International Prayer Day First Monday each month 10 am

Joel Griffith 1/21/25 Joel Griffith 1/21/25

Jesus is with us; always.

“Jesus said "and surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:20b

“Jesus said "and surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:20b
Last week, I read the following; “The wind brushes against the trees, but it never stays to see if they move.” When I read it the following thought came to my mind; we often leave traces of ourselves in other people’s lives without realizing it. Sometimes we bring change, yet we’re gone before we know how deeply we’ve changed them. Jesus is with us always, nudging us to bring a change in people’s lives. From my experience from living in Haiti is that from the mouths of children come some of the greatest inspirations and insights that you can ever fathom. Priceless pearls of wisdom or darts of brilliant light that help you to understand them and this world through their minds, words and actions.

I don’t recall the name of the boy in the photo, he wore the same shirt on the three days I happened to see him in Ouanaminthe during one week in October. He was one of the children chosen for our Trinity HOPE interview as our mission them tried to get an idea of how many of these children were eating at home.
This young boy was happy to be living in the border town of Ouanaminthe, in school and being fed. He hadn’t eaten before he went to bed the night before school and his parents had given him a cup of coffee for his morning nourishment…no food. When I asked what his favorite food was, he said Trinity HOPE rice and beans. What a great advertisement, “next time your mom goes to the store, tell her to pick up a box of the Trinity HOPE rice & beans”.

This boy was captured in another photo during the week, it was sent a few days ago and he was shown with two other children with a bracelet on his wrist. He goes to school, perspiration popping up on his forehead, learning about geography, math…and Jesus. His life will touch others in the coming years and decades with the message of hope for those who have not heard of Jesus. Jesus tells us, “and surely I am with you always…”

You will meet many people in your life and do His work in many different ways along your journey. You will make a difference in the lives of many through your words, encouragement and love. It is really important to concentrate on those times where we can truly make a difference in another life. Thank you for making that difference in over 52,000 lives, preparing His children to go share His message of salvation with the lost 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

Joel Griffith 1/20/25 Joel Griffith 1/20/25

Do you like surprises?

“Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” 1 Corinthians 15:51-54

Have you ever had a family member that didn’t like surprises? Did you ever know a person who didn’t like receiving a wrapped present? Well, there have been a few creatures along my journey that didn’t receive a card or gift from me as it wasn’t worth me getting scolded and whipped with a tongue lashing from their disdainful life. Every morning I type the words “Haiti news” into the search engine and am hoping a wonderful surprise that gangs in Haiti have laid down their weapons, repented and surrendered. What a wonderful surprise that would be. I would probably doubt the news and label it ‘fake news’ go to another source.

How have you handled surprises along your journey? They can be pleasant and sometimes difficult. Surprises celebrate birthdays, anniversaries and Christmas. Most kids love them. Most parents expect them to happen along their journey. We like them and at times we hate them. Consider just a few; the doctor would like to discuss your lab results right away, the alarm didn't go off; it's almost nine, I'm calling from the bank regarding your checking account. the boss wants to see you; no need to take off your coat, this is Officer Haynes, we have your child down at the station, they’re under arrest, the tumor we suspected to be malignant is actually benign.

We get surprises daily, some are wrapped in paper, some not. Some are happy and some we can’t believe this is happening. Have you ever stopped to look at the surprises throughout the Bible? God’s Word is a book full of them when you look at certain events through the eyes of people in that day. New and Old Testament are full of them. Many of them are difficult to believe or understand, but they give us Hope that we too will receive our share of surprises from our Heavenly Father until He surprises us and takes us home.

That final surprise will be the greatest surprise of all. In the twinkling of an eye. There are a few souls who have rejected Christ at this present time and explain that they will just accept Him ‘just before’ they die. There isn’t enough time to turn to Jesus in a twinkling of an eye. I find a pause when considering that the greatest surprise is that people like you, me and these Haitian children will be included in the group being taken to our Home in Heaven; that moment will be a miracle. Share the message of Salvation with those along your journey so they too, can share in the surprise.

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 1/18/25 Joel Griffith 1/18/25

God shows us His love.

“But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

The morning Portals of Prayer had the above scripture reading recently, a message that revolved around love and the attached photo is of two girls living in Ouanaminthe, Haiti and their smiles tell you they have a Savior and are eating Trinity HOPE food. How can you help but not love this photo?
“Have you ever loved someone? Love causes us to reach out to another. It causes us to make sacrifices. We sacrifice our time, our money and sometimes our own desires. Love binds a person to the thing that they love. Loving is a risky business, because sometimes the one that we love does not and will not love us back.” That was the opening message from that devotion; loving someone, reaching out and making various sacrifices. Trinity HOPE supporters love their Savior, their Creator and their Comforter…and His children. We make sacrifices sometimes and other times we just give. I am guilty of that at times; giving without really considering how special the life is that my gift is touching…reaching out to a life that doesn’t know I exist.

At those times, the Holy Spirit uses my gift, my ‘sacrifice’ to touch that life with a blessing that will prayerfully place an ear-to-ear smile upon their face. Not often we get to see such happiness, as in the two smiles in this photo. They are genuine, they are real, they are thankful and they truly believe that you are a Godsend to them. I pray that your financial sacrifice, your prayers and your love will continue to touch girls in white ribbons and boys in plaid shirts living in Ouanaminthe.

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 1/17/25 Joel Griffith 1/17/25

Four missionaries.

“I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” Philippians 4:10-12

Back in the day, while living in Haiti, the words of the Apostle Paul brought me comfort, understanding, peace and patience. If you know me, that last word may not be a word that you would count as one of my strong attributes or high points. Imagine what Paul must have endured on his mission trips. Imagine the people that he met and the lives that he shared the message of salvation with along his many travels; probably saw faces similar to these four children. They are His missionaries.

Some comments from people who have seen this photo are why do these kids look so happy, so clean and friendly. Look closer at these children who attend a school in Ouanaminthe that is called Messif. Their school was very, very dark and the flash from the camera poured volumes of light into their dark classroom; no electricity or windows. The temperature in their classroom at 11 AM was probably in the low 90’s in October and there was no breeze.

The photo shows two really important facets; the children are in school and very happy to be in school because they just finished eating. Also notice the bracelet of the girl on the right side. She has the message of salvation wrapped around her wrist that may provide a lifeline to another lost child in Haiti on her walk home this day, or tomorrow.

Trinity HOPE is so very simple; we feed children attending Christian schools in Haiti and they in turn share the Gospel message with Haiti. It cost under a buck and a half to feed these four children on this hot day in their school in Ouanaminthe. The Apostle Paul would be so very happy to have these young missionaries joining in his call, the same call that you and I have from our Lord Jesus; go, seek and save the lost. Follow Me.

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 1/16/25 Joel Griffith 1/16/25

Three missionaries.

“First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. God, whom I serve in my spirit in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you. I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong; that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith. I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.” Romans 1:8-13

Have you ever met a missionary? The apostle Paul was a missionary. The online dictionary states that a ‘missionary’ is someone who leaves their home and goes to live, work and witness in another location. It doesn’t mention anything about them sharing the Holy Gospel or healing a disease, helping them build a school or putting a meal on their table at lunch time.
I hope that you have had an opportunity to meet a missionary and that they have been a blessing to you and your earthly journey. The three children in the attached photo are missionaries from the Lutheran School in Ouanaminthe, Haiti. They are young but with your help, they will be very wonderful missionaries to their neighbors who have not yet heard the saving message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Their colorful wrist bands tell the story of creation, baptism, death, resurrection and salvation; the saving message is easy to understand in ways that can only be told by a child to another child or their parents or grandparents. These three would probably have been favorites of the Apostle Paul; they are favorites of mine because they will one day be spreading the Gospel message to the lost throughout Haiti in the coming decades.

Thank you for supporting missionary preparation through Trinity HOPE; it only takes about forty cents to provide a hot lunch for one of these Kingdom builders. Consider for a moment that one small quarter could be all that it takes to keep one precious life out of satan’s grips. A few small coins in the right place could win a soul for Christ; that is a God thing and we just can’t begin to fully understand or appreciate the slogan, “ain’t God good?”
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 1/15/25 Joel Griffith 1/15/25

Sands of time.

“And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.” Romans 13:11-14

How many more grains of sand are remaining in the hour glass of your life? Have you put your will in a place where your family will find it? Have you shared your faith story with the grumpy next-door neighbor? “Our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed” is another way of saying that the end of your journey is a lot closer now than when you were Baptized. What kind of legacy are you leaving for your family, what kind of footprint will you leave?

What is your greatest desire for your children and grandchildren? What is your hope for the coming generations; have you taken steps to finish well? Has your time been spent sharing the Gospel within your family, within your city, within your State or been focusing on one of the ends of this earth?

Has it been your hope and desire that your children and grandchildren will grow up and become men and women of compassion, honesty, morality, responsibility, selflessness, loyalty, discipline and sacrifice? Your hope should be that they will become men and women of faith, trusting in Jesus Christ as their Savior seeking to follow Him as the Master of their lives each and every day. While we cannot make this decision for others, we can show them the way by being an example of Christ’s love and of His power to transform every life that is submitted to Him.

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 1/14/25 Joel Griffith 1/14/25

Follow Me.

“The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.” John 1:43

This passage from the Gospel of John has always fascinated me and again drew me deeper into these words when an online morning Bible study group discussed these words of our Savior. A couple of things grab at my question button; Jesus finding, Jesus saying ‘follow me’ and then our own free will. Jesus found Philip, found you, found me and found this child in Haiti. Our Savior who later called himself the ‘Good Shepherd’ came to earth to look for the lost sheep; came to seek and save the lost. It should make each of us feel really special that the Son of God came to earth and looked for us and after a period of time found us.

We didn’t go looking for Him; we cannot on our own do that as too often we don’t know where to look. Too often our ‘free will’ points us into directions away from Him and into places that are deeper and darker where we can hide from Him. Why do you suppose Philip dropped what he was doing and went with Jesus when told to ‘follow me’? Perhaps he had nothing to do but probably because he realized Who this was who had found him, at that point in history. Philip had heard about the coming of the Messiah and was waiting and what a ‘God moment’ in his life to have the Savior find him.
Jesus found you and is calling to you to ‘follow’. You, I and this child from Haiti have been found and told to ‘follow Christ’ and become shepherds and seek and save the lost. Don’t let your free will tell you that your life is not capable of seeking lost souls or bring them to Christ. He is with you and the Holy Spirit is nudging you where you happen to be today.
And finally, there is that point in your journey when Jesus will call you home. Your free will card will do you no good on that day. He found you; He called you and He will take you home one day and you and this child from Haiti will sit at the feet of the Good Shepherd and bask in His glory.

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 1/13/25 Joel Griffith 1/13/25

Mwen grangoo.

“The days are coming,” declares the Sovereign Lord, “when I will send a famine through the land; not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord. People will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the Lord, but they will not find it.” Amos 8:11–12

Back in the day while living in Haiti, it was common to be stuck in the traffic jams of Port-au-Prince, sitting in my truck with the window rolled down and be greeted by a young Haitian male with his hand held out and the words ‘Mwen grangoo’ rolling off his parched tongue. “I’m really hungry!” Famine in the flesh.

The word ‘famine’ should hang like an awful omen in our minds. Mentally, we picture a brutal, grotesque image. Cows' hips protrude. Babies' eyes are hollow. Bloated stomachs growl angrily. Skin stretches across faces tight as a trampoline. The outline of the skull slowly emerges. Joints swell. Grim, despairing stares replace smiles. Hope is gone and life is reduced to a harsh existence as famine takes its toll. “Mwen grangoo!”

The learned experts in our fallen world are telling us that "It's only a matter of time" until famine will be reaching our country too. When I open the doors to my kitchen cupboards, refrigerator or freezer; I don’t see famine.

For us who are living in a country that is so well fed, the idea of famine is foreign. “Mwen grangoo!” Famine, it's something that plagues India or China, never America! When I drive east on College to the intersection of Vetrans there are an abundance of businesses that sell food. Kroger’s, Chick-fil-a, Chipotle Grill, McDonalds, Taco Bell, Wendy’s and Panera. I don’t see “Mwen grangoo” in Normal, IL today.

There is another kind of famine that is equally as tragic in our fallen world in 2025, but far more subtle. God spoke of it through the prophet Amos in the above scripture. We may find physical famine almost impossible to believe, but how about a spiritual famine? Check out the morning news across the United States; it’s here. It is seemingly everywhere our fallen world. Spiritual famine. The prophet Amos didn't predict a lack of churches or chapels or temples or tabernacles or seminars or sermons that were reasons for the famine. He spoke of "a famine of hearing the words of the Lord." When was the last time that you gave thanks for the privilege of being able to read and heard God’s Word? When was the last time you were given the opportunity give a young child was very hungry and attending a Christian school in Haiti a meal? When was the last time you heard “mwen grangoo!”

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 1/11/25 Joel Griffith 1/11/25

The Light of the world.

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.” Matthew 5:14

There are those individuals that really enjoy being in the spotlights of this world; they truly thrive on the applause and adulations from this fallen world. Conversely, there are those that would rather work behind the spotlight, giving anonymously, serving quietly and living in the shadow of the spotlight. Their work is important but they would not choose to build their ‘town’ on a hill so that all could see where they are located. God has created each of us so very differently.

This small child attending the Lutheran school in Gonaives is like us, a ‘Gospel light’ in this sin filled world. She like you and I were placed on this earth to serve the One who came to be the ‘Light to the Gentiles’. Our Savior came so that we would not live in the darkness of this world. He came to encourage us to share our ‘light’, His light, with those still living in darkness.

If you enjoy working in the trenches of this world and out of the spotlight and you find yourself being applauded for your service, don’t be dismayed, the adulations are for Him who sent you. Give thanks for His nudging you to send this small child to do His work in Haiti.

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 1/10/25 Joel Griffith 1/10/25

Three special gifts.

“But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.” Galatians 4:4-5

How much planning went into your Christmas shopping last year? Did you give much thought when picking out a special gift for a family member? How important was it for you to get that ‘special gift’ for your child and be blessed to see them light up as they removed the wrapping paper to reveal a gift that brought about a huge smile and loud “WOW”! Consider the gift that our Heavenly Father sent us. It only needed to be given once as it keeps on giving through the ages. Talk about a ‘reason for the season’ special gift. I might suggest something that will draw ire from some, but, you, me and these girls are the reason for the Advent season. God sent His Son Jesus to this fallen world to save us from our sins. Our sin filled lives were the reason that our Loving Heavenly Father sent Jesus here to save us.

Our Heavenly Father waited until history reached the proper moment in time and then sent Jesus. The timing was perfect; the Roman rule, Jewish ordination, passable roads, freedom, a degree of safety and a common trading language. He sent his Son to be a young woman's son. From Heaven He sent His Son to earth to be the Savior of the world. He did it so all of the inhabitants of His world could be called His children. He gave the perfect gift of all time; for all time. Thank you for sharing your gift of support for these children attending Christian schools in Haiti; enabling and preparing them to share the Gift of salvation with those still living in bondage to the vodou priests and fear of gangs in Haiti.

May God be with you,

Jay