International Prayer Day First Monday each month 10 am

Joel Griffith 3/22/24 Joel Griffith 3/22/24

The people on the hill.

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

These passages from the Gospel of John telling of the raising of Lazarus from the dead remind me of the urgency of seeking and saving the lost souls in Haiti; especially today. The attached photo was taken from the roof of my apartment in Petionville and whenever I would go up on the flat roof to hang my laundry on the line to dry; this was my view to the West.

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

The ‘story’ of the raising of Lazarus was true as this event took place in front of many grieving Jews who came to the tomb to mourn with the family; they reported this event to the Pharisees. This event was an important factor leading up the death of Jesus because it was upon hearing of this miracle that the chief of priests and Pharisees determined to bring about the death of Jesus.

Rescuing the people on the hillside of Petionville seems to be an impossible feat in the eyes of this fallen world; too often we put God into a box and only think about what we can do and don’t look at what God is capable of doing. And today, with the gangs gripping the majority of PAP with fear, that rescue seems to be even more difficult. I listened to a Southern Gospel song from Alexa recently called “My name is Lazarus” and the final verse is as follows;

“He said, “My name is Lazarus, could I testify? My name is Lazarus, it feels good to be alive. When I in chains of death was bound, this man named Jesus called me out. If you think your little problem is too big for Him to solve, take it from the one who’s heard the mighty voice of God. A living testimony of His death-defying touch, my name is Lazarus”

There are several thousands of children who should be attending Christian schools in Port-au-Prince today, but are not able to because of the gangs. These kids should be receiving a blessing from a Trinity HOPE feeding program at their school. These young missionaries are the voices that will bring the message of the raising of Lazarus by our Risen Savior to the people living on the hillside, and in the streets of their neighborhood. It is a God thing; you are blessed to take part in their preparation; but their mission has been paused by the chaos in PAP. The Gospel message is certainly a God thing. We wait for the chaos to come to an end; that too is a God thing. Thank you for answering the call to seek and save the lost by sharing of your financial gifts and prayers with the children who will take the saving message to the lost souls throughout Haiti.

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

Joel Griffith 3/21/24 Joel Griffith 3/21/24

Just beleive.

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

The words of Jesus to the leader of the Synagogue whose daughter was either dead or dying, “don’t be afraid, just believe.” The leader’s sense of urgency was not on the same page as Jesus’ plan. All too often our impatience with the timing of this world, the lack of a sense of urgency and the seemingly failure of our plans cause us to doubt and despair. ‘Just believe’ has been told to many who fear gangs in Haiti by those who believe in the Risen Savior.

The road to the church and school at St. Raphael in the Cap Haitian can be frustrating, much like the road to many of the rural congregations in Haiti. There are no road signs, road maps or OnStar that we are accustomed to using in North America. The attached photo shows the ‘road’ sign alerting you to the Lutheran Church and school at St. Raphael. There are 137 children attending school here and they enjoy their noon lunch provided by a family from Gallatin, TN. When traveling to congregations in remote, rural areas of Haiti, listening to the driver and interpreter discuss if they should turn left or right at the ‘Y’ in the road brought me a sense of being stranded in the middle of nowhere…often. “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”

Those words of encouragement always held true, as we always reached our destination. The 137 children attending school at St. Raphael wondered when they would get a feeding program, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” The Holy Spirit moved a team from Trinity HOPE to their location and provided a donor to bring the gift of food to their school. Their school is probably not facing an ongoing challenge from gangs in their area.

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

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 3/20/24 Joel Griffith 3/20/24

Help me understand.

“Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.” John 3:14-21

Help me understand.

A few weeks ago after church, I overheard a few women talking at the visitor’s center in our Fellowship Hall, and one said ‘Mardi Gras’. Having lived in Haiti, that term and also ‘Carnival’ raise a red flag in my memory bank as they both are synonymous with vodou in Haiti. It caused me to wonder what it was like in PAP between the vodou followers and the gangs who were controlling most of PAP. During Lent, the vodou Rara bands marched in the streets on the weekends displaying the power of the devil for all the Christians to see and hopefully fear. The attached photo is of one group of vodou followers as they marched in the street outside my apartment building.

So, I emailed a Haitian friend of mine living in PAP and asked if the Rara bands were marching in the streets with all the chaos happening there. He told me ‘no’, they were not. Everyone is afraid to set foot outside of their house because of the gangs. Evil vs evil. Put a snake on a pole.

Evil gangs are persecuting the evil vodou followers. It has to be incredibly demoralizing for the local vodou priest when the power of the local gangs is more powerful than that of his evil spirits. We believers face challenges daily and turn to our Heavenly Father for help. The vodou priest has no where to turn when even satan will not listen. In the mess and chaos that fills the streets in Haiti today, there is an opportunity to save a lost soul. There is a blessing waiting for somebody facing a dire challenge. Bring them the message of Hope. Be the witness of the Truth and Light. Easter is coming very soon. Christ our Savior, defeated the evil in this world.

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 3/19/24 Joel Griffith 3/19/24

Blessed by challenges.

These two verses have been floating around in my processor that past few days; trying to make sense of them. When sending e-mail messages to friends still living in Haiti, I remind them that me and others are praying for them every day. I remind a few friends here in Illinois who are facing the challenge brought about by cancer, that I am keeping them in my prayers several times each day. It’s not my purpose to pray and receive a similar blessing that Job received. I pray that God will heal the cancer and protect and end the chaos in Haiti. It’s all about God, and them…not me.

I have shared with a few friends with Trinity HOPE that I am growing weary of depressing news from Haiti. And its not just one source, it is many. The news today in our fallen world is depressing. When the earthquake hit Haiti in 2010 it was at the top of the news for a week…until something worse hit a different part of this world. After church, some people have asked me, “when will somebody do something about Haiti?” It’s in God’s hands. Wait.

I am ready to read good news coming out of Haiti. I’ve been praying for that for quite a while.

Have you ever heard that every cloud has a silver lining? Every challenge has a blessing. In the Bible study of Job, I recall reading that Job cursed the day he was born, have you? He resented the fact he didn't die when he was placed on his mother's breast? He was also the one who said, "I am not at ease. I am not quiet." That is the same Job who is wonderfully blessed at the end of the book. Why? Come on, you know why. It’s Lent; G-R-A-C-E. As we wait another day to see the blessing that comes from our challenges, we know what happened on Easter morning. An empty tomb. GRACE.

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 3/18/24 Joel Griffith 3/18/24

God's Will.

“After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before. All his brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before came and ate with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble the Lord had brought on him, and each one gave him a piece of silver and a gold ring. After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. And so Job died, an old man and full of years.” Job 42:10-11, 16-17

I’ve reached the last chapter of Job in the online Bible study. Job is an old man, and the learned in our fallen world would not want him to run for another 4 years being the leader of our country. Boy, has he seen and also endured a lot of challenges. Our brothers and sisters living in Haiti could draw a lot of encouragement from his life. One major item on the bucket list of many believers is to live a wholesome, healthy life while reaching maturity before death overtakes us as we enter into the promised land.

I am hopeful that is what God’s Will is for our lives. It seems that was His will for Job. Reading chapter 42, it appears that Job accomplished it; he reached that goal. We read that he died an old man and full of days. He lived the rest of his 140 years full of enthusiasm and passion. I will be pleased if my years number only half of that.

For the Haitian children and their parents living in PAP, when trouble comes into their neighborhood, they have two options. They can view it as an intrusion, an outrage, a terrible challenge or they can see it as another opportunity to respond in obedience to God's will; that rugged virtue that James calls ‘endurance.’

Endurance is staying on the path of obedience despite how painful that may be in your challenge. Endurance; it's a choice in the midst of our suffering to do what God has asked us to do, whatever it is, and for as long as He asks us to do it. Where are you today? I don’t know what you are facing today but I can only imagine what hell filled challenge the children in Haiti are facing today; especially in PAP. Where is your journey leading you? More important, which option have you chosen? Is it becoming more unbearable to face that challenge with every new morning and seeing it still facing you? Please try hard not to forget the lessons Job teaches us about ourselves, our challenges and God’s Will. It will make an enormous difference. As you and the children in Haiti grow older, keep growing up and becoming more mature and draw closer to Christ. And, instead of simply reading and studying about the life of Job, begin living that kind of life. That makes all the sense in the world on this side of Paradise, doesn't it?

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 3/16/24 Joel Griffith 3/16/24

Sharing the truth.

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

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

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

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

The children in the attached photo attend school in the Les Cayes District. This group of children are being prepared to pass their faith along to their brothers who are still in bondage to the neighborhood vodou priest and living in and believing the lies of satan. Thank you for helping to share the message of the truth of Jesus with the young messengers living in Haiti, through your financial gifts and your prayers. May your labors in North America bring many more living in Haiti into the Kingdom before your race comes to a close.

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 3/15/24 Joel Griffith 3/15/24

The boat.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 3/14/24 Joel Griffith 3/14/24

Our journey.

“So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of Egypt ready for battle.” Exodus 13:18

Fifteen years of my life were spent designing highways for the State of Nebraska. There were projects that improved what was already in place, widening the roadway, adding driveways and improving drainage and guardrail but the most enjoyable projects for me were the ones that involved a new horizontal and vertical alignments.

I laid out the geometrics for a few projects that were major expressways in Nebraska that had tri-levels elevated high above other freeways and railroads and streams; they were intentionally designed to move the traffic more effectively and bypass anything that might cause traffic to slow down.

We live in a fast-paced culture and have grown to always find the quickest way to get from point A to point B. When God led Israel out of slavery in Egypt, He did not take them on the shortest route as it would have led them through enemy territory. Had Israel taken that route they would have wanted to return to their starting point.

Sometimes the paths that God sets for our journey are not always the shortest, quickest routes or at least that is how they appear at the moment on this side of Paradise. The attached photo was taken on the road between Arcahaie and St. Marc and the truck on the right is similar to the way the Trinity HOPE feeding directors transport supplies from a large town to the rural schools and kitchens and eventually to the plate of a waiting child. It is quite a distance from point A to point B, not in kilometers, but in time.

Our lives may seem at times to be bogging down and we need to trust God, remain faithful knowing that His purpose for our lives happens to be taking the long way. How often have we complained about our journey that is taking place in His time and not our choosing? His way is always the best way, probably not the way of this world, but the better way. We may not yet know God’s purposes for our lives but we can and should be sure that God guides us through our journey for our good and for His glory.

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 3/13/24 Joel Griffith 3/13/24

Rete fidel.

“This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed. Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me.” 1 Corinthians 4:1-4

A friend of mine, living in Haiti recently shared “Rete fidèl” in the subject line of his email, which means “remain faithful”. In spite of the chaotic hell they are living through, they remain faithful, because God is in control. When I send an email or a text with friends in Haiti or even talk with them on the phone; my North American instincts wonder how they can remain so calm while living in such chaos. Back in the day, when I was living in Haiti, towards the end of 2003 there was a coup taking place to overthrow the government of President Aristide. There were many nights that I would listen to automatic weapons firing in downtown PAP. At those times, I opened my Bible and read with my flashlight through the Psalms and prayed. Remain faithful.

Yesterday, my initial search for Haiti news online went to CNN. The news was prayerfully the first positive step forward. “The embattled prime minister of Haiti, Ariel Henry, has resigned after weeks of mounting chaos in the Caribbean nation, where gangs have been attacking government structures and social order is on the brink of collapse. Henry said in a video address late Monday that his government would leave power after the establishment of a transitional council, adding, “Haiti needs peace. Haiti needs stability. My government will leave immediately after the inauguration of the council. We will be a caretaker government until they name a prime minister and a new cabinet,” Henry said. Henry’s adviser Jean Junior Joseph told CNN that Henry would remain in his role until the formation of a new interim government. The Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM), meeting in Jamaica on Monday said it had agreed to set up a transitional council to lay the foundations for elections in Haiti.” Remain faithful.

I remember that in 2002, John Hall and a few Haitian Pastors and I went to visit the Food for the Poor warehouse near the PAP airport in hopes of getting some beans and rice for the new school feeding programs under Pastor Thomas Bernard’s care. As we got out of my pickup truck, John told me, “The dance begins.” We were about to take the first step in the process in expecting not much help, but hoping for much. John and Pastor Thomas told the administrator why we were there and what we needed to feed kids and could they help? They were Catholics and we were Lutherans. The dance lasted for a couple of hours, back and forth, prancing around, looking through books. We remained faithful. When we left the warehouse, my truck was loaded with back of beans, rice, boxes of Maggi and dry milk and cans of cooking oil. You can see my truck in the attached photo. Remain faithful. This news is just the first step of the dance.

A few weeks ago after church, a man and I were talking about people living in Haiti and also here in Central Illinois. We are so blessed and so blind that we don’t see it; we take so much for granted. Why are Christians living in Haiti having to endure this challenge? Is their faith being tested? We join the believers in Haiti with our prayers from the safe homes we live in here on this side of Paradise. Remain faithful; God is in Control. Satan does not seize victory from this battle. Remain faithful.

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 3/12/24 Joel Griffith 3/12/24

Why is it taking so long?

“We praise you, God, we praise you, for your Name is near; people tell of your wonderful deeds. You say, “I choose the appointed time; it is I who judge with equity. When the earth and all its people quake, it is I who hold its pillars firm. To the arrogant I say, ‘Boast no more,’ and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horns. Do not lift your horns against heaven; do not speak so defiantly.” Psalm 75:1-5

We are midway through the season of Lent. We believers know how the story ends. The people in the Old Testament had waited a long time for the promised Savior to come their fallen world. Our God keeps His promises. He is faithful. Just as He brought Jesus into this fallen world in His time, He is going to bring justice to Haiti in a mysterious way. Wait for it. Our Savior defeated satan on the Cross of Calvary and our God will bring an end to the chaos in Haiti in His time; if not now, later. If not later, then in eternity. God will make it right; He always does.

The news coming out of Haiti is numbing as you try to image what our brothers and sisters are going through today. They probably have gone without food for many days. They fear for their lives to set foot out of wherever they have found shelter. One thing that I know, and you will probably agree, is that when a challenge backs you up against a wall, you find yourself closer to Jesus than when times are good. Believers in PAP are encountering Jesus today; more than yesterday. His Words are on their lips and in their hearts. Children enduring this present challenge are being prepared for even bigger events in their young lives. They will lead others to the Cross of Christ where they have found their HOPE. They wait, knowing that He is faithful and will one day bring them into His kingdom along with all believers. And now, today, we wait…and continue to pray.

May God be with you,

Jay