I figured it was time to weigh in on my hero's. I have several, but a couple of my favorites that are on my mind are in Haiti tonight. My life has been blasting by at a supersonic rate since leaving my kids in Haiti two months ago. I have been sick twice, buried with all kinds of issues, working toward our next Haiti trip, pastoring, well drilling, and wondering what the empty nest syndrome might be like for Beth and I. With all that, we have been blessed to talk with the kids each day! As we ready for our March trip that will place us, along with a doctor in Haiti (a huge answer to prayer), the kids have been put to work gathering intelligence for medical purposes. Krystle is detail oriented and has been responding with her natural organizational abilities, making lists and checking them twice, rewriting them, gathering data, all in typical Krystle form. Certainly a chip off her mother's block! Today (Sunday) they accomplished much, but one of the tasks was gathering age and weight info of the children at the church. Turns out she had 99 children in class today! She worked her list and taught her lesson. Afterwords, she gathered all the young moms with children two and under for a general count, there were forty! In Haiti gathering info is a difficult challenge, made even more difficult by the fact that about the time you reach the end of the line, the line has somehow grown, and often exponentially! People will get in line without even knowing what the line is for. Hope is so bleak that a line of people is viewed as a potential for promise no matter what may be at the starting point. And patient, these folks can wait for hours. Not for a Black Friday sale item, but just an Advil, or a balloon, or a small bag of rice. But today I was struck again by what a list could mean. Krystle said Rob got calls all afternoon today from parents whose children were not at church today. They didn't know why Krystle was making a list, or what it might mean, but no matter, they wanted Rob to make sure their children got on that list. Here at home if I heard that there was a list of children being drawn up at church, I would likely pay no attention, matter of fact, I might even try to avoid having my kids on that list. Don't need anything added to my already loaded life! But then I witness parents buried in uncertainty, their children facing starvation and lives steeped in ignorance for lack of education, parents panicked that of all days they didn't get their kids to church, that some kind of opportunity might have happened and they missed it, and my heart breaks. I am reminded again of how blessed I am, how rich I am, that tonight my children are in Haiti spreading hope. That they willingly sacrificed money, food, opportunity, and time to spread love and learn these people. They are vaccinated, educated, healthy, and together as brother and sister! I'm not sure what the list may bring to these families, there are so many, but tonight the list has brought fresh reality to this humble father. There is another list-maker tonight who is gathering together names, and I want to be on that list. I want all these people and children to be on that list as well. I want to bring them hope, and help, and love. I will work these lines and these faces as long as I can to share hugs, and love and help in whatever way I can, because they deserve it. Because it points to a God who says they deserve it. All deserve hope, but these, the poorest of the poor, deserve a little extra push to bring them all we can! Count your blessings tonight, and pray for the suffering, if you have a little extra, consider sharing it with the less fortunate, it may seem nothing to you, but for those with nothing, something can be the world! The World is still changed not by the big things, but by the abundance and accumulation of all the little things. Remember, a little faith can move a mountian, a little of everything can change a whole nation, and a little love can change a whole heart! A little name on a little list may one day change a nation, it has happened before, it will happen again! "Little is much when God is in it" is a line in a song we used to sing, I believe that still today, and today that is what we are all about! Let us journey on toward that goal! Blessing from a heart held captive by Hope tonight! Pastor
2 comments:
It's really amazing what people will do for a little hope. It's so awesome to know hope and love are being shared through CCC down in Haiti. God has blessed our efforts so much it is a blessing to be a small part of something that is changing lives and adding to God's list. We are so fortunate for all that we have but, being of service in the Lord's name is what really makes me feel closer to Him and like I am doing what I am called to do. Thanks for your words Pastor.
How well I'm acquainted with the excellent list makers! & their ability with His help to make things happen-in detail. Thanks for often reminders of some things, & your good example of all that you write about. Love, Us.
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