Haitian carnival.

“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

It has been really interesting following the news reports from Haiti the past several years since the powerful gangs have been taking control of things and have even been sometimes even controlling the vodou priests.  If the gangs aren’t pleased with the results from their priest, they kill them.  Haitian Carnival is taking place now and this large official public celebration in Haiti started in 1804 in Port-au-Prince.  Carnival celebrations were traditionally considered ‘sinful’ to Christian Haitians, who were advised by their pastors not to participate.  Pastor Thomas advised me to stay in my apartment during vodou holidays.  These celebrations were criticized for condoning sexually-suggestive dancing, profanity-filled plays, music lyrics mocking authority and were filled with vodou and kompa music rhythms.

Carnival had been cancelled last year due to violence and now this year, the Haitian government leaders want it to return while half of the country wants to cancel it again in favor of using the government funds to fight the gangs and feed the people.  And that is interesting as back in the day when I moved in Haiti, it was estimated that 80% of Haiti practiced vodou.  When I left Haiti in early 2004, it was estimated to be practiced by over 65% of Haitians and when we ask people to pray for children in Christian schools; we North Americans probably don’t imagine or fully comprehend what Christian children and their parents 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.  Rara bands are often led by a vodou priest and this particular group probably numbered 400 – 500 followers who were chanting and honking on long bamboo horns and some were pounding on drums.  These people are following the liar and their souls are lost.  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 in a tomb and is still in the grave.  In vodou temples there are crosses buried in the floor up to the cross bar to signify that Christ is still in the tomb.

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

During this season of Lent, please dedicate a daily time of prayer for children in Trinity HOPE feeding programs, their parents and all Christians living 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 vodou followers, in their families, neighborhoods and to strangers on their streets 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

Facing a crisis?

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”  Philippians 4:4-6

Back in the day, when I lived in Haiti, my home congregation was Bon Berger Eglise Evangelique Lutheriene in Caredeux which is a suburb located off of Delmas 75 in Port-au-Prince.  Bon Berger is Haitian Creole for “Good Shepherd” and the mother and child in the attached photo live nearby and worship there too.  The photo was taken by Lori Wolfe-Beerenstrauch from Nebraska, probably in 2000 while there with a mission team.  It has always been one of my favorites as the smile on the mother’s face exemplifies the above verses from the fourth chapter of Philippians. 

Her expression speaks volumes of gentleness...the Lord is near and don’t be anxious about anything.  If you knew where she lived, saw her small dwelling, no electricity, no indoor plumbing, no ample supply of food or clean water…well you just have to ask how can she be so calm, at peace and happy.

When you see a group of school children walking to school down a dirty path in their clean school uniforms, coming from similar living conditions, with broad smiles on their faces…how can this be?  The mother has her child in her arms and is confident that God is taking care of her today and will again tomorrow.  The children walking to school are also delighted that they are heading to school where there is a promise of food, every day, and they too know that God took care of them yesterday, will take care of them today and will again be there tomorrow.

How often are we like that mother, at peace and comforted in the knowledge that our Triune God is taking care of us?  We are so self-dependent; we get our food whenever we want, buy more clothes than we care to look at, buy our cars, home, health insurance and pay no attention to our electricity usage, indoor plumbing, clean water and heat in the winter and AC in the summer.

When was the last time you were in a crisis?  When was the last time you were on your knees praying for deliverance from the hole that you dug yourself into?  “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”  Every situation should be brought to our Heavenly Father in prayer.  Thank you for supporting Christian education in Haiti and for being His servants for His children in Haiti, providing food for them every day and continuing to rejoice in the fact that we are saved because of His Son.

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

Laundry day.

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

When I was a boy, one of my chores was to help my mom with laundry.  She had a small ‘antique’ Maytag washing machine with one red knob in the front that sat 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 the same amount of water.  I was told 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 that had hoses connected to the waterline and that put me out of the water 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, here 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 my bathroom sink with Woolite, ringing out my clothes by hand and then hung them up to dry on a piece of rope clothesline on the flat roof of my apartment building.  My needs were met; my mom would have been proud of the lessons that I learned hauling water 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.

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

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 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 my left crippled ankle..  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 high on top of the mountain North of Arcahaie.  It is a rural school and most of the 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.

I made the trip to Chinchiron several times while living in Haiti and I 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 in Haiti do every step of the way.

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

Leaning on Him.

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

Last night the Southern Gospel genre on ECHO brought me ‘Leaning on the everlasting arms’ and 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 dark and 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.

They 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 around 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.

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

Have you been hungry?

“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?  When deer hunting in the Pine Ridge of Nebraska there were times that I was wandering endlessly for hours through the trees and deep gullies and canyons of Sheridan County, but never do I recall being hungry or thirsty.

Back in the day, on one visit to a Lutheran school in the Jeremie District we walked for several hours up a very long, steep 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 stair-master’.

There are many children attending schools 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 75 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 came to their school; 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 over 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.

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

Courage.

“…but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:31

When you hear the word ‘courage’ what picture comes into your mind?  I see people protesting for a cause I don’t agree with and sometimes we need to stand up against their voices and violent actions.  Often, we may think about soldiers, policemen and fireman; people who risk their lives to defend or protect us.  Is real courage restricted to such acts of heroism that they perform?

One definition of the word Courage reads “the ability to confront fear, pain, danger, uncertainty, or intimidation.  Courage is acting in spite of fear.  "Physical courage" is courage in the face of physical pain, hardship, death, or threat of death, while "moral courage" is the ability to act rightly.”

What about a wife and mother who doesn’t give up following their husbands sudden death or a person with terminal illness or the suicide on-line counselor?  Real courage comes from trusting in God.  The Creole word for courage is “Kouray” and these children who attend the Lutheran school in Dondon have ‘kouray’; much like the rest of the over 65,000 children in Trinity HOPE feeding programs exhibit daily as they face challenges from gangs and vodou followers.

Every day their witness is seen by their parents, uncles, aunts, grandparents and neighbors who still may be following the lies of the neighborhood vodou priest; their Christian witness of the Triune God is seen daily as they confront the lies that have been woven for the past 200 years in Haiti.  Thank you for helping to strengthen their courage, their resolve…their witness.

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

Holy Communion.

“The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.”  In the same way after supper, he took the cup saying, “This is the new covenant in my blood; do this whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”  Now may this true body and blood of our risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ strengthen and keep you in the true faith until life everlasting.  Amen.”  1 Corinthians 11:23-25

The above passage from 1 Corinthians should be very familiar to each of us; in Haiti you will hear the Pastor speak these verses usually in French and sometimes in Haitian Creole.  Receiving the Sacrament of Holy Communion in a foreign country really puts the work of the Holy Spirit into a more profound setting; reminds us of our commissioning to “go and make disciples of all nations…”

There is a song written by Carolyn Arends called “They’ll know we are Christians” that has some wonderful lyrics and here are just a few of them;

“We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord.  And we pray that all unity may one day be restored.  And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love.  They will know we are Christians by our love.  We will walk with each other; we will walk hand in hand.  And together we'll spread the news that God is in our land.  And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love, they will know we are Christians by our love.”

Hand in hand; the hands in the attached photo belong to a Haitian woman waiting to receive Holy Communion at Bon Berger Eglise Evengelique Lutherienne in Caredeux which is a suburb of Port-au-Prince.  Where do you suppose her hands have been during her lifetime?  They certainly appear to be filled with much personality, probably have seen their load of trials, the earthquake, political problems, troubles and prayerfully there were also times of rejoicing.

Look at your hands for a moment, where have they been during your journey on earth?  Have they toiled in the hot sun, done laundry outdoors on a washboard, labored in the garden, changed diapers, mended clothing, repaired equipment and seen moments of rejoicing at the direction of your journey?

Imagine if the photo would have shown the hands of Jesus; where have they been?  His worked with wood, changed water to wine, healed the sick, restored sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf and speech to the dumb, raised the dead and were nailed to the cross for you, me, the Haitian woman in the photo, your family and over 65,000 Trinity HOPE kids.  Christ did it all for us.

When you next prepare to receive Holy Communion, perhaps tomorrow, and are standing at the foot of the cross with the Body and Blood of our Savior take a long hard look at your hands, think about the hands in the photo and then think about how much His hands accomplished for you and how much you have accomplished for Him…we have so much yet to accomplish to further the Holy Gospel throughout this world.

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

The water well.

“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat!  Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.  Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?  Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare.”  Isaiah 55:1-2

Back in the day, when returning to our Hotel in Cap Haitian in October of 2010, one of the mission team members shared with me that at times, it seems like life here is much like it must have been shortly after the Haiti slave revolution in 1804; frozen in time.

If there were no gas-powered trucks, cars and busses or motorcycles it might seem like you had gone through a time warp.  I remarked that we were seeing the more ‘urban’ part of Haiti around Cap Haitian.  If you spend more time up in the mountains away from populated areas the daily activities would even more resemble the early 19th century way of life.

The children in the attached photo are drawing water from the well near the school at Torbeck which is located about seven miles west of Les Cayes.  At the time of this photo, the school and church were also home of Pastor Lafayette and since that time, a Church has been built and the Pastor has him home back.

Not many schools with Trinity HOPE feeding programs have water wells on their property.  This well is not potable for drinking for you or me, but serves as their source for drinking, washing and bathing needs.  Hate to beat a dead chicken over a stump over and over again, but we sure take our comfy lives for granted…don’t we?

These students are at the top of their peers, a school, a feeding program, a well with a good rope and a risen Savior.  ‘They are truly delighting in the richest of fare.’  Some of these children may teach school here in ten years and perhaps one will be a Pastor and prayerfully each of them will bring another in their neighborhood into the Kingdom and away from the lies of the vodou priest.  Beni soit L’Eternal!

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

Giving thanks to God; for you.

“You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.  I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory.  Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.  I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.  I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.”  Psalm 63:1-5

As I was going through another group of photos of Trinity HOPE children the attached just leaped out at me.  My daughter Deidre sent me some scriptures that had touched her heart and these verses from Psalm 63 seemed to be a good match with these children.  This group of children attends the school at Acquier which is in the Les Cayes District in the Southwest part of Haiti. 

Wish my words could adequately describe the reverence of their mealtime prayer.  They are sitting at a table in their school, temperature is around 90 with matching humidity, the school has no running water or electricity and the majority of the children had nothing to eat since they left this table yesterday.  The plate in front of them is the ‘richest of foods’ and with the ‘singing lips of their mouths they praise our Heavenly Father’ for the gift they are about to receive.

These children understand how important this blessing is to them; how wonderful it is to have a loving God and how important the gift from a few Trinity HOPE donors are to each of them.  If you would like to feed children in a Trinity HOPE program in Haiti, or find out how your congregation or organization can also feed a school and prepare missionaries in Haiti, please go to ‘trinityhope.org’ and find a school that isn’t sponsored. 

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