Saturday evening was spent having dinner with the group here at Sherrie's and meeting some more new people who have been doing medical clinics in the area all week. I am always amazed at how many people, with such a variety of gifts and passion for ministry, end up in Haiti. God has certainly orchestrated the body of Christ here. The lady that was in the group doing medical clinics shared with me a couple of things that I want to pass along, to give you an idea of why what we are preparing to do here is so important. This week they had a 2 year old little girl test positive for syphilis, but when they tested her mother she was negative. Abuse happens at such an early age here, and it is heart breaking to the point of anguish over what happens to so many children and women. Then she told me about something her group had seen here just after the earthquake in 2010. Apparently a Haitian lady had gone into labor before the earthquake hit, and was at a hospital where they had cut her open to perform a C-section. Before they were finished the earthquake hit and everyone left the building, leaving the woman open on the table. The woman was able (only God knows how) to craw out from under the rubble and out into the street, still cut open. She passed out somewhere along the way and eventually was seen by this medical team that was on the ground right after the earthquake. There was apparently a good Samaritan somewhere that had attempted to sew the lady up out on the street, but had done a horrible job. This team was able to fix her up, and later she was able to find her baby. Many women here give birth on their own, in their home or wherever they are when they go into labor. For many there is no access to healthcare, for them or their children, and many die from things that could have been prevented. The certainly gives you a perspective on how often we complain in the US about having to wait too long to see a doctor, or the many other complaints we have about medical care. The fact is that we have it. We have access to healthcare that far exceeds anything people here have access to, yet we take it for granted every day.
Sunday morning I went with Sherrie, David, Micah, and Rachel to Port Au Prince Fellowship for church. This was the first time I had been to an American/English-speaking church here in Haiti. The church was full of American missionaries, and some Haitians. It was nice to sing songs that are familiar and in my own language, and to be surrounded by so many others that are also here serving from far away. There are lots of families here with small children that haven given up everything they had back in the US to come here for something far greater. The message for the service was based on Colossians 3:1-10 where Paul told the Colossians that if they are raised with Christ they are to seek those things which are above, not those things here on earth. In verse 8 Paul gives specific things we are to put off, such as anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, and filthy language. The message in the service used an analogy of sailing to discuss how we pursue our walk with the Lord. If we are sailing there are many forces pushing against us such as the wind, the waves, human error, etc. In "trimming the sails" we skillfully adjust to changing conditions. If we are headed in the wrong direction we need to correct our course. Often this happens in small steps we take that over time can take us way off course. It is important to recognize these happenings while they are still small and make corrections needed along the way before we end up too far off course, drifting further and further from God.
The message provided several areas where we can make these wrong steps if we are not careful:
1 Seeking Signs - Matthew 12:38-42
We must be careful to not take coincidental occurrences and automatically assign God's voice to it. We must seek God's voice through our direct relationship with Him.
2 Doors - 1 Corinthians 16:9
Spiritually mature Christians will see a door as an opportunity to pray. Sometimes the rooms we enter have a bench, and we are to wait upon God's timing and direction. In Haiti so many opportunities present themselves because the need is so great. It is easy to get involved in too many things and get burned out or use your resources ineffectively.
Colossians 4:2-4
3 Human Reasoning - Proverbs 14:12
Following our own reasoning without following God's guidance is to lack faith in God, doubt our ability to hear God, or to be afraid that we might not want to hear what He has to say. We may fear what others think about what God is telling us to do, especially if it is life changing. This is particularly difficult when other Christians don't seem to understand that God could ask you to do something radical.
Proverbs 3:5-8
4 Busyness - Luke 10:38-42
Busyness is wrong when God is there. If God is doing something we need to stop. If we sense God is trying to tell us something we need to wait and listen. Too often we keep moving and do not alter our schedule to be able to hear Him. We cannot expect God to work His way into our schedule.
5 Flesh - 2 Corinthians 10:3
When we are transformed by grace, we start strong with our reliance on God, but as time goes by we try to take back more and more of ourselves, wanting to be in control. Galatians 3:3
Our ministry will move, not because of us, but despite us.
The preacher went on to explain that as leaders we often feel like we have to be strong, that we are supposed to have all of the answers. But we should be willing to let others see us as human, showing our weakness, willing to ask for help. This puts the glory back in God's hand. I know that every step of the way in this ministry I have struggled with not having the answers. I have questioned how in the world I could do any of this, because this is so outside of my comfort zone, but that is when I have seen God in the strongest ways - when I have known without a shadow of a doubt that He is in control. As a very smart lady I know says, 'God doesn't call the equipped, He equips the called'. I am very thankful for that!
After we returned from the service, I headed to the house to meet a lady that was coming to clean. Bless her heart, she started at about 11:30 and worked hard until almost 6 pm. Everything was so dirty and dusty. Today (Monday) she will return to finish the last two rooms. The floors were so shiny when she was finished!
While she was cleaning I was working on cleaning out some of the shelves and putting tin gas away. It was great to see things start going into the house! I am so thankful that this house has so much storage built in!
Mr. Richard, who is just wonderful, came down to the house to help me talk with Madame Bertha. We made arrangements for taking care of the remaining security bar installation on the upstairs doors and windows. We also talked to her about getting a dog and she was very happy about that, telling me that yes she knows that is important. It was a good day and I feel like we got quite a few things accomplished! Now, today I will work on getting some furniture and other supplies so we will be ready for our October 19 trip back down here!
Have a blessed day!
Patricia
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