Today, sunday, was little quieter day for rest and renewal. While you guys were playing hookey because of the ice storm we worshipped twice today. Once at the village of Hope, and once at the orphanage.
I had the honor of preaching both locations. It is very strange preaching with a translator. I miss being able to get into the rhythm of what I'm saying. I hadn't appreciated how important that is to my style.
I preached about trusting God. About how we can trust God simply because God says he we can trust him, and also because God has surrounded this with the church to lift us up when we fall and support us when we need to be supported. I used the trust fall like the speaker at the LIGHT concert used as the main illustration. It worked pretty well.
The morning service was led by Wadsone and Jasmine and their music team . It was very moving and included 3 commitments to Christ as the highlight.
Worshipping with the girls at the orphanage was in its own right a very special experience. A group from Les Cayes came to lead singing and did a very nice job. The difference was, none of the service was translated to English whereas the morning service was. If you've never attended a service where you could not understand the language you should try it sometime. It is strange to feel left out, but that feeling is drowned out by a great closeness to God because worship transcends any words.
On the way to supper we drove through the city of les cayes were they are beginning to prepare for Carnival. The best way to imagine Carnival is to think of Mardi Gras in New Orleans. The streets were jammed with people and a large float with speakers and lights was being brought into town. It was very interesting to drive through but I don't think I would have been comfortable being in the crowd on the street. That's just the way I am personally.
Supper was at "nami's" which is an American style restaurant. Half of us had Chinese food the other half chicken fingers and french fries.
After being here for 1 week I think some of the shock of the culture has worn off. When we were driving to the center today I began looking at the houses in a different way. I realized that they are really not all that different from houses I have seen in appalachia
The houses are 1 and 2 rooms made of either concrete block or woven bamboo and having either a metal, thatch or tarp roof. In Appalachia extra bedrooms are added using cardboard here they use tarps. Not really so different.
I think when we came into the country the sheer magnitude of the poverty was overwhelming. I was shocked to see that the conditions I have been looking at for 50 years in photographs were actually there before my very eyes.
Setting aside the urban poverty of Haiti for now (which I think it is of both greater depth and greater magnitude than anything I can imagine united states) and focusing on the rural poverty, which is really in our ministry this week, I think 1 of the main lessons is that poverty is poverty and people are people.
We need to stop thinking that their life is so bad because to them it is simply their life to live. Similarly we need to stop thinking of our lives as better and understand they too are simply our lives to live for better or worse.
I think God would like us to spend less time comparing & judging, and more time loving and sharing with the people of Haiti and all of God's people around the world.
As for tomorrow, I hope to find ways to love, share with and not judge those whom I meet.
Do you think you could do the same? Wouldn't this be a wonderful world if we could start a movement in which those were the fundamental values?... wait a minute. Jesus already did!
blessings,
terry
sent from my s3
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