the children had nothing to eat since they left this table yesterday.  The plate in front of them is the ‘richest of foods’ and with the ‘singing lips of their mouths they praise our Heavenly Father’ for the gift they are about to receive.

These children understand how important this blessing is to them, how wonderful it is to have a loving God and how important the members of St. Andrew are to each of them.  If you would like to feed children in a Trinity HOPE program in Haiti, or find out how your congregation or organization can also feed a school and prepare missionaries in Haiti, please go to ‘trinityhope.org’ and then click on ‘Our Schools’.

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

Did your school have hot lunch?

“Come Lord Jesus, be our guest, and let these gifts to us be blessed.”  Martin Luther, 16th Century.

“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.”  Psalm 118:1

Did your school have a hot lunch program?  What are your memories of that noon meal?  I remember sitting down at the table with seven other numb skulls like me and reciting the “Come” prayer together.  Our Lutheran school had smiling cooks who placed our food onto our partitioned plastic trays and then we picked up our small glass bottles of milk at the end of the line.  There were several children in my school that didn’t like their food to ‘touch’ one another, the green beans should not ‘touch’ the mashed potatoes; I was a ‘mixer’ and enjoyed the blending of the flavors.

We had five different items each day, always something different.  I don’t have any fond memories of the food that I liked, only the stuff that didn’t hit my taste buds with a pleasant note; canned spinach or peas always struck a sour note in the back of my throat.  They were always a magnet for my gag reflex because of their texture, not their flavor.

I don’t recall ever noticing kids in my school ever going to lunch “hungry” but rather it was just another activity of our day.  The majority of us had breakfast and would eat dinner when we got home and probably another something before we went to bed.  Giving thanks for my lunch didn’t really seem that important, it was always there, just like all the other meals.

There are 24 plates of rice and beans on the serving table at Bois Marchand which is on the outskirts on the Northern edge of Gonaives.  These plates are ready to be served to one class of children who didn’t have breakfast and when they get home, there won’t be dinner waiting for most of them and nothing before they go to bed.

When these kids say their prayer before receiving this blessing, you can tell that this is something that is really important to them.  They will eat every grain of rice and every single bean mixed together on their plate this day, tomorrow, next week and next month. 

Is there anything in your North American life that brings you to your knees to give thanks for these days?  Six dollars will feed the twenty-four children who received this blessing at their Lutheran school in Bois Marchand in March of 2010.  Six dollars won’t even get you into the door of a China buffet to eat much more food than you probably need, but will provide each of these precious lives with the sustenance that they have been waiting for this day and every day.  The board of directors for Trinity HOPE and the children of Bois Marchand thank you for your continued prayers and financial support.

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

Your gift.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 4:6-7

I can’t begin to count the number of times that people have commented on the bright smiles on the faces of the children in the Trinity HOPE photos.  The smiles are real and too bad you cannot hear their giggling, feel their hugs and fully embrace their appreciation for your gift that provides a big ol’ pot of food outside their 268 schools throughout Haiti.

Perhaps their hope is what we really can’t comprehend.  They have a new found hope in Jesus Christ that has conquered the neighborhood vodou priest on the cross and they know that they are saved.  They come to school hungry as they typically have little or nothing to eat for dinner or breakfast and when we take their photo sitting at their desk, they can smell the food and the smiles tell you that there is a special blessing waiting for them.

We have known Jesus for some time, some of us were baptized as infants and have walked with him all our lives and probably take way too much for granted.  We have food, in our cupboards, in our fridge, freezer, pantry, desk, nightstand, automobile and probably even something stashed in a coat pocket.  The wild birds and pesky squirrels in my immediate neighborhood eat better every day than the children in the attached photo attending school in Les Cayes.

It is hard to imagine how something so small from us can mean so much to them.  Four dollars will feed these sixteen children in the Southwest corner of Haiti a meal of beans and rice for a day.  There are 464 children in their school that receives funding from an LWML Grant to Trinity HOPE.  Our Triune God feeds His sheep through people like you in His world.  Thank you for your continued prayers and financial support.

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