2 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body[a] and the mind, and were by naturechildren of wrath, like the rest of mankind.[b] 4 But[c] God, being rich in mercy,because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
One look around Port Au Prince, Haiti and you feel the
, the weight that our sin has put on God's creation.
Poverty on a level that we as Americans have never experienced.
Pain that we have never felt.
And from a distance what looks like a lack of God's presence.
After one crazy bus ride over a few BIG mountains we arrived to Jacmel, Haiti. All but 1 of our team members had never been to Haiti and most of us had never been on an international mission trip. We had all gathered an idea of what it would be like in our heads. I think it is safe to say that we were all in a little shock over the brokenness we had seen at first glimpse. We had prepared to bring Jesus to Haiti and to teach Jesus to 30 orphan girls. Little did we know that God had a very different plan for this particular mission trip.
Sunday morning we attended a baptist Haitian church service where I naively partook in communion among the local believers. (They don't use Welch's juice in Haiti, just a heads up!) We arrived late to church. Most of the church body had arrived at 6:00and service ended around......11:30. We simply took in the experience as we didn't understand the culture or the language. I did however, using the small amount of creole that I did know, pick up on part of the pastor's prayer.
"Mesí Jesu ....... Mesí Jesu ...... Mesí Jesu...... Mesí Jesu..... Mesí Jesu....."
Thank you Jesus. Thank you Jesus.
It was a blessing to pick up on a few hymns and sing along with them even if in a different language. It is powerful to hear a community of people who live in such conditions sing about the "wonder working power in the precious blood of the lamb."
We took our first trip to the orphanage that afternoon and met some girls that God was going to use over the next few days to teach us a few things.
Ages 4-14 these girls have seen and been through things we will most likely never experience our whole lives. Some have been beaten, abused, abandoned, or even sold. But God has BIG plans for such little girls.
In God's sovereignty these girls were laid on another little girl's heart years before they were even born.
Lorphine, the founder of FGIM, grew up in a heart wrenching fashion very similar to many of these girls. And after years of pain and suffering she was given the opportunity for a Visa to the USA and even in her fresh wounds of poverty and pain she prayed "Lord if I get to America and in my comfort forget about Haiti and how you have saved me, then do not let me go."
......
Wow!
That is exactly what we have.
Comfort.
We've never fully felt the weight of our sinfulness or seen the affects of the sins of the world on God's creation.
Lorphine lived in America for 10 years, married a pastor and now her and her family toil endlessly in Jacmel, Haiti investing in the orphanage, in a young men's soccer team and with a church plant so that others may know the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
God has placed these precious girls in this orphanage for a much greater purpose than simply rescuing them from worldly circumstances.
God did not send us to simply teach these babies bible stories and give out of our abundance of comfort.
All week long these girls showed us
beauty,
joy,
patience,
faith,
and hope.
God used them to remind us of the simplicity in our purpose, which is to simply glorify, praise, and rest in God.
Haiti doesn't need America.
Haiti doesn't need mission teams to bring God to them.
There is nowhere that God isnt.
We saw him in the smiles and laughter of these girls.
We saw him in the willingness of the St.Louis family.
We saw him in the beauty of Lorphine's journey.
Every minute of our trip was a reminder of what is most important.
We may not be called to live in Haiti.
And we shouldn't feel guilty in the blessings God has given us.
But God expects us to take what he has shown us and pray for the wisdom and strength to apply it to the life he has blessed us with here.
Let us not forget what God taught us in Haiti. Let us not sink into our American culture and think that our efforts please God. Let us rest in Jesus' grace, mercy and strength.
Let us not become comfortable and forget.
Every minute of our trip was a reminder of what is most important.
We may not be called to live in Haiti.
And we shouldn't feel guilty in the blessings God has given us.
But God expects us to take what he has shown us and pray for the wisdom and strength to apply it to the life he has blessed us with here.
Let us not forget what God taught us in Haiti. Let us not sink into our American culture and think that our efforts please God. Let us rest in Jesus' grace, mercy and strength.
Let us not become comfortable and forget.
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