Enduring hardships.

“But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.” 2 Timothy 4:5

Enduring hardship; we have all most assuredly at one time or another asked how much weight will we be able to withstand before we crumble under the suffering that this world had dumped on us.  We all have different hardships as satan creates something special for each of us, knowing our weaknesses and finding ways to gnaw away at our patience.

Back in the day, 20 years ago while living in Haiti, one specific hardship that continually gnawed away at me was walking with my artificial knees.  There were many times when I asked my Heavenly Father “Why me, why here?” as my being there on a rocky steep slope seemed like such a cruel task.

The attached photo is one of those rocky paths.  This is the Haitian sidewalk that children take on their way to school at Chincheron which is high on top of the mountain North of Arcahaie.  It is a rural school and most of the children attending there walk for miles on paths such as this day after day, getting their education, Spiritual growth and a noon meal of beans and rice from Trinity HOPE.

I made the trip to Chincheron several times and always wondered how many children have walked this path over the years and where their feet have taken them while sharing the love of Christ with others in their families and neighborhoods.  How many feet tramping in the sand and rock did it take to make this defined pathway?  I also thought about the poem titled “Footprints in the sand” as I had that poster in my office.  Identifying with the verses of that poem was easy to do as I questioned my hardships from time to time…daily!  Here is the 1936 version from Mary Stevenson. 

“One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.  Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.  In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.  Sometimes there were two sets of footprints, other times there was only one.  This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my life, when I was suffering from anguish, sorrow or defeat, I could see only one set of footprints, so I said to the Lord, “You promised me Lord, that if I followed you, you would walk with me always.  But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life there has only been one set of footprints in the sand.  Why, when I needed you most, have you not been there for me?”  The Lord replied, “The years when you have seen only one set of footprints, my child, is when I carried you.”

May the hardships along your journey be manageable and may you always be reminded of Who is with us, every day, and every step of the way.  Trust always in Him, just as the children walking ahead of you, beside you and behind in Haiti do; every step of the way.

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

Fasting?

“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.”  Titus 2:11-13

We are in the first few days of Lent and there is talk of fasting on a few websites.  This always strikes me as North Americans discuss having to ‘give up’ something they enjoy for Lent; things like chocolate, bagels, cream cheese and an array of other items that will crush their lifestyle.  While today in Haiti there are people fasting; not ‘giving up’ meals because of their choosing, but simply because they have nothing to eat.  Their thankfulness for food is genuine and we don’t and prayerfully never will fully understand what it is like to be truly thankful for having that one meal every day.

This year, I am trying to give up eating a meal each day of the week in Lent, to remind me of my Savior’s submission to the pains, agony and death on the cross of Calvary for my sins.  It’s a small sacrifice for what He did for me and you on that cross standing on the hill at Golgotha two thousand years ago.  Saying ‘no’ to North American food for a day through Lent is pale compared to His silence to the charges rendered against His innocence.

I read the following on Facebook recently with a meaningful use of words that touched on ‘Fasting’ and I hope they will touch you today;

Fast from fear…Feast on faith.
Fast from despair…Feed on hope.
Fast from depressing news…Feed on prayer.
Fast from discontent…Feast on gratitude.
Fast from anger and worry...Feed on patience.
Fast from negative thinking...Feast on positive thinking.
Fast from bitterness…Feed on love and forgiveness.
Fast from words that wound…Feast on words that heal.
Fast from grave thoughts…Feast on the promise of eternal life!!

The attached photo of a young boy in Gonaives reminded me of going without…food, clothing and all the pleasures of this world that we take for granted.  There are over 51,000 children giving thanks today because of your financial sacrifice to put a meal on their school desk and they also know and appreciate that they are surrounded by your prayers every day.  Thank you for answering the call of our Savior and for continuing to pray and support the children in 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

Our purpose in life.

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”  James 4:7

God gave us the 10 Commandments to bring order to His people; they were applicable centuries ago and are still right for today.  We are to have no other gods than the Triune God, we are not to use His name in vain, we are to keep the Sabbath Day holy, we are to honor our parents and we are not to kill, commit adultery, steal, lie or covet the things that belong to our neighbor.  And Jesus adds that we are to respect others as you would like to be respected and love your neighbor as yourself.  Great set of values for us, for North America, for China, for India, for Haiti, for the Middle East, for the world…God’s world.

From what I know of the man in the photo, he would have nothing to do with or agree with anything that you just read.  He is a vodou witch doctor in Croix de Bouquets which is a suburb in Port-au-Prince.  I don’t know if he or his ‘temple’ survived the earthquake, if he did not, chances are he is not in heaven today.

What is his purpose in life?  He makes a living out of his house by selling fear and perpetuating the lies from satan; he is a control addict that satan uses to do his bidding.  This man is a grave robber, stealing organs and bones from the departed and grinds them into dust and uses them to call out evil spirits and send them to bring pain upon people who desire bad things to befall their neighbors.  This man is a murderer, animals and possibly young children who are brought to him for healing, but they never do get better as their blood is slowly drained over a period of months and replaced with poison. 

Jesus tells us in Luke that the Son of man came to seek and save the lost.  This man is lost, and there are hundreds more like him Haiti and a thousand gang members; lost souls serving the prince of liars.  The purpose of children attending Christian schools in Haiti is to bring the light of our risen Savior Jesus Christ into the lives of such as this.  This despicable human being needs a Savior, the people he hurts need a Savior and you and I have the gift and means to help bring the news of salvation to the lost in Haiti.

Thank you for helping to prepare future missionaries attending Christian schools in Haiti.  Their purpose is not easy, and neither is ours but our Savior gave His life for us on Calvary…His purpose on this earth was to save this world of sinners.  Thank you for answering the call of our Savior and for continuing to pray and support the children in 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, 8not 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

Ash Wednesday.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.  And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.  For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”  Hebrews 12:1-2

Ash Wednesday is upon us and this year it also falls on Valentine’s Day; the cross on your forehead won’t be red.  Ash Wednesday reminds me that Easter is fast approaching; it causes me to think about the death and resurrection of Jesus.  The real purpose of His life was to offer Himself as a sacrifice for our sins; for the sins of mankind.  Jesus became sin for us so that we could be forgiven and found sparkling clean in the eyes of our Heavenly Father.  Jesus knew His purpose on this earth and he predicted when and how it would happen in Matthew 26:2.

Do you know your purpose as your journey continues?  Luther would probably say our purpose is to love and joyfully serve the Triune God.  If you have read Rick Warren’s ‘Purpose Driven Life’ you may have a more laid out course that you feel matches your God given talents.  The verses in Hebrew 12 direct us to fix our eyes upon Jesus, the perfecter of our faith; Jesus looked beyond the cross and focused on the joy that would be for us.

The attached photo is pure joy.  This girl in Cap Haitian is holding tightly on to a plate of happiness, you can tell that in her smile and the look of her eyes.  The Bible teaches that there is great joy in heaven whenever a sinner repents and my human mind thinks that there is also a great shout of joy when the over 51,000 children in Haiti with a plate of food that will bring energy to their life as they go out into their neighborhoods sharing the Gospel message of their Savior who died and rose on Easter Sunday.

What is your purpose; what is her purpose?  Our awesome Triune God gives us many opportunities to share the news of His only Son, our Savior with the lost in this world.  We have been given an opportunity to share of our abundance with a generation of believers in Haiti who will in turn bring the Cross to the lost.  Your purpose and her purpose can be one in the same; that is a God thing.  Thank you for your continued support of these 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, 8not 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 teachers.

“As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me.  Night is coming, when no one can work.” John 9:4

Trinity HOPE school feeding programs are all about school children; they are the future missionaries in Haiti.  Their Christian witness in Haitian Creole is far superior to anything that a blan (white) North American could say or do in their neighborhoods; ‘go and make disciples’ pertains the work that we are called to do and they are called to do.

Most of the time you see the photos of the children studying, eating, playing and smiling and there are a core of individuals whose importance sometimes get left in the background.  In the attached photo are two teachers at Bon Berger Lutheran School in Caredeux.  The woman on the right is one of my favorite teachers, Sylvia, Pastor Thomas Bernard’s sister and I don’t recall the name of the other saint. 

Back in the day, while traveling throughout Haiti visiting schools, it was interesting to find that many of the teachers returned to the small schools where they had attended as children to become teachers and principals after they received their teaching certificates.  Their journey certainly provided hope to the students who sit in the class wondering about their future.  They will prayerfully share the news of our risen Savior with the lost and perhaps return to their roots and also share their lessons of life with the next generation.
Teachers; my mom was a school teacher in Seward County before she became a farm wife and raised my sister and me, teaching us life’s lessons.  When teachers go to Haiti on a mission team with me, it is always a comfort to have them along as they interacted with the children so much better than I do.  They share the love of Christ through songs and crafts and that leaves time for me to do the mundane tasks, checklists and interviewing the children.

I never thought about interviewing the teachers in the same manner as the children are asked about their eating habits away from school, but I also started to interview teachers as well.  Looking at the smiles on the teachers faces, it would seem that they could be your next-door neighbor but their lives are much different.  They too eat a Trinity HOPE lunch and are probably just as thankful as the children at their school to have a meal every day they are in school.

Thank you for your continued support of these programs.  When you pray for the children attending Christian schools in Haiti, please remember to add the dedicated teachers and principals as well to your daily petitions as they are an integral part of His divine work in the lives of the children 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, 8not 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

Shadow of fear.

“Greet one another with a holy kiss.  All God’s people here send their greetings.  May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” 2 Corinthians 13:12-14

While reading news from Haiti last week at several websites, the term “shadow of fear” was shared in two different sites.  There are an awful lot of families living in Haiti today who might be using that term.  In their native tongue it would be ‘Lonbraj nan laperèz’. 

The evil gangs bring a ‘shadow of fear’ to Haiti and they don’t understand or agree with Grace; they don’t know Jesus.  When families are down and fearful; the gangs kick them harder.  When the families feel like challenges are a huge ocean wave and they're drowning; the gangs pull them under.  When families are confused and seeking safe shelter; the gangs complicate their lives with threats.

Living in the ‘shadow of fear’ here on this side of Paradise, we need a large portion of Grace.  Heavenly Father, teach us the value of grace.  Teach us about demonstrating grace.  Show us again that grace is always appropriate and always needed.  The person who sat near you in church yesterday, the lady trying to reach a can of corn on the top shelf in the grocery store, the man who's putting gas in his car at the next pump, the elderly man behind you at the doctor’s office, waiting to check in, the student across from you at school.  All those people you see on your journey; you have no idea what shadow of fear that person is going through.  If you did, chances are you'd be prompted to show grace or to say a few encouraging words.  Grace is always appropriate, always needed.  The attached photo was taken in Jeremie while walking through a tight corridor that brought anxiety into my steps.  For me, at that moment, that was a shadow of fear.  I didn’t know what was lurking around the bend.  I am closing today with the words from the hymn ‘Amazing Grace’ that was written in 1772 by English clergyman and poet John Newton.

“Amazing grace!  How sweet the sound.  That sav'd a wretch like me!  I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see.  'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears reliev'd; how precious did that grace appear the hour I first believ'd!  Thro' many dangers, toils, and snares, I have already come; 'Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.  The Lord has promis'd good to me, His word my hope secures; He will my shield and portion be as long as life endures.  Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail, and mortal life shall cease; I shall possess, within the veil, a life of joy and peace.  The earth shall soon dissolve like snow, the sun forbear to shine; but God, who call'd me here below, will be forever mine.”

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, 8not 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

Leaning...

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

Last night, I asked Alexa to play some Southern Gospel music and the first song she picked was ‘Leaning on the everlasting arms’ and memories of Christian friends in Haiti came flooding back into vacant spaces that were not filled with the minutia that this world poured in today.  What, no Super Bowl?  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 stall car garage in North America, sitting on a board tucked between two other students in a 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, the Super Bowl…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 them their lunch for around four dollars; the price of one hamburger.  Look closely at the young girl in the front 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.

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, 8not 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 wandering aimlessly?

“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?  Back in the day, when deer hunting in the Pine Ridge of Nebraska, there were times that I was wandering endlessly for hours through the trees and deep ravines and canyons of Sheridan County but never, do I recall being hungry or thirsty.

On one visit to a Lutheran school in the Jeremie District we walked for several hours up a very long steep and did I mention long hill in intense heat and humidity and I did get really thirsty; but I had a filtered 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” translated “I am very hungry”.

I can only imagine that the only time I cried because I was hungry was 73 years ago when I was a baby and announced through tears that I was hungry.  In 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 their Trinity HOPE feeding program started; not a lot of energy, no bright smile 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 Board Members learned last night that as of yesterday, the number of children in their lunch programs is around 51,000 due to the continued border dispute with the Dominican Republic and the disruption efforts from gang activity growing more prevalent throughout Haiti.  The cost per meal has also risen to 40 cents due to these challenges.  The children in Christian schools with a feeding program are still having their hunger pains being subsided and their bodies continue to grow physically and their minds grow more Spiritually with the Bread of Life.  These children are the future of Haiti and will prayerfully right the wrongs that are being done in their cities and country.  They are the bright Lights to share the message and if their Light is snuffed out, they will receive their Glory in Paradise.   Thank you for bringing them this life sustaining food and please keep them, their parents, cooks, teachers, principals, feeding program directors, pastors and Trinity HOPE workers and donors in your daily prayers.

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, 8not 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

Courage.

“…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 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 so 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 husband’s 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 60,000 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; 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. The Trinity HOPE Board of Directors is having a Zoom meeting tonight to address the current events taking place in Haiti recently and discuss future directions as they face new challenges in changing times in Haiti.  Please lift them up in prayer tonight.

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, 8not 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

Holy Communion.

“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

The above passage from 1 Corinthians should be 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 her turn 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?  They certainly appear to be filled with much personality, probably have seen their load of trials, the earthquake, political problems, troubles 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 60,000 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 with 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 through Him, how much you have accomplished for Him…we have so much yet to accomplish to further the Holy Gospel throughout 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, 8not 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