International Prayer Day First Monday each month 10 am

Joel Griffith 10/11/24 Joel Griffith 10/11/24

If today was going to be your last...

“Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else, to the nearby villages, so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” Mark 1:38

I heard a quote on the History Channel yesterday that was credited to Steve Jobs as several moguls were recalling his life. At a commencement address he asked “if you knew that today was going to be your last day, would you be doing what you are doing?” How would you answer? As you sit reading this message, how would your plans for the day or tomorrow be affected if these were the final hours of your life? In the Gospel of Mark our Savior had been healing the sick and following a moment of solitude prayer He tells the disciples that they should go elsewhere in the town to preach as there are many more that need healing and more importantly, the message of salvation.

If you knew that your life was nearing the end would feeding this child in Ouanaminthe, Haiti still be that important. The mission of Jesus Christ was to give the message of salvation to the lost; He came into this world to save the lost. That is what He did up until that final moment when He said that “it is finished.” If I knew that tomorrow would be my last day, there would still be an opportunity for me to feed children in Haiti, who will take the message of salvation to the nearby villages. Salomo Franck wrote the words to the hymn ‘I leave all things to God’s direction’ in 1685 and they are still good advice today, tomorrow and for the remaining days we have along our journey.

“I leave all things to God's direction, He loveth me in weal and woe; His will is good, true His affection. With tender love His heart doth glow. My Fortress and my Rock is He: what pleaseth God, that pleaseth me. My God hath all things in His keeping, He is the ever faithful Friend; He grants me laughter after weeping, and all His ways in blessings end. His love endures eternally: what pleaseth God, that pleaseth me. The will of God shall be my pleasure while here on earth is mine abode; my will is wrong beyond all measure, it doth not will what pleaseth God. The Christian's motto e'er must be: what pleaseth God, that pleaseth me. God knows what must be done to save me, His love for me will never cease; upon His hands He did engrave me with purest gold of loving grace. His will supreme must ever be! What pleaseth God, that pleaseth me. My God desires the soul's salvation, me also He desires to save; therefore with Christian resignation all earthly troubles I will brave. His will be done eternally: what pleaseth God, that pleaseth me.”

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 10/10/24 Joel Griffith 10/10/24

Who knew.

“I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love. To them I was like one who lifts a little child to the cheek, and I bent down to feed them.” Hosea 11:4

Who knew. How many of us really knew what our life journey would be like? When I was a young man working in highway construction there were times when the paths that I selected ultimately separated me from God. He continued to pursue me while I was seemingly happily sloshing in the mud on these tangled trails that satan provided for me to those areas that were a ‘sure thing’ when seeking adventure in a sinful world.

Who knew? He did not give up on me and He did not give up on you or these children in Haiti. He did not write me off as a lost sheep that was unable to stay in the fold. He did not despise, reject or abandon me. It is humbling to consider how our Heavenly Father followed each of us through the dark paths upon which we have walked, worked and wasted away.

Only our Savior Jesus Christ could possibly care enough for you, me and the children in Haiti to bring us to Himself. Just as our Good Shepherd brought us back into His fold, He feeds each of us. Who knew that our Heavenly Father would have brought you here today, to help in the process of feeding His sheep in Haiti? Who knew? Alexa just completed playing a song by Randy Travis titled ‘I am going’ and I hope that its words will inspire your thoughts today as you go out and walk down your life’s journey.

“I am going where I've never been. I am going where there's no sin. There I will join my Lord and my friends; yes I am going where I've never been. Don't be crying those bitter tears; don't be crying 'cause I'm not here. I'll be happy the first time in years, so don't be crying those bitter tears. I have travelled life's weary highways and my last journey is at hand. I can hear the angels calling and I am going where I've never been.”

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 10/9/24 Joel Griffith 10/9/24

Oh Lord...how Majestic!!!

“LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens. Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.” Psalm 8:1-2

The above verses were in one of my morning devotions today and when matched with the attached photo the words “Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name” really jumped out at me. Back in the day, I took this photo at the school in Font Baptiste which is high in the mountains of the Arcahaie District which is in the Northern claw of Haiti. The door to this ‘classroom’ was open probably to coax a cool breeze to lower the temperature inside this small ‘shed’ of a room. What is taking place in this room is reason enough to say “Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name.”

Our awesome Triune God is using your gift to feed these 563 students who are daily being fed His Word and a plate of rice and beans and they will go out into their neighborhood and do His work of driving out the vodou priest and his lies from their homes. Our God who gave His only Son for each of us so that we might have our sins forgiven and receive Eternal Life is using each of us to serve Him in this simple way, in the simple place to wage a war against satan. Beni soit L’Eternal!!! (Praise the Lord!!!)

“Oh Lord, Our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth. Oh Lord, Our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth. The heavens declare Your greatness; the oceans cry out to You. The mountains, they bow down before You so I'll join with the earth and I'll give my praise to You. And I will worship You.”

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 10/8/24 Joel Griffith 10/8/24

The fruit of the Spirit.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23

While listening to a Christian radio station last night the low, raspy voiced speaker spent twenty-five minutes preaching law and quoting scripture. The speaker was not aligned with any specific church but seemed to be focused on ‘scaring’ people to repent of their sins.

The attached photo is of Pastor Thomas Bernard from Bon Berger Lutheran Church and School in Caredeux which is a suburb of Port-au-Prince. He is teaching a Sunday morning Bible study group ‘Law and Gospel’ from the Lutheran Catechism. Whether sitting in a Lutheran church here in Illinois or in Caredeux, the balance was the same. Luther taught balance…always balance. If you only hear the tough ‘Law’ stuff it can make people cold, distant, intolerant and unbearable. Hearing both tends to mold a person to be gentle, thoughtful, teachable and considerate.

The words of Ambrose in the Book of Concord support this balance; he denies justification to words and ascribes it to faith which liberates us through the blood of Jesus Christ. This balance is so important to our heritage and to the young children and adults living Haiti who are hearing this teaching…for the first time. There is a short hymn in the ‘Old’ Lutheran Hymnal titled ‘God’s Word is our great heritage’ that was written by Nikolai Grundtvig in 1817 and will close this message.

“God's Word is our great heritage and shall be ours forever; to spread its light from age to age shall be our chief endeavor. Through life it guides our way, in death it is our stay. Lord, grant, while worlds endure, we keep its teachings pure throughout all generations.”

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 10/7/24 Joel Griffith 10/7/24

Powerful lights.

“Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering” Hebrews 10:32

Do you remember receiving your first flashlight? Was it small or large? My uncle Vic was an electrician and he had a powerful flashlight with a large battery that I always thought that sometime when I was older that would be what I would have to provide light during an emergency.

Lessons from the Bible are much like powerful flashlights than can light up the darkest of trials that the world can throw at children and adults. The four girls in the attached photo attend Bon Berger in Caredeux and survive the vodou priest and on January 12, 2010 lived through the earthquake that claimed so many lives.

These girls have learned the message of Hope from the Bible and you may have seen others like them whose light shone brightly in the evenings following the earthquake on CNN. They were the bright lights praying and singing hymns in the darkness of Port-au-Prince when death, suffering and uncertainty seemed to be everywhere.

God has given us Hope in the darkness and the ability to find comfort in hopeless time when the lost cling in vain to the ways and logic of this world. I listened to Anne Murray sing ‘Whispering Hope’ recently on the Internet radio and they are a wonderful way to close this devotion.

“Soft as the voice of an angel breathing a lesson unheard; hope with a gentle persuasion whispers a comforting word. Wait till the darkness is over. Wait till the tempest is done. Hope for the sunshine tomorrow after the shower is gone. Whispering hope, oh how welcome, thy voice making my heart in its sorrow rejoice. If in the dusk of the twilight dimmed be the region afar willn't deepening darkness brighten the glimmering star. Then when the night is upon us why should the heart sink away? When the dark midnight is over watch for the breaking of day. Whispering hope, oh how welcome, thy voice making my heart in its sorrow rejoice.”

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 10/5/24 Joel Griffith 10/5/24

October Prayer Guide

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

Prayer Guide for October – 2024

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 33:1-10; “Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him. Praise the Lord with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre. Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy. For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love. By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth. He gathers the waters of the sea into jars; he puts the deep into storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him. For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.”

Lord God Almighty; Creator of heaven, earth and of everything visible and invisible; we stand in awe of You and of all that You created which surrounds us and is within us. Those of us living here in the Midwest of the U.S. cannot help but marvel at the change of seasons and how You sustain all life on this planet daily. Heavenly Father, as You have blessed our ancestors with descendants who seek Your Divine Favor and have further used each of us here today in the many different parts of this world to be a blessing to our families and also for others who have no Hope. Lord, we are confident that You will continue to move among and within each of us. You have given each of us an appointed measure of time, talents and treasures with which to seek and accomplish Your will in the coming seasons. Heavenly Father, direct us accordingly.

Psalm 28:6-9; “Praise be to the Lord, for he has heard my cry for mercy. The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him. The Lord is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one. Save your people and bless your inheritance; be their shepherd and carry them forever.”

A time of ‘Adoration’ to our Heavenly Father.

· Please take a portion of this day to sit quietly in a secluded area and consider how our Triune God has impacted your life and molded and brought you to this very point in your life’s journey.

· Spend a few hours this week to enjoy the change in colors of the plants, trees and crops and consider how our Heavenly Father had a purpose for each of them and us.

· As you look at the trees changing colors and the harvest of crops this month, sit quietly and listen to His hand at work in the firmament He created.

· Consider for a moment about the past generations of the Haitian school children who were brought to Haiti from Africa in bondage on French slave ships and how God knew how their descendants would impact their new country with the Good News…in His timing.

· Consider the lives of the workers in Haiti who walk closely with our Heavenly Father; parents, teachers, principals, feeding program directors and Pastors.

· Consider the Haitian children who will prayerfully be going back to school this month and be learning about our Triune God; seeking Your directions for their future, joyfully and courageously giving Witness of their Risen Savior to the souls still caught up in the lies of vodou and caught up with the gangs.

‘Confession’

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 loved 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.

Psalm 32:1-7; “Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD" and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him. You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.”

Matthew 5:4; “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”

There comes a time when you mourn, when you reach the point of uncontrollable sorrow for your sins, when you admit that you have no other option but to place all your sins upon Him and when there is truly no other name that you can call; place your sins upon Him and His Cross on that lonely hill called Calvary.

· 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’

Heavenly Father, as we open the newspaper, turn on the television or go online, we cannot help but see that there are so many areas in our world today where news reports are bleak and challenging. Some people are asking if these times are not the end times. Father, in these uncertain times, where do we begin to give You thanks for those unrecognized blessings? As we sit and look to You, may we take a few moments to recall Who is with each of us every hour of every day; so great are the blessings that You have poured into our lives and continues to daily shower upon us.

1 Thessalonians 5:12-18; “Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else. Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

The schools in Haiti had originally been scheduled to commence last month according to the government but due to the continued gang violence have been moved to this month. While there are still areas of Haiti that are facing gang driven chaos, the parents daily give thanks for their jobs or whatever means to supplement their family with an income, that wonderful school lunch for their children, the donors and also for the Trinity HOPE workers who are helping their school to learn how to manage the feeding program.

Psalm 118:1-4; “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Let Israel say: “His love endures forever.” Let the house of Aaron say: “His love endures forever.” Let those who fear the Lord say: “His love endures forever.”

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 You thanks for the Haitian children who are not only the prime purpose of Trinity HOPE but also Your missionaries and leaders for the future generations in Haiti.

· We give You thanks for the countless hours that the many Trinity HOPE volunteers have expended working with other volunteers here in the U.S. and in Haiti.

· 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 in this coming school year.

· We give thanks Father for protecting the lives of Your servants from the gang violence in recent times.

‘Supplications’

Genesis 3:8-10; “Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”

Heavenly Father, there are moments of doubt when we and people living in Haiti ask “why is this trouble still happening to this country?” Lord, we need to pause and take a close look at our cities and country and ask the same question. This original sin began with the inhabitants of the Garden of Eden and is still staining this planet that You created. Sin happens. We face challenges here in the U.S., in Haiti and around this planet. We live in uncertain times. Father, today, there seem to be more times where we feel as if we are surrounded by higher walls filled with greater challenges that we cannot recall and wonder where to begin to ask for deliverance. You know our hearts. You feel our fears. You hear our groanings. So often, we ‘ask’ for things without really considering how they will impact our calling and our journey; to serve Him as He desires us to serve Him by bringing others into the Kingdom. And we ‘wait’ for HIS response. Father, in this season of waiting; hear us, be near us and guide us.

1 John 5:13-15; “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have what we asked of him.”

Heavenly Father, we bring our supplications before You;

· Heavenly Father, continue to lead and bless Trinity HOPE with Your loving hand; may we always strive to accomplish Your will.

· Bless the workers here in the U.S. and in Haiti and give them courage as they face challenges from the evil foe. Provide them with courage, endurance and love.

· Lord, please bless the children, teachers and cooks walking to school on muddy paths in Haiti during this rainy month. Assure them with Your promise that the Trinity HOPE kettle will be full of food at their school each day.

· Heavenly Father, as we have been waiting for school to begin and the violence to end, please keep up close to You. May we never doubt Your Wisdom and reasons for us to wait a little longer for Your Will to be known.

· Heavenly Father, bind satan from throwing challenges into the workings of our feeding programs in schools that are starting this month in Haiti and in our activities here at home.

· Father…put an end to the endless challenges brought about by angry people who are gang members doing the bidding of the evil foe. We ask that You would bring peace and Hope to Haiti and bring forward Christian leaders who will seek Your council and follow Your directions.

· Heavenly Father, protect the U.N. Police force in Haiti as they work daily protecting citizens and attempting to bring an end to the gang activity.

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.

“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

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.”

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

Joel Griffith 10/5/24 Joel Griffith 10/5/24

How should we pray?

“This, then, is how you should pray” Matthew 6:9

Let’s talk about prayer on this first Saturday in October. When I was a child, it didn’t seem like anybody was listening to my prayer and today I know that God answers prayer in His way and in His time. Often His answers are ‘yes’, ‘no’ or ‘wait’ and it seems much easier to hear the first two answers but the ‘wait’ is still hard to do. So, why is prayer so important? Now into my senior years, I can tell you that there are four short reasons why prayer is important to me. First, quite often my Heavenly Father does make me wait. If there is a difficult problem facing me there is a time of prayer and a time of waiting. Prayer forces me to leave the situation with God; it makes me wait and has taught me patience.

Secondly, prayer clears my thoughts and opens my mind to what to be thankful for, what sins I have done that need to be confessed and supplications for others and myself. Prayer brings me to the face of my Heavenly Father and He has promised to listen to my prayer, your prayer and the prayer of this child in Ouanaminthe.

Third, prayer quiets my heart. Prayer is a time for me to be still as I am in His Holy presence; prayer makes me quiet. And lastly, prayer activates my faith; as I know that He is on the other end of the phone listening to my words. Prayer brings me so close to the face of God and brings a sense of peace about me. Please continue to pray daily for the Trinity/HOPE feeding programs in Haiti. I close today with the words from the hymn ‘Our Father, Thou in Heaven above’ that was written by Martin Luther so many centuries ago.

“Our Father, Thou in heaven above, Who biddest us to dwell in love, as brethren of one family, to cry in every need to Thee, teach us no thoughtless word to say, but from our inmost heart to pray. Thy name be hallowed. Help us, Lord, in purity to keep Thy Word, that to the glory of thy name we walk before Thee free from blame. Let no false doctrine us pervert; all poor, deluded souls convert. Thy kingdom come. Thine let it be in time and in eternity. Let Thy good Spirit e'er be nigh our hearts with graces to supply. Break Satan's power, defeat his rage; preserve Thy Church from age to age. Thy gracious will on earth be done as 'tis in heaven before Thy throne; obedience in our weal and woe and patience in all grief bestow. Curb flesh and blood and every ill that sets itself against Thy will. Give us this day our daily bread and let us all be clothed and fed. From war and strife be our Defense, from famine and from pestilence, that we may live in godly peace, free from all care and avarice. Forgive our sins, Lord, we implore, remove from us their burden sore, as we their trespasses forgive who by offenses us do grieve. Thus let us dwell in charity and serve our brother willingly. Into temptation lead us not. When evil foes against us plot and vex our souls on every hand, oh, give us strength that we may stand firm in the faith, a well-armed host, through comfort of the Holy Ghost! From evil, Lord, deliver us; the times and days are perilous. Redeem us from eternal death, and when we yield our dying breath, console us, grant us calm release, and take our souls to Thee in peace. Amen, that is, So shall it be. Confirm our faith and hope in Thee that we may doubt not, but believe what here we ask we shall receive. Thus in Thy name and at Thy word we say: Amen. Oh, hear us, Lord! Amen.”

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 10/4/24 Joel Griffith 10/4/24

The face of evil.

“When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood.” Ezekiel 3:18

This verse initially may seem like quite a strong warning to those who have heard the message of salvation; that they are not to just keep this knowledge to themselves but freely share with the lost. The man in the attached photo is the witch doctor at this vodou temple in Croix d’ Bouquets which is a suburb in northeastern part of Port-au-Prince; he needs to hear the message of salvation.

It seems that while we learn that the lost are certainly doomed to hell and we are to speak the truth with them, there is also the fact that God loves each and every one of us and only wants the best for each of us. It is His desire that this man trapped in vodou, and you and I would all accept the fact that He sent His Son to die for us and salvation has been won and is awaiting all who call upon the name of Jesus.

There are several thousands of young missionaries attending Lutheran schools in the Port-au-Prince district, who are learning more and more about Jesus Christ and being fed daily by donors like you. As you have shared the truth in your neighborhood, thank you for also sharing of your gifts to assist in the preparation of the youth in Haiti who will take the message of salvation to those caught up in the lies of vodou. Isaac Watts wrote the words for the Hymn ‘Am I a soldier of the Cross’ in 1721 and they will close this message today.

“Am I a solder of the Cross, a foll'wer of the Lamb and shall I fear to own His cause or blush to speak His name? Must I be carried to the skies on flow'ry beds of ease while others fought to win the prize and sailed thro' bloody seas? Are there no foes for me to face? Must I not stem the flood? Is this vile world a friend to grace to help me on to God? Sure I must fight if I would reign; increase my courage, Lord! I'll bear the toil, endure the pain, supported by Thy Word. Thy saints in all this glorious war shall conquer though they die; they see the triumph from afar with faith's discerning eye. When that illustrious Day shall rise and all Thine armies shine in robes of victory through the skies, the glory shall be Thine.”

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 10/3/24 Joel Griffith 10/3/24

What's your gift?

“We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.” Romans 12:6-8

What is your gift? Is it different than the other people who sit in your pew on Sunday? Please take just a minute to enact a mental survey of the gifts that members of your congregation or family have and be amazed at how varied they are. You probably identify with at least one of the gifts that Paul listed in Romans, perhaps two or more; you’re special. The two girls in the attached photo attend the Lutheran School in Ouanaminthe and are enjoying their meal of the day that was provided by somebody in the U.S. that had the ‘gift’ of giving.

Their meal on this day, and every day, cost around thirty-five cents a bowl. That may not seem like much but if this is your only meal for the day then that small bit of change is very important. When you support a Trinity HOPE school, you are serving Him; you are helping the teachers teach as they too are fed. You are also giving and if you share this devotion and invite others to help support more children then, you are a leader. May our God continue to bless you as you share your gifts with the children attending Christian schools in Haiti.

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 10/2/24 Joel Griffith 10/2/24

Love must be sincere.

“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” Romans 12:9-13

The last two verses of the above passages from the 12th chapter of Romans really stand out when thinking about life in Haiti. These verses in the New Life Translation read; “Be happy in your hope. Do not give up when trouble comes. Do not let anything stop you from praying. Share what you have with Christian brothers who are in need. Give meals and a place to stay to those who need it.”

It is so hard to put into words what the young boy in the attached photo goes through every day, and I will try to help you, so that you will get a better understanding of what his life is like in Haiti. Daniel goes to school at Messif in the southeastern part of Ouanaminthe. Ouanaminthe is located in northeastern Haiti along the border with the Dominican Republic. If the photo looks really dark it is because it was really dark in his corrugated metal school building without any windows; the two doors didn’t permit much light into the two classrooms nor did they enhance any ventilation flowing through the structure on this hot day.

It is safe to say that the clothes that he is wearing are his only clothes, except possibly for his Church clothes. The meal he is eating is his real meal for the day as he shared this with us in the interview following lunch. His favorite meal is beans and rice and that is what he is served at school every day; Daniel is not complaining. When he gives thanks for his daily meal, he really gives thanks for this meal as that is all there is for the day; his prayer doesn’t get interrupted with other thoughts, it is just too important.

Whether you can fully understand his daily hurdles; only you can know. You too are very important to Daniel and also to your Heavenly Father. Your existence is part of His divine plan; your gift is what was needed to feed Daniel and the rest of this School in Ouanaminthe and the other 264 schools that have Trinity HOPE feeding programs. Daniel gives thanks to ‘Bondeye’ and for donors like you who he has never met; but will one day greet you in Heaven.

May God be with you,

Jay