First days in Haiti

Barren lands and rice fields; azure ocean and mountainside slums; French and Creole - Haiti is a land of many paradoxes.  But the greatest paradox I’ve seen is the HATS-Haiti compound at the edge of a canal, sitting next to villages where there is no evening light and I am reminded that Jesus is the Light of the world; that He, and He only, can bring a nation out of darkness.                         

Seeing “tap-taps,” crowded markets, rolling mountains, azure oceans, welcoming smiles and children

On the way to HATS-Haiti Orphanage                                            Mountain slums

          

                        

                                                            

Market                                                                                   Gemima

Hearing children singing, roosters crowing, goats “baa-ing”, a rice mill grinding and generator working

                                

High school student singing                                           goat

Tasting fresh mangoes, “mini” bananas, pumpkin soup, rice with sauce and veggies I can’t pronounce

                                       

Mini-bananas (called “figs” in Haiti)                           Papayas

Smelling food cooking, charcoal burning, and yes- sweaty smells from working in the intense heat

Touching children’s braids, hugs from a child, kissing the cheeks of our cooks, net-covered bed             

       Children at HATS                                                               Mosquito net

Feeling joyful, thankful, useful, humbled

In Haiti, people will build “with another” level in mind; in case they want to add another floor.  I am reminded  that we, as Christians, need to build with another level in mind; meaning to not only lead people to Christ, but then teach them and grow them- to become disciples.  HATS is striving to do so, as they teach the next generation about the gospel; even as they learn their reading, writing and arithmetic.  It is our privilege to be here and so, we’ve been painting; a lot.  Lovely colours are being rolled and brushed onto the walls of a church built by Haitian contractors.  Another team will paint the outside and those who are waiting for the colour scheme, with bated breath, will see it tomorrow.

church

Am I willing?

Am I willing to be led, to be taught, to be shown what God would have me do?  I am on my way to Haiti, to get a "birds-eye-view" of  H.A.T.S.~ Haiti (Hands Across the Sea).  This orphanage, with a Christian school for 400 children from the community and a community outreach program, has been supported by my home church for several years.

Emmanuel Baptist Church of Clare is sending me to the southern hemisphere!  Exciting?  Yes! Will the children touch my heart?  Without a doubt!  Does God want me to work there?  Again, am I willing; willing to do whatever He puts in front of me?  Praying as I go- for a teachable spirit, a heart of humility and a joy unspeakable and full of glory.

In my previous post, I talked about the will of God.  I am so certain He will make His way very plain and I want to delight in all He has in store.  Whether I am speaking to children in Canada or Haiti; in Benin or the Dominican Republic- I want to speak of Jesus and Jesus only.  Whether I am working on a computer or ordering supplies; whether I am singing or praying, I want it to be about Jesus and Jesus only.  The only Saviour; the one true God; the Redeemer and the Keeper of my soul; the One who died and rose again so that my sins are forgiven.

"God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful."

(1 Corinthians 1:9)

March 2, 2015.

Buoys and the Will of God

How can I know the will of God?  Is it some obscure, uncertain nebulous cloud?  Is it discovered by sheer circumstantial evidence?  Or is there something far more concrete and stable?  If I am actively seeking the will of God, seeking what delights his heart, then I will surely see enough of the path ahead to make my way; and humility is the gateway to that path.  He leads the humble in justice, and He teaches the humble His way.” (Psalm 25:9).  Many translations use the word, “afflicted,” rather than humble.  Afflictions have a way of bringing us nearer to our God, so that we are humbled and ready to listen. 

Pastor Pernell mentioned that, when he counsels people, he now asks them:  “Do you truly want to DO the will of God?”  So often, we already know what is best; we already know where God would lead us.  Are we willing to go?  I am reminded of Abraham’s servant, who was sent on a mission to find a wife for Isaac.  As the servant recounts his story, his comment is so striking: “…being in the way, the Lord led me.” (Gen.24:27).  In other words, he wasn’t just laying around the house, waiting for God to send a lightning bolt answer to his query.  No, he set out, at his master’s request.  He was already on the way to doing the will of God. 

A harbour and a set of buoys make for a helpful analogy.  As the buoys line up in a certain manner, to bring someone safely into the harbour, so it is with several “buoys” as related to the will of God; markers, if you like.  A number of questions need to be asked, when there is truly an uncertainty as to God’s will:

1)       Am I daily reading the Bible, so that I am actively being taught and being shown His will?

2)     Am I willing to ask the counsel of mature Christians, who are not afraid to speak the truth?

3)     Am I expecting God to answer prayer?

4)     Am I mindful of the circumstances that God surrounds me with, as I seek His will?

5)     Am I willing to DO what He shows me to do?

If I can honestly see that these “buoys” line up, then I can have confidence that God is showing me the way forward; leading me safely into the harbour of His will.