Retrospect

One year ago today, January 12th, 2010, 4:55 pm, in an instant life changed in Haiti. Terror and confusion gave way to sorrow, and agony, and suffering beyond what can be imagined. Almost a quarter of a million people died in the blink of an eye. I just got off the phone with Robinson and he was sharing that there are going to be special meetings and services all over the country today. He is having his people stay at home for the 4:55 time frame to give God thanks for sparing them and their homes. The church will then be open for those who want to come there and pray. They are also having a big meeting going on downtown at the park. There are several events taking place in Port; they are meeting at the mass burial site to remember those who lost their lives, they are also going to name the site and plant some trees in remembrance as well. People ask how much has changed in a year? Truthfully, not a lot. A few months following the earthquake, quite a bit was done in the way of cleanup and shoring up of buildings, but the actual rebuilding process has been marginal. There are still around 1,000,000 people displaced, living in tent cities, or worse. But how do you define worse? So many were already living in conditions hard to describe or even conceive. They are a people who have learned the true definition of survival, who have to fight for life every moment of every day in ways they themselves don't understand. Will things get better? For the lives we touch they do! There are no guarantees, but there aren't guarantees for any of us. We don't know what today may hold, but with God's help, we will make a difference even if it's only one life at a time. For a 32 day old baby orphan just taken in, it's the chance of a lifetime. For our four other orphans we have taken in, there is great promise, they sleep in real beds, with real blankets, they get real food, love, schooling, and tender care. How do you measure success? I measure it one life at a time. And working with all the wonderful people giving and going into this country, I am confident of improvement. We live in a culture of the have it your way, and have it now. We are impatient with process, with change that is not instant. I realize more and more the value of due process. For it's in the struggle we grow and truly change! God took some incredible people in the earthquake, He spared some incredible people from the earthquake. He left them behind because they still have work to do, lives to change, love to share. I am grateful in the aftermath of the earthquake for the goodness that flows to and from the country of Haiti. These are a marvelous people, deserving of the best of what we can give. I intend to continue to do what I can with the responsibility left on my shoulders with those who God has spared! May you rejoice today as well with the goodness that is yours! May we reflect with these people and be thankful for what we have, remember those who were lost, and press forward for healing that which is broken! Blessings today!

Addition

I wanted to let everyone know, it's official, we have our first baby orphan! He is 25 days old now, and after seeing the doctor this morning, suffers from malnutrition, runny nose, and is recovering from having been given some bad food by those attempting to take care of him. Not intentional of course, Haiti is an unforgiving culture and climate with severe deficiencies. His mother died shortly after giving birth to him, she was from our church family and lived on the mountain behind the church property, a very impoverished area. The father came to Robinson and wanted him to take him into the orphanage because he has no way of feeding him and taking care of him. We took him officially yesterday morning, the transaction has been in the works for a few days. At this point Rob and Naromie have taken him to their house because of the work to take care of an infant is very intense. Naromie is very happy though, as they have not been able to have a baby yet. There is a chance they may adopt him, but that is something down the road. Right now they are in serious adjustment mode! I asked him how they slept last night and he said, "not enough!" Any new parent can relate! We are very excited to be able to be a part of this deliverance. For such a time as this God has readied us and now we are His hands extended again! The baby's name is Vladimir, we don't know how the parents came to name him this, as it's not a common Haitian name, but as you can see in the picture, he is a cutie! Continue to pray for Robinson and the work in Haiti, they continue to struggle with the Cholera epidemic, election corruption, and financial crisis unknown to us. Without our intervention, this baby was destined to an early death, the strangle hold of poverty is ruthless and relentless, and claims it's victims without remorse. We are thankful God placed us here to help deliver this one, and God only knows what He has in store for this life! We will keep you updated. Blessings always!

Reflection

It's hard to believe that in a couple of days we say goodbye to 2010 and welcome in a New Year. For some there will be very little notice given to the passage of time, they will be working at midnight Dec. 31 and a task that they commenced at 11:59pm will flow into the New Year making nothing of the precise moment we pass from old to new, from then to now, from 2010 to 2011. We are prone to the festive, to making great moments, and we should, it is a celebration of life! But we cannot neglect the fact that while we have reason to celebrate, that elsewhere a dynamic struggle for basic survival might be taking place, that there are places of resentment, futility, and hopelessness that others might be having to wrestle their way through. I felt compelled not to expose the suffering again that is the normal part of the Haitian culture and life, but to recall my gratitude at the end of this year for all the great changes and accomplishments that we have been able to inject into this climate and desperate culture over the past year. With your help and God's help, we have shifted the outcome of the lives of many Haitians. Your help specifically no matter how small or large, has changed life outcome for good. A child crying in the night is now laughing, and happy, and full. A mother begging is now employed, energetic, hopeful. A father frustrated is now leading, protecting, faithful. These are just a small representation of the astounding ways God is using you and I in this His endeavor to reshape, save, and reconcile a culture lost to common goodness, and the essentials you and I take for granted. That God is including us in His flow of mercy is both humbling and extraordinary! We are grateful! I want to thank each of you for your help this year, for being a part, for walking beside us, some on the ground with us, and many through the venue of your generous pockets. I know for many it has not been without sacrifice, and I want you to know it is appreciated in ways you will never conceive both by me and the many Haitians to whom our aid flows. Robinson and Naromie just celebrated their 3rd anniversary, and I can sense the joy and appreciation that is part of their lives because of the way God is using them even in the midst of personal struggle. Currently the city water system is now broke and their community does not have regular water coming into their cisterns now. They have to travel two miles by foot to the orphanage where we do have a well to do laundry; basic hygiene is now doubly difficult for them with no water at their house. There is a well at the church property that is only a mile away, but hauling water in large quantities is a very difficult challenge with no truck or a way to load it on and off. They have no idea when they will get their water back, a broken pipe in a bridge could prevent them from having water at the home for months! And yet joy exists in abundance. We are looking forward to great things this year as God opens doors and continues to supply needs for us to fill. Pray for wisdom, strength, and endurance as we labor together to share His love in this dark place where light shines the brightest because of the depth of the darkness. May your year be blessed with God's richest blessings, and may you be reminded how your generosity has brought hope, help, and salvation to so many desperate lives. From our grateful hearts to yours today, thank-you; and many, many Blessings for a sensational New Year! God Bless!

Sidetracked

When I am back Stateside, the crunch of time assaults my life, and it seems increasingly difficult to maneuver my mouse over the blogger dashboard. We just lost a precious Parishioner here at our church yesterday, and my comments about the fragility of life mentioned in one of my recent blogs takes on new meaning. I was sharing with Robinson tonight on the phone and he remembered this person well. Death in any culture brings the same reaction, the same isolation, the same grief. A life lost creates a vacuum, a space of emptiness, a void of loneliness. As Rob and I shared, I had to reflect on God's goodness to protect him in the midst of the circumstance of his life. I try not to take things for granted, but I found out this week I still do on some levels. There is a propensity for bitterness to set in when God crashes down those walls. But time has increased my awareness and understanding of His Sovereignty, and in these seasons of challenge and difficulty, we need to seek even more His leadership, His wisdom, and His comfort. My Haitian family is far more adept at this than I. As I listen to them pray for three hours each day at noon prayer, it makes me choke on my own indifference to my reliance on God. We all need Him far more than we think, our materialism blinds us to our needs. I would not be so bold as to ask God to take it all away that I may better concentrate and focus on Him, but I desire to rebuke my fixation on such trivial pursuits and guard myself more forcefully from harboring to much confidence and a false sense of security that comes with depending on what I can see, touch, or feel, as opposed to what I can grasp hold of through faith! So much was accomplished in Haiti this trip, but we cannot take credit for it. We are hands extended, God's hands. He added to the fruits of our labor a wonderful increase, and Robinson confirmed that tonight. I am grateful for life, love, and for hope. May these increase as we fulfill the destiny created for us, as we reach out and touch others may we remember only what's done for Christ will last! Blessings.

Litter

Ever wonder why there are littering laws. What's up with throwing out a little trash, nature will take care of itself, no harm in a tossing a little wrapper. Right? Wrong! It is a disregard and a disrespect of the incredible goodness and greatness that surrounds us. There is a massive difference between Haiti and the Dominican. Two countries that exist on the same island. As people lose their sense of value, they also begin to devalue things around them. Our value as a mighty creation is often overlooked in our everyday living. As I was readying for church Sunday morning, I picked up my dress shoes that I had worn in Haiti last Sunday morning. I turned them over and one shoe in particular had a good sized chunk of Haitian dirt affixed to it. I carried it downstairs and beat it off out on the front porch, where the Haitian dirt will now mix with the Michigan dirt. I don't believe that little amount of dirt from Haiti will ever hurt anything at all, but it reminded me of the differences between the dirt outside my home and the dirt in Haiti. Ours is a rather clean soil compared to theirs. As you will see in the picture, most trash is just thrown where people are finished with it. The sewage runs down the city streets or lays in puddles unable to escape to the river. It is a horrific mess, and the only way to clean it up is for everyone to take responsibility for their own space. But in this land of destitution, that is a big thing to ask, when you yourself feel like the biggest piece of litter. I worked hard at improving the personal sense of value while I was there this time. We worked with the leadership, but it is a slow process, and the restoration of balance will take time. As you properly value yourself before God, you will also value His creation properly. The next time you are tempted to let that small piece of trash slip through your fingers, think of this photo, remember where that steers your thinking about yourself, and the God who created you. There is a fine line fixed between us and total irrational thinking and actions. If you ask the Haitians how they arrived at this juncture, they can't tell you, it happened slowly over the course of time, letting go little by little, one piece of trash at a time, and a nation is ravaged and plundered by the simple scheme of the devaluing of themselves and their land. Let us not be blind to this plight. Every time my fingers touch my front yard again, I will be reminded of the mixing of the soils, and the danger that resides in a tainted heart and tainted actions. Keep a clean life and a clean yard. Tend your space with high regard for the gifts however small that God has given you. Blessings.

Inspiration

This is a special poem that came through the comments the other day and I asked Autumn Reyhl if I could put it up on my regular post so more people could see it. She kindly obliged so here it is for you to enjoy. The Reyhl family went with us on our first group trip and have continued to be an inspiration and encouragement to us in our labors in Haiti.

I Long to be Near

The simplicity of water to one,

Is the matter of life or death to another.

Not even a world apart from here to the sun,

Yet we care, love, and pray for each other.

Dirt stained feet, calloused and unbearably oh so sore,

Never to experience life's ordinary pleasures;

Only partially represent the rich-hearted poor,

Who are full of the worlds non-material treasures.

Thankful for all of God's many blessings,

Never ending smiles and everlasting strength.

Though they don't view their lives as depressing,

Their precious lives are tragically shortened in length.

Even though my mortal being is here,

I long to have my Haitian family near.

Thank you Autumn for this wonderful contribution. Blessings.

Lost

Every time I arrive back home from one of these trips, things happen. I awoke this morning to discover my driver's license, bank card and credit card were all missing. After looking for two hours, I finally left for work, on my way I canceled both the cards and made preparation to go get a new drivers license. I'm still fighting a terrible cold and weariness. I never ask God why, it's never been a practice of mine. At this stage of my life I also know that when we reach out as God's hand, we are picking a good fight. Normally I feel pretty prepared, but today I was whipped. But then a blessing came along, a gas station down state had found my cards and had called our home to leave a message. I called them and my stuff is on it's way via mail. I didn't feel like posting tonight even though I knew I should. And this will be short, but I felt it important to let everyone know we were back, we were safe, and God is providing in the midst of our circumstances here just like He does in Haiti. I never want people to feel they have to go 2000 miles from home, into desolation and starvation to see the handiwork of God, He works in mighty ways right in the everyday place of our lives. Like He did in protecting my ID yesterday and today. You can't get that kind of insurance anywhere! Please continue to pray for the Cholera outbreak in Haiti, we didn't see anything to alarm us while we were there, and to a point I am glad, we didn't need that as we are not doctors and nurses, but the outbreak continues to spread, and people are dying. Matter of fact, one of the places I was trying to take Julie was Haute St. Marc, I found out tonight that 60 have died there in the last couple of days, thankfully we were turned away from there and now I know why. Robinson said tonight that there are so many in the hospitals now that people are being turned away. I told him to run our well and give out as much water as possible. When there is electricity, that is no problem, when there is not, we have a generator, but that takes gas to run, so they are only able to run it when there is adequate money for fuel. This is another provision I am working on as well. I told him to get the people fresh water, to get everyone in our area coming for drinking water from our well. While we were there last week I figure we gave away enough water to furnish between 164,000-175,000 cups of water. (It passed the coliform test perfectly again!) It is simply amazing what God has brought to pass the last year! So tonight rejoice in your life, God's life in you, take heart, He moves! All is not lost! Behold, we are found! Blessings.