International Prayer Day First Monday each month 10 am

Joel Griffith 5/25/26 Joel Griffith 5/25/26

We will rest from our labors.

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

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

Transportation in Haiti was an adventure’ at times; a frustrating adventure. When Dr. Doug Rutt from the LCMS came to visit Haiti in 2001 and found me in a 4-wheel drive leased pickup truck he chided me for not taking the taptap which immersed me into the Haitian culture and I had tried that but after several attempts it seemed to be too physically dangerous. Modes of transportation included driving through rivers, wading through rivers, walking for hours to visit small rural congregations on dirt pathways, riding a horse, a small airplane and even a boat. I came across the attached photo and it was possibly taken in 2002 and the man to my left is Pastor Israel Isidor who at that time the President of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Haiti.

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

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

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

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 5/23/26 Joel Griffith 5/23/26

Point A to Point B.

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

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

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

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

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

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

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 5/22/26 Joel Griffith 5/22/26

Two teachers.

“As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.” John 9:4

Trinity HOPE school feeding programs are all about school children; they are the future missionaries in Haiti. Their Christian witness in Haitian Creole is far superior to anything that a ‘blan’ North American could say or do in their neighborhoods; ‘go and make disciples’ pertains the work that we are called to do and they are called to do. Most of the time you see the photos of the children studying, eating, playing and smiling and there are a core of individuals whose importance sometimes get left in the background.

In the attached photo are two of quite a few of the teachers at Bon Berger Lutheran School in Caredeux. The woman on the right is one of my favorite teachers, Sylvia who is Pastor Thomas Bernard’s sister and I was delighted to see her in March of 2010 and know that she and her family survived the earthquake.

While traveling throughout Haiti visiting schools it was interesting to find that many of the teachers returned to the small schools where they had attended as children to become teachers and principals after they received their teaching certificates. Their journey certainly provided hope to the students who sit in the class wondering about their future. They will prayerfully share the news of our risen Savior with the lost and perhaps return to their roots and also share their lessons of life with the next generation.

Teachers; my mom was a school teacher in Seward County before she became a farm wife and raised my sister and me; teaching us life’s lessons. When teachers went to Haiti on a mission team with me, it was always a comfort to have them along as they interacted with the children so much better than I could ever do. They shared the love of Christ through songs and crafts and that leaves time for me to do the mundane tasks, checklists and interviewing the children.

I never thought about interviewing the teachers in the same manner as the children are asked about their eating habits away from school, but have done that several times when I returned to Haiti. Looking at the smiles on the teachers faces, it would seem that they could be your next-door neighbor but their lives are much different. They too eat a Trinity HOPE lunch and are probably just as thankful as the children at their school to have a meal every day they are in school.

Thank you for your continued support of these programs. When you pray for the children attending Christian schools in Haiti, please remember to add the dedicated teachers and principals as well to your daily petitions as they are an integral part of His divine work in the lives of the children in Haiti.

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 5/21/26 Joel Griffith 5/21/26

Are your clothes white as snow?

“Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.” Psalm 51:7

To the greater share of Christians who have lived in Haiti all of their lives, the reference to ‘snow’ in Psalm 51 is truly foreign to them. Probably 90 percent of Haiti does not have electricity in their homes and the only way for them to get close to anything cold is to purchase ice from a street vendor; man-made ice in a ten-pound solid block or perhaps a small plastic bag with a pound of cubes. Snow, a gift from God, is something that is very distant from them.

When North Americans travel to Haiti and visit schools and worship on Sunday, they are always amazed at how brilliantly white as snow and clean the children’s clothes appear. The Haitian teachers, principals and pastors are asked what kind of detergent they use through an interpreter and their question too is foreign because the Haitians just use plain soap that typically has no brand, just a bag of white soap granules. Again, they don’t have electricity, they don’t have Laundromats but they do have and ample supply of time, energy and rivers and canals.

Lori Wolfe-Beerenstrauch from Lincoln, NE captured the attached photo of a woman doing her laundry in a canal near Gonaives. This woman is cleansing each garment with a small quantity of soap and an ample supply of elbow grease. Everything is there, wash water, rinse water, the wringer and the drier is on the rocks behind her. Back in the day while living in Haiti, I preferred to use Woollite on my laundry in the small bathroom sink and was blessed with a clothesline on the rooftop of my apartment where the Haitian sun would dry my clothes. Nobody ever stopped to ask me how I got my clothes so clean; guess I used the wrong brand of soap.

The children attending the Lutheran and Christian schools in Gonaives learn about washing clothes and also about the washing of their sins through Baptism. Their sins are washed away by the blood of Jesus Christ; they are whiter than snow. Thank you for supporting their Christian education in Haiti as they take their daily Scripture lessons to the lost into neighborhoods where the lost reside and still live in darkness.

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 5/20/26 Joel Griffith 5/20/26

Our three daily breads.

“Give us each day our daily bread”. Luke 11:3

I’ve been living here in this Assisted Living facility since May 14, 2025 and have seen the sad five-week menu rotation several times by now. There are three meals daily. We have a menu for each meal and circle the food we want or are left with choosing. We have two main entries and choice of salads, side dishes, bread, dessert and beverages. I didn’t think I was a picky eater but it seems that I am. There have been several times each week that I just skip a meal because I don’t care for the options and stay in my room and eat an apple and something my daughters have brought me to pop into the microwave.

I eat something, three times each day. I am a spoiled North American. I see a choice with meat and gravy every day and two of my least popular veggies; spinach and squash several times a week. The bowl of rice and beans in the attached photo is the choice of the day; most every day at schools that have Trinity HOPE feeding programs. It reminds me of the children of Israel receiving manna from Heaven each day while wandering through the desert. While the Israelites grumbled after having to eat manna again and again, the Haitian kids in Trinity HOPE feeding programs love the food that their cooks make each day. Thank you for helping to make this possible for over 65,000 children attending Christian schools in Haiti; your support is making a huge difference in their lives. I close today with the words to the hymn ‘Our Heavenly Father, hear’ which was written by James Montgomery in 1835.

“Our heav'nly Father, hear the prayer we offer now. Thy name be hallowed far and near; to Thee all nations bow. Thy kingdom come; Thy will on earth be done in love as saints and seraphim fulfill Thy holy will above. Our daily bread supply while by Thy word we live. The guilt of our iniquity forgive as we forgive. From dark temptation's power, from Satan's wiles, defend. Deliver in the evil hour and guide us to the end. Thine shall forever be glory and power divine; the scepter, throne, and majesty of heaven and earth are Thine.”

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 5/19/26 Joel Griffith 5/19/26

Sing to the Lord.

“O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also. The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land. O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker. For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.” Psalm 95:1-7 (KJV)

For those of you baby-boomers who grew up Lutheran, you probably recognize these verses from the Liturgy of decades ago. There were a few Lutheran churches in Haiti that sang that Liturgical song in French, and it was a joy that I could sing along in English as they sang in French and it caused me to think about what Heaven will be like; all singing praise to our Creator in one language together.

Worship in Haiti is slightly different than in North America. We both share in common the Liturgies, Lord’s Prayer, Confession and Absolution, the proclamation of our faith through reciting the Creeds and the Sacrament of Baptism and Holy Communion. Sermons are much longer, choirs sing more songs, Sunday School children and adults recite their Scripture reading at the beginning of the Church service…and did I mention that the sermons were much longer? I heard a song recently about singing praise to the Lord on a Gospel station on the Echo and it caused me to think about Haiti. It was called “God wants to hear you sing” and was written by Rodney Griffin.

“Their chains were fastened tight down at the jail that night. Still Paul and Silas would not be dismayed they said, “It’s time to lift our voice, sing praises to the Lord, let’s prove that we will trust Him come what may.”

The attached photo was taken several decades ago near Cap Haitian as people were traveling to Church on the Sabbath, getting ready to lift their voices and sing praises to the Lord. I have yet to see people come to my Church, packed into the back of a pickup. When I would drive my truck to church at Bon Berger in Caredeux there would usually be six church members in the cab and another twelve in the back. There are many differences between Sunday in Haiti and Sunday in North America.

“God wants to hear you sing, when the waves are crashing ’round you, when the fiery darts surround you, when despair is all you see. God wants to hear your voice when the wisest man has spoken and says, “Your circumstance is as hopeless as can be.” That’s when God wants to hear you sing, He loves to hear our praise on our cheerful days when the pleasant times outweigh the bad, by far. But when suffering comes along and we still sing Him songs; that is when we bless the Father’s heart.”

Singing praise to the Lord, good times and sad, He loves to hear us sing. God loves to hear the children you are supporting in Haiti sing praises of their creator, redeemer and comforter throughout Haiti to the lost in their neighborhoods.

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 5/18/26 Joel Griffith 5/18/26

Going to the ends of the world.

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8

Mission teams from North America; following the call of the above scripture to go to ends of the earth to be His witnesses sharing the love of Jesus with the lost souls that have not accepted Him as their Lord and Savior have unfortunately at times not remembered Who they serve and to Whom they belong.

Back in the day, my LCMS synodical supervisor to Haiti, Pastor Jim Tino, shared with me many truths while I was living in Haiti. I was a guest in Haiti, I was not to push my North American culture upon them, and I was a brother in Christ with my fellow Lutheran Haitian and should try to live as they lived. Some lessons were easy and some were not because of my cultural expectations of having things now! Food, rooms, nightly animal sacrifice noises from the neighborhood vodou priest, lack of electricity, clean water and did I mention patience?

I heard a song recently from Echo called “Lord keep me in your will” and the words brought back memories of my prayers while in Haiti and also my frustrations and humiliation while working with some other North American mission teams visiting Haiti while I lived there in Petionville.

“Sometimes I think I'm in control and I act so foolishly facing problems on my own. I don't know what's best for me, my mistakes at times disturb all the plans you have made. Lord, keep me in your will, so I won't be in your way.”

The attached photo is a plate of food that was served to a Trinity HOPE team in Cap Haitian a few decades ago. I didn’t hear any complaints from any of that team, but I have been with North Americans who would have turned up their noses and demanded something different than the rice, carrots, green peppers and goat. I recall one LCMS Pastor sending back an omelet at Hotel Kinam because it didn’t have the green peppers and onions and ham that he liked, expected and he even went into the kitchen to find those ingredients so his meal would be to his liking. The majority of the over 65,000 school children being fed rice and beans every day in their school are thrilled and thankful to have a meal.

“And, put me where you want to, not where I want to be. If I should ask, for things I want just give me what I need. When I complain from time to time, forgive me Lord I pray. Lord keep me in your will, so I won't be in your way.”

Many people have commented that they could not understand how I could live ‘there’ and I sometimes wonder how or why I am living ‘here’ in this country. Mission team members have needed hot water in their shower, cold water to drink, flushing toilet and air conditioning. We ‘need’ these things and ninety percent of Haiti does not have these luxuries.

“Remind me Lord, I'm just a glove in which you place your hand. Not my will, but yours be done, though I don't understand the best laid plans I've made somehow always go astray. Lord keep me in your will, so I won't be in your way.”

Interesting concept, we are the glove that is going out to share the Gospel message with the lost and inside of us is our Triune God, directing us to do His work. Being a North American is not a prerequisite to be a glove; being His child is what is important. Thank you for helping support the work of the children attending Christian schools in Haiti to go out into their own Creole speaking neighborhoods and country and share the love of Jesus with the lost.

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 5/16/26 Joel Griffith 5/16/26

What kind of thorn?

“Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.” 2 Corinthians 12:6-7

By now, we should all know that God does not promise any of us a care-free life like some of the celebrities here in North America seem to be enjoying every day. “Why?” we are tempted to ask. Only God can know all the reasons, but according to this scripture reading, it is sometimes God’s way of forcing us to depend upon Him; that is a tough pill for this North American to swallow on some days.

The Apostle Paul tells us that God purposefully allowed Satan to torment him. The Bible teaches us that satan is like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour and therefore we may assume that he is allowed to attack many of God’s children here in North America, in Haiti, in Nepal and throughout this world.

I don’t ever recall at this moment what Paul’s particular ‘thorn’ may have been. When I see the word ‘thorn’ it reminds me of Job hiding in the right leg of my sweat pants and TAP in the left. It seems that perhaps this ‘thorn’ in Corinthians may be more about pride. We in North America have many thorns to deal with, who happens to be “Number One” this year, new boat, new house, new gold watch; and the list goes on and on; we are proud of so many things.

Not every thorn has to do with pride, but perhaps more do than we would like to admit. Regardless of the reason, this we can know; God will not allow thorns to afflict His children without first there being a divine reason. But what we need most to understand is that God’s reason is not for the purpose of punishment, but rather for the purpose of provision.

The attached photo is a stark reminder for me, to give thanks for where I live, what I have and most importantly ‘Who’ made all this possible. This woman in Gonaives holding two small children does not have the ‘stuff’ that we have in North America. I cannot imagine hearing her boast about anything, but I can tell you that when she receives a blessing from you, it is as if God placed the energy bar into her hand instead of you. Why can’t my ‘thank you’ be like her “THANK YOU?” Satan must be smiling as we wallow in our wealthy ways and seldom give thanks to God for all that we have, the words may be in our mouth but our hearts have difficulty embracing how blessed we truly are by his providence every day.

Please don’t doubt my sincerity when I thank you for supporting feeding programs in Haiti. The over 65,000 children thank you and will see you one day in Heaven where there will no longer be any thorns in your side or in their lives as they run to hug you.

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 5/15/26 Joel Griffith 5/15/26

Focus on Our Heavenly Father

“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’” John 1:29-30

At the end of the week, I typically spend time thinking about what things to be thankful for this past week and the things that still haunt me for doing, saying and considering. A while back there was an article of how God sees our sins and it showed a wall with several white columns of varying heights. On one column was printed ‘hate’ in bold letters and another was ‘covet’ and on a really tall one was ‘murder’ and on yet another column was the word ‘adultery’. That is how we view sin; some are viewed as being much more serious than others. When God views our sins, He is looking down on that same wall from above and all the white columns are equal in appearance. I’ve read ‘the Bait of Satan’ by John Bevere a few years ago, and one of the things that has been impressed upon me is self-examination of my daily sinfulness. Take this attached photo of a child who attends Jehovah Jireh in Mirebalais and is fed daily by Trinity HOPE. There are some who look at this and desire to spend $1,500 so they can go to Haiti and hug this child and others like her as it makes them feel good about themselves. There are times when I look at this photo and recall being there seeing her and thinking about how much I donated to help feed this school. In both observations the focus is on us and not on our Heavenly Father and you know which commandment we have sinned against and then comes the excuses for our actions. Sin comes to us in many shapes, colors, and aromas. We are thankful we have a Savior we can easily approach and lay our sins at the foot of His cross. Give thanks for this past week and look within at who we have followed and remember Who gave it all for us on Calvary. I am closing with the words from the hymn ‘I lay my sins on Jesus’ that were written by Horatius Bonar in 1843.

“I lay my sins on Jesus, the spotless Lamb of God; He bears them all and frees us from the accursed load. I bring my guilt to Jesus to wash my crimson stains white in His blood most precious till not a spot remains. I lay my wants on Jesus, all fullness dwells in Him; He healeth my diseases, He doth my soul redeem. I lay my griefs on Jesus, my burdens and my cares; He from them all releases, He all my sorrows shares. I rest my soul on Jesus, this weary soul of mine; His right hand me embraces, I on His breast recline. I love the name of Jesus, Immanuel, Christ the Lord; like fragrance on the breezes His name abroad is poured. I long to be like Jesus, meek, loving, lowly, mild; I long to be like Jesus, the Father's holy Child. I long to be with Jesus amid the heavenly throng to sing with saints His praises, to learn the angels' song.”

Dear Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths 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.

Joel Griffith 5/13/26 Joel Griffith 5/13/26

The Bridges God Builds

“Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. Remember, Lord, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you, Lord, are good” Psalm 25:4-7

I read a story yesterday about a man from California who suddenly called out to God and said “God, I have followed You faithfully and You have told me to ‘ask, and you will receive’ and I would like you to build me a bridge between here and Hawaii so I can drive there whenever I want.” Clouds moved in overhead and a voice from Heaven replied, “You don’t realize what you are asking. I can do this but consider all the resources necessary for the piling, concrete and steel for the roadbed that will be needed; this is frivolous; take more time and come back with another more well thought prayer request.” A week later the man had a different prayer request for God; “Tell me how to understand what a woman thinks, what she feels, why she cries and how I can make her truly happy.” God replied, “About that bridge; would that be two lanes or four?”

Imagine the prayer dialogue between the people who began Trinity HOPE and God when they were wondering how to get food to Haiti in 1999; “should we send food to Haiti?” God provided a direction to purchase it locally and if the leaders would have ignored His directions there is no way that the program could have possibly grown to serve over 76,000 meals daily throughout Haiti by sending bags of beans and rice. The attached photo is the cook and her kitchen at Froebel in Leogane where 160 are fed daily. No running water or electricity and there are people in our world who can’t imagine how this can keep going day after day; it is from God. His ways are always the only way, and we need to always seek His ways and follow and proceed in His directions. I am closing today with the words from the hymn ‘Thy way, not mine, O Lord’ that were written by Horatius Bonar in 1857.

“Thy way, not mine, 0 Lord, however dark it be. Lead me by Thine own hand; choose Thou the path for me. I dare not choose my lot; I would not if I might. Choose Thou for me, my God; so shall I walk aright. Choose Thou for me my friends, my sickness or my health; choose Thou my cares for me, my poverty or wealth. Not mine, not mine, the choice, in things or great or small; be Thou my Guide, my Strength, my Wisdom, and my All.”