Tomorrow's Harvest in Haiti

When it comes time to weed the corn, I go quietly into the field. 

I get down into the dirt until it's up under my nails. Then from nowhere I look down a row and see a little girl. She's looking at me with a big smile, her hands already full of weeds. Soon the kids and even some adults are coming from all over the villlage. The colors of our skin blur as we mix the same sweat into the soil. They join with me in the labor. The Haitian proverb becomes a living illustration as "many hands make light work." They work hard without question, the work is finished, and I see such a harvest in tomorrow...

The Trees of the Lord

I sent this passage to my neighbor and God touched him in the deep of his spirit. He happens to be a farmer. He has a cow. He lives by a spring where the water flows, and hundreds of birds are right now nesting in the trees next to his house... God's word is so alive! I think there's not a human heart that beats that He can't awaken to Glory. 
"He makes springs pour water into the ravines;
it flows between the mountains.They give water to all the beasts of the field;
the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
The birds of the sky nest by the waters;
they sing among the branches.
He waters the mountains from His upper chambers;
the land is satisfied by the fruit of His work.
He makes grass grow for the cattle,
and plants for people to cultivate—
bringing forth food from the earth:
wine that gladdens human hearts,
oil to make their faces shine,
and bread that sustains their hearts.
The trees of the Lord are well watered..."

Psalm 104

Cherries

Humpty Dumpty, aka our car, has been put back together again, and the waiting list of to-do's demanded that I leave early this morning. I rushed out the door with my mind fully on business...until my eyes saw this. Oberline, the girl who comes to our house every day, had picked three perfect Haitian cherries and put them on the mirror of the door for my journey. Just in case anyone else thought they might look tasty enough to eat, she wrote my name in chalk just underneath.

Well-Worn

She's hauled alot of Bibles, alot of kids, alot of Haitians, alot of charcoal, rice, goats, roosters, dogs, live fish, cement, blocks, Guinea Grass, buckets of dirt, you name it. She's been up and down these mountain roads, splashed the cows in the potholes and bounced along on the rocks. She's crossed many rivers and spun out in the sand. She loves the color Mud so much that the Haitian boys in the city don't even bother to give her a washing anymore...but today as our mission car is pushing 250,000 miles, the knocking and wobbling and vibrating had to come to a stop. Shocks here, driveshaft there, bald tires and parts littered our yard as we looked at Humpty Dumpty and my son asked, "Will they ever be able to put her back together again?" 

Maybe tomorrow. We'll see. Right now she's propped up on a rock and a corn masher.

A carpenter I am not. A mechanic I am not. This week there are so many professions...that I am not. Good thing God is the "Great I AM". He also knows Who and What and When and Where and Why....all those guys, and I can rest easy in the question mark because He knows how to straighten them out too!

Hidden in the Field

In the fields of harvest this week I walked up and down the mountain trails with my good friend Harold Herr with Life Literature, a ministry that gives free Bible literature to pastors.  Our two missions line up as if two pieces in a puzzle as we focus on magnifying the Word of God in Haiti. Harold is a man twice my age with twice the wisdom, and he can keep a good pace in the heat and humidity of Haiti.  He's been walking the hills of this country for years and years.  
When I think of the miles and mountains he's walked, I'm easily reminded of my inadequacies. I walk in his shadow, and I can't help but shake my head when I remember that silly American three years ago who first walked these paths, running out of drinking water, getting lost and coming so near to the end of my self....ahhh...it's a wonder I'm still alive.  I used to pack for every emergency and contingency, with every base covered and 2 water bottles, a backup filter, some food, a hanky, first aid kit, a whistle, compass and a map.   My oh my....

There is no pack these days.  What is in my hands?  A camera.  No water, nothing.  A little change in my pocket. and yet I'm light as a feather and free as a bird, all glory to God.  I just don't feel like I need any of the rest.   How things change...

Now I get to walk the hills, meeting with shepherds. Meek and mild, most are soft, gentle men long tempered by suffering and prayer.  In the eyes of the sages I see a thousand testaments to the faithfulness of our Living God.  Their wrinkles would fill volumes if they could bare witness.  

Kari plays with the kids that always seem to draw in for a closer look, kissing and tickling toes, playing Haitian Patty-Cake.  Harold and I soak together in like-mindedness.  I listen to his stories and then he quietly listens to all my wrestles.  I wait for his wisdom, which is always sweet and simple.  He's led a life filled with trials that have absolutely broken his heart, and still He knows God is teaching him.  Sometimes he stays quiet when I spill out my heart, and it's then I know he's just giving it to the Lord, trusting.  His greatest advice to me is his silent, quiet contentment to have been afforded the privilege to see so much this side of Heaven.   

Even our friend Pastor Pompee walks with us today.  His heart is so big to serve, he just wants to help in whatever way he can.   He points out Haitian traditions and customs, sings when it's time to lift the mood, translates when I get lost in the words, and points out to me all the dangers of these well-worn roads.  He is a quiet blessing that waits in the wings, an encourager. 

We all wait while my Haitian friend Mackendy inspects the churches, some no bigger than a large tent.  He sits and listens to these shepherds talk of their experience in tending the sheep.  Some of those sheep curiously wander into the church during his inspection just to find out what he's up to.  He takes careful notes and asks important questions, and then when he finishes we get to witness some of the fruit in the tiny glimmers of hope in a pastor's eyes as he thinks about what might be coming.  More knowledge, more understanding of the Word of God.  More peace, patience, kindness...

In these hills I feel like a prospecter from the days of old, aching in my bones and up to my knees in troubled waters, yet for the sake of those shimmering little sparkles of gold, flashing in the pan!   

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field." ~J.C.

Isn't that just how things should be, rescued from the fire, snatched from the flames, saved from the clutches of an eternity without the warm love of our Father, shouldn't we be going about in joy?
When we breathe encouragement into one another and fluff the sails, when we sharpen the iron shouldn't the sparks fly? Some days I feel I might break out into a little jig, and who cares how silly it might be?  "YES, Pastor!  God's word is going to pour into your hills, and the enemy couldn't build a dam big enough to hold what will come flooding down.  Prepare to be inundated you devils!  There's gold in them thar hills.  GOLD I tell ya!"  

Now our friends have parted our company and have safely made their journey back to the capital city.  Tonight we breathe easy and coast a little on the coat-tails of the Majestic as we try to peek a little deeper into God's plan. 
We serve such an awesome God!  He's so often just too much. 
A cool breeze comes down into these flatlands and we hope for the electricity to come back on so we can all yell out, "Mesi Jezi!" Maybe another downpour is in the mix, the corn will even be content.  Tomorrow our own ministry of giving Bibles will once again prove the prevailing wind.  Kari will start to prepare for kids clubs and Bible classes.  In a few weeks Harold will come again and it will be time to partner again, to make way for the blessing of expecting the unexpected.  

To Shine

I often think about the words Paul used when he described what a Christian ought to look like if he or she is really doing their job.   If we're genuine, we should stink like sheep.  If we're true, we should taste like the salt of the earth.  If we've been forgiven, we should forgive so much that the words coming out of our mouths overflow with the sounds of mercy and grace, but it's what we should look like I'm left to consider most.   Paul says we should shine like stars in the universe as we hold out the Word of Life to a crooked and depraved generation.   Not some flashing blip of a shooting star fizzling out as it arcs the night skies...we're supposed to have this glowing, bright, squinting, put-on-your-sunglasses....'shine'!  Think of that!  We should be so fragrant to the soul in front of us that we literally just light up like a super nova.   

I was reading to my son this morning in the Psalms about how we are supposed to meditate on the Word of the Lord and consider His ways, and I realized we've never really covered the territory of that word, to meditate.   The best way I can describe it is this;  We should see the words on the page, and then ponder them.  We should chew on them.  Ask God about them.  Pray about them.  Not rush on to finish off the job, but kick up our feet, lean back in the chair, and really just....daydream!

We should look at those words and imagine that they aren't just flat, two dimensional ink on paper.  
No, No! We're just looking from the top down!  There's the epiphany of realizing you've just been flying around on Google Earth looking at everything from the perspective of the Moon, when there's valleys to dart through, oceans, mountains to climb! 
In fact, we should see those words and then imagine diving off the cliff of each letter, because in the Word of God there's hidden wisdom underneath and I've yet to discover the bottom.  Imagine a cake that just says "Happy Birthday!"   It's just like God's Word to us.   If we dare to dig deeper than the message, we will find there are layers and layers of sweetness, frosting and moist cake, and then even more frosting, down below!   

 I'd like to share a perfect example of what this 'shining' should look like in the here and now.   My good friend Oswald Pompee is a pastor.   I shot this image of him today as we were walking from a dark school room into the bright Haitian sunlight, and I forgot for just a shot or two to change my settings.  The image came out overexposed, but I realized I loved it, because this is actually exactly how I see this man.   He shines!  So much that some days when I'm looking at him I feel like he could very well be sent from God, just here to help me on my way.  His church is actually my favorite place to worship on Sundays, because I know God is sitting there too. 

We've prayed about three families most recently, and when God sent provision, we were excited to pass on the blessings to them.  One family was Pastor Pompee.  
When I first gave him the funds I told him it was God's blessing and to only give Him the glory.  Pompee told me, 
"Thank you God, and I think I know what I'm going to do!  I'm going to buy a piano!  The people in my village really love music, and this is a way I can draw them to come and listen to the Word."  He had a great big smile on his face.
"Oh, I didn't know you could play the piano." I said. 
"No, I can't.  Not yet.  But I will learn quickly."  He said.   
Three days later he came to me.  
"Well, I talked it over with my church council, and they think it's a good idea, but there are things they think should come first, like buying more tarps for the roof so it doesn't rain inside, and maybe putting cement on the floor instead of dirt so it isn't muddy.  I agree with them, and I'm so happy!"  He said. 

For the next week this man worked to the bone from dawn until dusk, every day, until today when he came to tell me the work was finished.
I shot a picture of him and his wife, standing in front of their church.  You have to cross the palm tree bridge to walk inside the bamboo and palm tree hut with newer, gently used tarps and a brand new concrete floor, complete with a new pulpit.    
"When it rains, the water stays out now and the people are so happy!"  He said.  
"We're going to make service tonight too. I got a new light that uses solar to charge during the day, so now we can make a light in the church at night! It's wonderful!"  I watch him beaming at the possibilities, the shear wonder of God and what He might do next!
When I stop and consider just that one word, to shine, that's what it should look like.   

The Booths!

Did you know God loves camping? It's true! In Nehemiah 8 after around 800 years of forgetting God's word, the people began to read about the Festival of Booths. Booths are just makeshift temporary shelters, a.k.a tents. They got all excited to rediscover such a treasure, everybody threw up their hands and went camping! 

The Bible says their joy was very great!

The people would pitch a tent, sometimes in their own front yard, and live in it for a week, cooking, worshiping, sleeping, you name it. They even invited friends and family to celebrate.

They did life for a week in a tent, all to remember the time they spent in the Wilderness with God...

I'll never feel bad about my itch to go camping again. 

It's Biblical. :)

Break out the gear, grab the sleeping bags, don't forget the burgers and the dogs, bbq sauce, marshmallows, your Bible, maybe a guitar, and then get outside! You will find great joy just waiting for you, maybe even in your own front yard.

I love how unstuffy my God is. I can't wait to roast a marshmallow with Him. I wonder how He likes them? Extra crispy or slow-roasted?

Bob & Weave

I brought the motorcycle down the same back-country road where God broke me down last Sunday night. I found my new mechanic-friend Louis and handed the bike over to him. 

Immediately he began tearing it down. I was surprised how quickly it lay there in pieces. Broken bushings, shredded gaskets, and worn out parts were strewn all about, and I remembered all the times I told my wife I wasn't so sure about how sound this moto was. He showed me all the parts that were shot, shaking his head. I know he's thinking the same thing I am. I can't believe I made it this far. It's a SUKIDA, a SUZUKI knock-off, japanese job, but I've been greatly blessed to have it borrowed to me by my missionary friend Harold, so no complaints here.

I grew up snow-skiing in the mountains, and personally I think God knows I miss it. Now I'm going down these Haitian dirt roads that are rough as any mountain road I've ever been down, and dodging these giant water holes makes me feel like I'm slalom skiing, bouncing along between the moguls as I bob and weave. It's actually great fun and I'm grateful this is part of my work, however temporary it may be.  

Yea, Though I Walk...

There are a people here who are standing for God, making a grave decision to follow Him. They are standing up to generations of tradition, willfully splitting from the religion of their peers, and that action of the heart is flying in the face of a very real enemy, so real that it's caused neighbors to pick up rocks against them. It's caused grown men to wait for them in the dark, to attack them unaware. 

All because they want to follow Jesus.

Yet when these saints open their mouths in worship, they practically raise the foundations of this church, still under construction. There is no band. No guitar. Just their voices, and it's enough!

It sprinkles rain. It could downpour at any moment. They have only half a roof and no walls. They are a work in progress indeed, but with all of their heart, soul and mind they LOVE God. Their decision is grave and they know it, so when they sing for Him, they sing for all they are worth. They are all in. Sold out. On fire. They walk through the valley of the shadow of death, and they fear no evil. 

Tonight those sheep will sleep out there in the dark. In homes surrounded by their enemies, in a country devoted to evil. Turbulent whirlwinds of oppressions, hunger, poverty and lawlessness, will surround them, and yet God in all His wisdom will give them rest.  Unbelievably, He will place, in their hearts, love for the very enemy that stands ready with rocks.

What about you, little sheep?Will you lie down in green pastures?
Will you have your every desire met?
Will you have all you need or want, all the protection and security, with blessings showered down on you...
And on that one day of the week, on Sunday, for 20 minutes, if you go, will you open your mouth when the band plays, will you lift your hands when they put the words up on the screen? When they dim the lights and make the atmosphere just right, will you yet not give your thanks and praise to your God? 

If you don't, if you choose to abide in your pride, then don't be alarmed when you see God coming with a hammer and a chisel. It may take years of pain, but He will accomplish His desire to free your hardened heart from the prison of which you've placed it. Remember then to consider your trials as pure joy, because He's only trying to bring you back from the dead.

GRACE

The village where I'm working right now in Haiti is undergoing some intense spiritual persecution right now. 

Last night they threw rocks at 2 houses, one with a man and his wife, and another with a young mother and her two small children. The people who are stirring up trouble in the area also attacked another friend of mine, and while he managed to get away, they did hit his sister with rocks, one in the arm and one in the side.

This morning I came to meet them. They were all tired from the rough night, but they still smiled at me.  The pastor gave a message on following God and trusting in His word, and then tonight they held a second service. I blew a tire on the moto on the way back out so I called to tell them I didn't know how late I'd be. I was on the National Road but I had no idea how far of a walk it would be next tire repairman. When I finally got the flat fixed and arrived at the village, I came up to the church and realized they'd all been waiting for me, over an hour.

As soon as I sat down I heard the words, "OK, so now we can begin..." I was very humbled, partly because I'd even considered just going back home, as late as it was getting.Off in the distance I saw a young woman named Andrese coming down the road in crutches. I've been giving her a ride because she can't hardly walk. I ran to get her on the moto and drove her right in. 

The worship was so powerful. Here are these people, deciding to stand up for Jesus, getting pelted by their own people for it, and their enemies are all around them, literally. People they've known for years, suddenly ready to pick up stones and cause them as much harm as possible, and they are standing just beyond the church. You can hear their drums just around the corner.

And yet these faithful few continue to sing praises to Jesus, and they lift their voices. A small crowd of 30 turned into 40, then 50. I gave them the words of Jesus, " You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other. “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first."I could feel the encouragement of the Lord pass through them as they received His words. 

I asked the young mother who'd had rocks thrown at her house last night if she'd be ok tonight."God will hold me." She said. 

On the way home I prayed as usual, 'Lord, please keep me safe and out of harms way, bring me back to my family.' it was dark and just as I was in the middle of nowhere the chain on the moto fell off and I came to a grinding halt. I was miles from anywhere, and with the last bit of my phone battery I called Kari to let her know I'd found a bit of a predicament. Just as I was beginning to contemplate how bad things could be, a man pulled up next to me on his moto. "You doing okay?" He asked.
"Nope. I don't know anything about motos and I'm not sure how to fix this." I said. It was so dark I couldn't hardly see his face. There's no street lights in Haiti. 
A few minutes of him fiddling and he had the chain back on the bike, and then asked me to follow him to his house. 
"We have to tighten the chain so you can drive it." He said. 
Following him down this back-country gravel road in the dark I could just make out the word written on the back of his shirt, 

GRACE.

We arrived at his house and I came to find out that this man, named Louis, is a motorcycle mechanic. His home is his shop.

MY MOTO BROKE DOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, HAITI, AND GOD BROUGHT ME A MOTORCYCLE MECHANIC!!How awesome is that!? 

He fixed the chain and even oiled it for me, then gave me his number, telling me if I ever need help on this road to just call.I gave him everything I had in my pocket just to say thanks, and then made plans to also bring him my business from now on. 

When I got home a missionary friend told me, "Feel free to call me in a situation like that." To which I can most confidently reply, 
"Thank you, but God had me."

The Doorkeeper

A man in my village died, and the verse they will give for his funeral program is a valiant one...'I have fought the good fight, finished the race, kept the faith.'

I sat thinking of how surreal it is that one day he is here and the next he isn't, and of course that's when we all start to reflect on our own timeline. For all I think I've done and seen,  the Bible says I'm but a puff of smoke, just in case I get to thinking I'm too big for my britches... 

That said I think I have my verse figured out for when my day rolls around, it's from Psalm 84:10, the latter half, to keep it short and sweet... 'I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.'

In the Midst of the Mob

Tonight I witnessed 200 people spark into an angry mob. They were shouting, then screaming, then raving. Within their ranks men were enraging the people as if they were stirring a hornets nest. Shouts of violence began to prevail as the crowd talked about cutting down trees to set them on fire, throwing rocks, stealing. Some were screaming at us to leave. Others were jumping up and down uncontrollably, and there was quick talk among the crew I was with to get into the cars and get out of there. 

I knew I had no right to ask anyone to come with me.

I took off my hat, and took the first step walking toward the mob. I had a flashing image of a roasted pig, hoisted on the people's shoulders with an apple in his mouth. I knew the pig was supposed to be me. My enemy was pulling out all the stops. Then I remembered 2 pastors and a wife that prayed for me this week to have the security and protections of the Cherubim, the 007's of God's Angel Armies.

I walked straight into the middle of the mob and touched the man who was inciting the people the most. I shook his hand and told him I'd like to talk to the people...

What do you think happened next? I think maybe you would only believe me if you were there. 

Instantly 200 people sat down, as if we were playing a game of Musical Chairs. Within 10 seconds a raging, fever-pitched mob became totally silent.
God's Word was read to them. 
Galatians 5:19-25. About the fruit of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit. Hatred, jealousy and discord vs. love, joy, and peace. 
I spoke to them about Jesus. 
How He came for the sick, the hurting, the lowly, and how He loved them. How He raised them up, healed them. How He died for us. How we should follow His example. 

For the next 1 1/2 hours we had fruit-filled, peaceful dialog. There was so much serenity that the children of the village fell asleep at my feet. One little girl curled up with my hat and my Bible clutched in her hands.

THAT, my brothers and sisters, is the power of my God. All authority is His.
Is there anything that He can't do?

Up! Up! Up! Go! Go! Go!

All Glory to Jesus. Every knee will bow, every tongue will confess. If we are truly blessed and rescued, we have no excuse and nothing to wait for. We can see a little of His power here on this Earth, if we will but carry the flame out beyond the blazing lights of the stadium and into the darkest of back-alley shadows where no man would dare to go. That's where He does His best work. That's where you get to see Him shine!

Time for the Stones to Cry

Alma is one of the most humble Haitian women I've ever met.  Her faith is admirable and encouraging to me. She lives up on the mountain with her husband who is a pastor.   This morning they woke very early.  It was raining hard, and most Haitians high up in those hills would see the water running in the ravines and shut up the windows, calling it a day.  They'd hunker down for some coffee or tea, and maybe take an extra nap to wait for the storm to pass.  Not Alma.  

She was determined to walk down that mountain this morning with her husband, through the rain, through the mud.  She was fixed on catching a tap-tap to my house and she didn't care about the weather.  She'd had a vision and it stirred her.   Along with her husband another pastor arrived on my doorstep. We began our day in prayer, reading God's word, and in serious discussion.   

All she would say is that she'd had a revelation.  She didn't give any details other than she knew we were supposed to call upon the Cherubim for protection, because this was serious.  If you don't know, Cherubim are like the Seal Team 6/Secret Service/NSA of angels.  You don't mess with them.  They have 4 faces, the body of a lion and the wings of an eagle.  They are designed for protection, and the mere sight of them suggest they will eat you for lunch.  

Every time she'd look at me her eyes would fill with sadness and she'd look away.  I have a feeling she's seen more, but she was just keeping her chin up.   We walked to every corner of our house, outside the walls and inside.   She would sing a particular song,  I Surrender All, and then her husband would read a Psalm.  Then they'd commence with prayer, calling upon the Cherubim, and every time, at every corner, she'd recite a certain verse in Scripture.  

'If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and He will rescue us from your hand, O king.'  

From Daniel 3, the story of 3 men about to be burned alive for their faith. 

I don't know why, but I felt amazing peace.  

I have prayer warriors calling down the special forces, and I am blissfully ignorant in the Lord.  There's something wonderful about that.  I just trust Him, and I'm OK that He's got whatever under control! 

My prayers for my enemies have been sculpted over the past year, and I find I can pray this in absolute peace and comfort...

God, confuse them, confound them, frustrate them, turn them on each other, break their teeth if You need to, and only kill them if You have to.  Otherwise, turn them inside out and upside down.  Look upon them, lying there helpless in their blood, and then tell them to Live!  And when they begin to live for You, I pray they turn all of Haiti inside out and upside down, that they reach 100 times more souls than I ever will, like fingers stretching into these hills.  

In Scripture there's this moment when Jesus is coming into Jerusalem and the people are celebrating and shouting, whooping and hollering.  The scene is so jubilant and full of bliss that the passage is even titled The Triumphal Entry.

The Pharisees and the huffy-puffy's are all walking around grumpy and dumpy,  in a tizzy because of this unscheduled joy.   

Jesus knows what's coming.  He knows in the blink of an eye there will be a heavy cross thrown across His back, that shouts of joy will turn to shouts of mockery as He stumbles before them on the way to His own crime scene.    But that time was not yet upon Him.   The stuck-ups scolded Jesus and told Him to quiet down all the unruly's, and then Jesus opened his mouth to deliver words that have forever moved me.  

“I tell you,” He replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”

Even the stones...will cry.

As my brothers and sisters cried out for the Cherubim today, my head was bowed in silence, and my one good eye opened.  I saw stones.  Thousands of them.  I picked one up and felt it's smoothness from the millennia it's been here before me...

I remember that I am but dust.  A breath.  A puff of smoke.  A wild flower in the field.   

Who am I, that He's even mindful of me, and yet He is?  He is so mindful of me that He longs to rescue me; so in charge of my security that He sends in the troops to then pray in the big dogs, and if through all that He deems it necessary to bring me home, then it will simply be time for the stones to cry.   

For now, I hear birds singing in the trees above my my house.  Hundreds of them.  I shared scripture with my neighbor this morning about those birds (Psalm 104) and his eyes were opened,  maybe for the first time.  Through his smile today, his gentle words translated to me perfectly that he was touched by the wonder of the Living God, and how much is truly in His hands...

My mission is clear.   Give His word.  

His Word is Freedom, what the Kreyol translates to Liberty.

God has the rest.  

Mesopotamia

We've been praying about pressing further into our village with a kids club, and God has been opening doors...literally. The children around here are thirsty for the Word of God. We will be working with a Haitian man whom I believe is called to children's ministry, named Vionel, and while we aren't sure if this will be AWANA or CEF or Good News, we know it IS going to include kids, God's overflowing Word, and fun. We aren't seeking to just entertain kids. We're hoping to equip them for eternity. For this reason we'd like to ask for your prayers in moving forward. 

 A local church and the leadership have already opened their doors to us. I'm giving the message there on Sunday and we hope to join arms with them.  I think their church is beautiful.

Our little village of Houck, Haiti is between other villages so there is no school and the poverty is great. The oppression is thick, but the people are hungry, Amen? We are also between two rivers, which is why we've nicknamed our place Mesopotamia, the Land Between 2 Rivers. The ground is fertile for a bountiful harvest I think. :) 

Please join us in prayer and lift up the kids here, from the babies all the way up to the teenagers. Nothing is too hard for the Living God.

This Much More

2 days ago mankind in all his infinite wisdom realized that our little corner of the Milky Way Galaxy is actually much, much larger than we previously thought. In fact, we now think it's 16,000 Lightyears wide, that is 94,058,008,659,974,580 miles wide... wow, ok, nice little tidbit of useless news...

But then I read this verse in the Bible: 'For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him'. Psalm 103.

Kinda puts things into perspective doesn't it? Just when we think we might have an inkling about God, He pulls back the curtain just a teeny bit more, and BAM, nope, sorry... I love you THIS MUCH MORE!

Back from the Brink

A quick update on Bee, the dog from the village of Little River, Haiti.

It's been almost 2 weeks, and she's definitely made the turn. She's a loving, smart and gentle dog, and at the same time, the moment she could get her legs under her again, she was ready for me to open up and let her out so she could be free.

She loves to dumpster-dive through the trash, except now she returns to the door after a few minutes of exploring and waits for us to let her back into her little safe haven.

I'm good with that arrangement. :)

Shepherding the Shepherds

60 pastors I know came together for a seminary over 3 days. They came from the mountains and from the city, from the highlands and the lowlands, from the church of intellectuals to the church of fisherman, and God was glorified. There were young shepherds eager to cut their teeth, and old sages who've been leading their flocks for 40-50 years. The teaching was grace-filled and truth-filled, with deep insights on discipleship and leadership. Thank you to Pastor Terry Pollard of New Sharon, IA.

Treasures Among the Weeds

I was just sitting in the garden behind my house here in Haiti, weeding the corn with my boy and my girl. It was a job we thought might take 2 or 3 days.  But then, one by one, kids from all over the village came and began to help us. We didn't ask, neither did they. They just came, knelt down, and started to pull weeds. There were kids from 14 all the way down to a couple of little sweethearts who were 4 years old. I didn't fetch the camera because I was afraid they might be shy and run off. Kari came out and read them the parable in the Bible about the farmer who went to sow seeds. When we were almost finished I wanted to do something to show them my gratitude, and I decided to open the question up to them. "What is a good little gift I can give you all?" I cringed, wondering if I'd made a terrible mistake. The tiny whispers were shooting all around me amidst the little stalks of corn. There was a huddle at one end of the rows.... 'Oh boy', I thought.... 

Then the answer came back.

"We think a good gift would be.... a piece of bread with some chocolate, or peanut butter...or just some butter if you have it."

There was a row of happy kids on the front porch tonight, all munching on their little gifts. I gave them each 5 goudes anyway just as a tip. Now they are all playing games out front.  I hear the laughter of children. 

Skin & Bones

For the last 3 weeks when I drive to the old village, I've noticed my old friend is not there to greet me.  

No happy wag, no crossing the party lines to just love on the human unconditionally, no hot pursuit of the car as I pull away, chasing me for a mile or two down the road. 

Two nights ago when I came to visit someone finally said, 

"Hey, there's your dog Dan."  

When I saw her my heart broke.  I could feel my spirit so stirred.  

She stood in the road, looking like a breeze might knock her down, nothing but skin and bones. 

She was very sick and nearly dead, with one eye badly damaged, and yet still, when she saw me, she gave me a smile and wagged her tail, doing her best to walk to me. 

I met her half way in the middle of the road, and already some of the villagers were talking. 

I bought her a piece of bread from the lady on the corner, and even more people took issue when I broke it up and gave it to her.  She was too weak to eat.

Some of the people were laughing, some whispering.  One woman told me to just leave the dog, get away from her.  

I had no room on the moto, so I gave her a kiss and told her I'd be back for her in the morning with the car.

The Haitians thought I was just kidding.  

The next morning I came with my son. 

It was raining, and just before we got out of the car to go look for her, Logan said,

"Well, we know everyone is going to make fun of us for this. This will be embarrassing."

"Yep." I said. "And I don't care what it looks like. It's the right thing to do."

I found her curled up in a ball in an outhouse. She stood immediately and followed me to the car.

A Haitian on the street asked me for a ride to the market.

"No problem, but just be aware I'm bringing that dog."

"Uhhhhh.....O...K?" They said.

"Yep.  It is ok. There's room."

I opened the back of the car, but she was too weak, so I picked her up and put her inside.

I saw a group of people mocking and laughing. 

I walked over to them and all the giggles stopped.

"I love that dog.  She's a good dog.  I have a missionary friend who works with animals.  He's agreed to look at her for me.  This is why I'm taking her. Why wouldn't I?"

"No problem." they said.

We gave 5 haitians a ride while Logan held her.  She was foaming and coughing.

We finally drove into the clinic of Dr. Paul Rudenberg, and he was waiting outside to see her.

Thank you Lord, that you bless us so much to even have this man here, to look at this sick dog.

Paul prescribed her medicine and diagnosed her condition, part starvation/part kennel cough. 

She was covered in ticks, atleast 40 of them.

He gave me medicine and shampoo.  She might yet make a turn for the better.

As usual, she followed me wherever I went.

He wouldn't allow me to pay him for his services.  

"This is my ministry." He said.

"I know I'm the talk of the whole village and they all think I'm a crazy Blanc for taking her, but I don't care." I said.

"As opposed to what?" He shot back. "Letting her just rot away in the street?"

I felt the encouragement right away.  We understood each other perfectly.

"Yeah, they probably think you're weird.  Good!  They see compassion, that you care.  So what? Is that so bad?  They will want to know why you have that compassion.  Why do you care?And there you go. You can tell them."  He smiled. 

We talked of God's last words on Nineveh, and of Noah's Ark and who had a free boarding pass.

"It's biblical." Paul said.

Yes it is.  It's my God. 

God cares. 

God has compassion.

Shouldn't I?

Ezekiel says when He saw me in the street, laying there bleeding, He didn't just pass on by. Instead, He said to me, "Live!" 

He saw someone helpless who wouldn't make it on their own.

I think He'd approve if I extend the courtesy to a simple dog who loved unconditionally.  

Wrapped Up

My girl took a hard fall the other day, physically and emotionally.  Her ministry, her field, has literally been in the field out behind our house.  She's been trying to make friends with all of the children in this area, playing with them, making up games, and also trying to show them kindness and compassion when someone is hurt.  The cultural attitude is the opposite.  Kids and adults alike will laugh, mock, and even pick on someone who is hurt, or someone who is sad.  I've seen crowds of people just stare at someone who has had a bad accident, and moments later mock them.  It's not something I've been able to understand yet, other than it must be some kind of defense mechanism, where to survive you have to be tough and hard, not soft and kind.  So, when someone is down, the rest just pile on the hurt, adding insult to injury by pointing or laughing.  Inside I think every onlooker is hoping it will never be them on the receiving end.  I think everyone knows what's right inside, but it's much easier to destroy and knock down than it is to lift up and encourage.  

The very day she wrote on her blog about playing with the kids in the village, she became the victim of this twisted sense of humor.  As they were all jumping rope, Abby's turn came and she went to hop in.  They waited until just the right moment and then pulled the rope tight, making her fall, and fall hard. She scraped up her arm and knees, and most certainly took a blow emotionally as they began to mock her while she cried.    This was her reward for her labors?  Oberline saw it happen and became very angry.  I think she would have knocked them on their rears ends. 
A hard and yet precious lesson was just breaking in. 

I thought her arm was just bruised and sprained, and I knew the emotional end was only making it worse, so we iced it and wrapped it, but overnight and through the next day her arm began to swell and didn't get better. 
This morning she still couldn't twist her arm,  so we finally made the trip to the city at her mother's persistence.  

Momma's Intuition was right this time.  Abby had fractured both her Ulna and her Radius bones.  

When we got to the hospital, a missionary nurse that I know named Beth helped Kari to get Abby through the system, from x-ray to cast, without hardly sitting down.  That's an amazing feat in this country, where you might sit and wait for hours before you can even get a number to be seen, and it could be most of the day before you're finished.  Beth shined the light of Christ by serving and helping us so selflessly and lovingly.  She was there waiting when we arrived. 

We'd just read in our morning devotions about how God shed's His light on us. (Psalm 97:11) We can't make that light.  It doesn't come from us. It's only given to us, and just like nobody lights a kerosene lantern at night only to put it under a bowl, we don't tuck away and hide the light of Christ either.  It's not meant to keep to ourselves.  It's meant to reflect, to give, to warm, to light up the night.   Miss Beth became our living example today.  
My friend Patchouko said something yesterday that fit well, as we watched another Christian at work.
"You know, a true Christian doesn't need to bother with trying to convince people they are good.  They don't need to tell people that they go to church.  They don't need to say anything.  People can just see it on their face.  They feel love, and they know already, and say, "Ahhhh, that is a Christian.'"

Oberline was along also and got to watch Beth in action, got to see an x-ray and bones for the first time, and listened intently to Kari as she commented that it was Christians who started the first hospitals, out of love and compassion for the people they were called to serve.   The wheels are turning for this young lady.  

Abby has 4 weeks and a beautiful red, modern cast that gets her out of dishes for awhile.  She's still smiling, and I know she will use this to glorify God.  I don't doubt it for a second that people might look at this child and forget altogether that she's even in a cast.  Her light is too bright, and her joy is as unbridled as her horse.   She's all wrapped up in Jesus, and she just can't help but share Him.  

Flabbergasted

2 days ago it rained so hard in Haiti that all my corn was laying down. The Haitians were telling me I'd have to go in, stalk by stalk, and push up the earth to make it straight again, or I'd lose the whole crop. I told them, "I think God can make it stand up again." They smiled. Today, every single stalk is reaching for the Heavens as if to say "Hallelujah!" I read something in my Bible this morning I have to share,

Psalm 96:12 says "let the fields be jubilant". But in the Kreyol I found such a greater joy, It says "Se pou Jaden yo ak tou sa ki ladan yo fe fet", which translates to this, 'let the gardens and everything in them have a party, sing!'. I was....yes, this is the word, Flabbergasted! If my CORN knows how to praise the Lord, if my garden can have a party, how much more should I be rejoicing, a child of the King? There is nothing in the world too hard for Him, Amen?

Because There Was No Shepherd

I would like to submit that we all consider prayerfully that the first and foremost need in our respective mission fields is a spiritual leader committed to discipling every soul on the grounds. 

If we have planning meetings that draw out for hours and hours, discussing, arguing, complaining, requesting, developing all of the question marks...security, agriculture, administration, salary, or dollars, there will be progress, but any progress that is made without Jesus Christ front and center is absolute futility.  Instability will always be at the foundation. 

At this season in your particular field, If you think of this planning as a meal and our Lord isn't much more than garnish, a sprig of parsley on the side, then it's time to step back.   When I picture Him sitting in our meetings, listening to Israel complain about the Manna, I sometimes chuckle at what borders on the ridiculous.  I'm so very grateful that He loves us! I believe we have a real opportunity to turn a corner in the world, yet the greatest deficit I see is what we should have in overflowing surplus, if we have anything at all. 

I'm sure you'll agree that the majority of what we fret over won't even amount to a hill of beans. All that will ever matter is the day each soul stands before the Lord.  He will either know them or He won't, and they are right now under our care and supervision.  

We have an awesome, humbling, responsibility of eternal magnitude.    He told Peter that if he loved him he'd feed His sheep.   We should stink of sheep above all else. 

A man that is deep into voodoo watched me weeding my corn the other night as the sun was setting.  We've been in this spiritual dance, he and I.  He sees a sliver of light that he simply cannot ignore.  He sees the Lord and he just can't quite turn his back.  

After watching me said, "Dan, you work hard," then he quoted a Haitian proverb, "Work gives freedom."  "I agree!"  I said.

I had to track him down later, because when I'm in my garden that's where the Lord usually does His greatest whispering, and He knocked on my heart.

I went and found him taking a shower, and I had to tell him,  "Work does gives freedom, liberty indeed.  But which is best, to have work or to have God?   Work, as we well know in Haiti, is fickle.  It can come and it can go, here one day and gone the next.   But with God, I have freedom for life ever-after.  Forever, work or not, I am truly free, and I have the only real liberty that man can really hold onto." 

Ezekiel 34 came plowing in on me tonight.  Please take the time to meet with the Lord, to quiet your time and your self as you read His word, and see what a good meal He has for us here in this text.   
Check out His awesome promises at the end of this passage if we just trust in God and lay down. He makes the rest fall into place.  Isn't that a much easier route?  This isn't complicated unless we make it so.
Chew on this most choice, tender meat and search your hearts for your direction in the field today...
  

'The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to you shepherds of Israel who only take care of yourselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock.You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally. So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals. My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. They were scattered over the whole earth, and no one searched or looked for them.

“ ‘Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, because my flock lacks a shepherd and so has been plundered and has become food for all the wild animals, and because my shepherds did not search for my flock but cared for themselves rather than for my flock, therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against the shepherds and will hold them accountable for my flock. I will remove them from tending the flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves. I will rescue my flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them.

“ ‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land. I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign Lord. I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice.

“ ‘As for you, my flock, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will judge between one sheep and another, and between rams and goats. Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture? Must you also trample the rest of your pasture with your feet? Is it not enough for you to drink clear water? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet? Must my flock feed on what you have trampled and drink what you have muddied with your feet?

“ ‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says to them: See, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. Because you shove with flank and shoulder, butting all the weak sheep with your horns until you have driven them away, I will save my flock, and they will no longer be plundered. I will judge between one sheep and another. I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd. I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them. I the Lord have spoken.

“ ‘I will make a covenant of peace with them and rid the land of savage beasts so that they may live in the wilderness and sleep in the forests in safety. I will make them and the places surrounding my hill a blessing. I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing. The trees will yield their fruit and the ground will yield its crops; the people will be secure in their land. They will know that I am the Lord, when I break the bars of their yoke and rescue them from the hands of those who enslaved them. They will no longer be plundered by the nations, nor will wild animals devour them. They will live in safety, and no one will make them afraid. I will provide for them a land renowned for its crops, and they will no longer be victims of famine in the land or bear the scorn of the nations. Then they will know that I, the Lord their God, am with them and that they, the Israelites, are my people, declares the Sovereign Lord. You are my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, and I am your God, declares the Sovereign Lord.’ ”

Swatting that Pesky Persecution

I'd like to ask for prayer for my daughter's horse, Misty.  She is the latest form of persecution we are experiencing.   We have found wire tied into her tail, so that when she swishes the flies it cuts her.  We've found barbed wire tied into the mane.  We've found cactus juice poured onto her back.  Sometimes she is untied and running loose.   
I know the heart of my God.  In the Bible, He's explaining to Jonah why He doesn't want to destroy a city filled with evil people.  Jonah is angry and wants to see the people pay, but God refuses, and says to him, "Should I not pity this city, in which there are more than 120,000 people who don't even know their right hand from their left--and much livestock?"    That last thought is what proves to me His heart.  My God is an animal-lover...AND a lost-soul-lover! It's as if He is saying, "Shouldn't I rain down Mercy on these people who still don't know any better, besides, just look at all those innocent animals."   I've already had to change my prayer, from "God, crash in, knock down whoever is doing these awful things", to "God, reach in and turn their hearts, show them their evil ways, and change them from the inside out.  Snatch them from the hand of Satan and rescue them.  Tell him to his face, 'He is Mine forever more.'"