God hears us.

“Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are convinced of better things in your case; the things that have to do with salvation.  God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.” Hebrews 6:9-10

The chaos in Haiti is growing worse.  Our fellow believers living in Haiti and we living in North America continue to pray that our Heavenly Father will calm the violence.  Can He hear our prayers?  Are there too many of us praying so that our petitions are getting garbled with the different languages?

The day is coming when the violent gangs will cease.  God will put an end to this chaos in His time and in His way.  God is always fair and just.  He blesses those who have walked closely with Him.  He forgives those who bring their offerings and humble themselves before Him.  God will bring peace for His children.  Their eyes have seen terrible scenes.  Their ears have heard screams of terror.  They have felt the intense heat from their house being burnt down.  They have smelled the rotting bodies in the streets.  They have lost love ones who were outside of their homes.  They have missed many days at their school. 

God heard our prayers last week.  My congregation has been in a vacancy for over two years and we have been praying that God will send us a new shepherd and yesterday He answered our prayers.  Pastor Smith from Raleigh, NC has accepted our Call.  We rejoice.  God hears our prayers.  He heard them this morning coming from our house and also from Haiti.  He didn't say anything at the time, but He heard it all.  He is not unjust to forget one idle word.  He didn't overlook one wrong act committed against them by an evil gang member. His plan is unfolding right before our distracted eyes.  When His timetable says, "Now," justice will come down, and gangs will be swept up by His mighty hands.  His children will continue to praise Him and share the victory of our Awesome God with the remaining masses 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

Humble yourself.

"Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you." James 4:10

It’s Saturday and tomorrow we will spend a brief amount of time going through the worship service where we will our ‘sins’ before God.  The word sins is usually printed in lower case in the worship folder; they should probably be UPPER CASE, but that would not be politically correct.  We read a statement of confession and then are given a time to silently dwell on where we strayed the past week.  Lutherans usually are given five to eight seconds to recall what we did and for me, that is usually way too short.

What does it mean to humble ourselves?  God knows my physical limitations and that I can’t get down on my knees, repent and beg for mercy.  It’s hard to be humble if you can’t recall any times that you strayed away from where you should have been.  If that is the case, we need to ask God to take me as I am and show me where I have strayed yesterday and teach me which way to go today and tomorrow.  The above passage tells us to humble ourselves before the Lord and He will exalt you.  Humble yourself not after He exalts you, but humble yourself now.  Not just on Sunday morning but every day.  Don’t wait until tomorrow or Sunday; do it now.  In time, you will surely notice how wonderfully He will quiet your spirit and transport you to a realm of contentment you've never known before.  The learned ones in this fallen world demand answers; how can humbling yourself bring peace?  When we believers humble ourselves, repent and seek to walk closer with our Lord we find peace as we trust in Him who died on the cross for our SINS.  What a price our Savior paid for our Eternal inheritance.  Please join these young believers from Haiti who will be humbling themselves tomorrow.  Repent and find peace in the knowledge that you are saved.

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

O Come let us 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 worshipping in a Lutheran church, you probably recognize these verses from the Liturgy of decades 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 longer, choirs sing more songs, Sunday school children and adults recite their Scripture reading at the beginning of the Church service to the congregation…and did I mention that the sermons were longer?

I heard a song recently about singing praise to the Lord on a Southern Gospel station from Alexa and it caused me to think about Haiti; it’s not a very safe or happy place today.  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, getting ready to lift their voices and sing praises to the Lord.  I have yet to see people come to my Church here in Central Illinois, packed into the back of a pickup.  Back in the day, 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, good times and sad, 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

Who and how do you serve?

“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.

Back in the day, my LCMS synodical supervisor in Haiti, Pastor Jim Tino, shared with me many truths while living in Haiti.  I was a guest in Haiti; I was not to push my North American culture upon them, and I was 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 fifty years of cultural expectations of having things now; right NOW!  Food, rooms, nightly animal sacrifice noises from the neighborhood vodou priest, lack of electricity, clean water and did I mention patience?

I heard a song recently called “Lord, keep me in your will” and the words brought back memories of my prayers while in Haiti and my frustrations and humiliation while working with some other North American mission teams visiting Haiti while I lived there 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 in October 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 and onions and ham that he liked, expected and he even went into the kitchen to find those ingredients so his meal would be to his liking.  Every one of the over 51,000 children 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 live ‘there’ and I sometimes wonder how or why I am living ‘here’ now, 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 throughout 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

Boasting?

“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

Our Heavenly Father does not promise any of us a care-free life like some of the celebrities in North America seem to be enjoying every day.  You’ve seen their homes, cars and clothes.  “Why?” we are tempted to ask.  Only God can know all the reasons, but according to this scripture reading, not having all that stuff 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 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” heading into March Madness this year, new boat, new house, new gold watch, a cruise or trip somewhere; 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 or in my garage.  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 51,000 children 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

What can I possibly do?

“The Lord said to Job: “Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him?  Let him who accuses God answer him!”  Then Job answered the Lord: “I am unworthy; how can I reply to you?  I put my hand over my mouth.  I spoke once, but I have no answer; twice, but I will say no more.” Job 40:1-5

Have you ever felt like Job and uttered the words “I am unworthy” in your prayers while talking with God?  Have you ever said to God “what can I possibly do for you?”  I don’t have talents.  My tool box with skills is empty.  Oh woe is me!  There are times that I feel like a lightweight being sent out to do battle with a super heavyweight.  God, what are you thinking? 

Our Heavenly Father knows what He is planning for each of us.  We need to trust Him and walk with Him.  That, my North American friends, is our stumbling block.  We need to walk with Him and not alone.  On our own, we don’t know what to do with what we have.  We need to walk with Him and listen and do what He tells us or shows us.  We are like sheep and need to be led by our Good Shepherd.  When we find ourselves wondering what should I do now, ask Him.  Trust Him and follow His lead.  I am going to close today with the words from the Hymn ‘Let us ever walk with Jesus’ by Sigmund von Birken in 1643.

“Let us ever walk with Jesus, follow his example pure, flee the world which would deceive us and to sin our souls allure.  Ever in his footsteps treading,
body here, yet soul above, full of faith and hope and love, let us do the Father's bidding.  Faithful Lord, abide with me; Savior, lead; I follow thee.  Let us suffer here with Jesus, to his image e'er conform; heaven's glory soon will please us, sunshine follow on the storm.  Though we sow in tears of sorrow, we shall reap in heav'nly joy, and the fears that now annoy shall be laughter on the morrow.  Christ, I suffer here with thee; there, O share thy joy with me.  Let us also die with Jesus; his death from the second death, from our soul's destruction, frees us, quickens us with life's glad breath.  Let us mortify, while living, flesh and blood and die to sin, and the grave that shuts us in shall but prove the gate to heaven.  Jesus, here I die to thee, there to live eternally.  Let us gladly live with Jesus; since he's risen from the dead, death and grave must soon release us.  Jesus, thou art now our head.  We are truly thine own members, where thou livest, there live we;
take and own us constantly, faithful Friend, as thy dear brethren.  Jesus, here I live to thee, also there eternally.”

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 is for us.

“What, then, shall we say in response to these things?  If God is for us, who can be against us?  He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all; how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?  Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen?  It is God who justifies.” Romans 8:31-33

Last month was the second warmest February on record in Central Illinois; and we enjoyed it.  Global warming?  When somebody tells me about global warming, I remind them that God is still in control of our planet…and universe for that matter.  He has the blueprints.  When I hear the phrase ‘global warming’ it makes me think that people are putting God in a box; diminishing His power.  How big is our God? 

Towards the end of last week, several gangs in Port-au-Prince attacked the International and Domestic airports; shooting at airplanes on the tarmac, burning buildings and killing several police officers.  They also stormed the National Prison and released an estimated 4,000 prisoners.  Where can help be found?  Our God is big enough to restore order in Haiti and this world.  He is big enough to be held in awe and high esteem by the inhabitants of this planet.  Our God is big enough to dissolve our worries and replace them with peace.  The closer you walk with Him, know Him and trust Him, the bigger He becomes.  We serve and awesome God.  This first Monday in March, Trinity HOPE volunteers, donors and children in Haiti are all saying prayers to our awesome God.  Today, I am going to close with the words to a song that my friend “M” sent me called ‘The Mission’ by Steve Green.

“There's a call going out across the land in every nation.  A call to those who swear allegiance to the cross of Christ.  A call to true humility, to live our live responsibly.  To deepen our devotion to the cross at any price.  Let us then be sober, moving only in the Spirit, as aliens and strangers in a hostile foreign land.  The message we're proclaiming is repentance and forgiveness.  The offer of salvation to a dying race of man.  To love the Lord our God is the heartbeat of our mission.  The spring from which our service overflows.
Across the street or around the world.  The mission's still the same; proclaim and live the Truth in Jesus' name.  As a candle is consumed by the passion of the flame.  Spilling light unsparingly throughout a darkened room.  Let us burn to know Him deeper.  Then our service flaming bright will radiate his passions and blaze with holy light.” 

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

Prayer guide for March.

We begin our prayer time in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. + Amen.

“I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.”  Martin Luther

‘Adoration’

Psalm 27:4; “One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.”

It’s March and we are well into the season of Lent; Easter is the last Sunday of this month.  This time of the year, our brothers and sisters in Haiti are experiencing the beginning of the rainy season and because of that, many of them are experiencing annual respiratory challenges.  There are many gardeners and farmers in the Artibonite, Les Cayes, Jeremie and Plateau Central agricultural areas who are giving thanks for this time of year when the Heavens open and refill their cisterns and replenish the ground moisture; ain’t God good?  Much of our moisture came in the form of snow.  Our God is indeed good and while we consider all of His majesty, we need to place at the top of our list of wonders the fact that He has forgiven our sins through our Savior, Jesus Christ. 

  A time of ‘Adoration’ to our Heavenly Father.    

·        Please take time to sit and consider how our Triune God comes to us through His ‘WORD’ every day and how He has impacted your life.

·        Think about the provisions, protection and love that surround you because of His unfailing love for you.

·        Give thanks for where God has placed you and the gifts that you were given to use for Him along your journey.

 ‘Confession’

Psalm 51; “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.  Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.  For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.  Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge.  Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.  Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place.  Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.  Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.  Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.  Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.  Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.  Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.  Then I will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you.  Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, you who are God my Savior, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.  Open my lips, Lord, and my mouth will declare your praise.  You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.  My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.  May it please you to prosper Zion, to build up the walls of Jerusalem.  Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous, in burnt offerings offered whole; then bulls will be offered on your altar.”

We were born, sinful and unclean, through no fault of our own, but because of the sins of our parents, grandparents…Adam and Eve. 

God sent His only Son to die for our sins. Jesus did everything right while he was here on this earth. He loves you with a love that cannot be measured.  He gave to the world when no thanks were returned to Him.  He healed when there was no hope, and He died without complaint.  Jesus did nothing wrong and everything right; all this for you.  He lived for you and died for you.  Our sins nailed Him to the cross on Calvary and kept Him there until His life on earth had ended.

·        A time of personal confession.

Our sins are placed at the base of the cross...His cross, and we give thanks that the times we have fallen short in the eyes of our Heavenly Father have been washed clean and we have been forgiven through the Blood of our Risen Savior Jesus Christ.

 ‘Thanksgiving’

While we in the Midwest are thankful for the rain and wet snow, our brothers and sisters living in Haiti are thankful for the lapli (rain) that comes in March.  School children walking to school on dirt roads bring their umbrellas and ponchos to protect them and their homework from the moisture.  We are thankful for the safety our Heavenly Father brings to these children from the vodou priest, the gangs and cholera.

1 Corinthians 11:23-25; “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.”

Heavenly Father, we come to You now with hearts, minds and words filled with ‘Thanksgiving’.”

·        We give thanks for our Creator, Redeemer and Holy Spirit.

·        We give thanks for having a Savior who gave His life for our sinfulness; “your sins are forgiven”.

·        We give thanks our providence; monetary, food, clothing, moisture and shelter.  As we give of our first fruits may we also give a portion of our best to His children in Haiti who need the assistance we can provide.

·        We give You thanks for the Haitian school children who are not only the prime purpose of Trinity HOPE but also Your missionaries for the future generations in Haiti who bring the true message of the season of Lent to lives who have never known.

·        We give You thanks for the work that is being accomplished by the Haitian parents, teachers, school principals and Feeding Program Directors who are shaping the lives of young Haitian children this school year.

·        We give You thanks for the directions for our Board of Directors.  May their diligence feed more children and prepare more missionaries.

 ‘Supplications’

The timely rains that come from Our Triune God are so appreciated by people living in Haiti as it benefits their gardens and crops and the promise of more food on the table and at the local market.  With the additional moisture comes mud into the schools with dirt floors and more laundry for mom.  More time and energy will be needed to gather another bucket of water from the cistern, neighborhood well or stream to hand scrub shoes and socks so their children will appear respectable when they walk to school and begin another day of learning.  The timely rains in Haiti do not prohibit the gangs from doing their evil deeds.  Blocking streets to prevent parents from picking up their children from school.  Burning tires in intersections to prevent the flow of commerce.  Exchanging gunfire with police in their neighborhoods bringing fear into the lives of their families and also fear of losing their homes and personal items.  Too often we fail to understand how blessed we are with our daily blessings and need to stop and consider what the parents of these young Haitian missionaries are going through to prepare their sons and daughters who are living in challenging and dangerous times; taking His Light into the darkness of their neighborhoods.

Romans 8:26-28; “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.  We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.  And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.  And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Heavenly Father, we bring our supplications before You;

·        Heavenly Father, please continue to lead and bless Trinity HOPE feeding programs with Your loving hand; may the number of children increase and may we always strive to accomplish Your will.

·        Lord, may ample rainfall quench their gardens and crops.

·        Heavenly Father, continue to protect Your children and their families living in Haiti from the evil of vodou and neighborhood gangs.

·        Father, may Your Holy Spirit bring an end to the evil spirits that are bringing waves of evil challenges into the lives of Your children and impacting their schools and feeding programs.  Protect and bring a Faith filled measure of courage into Your people; school children, their parents, cooks, teachers, principals, feeding program directors, pastors and Trinity HOPE donors and administrators.

·        Lord, prevent the spread of cholera in Haiti.

·        Lord, bring leaders who worship You, seek Your directions and follow them, into Haitian government and our government as well.

·        Father, please be in the midst of the planning sessions between Haiti, the United Nations and the police from Kenya to help Haiti address the challenges with gangs that torment their country.  May they help Haiti to bring an end to this evil chaos. 

Lord God, bless Your Word wherever it is proclaimed.  Make it a Word of power and peace to convert those not yet Your own and to confirm those who have come to saving faith.  May Your Word pass from the ear to the heart, from the heart to the lip and from the lip to the life that, as You have promised, Your Word may achieve the purpose for which You sent it; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.  Amen.

2 Corinthians 13:11-14; “Finally, brothers, good-by. Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.  Greet one another with a holy kiss.  All the saints 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.”

“I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have graciously kept me this day; and I pray that You would forgive me all my sins where I have done wrong, and graciously keep me this night. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me.  Amen.” Martin Luther

May God go before you to guide you; may His arms be beneath you to support you, around you to protect you and above you to bless you.  And may the blessings of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit be with you always dear sister and brother in Christ,

In His love, Jay Brinkmeyer

A few simple truths.

“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 that I have read; ‘seek and save the lost, feed my sheep and follow me!’  I can ensure you that back in the day, when you traveled to Haiti with a Trinity HOPE mission team you would have seen living evidence of these instructions from our Savior.  You had seen the vodou flags in the neighborhoods and knew that the presence of satan was within your reach.  You could see it, smell it and hear it within their local neighborhoods; it has been there since Haiti became a Republic in 1804 and continues to try to lure His children into the snares set with lies and fear.

When you visit one of the over 250 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, milk 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.

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 the children who 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 51,000 meals that were being served throughout Christian schools on this particular day in October.  Over fifty thousand of His lambs were 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

Adversity.

“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

Adversity, do you have a knack to see it coming before it smacks you in the face?  Do you see it coming in your rearview mirror?  How do you prepare for adversity?  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, 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 children and the old man in the attached photo are in Ouanaminthe, enjoying the shade of the tree in the school yard after lunch; enjoying a time of merriment; a game of patty cake that breaks all language barriers and fills that void with endless smiles and contagious flowing steams of laughter.  Enjoying life on this planet under the shade of a tree; 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 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