Remembering what it is all about!

The church is more than a building.  We are called to do more than entertain, but more importantly “make disciples.”  In making disciples, they go out and make other disciples and then those disciples go out and make other disciples, etc.etc.  After all, that is how it all started over 2,000 years ago in a place called Jerusalem.  

My thoughts from above flow from a conversation that I had with a Haitian Pastor today.

A few weeks ago, I meta Pastor H.  He asked me if I could get information on “fasting” and if I had some time to meet with him.  Today was the day that we had planned to meet.  I handed him the information regarding “fasting” and then we jumped into our time together.

He asked me if I could help him with his church.  He said that he was forced to stop receiving support from a pastor in the states after the pastor had come to visit and seduced some of the girls within his congregation.  Through this Pastor H. lost financial support and half of his congregation.  He then looked at me and said, “Pastor, I need your help?”  

Seeing the deep pain in his eyes I had a greater understanding why he wanted to know more about fasting, I quickly began to ask God for the words to share with Pastor H.  I reassured him that the decision to separate from the support was the right decision  (1 Corinthians 5).  He was glad to know that he had done the right thing, but he was still left with fact that he longer had a building to meet in.  

There was a part of me that wished I had the money to hand him for a new church building or at least an alternative meeting place, but I didn’t have either.  As I was seeking more words of comfort for Pastor H., God sent me to Acts 2:42 - 45, reminding me the early church did not have a building to call their own.  Most actually met in homes.  God also reminded of the great call to discipleship.  Jesus reminded us to be his witness and to go and “make disciples of all nations, baptizing, and teaching others to obey everything.”  I encouraged Pastor H with these words.  As he was listening to me, his eyes brightened and a joy gleamed from his face.  

I pray that my time with Pastor H helps encourage you to continue to make disciples in your life.  Do not be so concerned with the buildings or the “Sundays”, sure they are important but if we lost them all tomorrow, what would we be left with?

Walking with people mono e mono, teaching them all the ways to follow Jesus in their lives...much like the early church in Acts!

Sweet Moments over the last week!

I had a great Haiti Mother's Day!  ALL of our children did really special things to honor me and I was blessed.  My favorite part was that I wanted to do a family picture with our family and our 14 teenage orphans.  They were really excited and then one of them said so many of these kids have never had or been in a family photo and it means so much to them...it was a beautiful day and experience with them.

Yesterday was my first day to attend the local women's group Bible study.  It was an honor when one of the local pastor's wife and our respected social worker on the mission asked me to join.  It was ALOT of creole but I was so impacted by the praise and prayer.  For two hours they sought God through his word, devotion, singing and prayer.  They prayed for the mission and missionaries.  It was beautiful and humbling to be among my sisters before our King as one.

Yesterday I had to confront one of our orphan teenage sons about his facebook profile picture. It had something like snoop dog with two girls with little clothing on.  The funny thing is that we just talked about purity in his highschool . He, like most was embarassed and did some blameshifting to friends and the fact that he didn't have a picture to put.  John helped him "own" his choice and then simply repent and share that it is a struggle for young men but at the end of it all, with a NEW facebook picture of himself, I said "When was the last time you got in trouble by a mom"  He said that he couldn't remember, probably when he was little.

Then he said, I'll take getting in trouble with accountability and a Dad and Mom who love me over not getting in trouble because I have nobody who cares enough and no family to love me.     Wow!

Seeing Jesus through a woman named Juma

Today was a very humbling day.  Jocelyn is a young man that God has allowed me to disciple.  He is 20 years old and lives at the mission.  Today after our time together he was excited to take me to see his sister Juma.  She lives about 10 minutes (by Moto) from the mission in Saint Louis.  As we arrived at her house I was treated like a King.  She offered me a chair while she stood, gave me a towel to wipe my face while sweat poured from her head.  As we moved outside of her house, she placed my chair in the shade while she stood in the beaming sun.  As we were talking through my broken Kreyol and Joceyln’s broken English, Juma leaves our conversation only to return with a large basin of water.  She then proceeds to wash my feet with soap and water.  I could not believe what was happening in front of me and it wasn’t until we were walking back with her to the main street that God really spoke to me through our time together.  

For the past few weeks it has been extremely wet here, almost raining every night.  With that said, this particular area of the village was extremely flooded.  I was very careful to try to step around all the mud puddles with my freshly washed feet, only to come to the realization that all I needed to do was watch where Juma was walking.  Instead of trying to keep up with Jocelyn and his fast pace, I moved to the back and began to watch the feet of Juma.  Each step she took I mirrored.  Quickly realizing that I was staying out of the mud.  Why?  Because she had walked this path before.  She knew exactly where to step to miss each puddle, she knew each hidden rock that lay just beneath the water that brought a solid surface for me to place my foot.   I learned so much on how to live Jesus today from a woman named Juma.  She taught me how to love, serve, and walk in the way in which Christ loved, served, and walked.

May we all realize each day we have a choice to live as Jessus.  As we follow His path, may others truly learn to follow Him by each step we take!  

“Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ!”   -  The Apostle Paul