International Prayer Day First Monday each month 10 am

Joel Griffith 2/24/25 Joel Griffith 2/24/25

A brief memory.

“In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:4-6

There are many unforgettable sights in Haiti that reflect human suffering in unimaginable ways. Back in the day, there was the man at the airport in Port-au-Prince without any legs, dragging himself along sidewalk begging for food or money. The man in Les Cayes without an arm, praying with his left hand to his forehead. The man in the Central Plateau who was blinded in an accident came up and asked me to pray for him. The demon possessed man running naked in between four lanes of traffic on Delmas in Port-au-Prince on a busy afternoon.

And then there is the man in the attached photo. Our office had a woman who cleaned and prepared lunch for the office and Seminary staff. Her name was Odane and she is a member at Bon Berger Lutheran church in Caredeux. The man is her husband. He had a job as a construction worker and provided for his family until he was in an auto accident and paralyzed from the waist down. Odane wanted me to meet him and see if there was anything that I could do to help him. It was hard to understand what kept his wheelchair together, wobbly wheels rolling into their small house and back into their small front area. We prayed, talked about life, his family, his faith and we even laughed a little. His wife is a strong Christian and she had their children in the Lutheran school and they scratched out an existence. By the grace of God, a newer wheelchair from Orphan Grain Train found its way from Nebraska into his humble home in Caredeux.

I am mindful of the Apostle Paul’s words in Philippians, we need to be confident Christ did begin a good work in each of us, and will continue to do so until He returns and we are taken to our Heavenly home. That is what is really important here, that we on this side of Heaven continue to call upon our Triune God to do His work through our lives until He comes back to take us home. It is important that we continue to support children in Christian schools in Haiti as they do their Heavenly Father’s work in Haiti; rescuing 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

Joel Griffith 2/22/25 Joel Griffith 2/22/25

This little Gospel light of mine.

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16

Way back in the day, when I was a child and attending St. John’s Lutheran school we received a plastic reminder to place on our bed night stands; it was the words “God is love” in white plastic and they were glued to a brown plastic base. Before going to bed, I would put this object a few inches from my light for twenty seconds and then turn out the light and it would glow in the dark…”God is love.” It was a reminder to me, as I was praying and then looking at it before I fell asleep that God loved me. I had that piece of plastic to remind me and the young girl in the attached photo who has her finger, her little Gospel light shining. She attends Bon Berger Lutheran school in Caredeux which is a suburb of Port-au-Prince.

She learned the “This little Gospel Light of Mine” song from a mission team that visited the school and she no doubt still had that light on following the earthquake in 2010. Jesus is the light of the world but He also said to us, “You are the light of the world.” Our lights continue to shine His light into this dark world. We have the ‘light of this world’ and prayerfully we are not hiding it, under a bowl, in a closet or in a hectic life pursuing the ways of this world. Satan would desire us to keep our light under a box and out of sight of others. One of the verses of the song is; “Don’t let Satan blow it out, I’m gonna let it shine. Don’t let Satan blow it out, I’m gonna let it shine. Don’t let Satan blow it out, I’m gonna let it shine. Let it shine, Let it shine, Let it shine.”

Satan may not be able to blow out our light but the world can tell us that our light will offend others; therefore, we should never put it on display. The world can also tell us that our light will cause others to laugh; therefore, we should always keep it hidden. This young girl knows that we can’t put it under or a basket or let Satan blow it out. This little light of mine, I have to let it shine. Thank you for supporting her and the other 565 light houses attending school in Caredeux who are bringing the light of Jesus Christ into the darkness of this world.

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 2/21/25 Joel Griffith 2/21/25

Washing hands.

“The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus and saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. (The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders. When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles.) Mark 7:1-4

When were you taught to wash your hands before you ate and say a prayer before you eat? As a child, I remember getting my fingernails checked by my mom’s hands and eyes after I had ‘washed’ my hands. My dad came in from the farm chores and scrubbed his hands with Lava soap and I still recall how white his hands looked and how clean they smelled and how soft his skin felt.

In the attached photo the children attending the Lutheran school in Cap Haitian are standing in line and getting help from their teacher washing their hands before they enjoy their Trinity HOPE lunch. This is one of the ‘lessons’ that is done at every Trinity HOPE lunch program; along with prayers.

Trinity HOPE is not just about feeding body and soul in Haiti, they also teach hygiene and reinforce the importance of turning our thought of giving thanks for all that we receive every day from our Heavenly Father. Thank you for continuing to be a blessing to each of the over 65,000 souls who are so thankful for your daily touch in their lives.

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 2/20/25 Joel Griffith 2/20/25

Spiritual foe.

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ Matthew 25:40-45

Ash Wednesday is just a few weeks away. Even now, from time to time someone will ask me about the times when my life in Haiti was brushed by vodou and how that impacted me. Vodou is estimated to be practiced by over 65% of Haitians and when we ask people to pray for children in Christian schools located in Haiti, we North Americans probably don’t fully imagine or fully comprehend what they are up against in their daily lives.

The attached photo is of a vodou rara band that was marching down the street outside of my apartment building in Petionville on an Easter afternoon in 2002. Rara bands are often led by a vodou priest and this particular group probably numbered 400 – 500 followers who were chanting and following a few men who were honking on long bamboo and plastic horns and some were pounding on drums. These people are following the liar and are lost. Imagine how shocked you would be to see your child, coworker or fellow church member walking with this group. These are the people that ‘assure’ children in Christian schools that satan defeated Christ on Good Friday. They will stress that Jesus died on the cross, was buried and is still in the grave. In vodou temples there are crosses buried up to the cross bar to signify that Christ is still in the tomb.

These bands are really active during Lent as that is when they will do whatever they can to bring doubt into the lives of Christians in Haiti. They generally march on Saturday night and don’t stop until Sunday morning, hopeful that will keep people from attending worship service.

On the first Monday of every month the Trinity HOPE supporters dedicate a prayer time at 10 AM for children, teachers, parents and pastors who are involved with Trinity HOPE feeding programs in Haiti. May their lives be protected by a company of angels as they are spirit driven to proclaim the Gospel of our Risen Lord and Savior to the lost, such as these, in their families, neighborhoods and to strangers on their streets in Haiti.

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 2/19/25 Joel Griffith 2/19/25

One was not turning back.

“But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” Luke 22:32

In this passage, Jesus is praying for Simon Peter and what a wonderful reassurance that should be for us; when we pray in the name of Jesus, He intercedes for us. This was a time when satan was seeking to separate Peter from Christ; it happens to us too. When we see something more exciting in this world such as looking at a screen, than holding our eyes upon His cross; we need to be reminded that He is still in our presence; it is us that are turning away.

Too often we don’t know how much and how often we have been blessed, rescued, gifted, healed or been comforted by our Savior’s prayers. When we reach the end of our earthly journey and are brought into our Heavenly home we will hopefully be able to realize all of the times He has touched our lives and we will have an eternal time to praise Him.

On this day when I took this picture only one of the eighteen faces turned away when I asked if I could take their photo. Vodou followers are taught that photos will capture or take away some of their spiritual power. When people turn away or cover their faces it usually means they are still living in fear of the vodou priest. I am pretty sure that seventeen of these children attending the Lutheran School in St. Marc pray for you daily. They ask their Savior to bless your journey, they give thanks for you and rejoice for the blessings that you have provided for them; a meal at their school every day. That day when you stand at the feet of your Savior, look around you and see their joy filled faces next to you as they join in praising our Savior. I would like to close this devotion with the words from the first verse of the hymn ‘While yet the Morn is Breaking’ which was written by Johannes Muehlmann in 1613.

“While yet the morn is breaking, I thank my God once more, beneath whose care awaking, I find the night is o'er, I thank Him that He calls me to life and health anew; I know, whate'er befalls me, His care will still be true.”

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 2/18/25 Joel Griffith 2/18/25

We got chores.

“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19

Way back in the day, when I was a boy, one of my chores was to help my mom with laundry. She had a small ‘antique’ Maytag washing machine in the basement and my job was to fill it with about six buckets of water, three hot and three cold and then fill the rinse tub that sat next to the washing machine with equal amounts of water. The Maytag had one red knob on the front that controlled the agitator and I was told not to ever touch it; she knew I was just a water boy. Mom told me that when I was a baby I was bathed in this same tub. That was in 1959 and I joyfully recall when years later my mom bought a washing machine with a few control dials and also had hoses connected to the waterline and that put me out of the water boy hauling business.

For the two young girls in the attached photo, it is laundry day. They are on the east edge of Gonaives and walking to a drainage canal to probably help their mom with laundry. No machine there, just a board or stones to rub at the soiled clothing. No clothes dryer or line; there they spread out the clean clothes on the large rocks, bushes or gravel lined banks and let the sun bake them dry.

When I first moved to Haiti in 2001 it became quite clear after just a few days that my North American “B-O” would soon become a problem for me as there didn’t appear to be a Laundromat in all of Port-au-Prince and my perspiration would soon become legendary if my clothes did not get washed. I was told by Pastor Thomas Bernard that I could take my clothes to the dry cleaner and after a couple of visits there that became cost prohibitive. I decided that the best option for me was to return to my childhood lessons and did my laundry in the sink with a bottle of Woolite; ringing out my clothes by hand and then hung them up to dry on a piece of rope. My needs were met; my mom would have been proud of the lessons that I learned hauling water and hanging clothes on the line for her.

Just as the Apostle Paul wrote, “my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus.” the needs of the two children from Gonaives are being met; clothes to wear, shoes on their feet and a couple chunks of sugar cane. Our daily needs are always met, maybe not in the way we expect them to be met, but they are met by our loving Heavenly Father who gave His only Son to meet our ultimate need; forgiveness of our sins. His children attending Christian schools are saved, and are prayerfully making disciples of the lost in their neighborhood, bringing the saving message to them as well. Thank you for supporting Christian education in Haiti through Trinity HOPE school feeding programs.

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 2/17/25 Joel Griffith 2/17/25

Enduring hardships.

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

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

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

The attached photo is one of those rocky paths. This is the Haitian sidewalk that children take on their way to school at Chincheron which is located high on top of the mountain just north of Arcahaie. It is a rural school and most of the 180 children attending there walk for miles on paths such as this day after day, getting their education, Spiritual growth and a noon meal of beans and rice from Trinity HOPE and sponsored through Christ Lutheran in Lincoln, NE.

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

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

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

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 2/15/25 Joel Griffith 2/15/25

Leaning on the Everlasting arms.

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

Recently, Alexa shared the song “Leaning on the everlasting arms” and it reminded me of singing that in the Men’s Chorus back in Lincoln and with that came memories of Christian friends in Haiti came flooding back into vacant spaces that were not filled with the minutia that this world poured in today. The words that caught my attention were; “What a fellowship, what a joy divine, leaning on the everlasting arms; what a blessedness, what a peace is mine, leaning on the everlasting arms.”

Seeing a Haitian child in a school the size of a single car garage in North America, sitting on a board tucked between two other students in a room that is 90 humid degrees, learning about geography, French or Jesus and beaming with an ear-to-ear smile is unimaginable to our way of thinking. How can they possibly be happy? They have the promise of a Savior and they daily lean on his everlasting arms. These children do not understand health insurance, retirement plans, savings accounts, three meals every day, a closet full of clothes, a cupboard full of processed food, an air conditioner, indoor plumbing, lights, television, a computer…they have Jesus.

“What have I to dread, what have I to fear, leaning on the everlasting arms? I have blessed peace with my Lord so near, leaning on the everlasting arms.” Too often, we drift away on our own taking on tasks that ‘we’ can handle and don’t lean or even think about leaning; after all we can do it ourselves. Too often we only lean when the mess we have gotten in to is over our heads.

What a beautiful picture it is to see children leaning on His everlasting arms. The children in the attached photo go to school in Cap Haitian and they stopped after school to have their picture taken. They are happy, they know Jesus, it was His love through somebody like you that brought them their lunch for close to four dollars. Look closely at the young girl with one yellow sandal on her right foot and a white shoe on her left; she is just happy to have something on her feet, something in her stomach and a Savior that she can lean on and feel His love every day.

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 2/14/25 Joel Griffith 2/14/25

Been out wandering?

“Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle. They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away. Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.” Psalm 107:4-6

Have you ever been wandering in the wastelands, hungry and thirsty? Back in the day, when deer hunting in the Pine Ridge of Nebraska there were times that I was aimlessly, wandering endlessly for hours through the pine trees and deep gullies and canyons of Sheridan County, but never do I recall being hungry or thirsty. Also back in the day, on one visit to a Lutheran school in the Jeremie District a couple of Haitian pastors and I had walked for several hours up a very long steep hill and did I mention long hill in intense heat and humidity and I did get really thirsty but I had a water bottle and drank to replenish what I had lost on the ‘Haitian stairmaster’.

There are many children attending school in Haiti who are hungry and thirsty when they arrive for class. Sometimes they saunter into class in the morning crying because their stomachs are empty and their comment is “Mwen gran goo” I am very hungry. I can only imagine that the only time I cried because I was hungry was 74 years ago when I was a baby and announced through tears that I was hungry. In North American homes, solving the problem of hunger is generally only a few feet away to the nearest cupboard or fridge and you will find food. Such is not the case in almost every home in Haiti.

The attached photo is of a girl at the Lutheran school in Ouanaminthe in March of 2010, before the Trinity HOPE feeding program arrived; not a lot of energy, no bright smile to greet me. It is easy to walk into a school in Haiti and know if there is a feeding program, just look at the children, shake their hands, pat their heads, look into their eyes, listen to their voice…tired, weak, clammy, listless and faint. Hungry and thirsty; “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” Matthew 5:6.

Trinity HOPE is now bringing a lunch program to around 65,000 children in Christian schools throughout Haiti. Their hunger pains have subsided and their bodies continue to grow physically and their minds grow Spiritually with the Bread of Life. Thank you for bringing them this life-giving food.

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 2/13/25 Joel Griffith 2/13/25

Being a leader.

“In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith, of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” 1 Peter 1:6–7

Yesterday, some of us celebrated Abraham Lincoln’s birthday and I read an article about his life that gave a list of what formed his life. The article began with a statement read at his funeral by Edwin Stanton, a political rival of Abraham Lincoln. His words at Lincoln’s funeral in 1865 said, "There lies the most perfect ruler of men the world has ever seen and now he belongs to the ages." President Abraham Lincoln was no doubt a great leader and a powerful and persuasive personality. What shaped him? The article provided quite a few building blocks that shaped his character.

When he was 7 years old, his family was forced out of their home because of a legal technicality and young Abe had to work to help support them. At age 9, while still a backward, shy little boy, his mother died. At 22, he lost his job as a store clerk. He wanted to go to law school, but his education was not good enough. A year later at 23, he went into debt to become a partner in a small store. Three years later his business partner died, leaving him a huge debt that took years to repay. At 28, after developing a romantic relationship with a young lady for four years; he asked her to marry him but she said no. At 37, on his third try, he was finally elected to Congress. Two years later he ran again and failed to be reelected. At 41, adding additional heartache to an already unhappy marriage, his 4-year-old son died. At 45, he ran for the Senate again and lost. Two years later, he was defeated for nomination for Vice President. At 49, he ran for the Senate again and lost again. I am reminded of the words from a song on HeeHaw; “Gloom, despair, excessive agony.” Then at 51, he was elected President of the United States. He was in the heat of the American Civil War and as there was light at the end of the tunnel as the war seemed to be ending his second term in office was cut short by his assassination at Ford’s Theater. As he lay dying in a little rooming house across from the place where he was shot, a former detractor Edwin Stanton spoke the fitting tribute I shared at the top of this message. What a life’s journey.

I don’t know what you’ve been through on your life’s journey, but I know mine and it didn’t hold a candle to what Lincoln went through. Thank you Lord Jesus. And, mine doesn’t hold a candle to what the life journey of these Haitian children are going through today. Lincoln turned out to be quite a leader and perhaps one of these children attending a Christian school in Haiti will also be a pastor, teacher or leader one day along their life’s journey. The above scripture reading from 1 Peter reminds us that life won’t always be easy as there will be challenges along our journey; learn from them and lead because of them. Have a blessed journey.

May God be with you,

Jay