Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Why would anyone ever come here?

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. 

          We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father full of truth and grace.

                                                             John 1:14

 

Our plane coasted high above the beautiful mountains of Haiti and each of us anticipated what the week ahead would be like. Leaning toward the window, I got my first glimpse of Port-Au-Prince, and was startled to find tears already rolling down my face. I knew it was coming, but looking down at home after home after home made from pieces of tarp, cardboard, maybe corrugated metal, worn with weather. That was not something I could prepare myself for, no matter how many magazine pictures I'd seen or even other locations I had traveled. There is something about poverty; physical, aching poverty, that takes your breath away.

Two days later I looked around me and noticed Madalyn, one of our team members, and one of my very favorite people. She had a look of deep sadness, something that doesn't usually match well with her energetic and willing spirit. I took hold of an opportunity later that evening and asked, "Are you ok?" Madalyn's words were still and quiet,
             "Why would anyone ever come here?"

I was so surprised by the richness and contemplation coming out of her teenage mouth, and the gravity of her words, I was speechless. I took her hand. Finally I responded with the only answer I could think of, 
               "What if we didn't? What if we stayed home."  

   Two weeks ago it struck me again...

              "Why would anyone ever come here?"

What we see when we see the desolation of poverty is simply us seeing with eyes wide open by Christ. When the Father sent Christ to Earth, the Word made flesh, He came from all glory in Heaven to our little hovel on Earth. He came to our impoverished land, our desolate souls, to redeem all of it. 




             "Why would anyone ever come here?"


Christ came, because of Love, because of Grace, because of Hope. He came because He is Love, He is Grace, He is Hope. 

        What if He didn't, what if He would have stayed home?

And so we don't...we go into the world. A light shining in the darkness, and the darkness can not overcome Him.


Madalyn came to love the people of Haiti, and the land of Haiti. I did too. How can you not? But in sharing the experience, she gave me the opportunity to see the Light shining in my dark world.
   

  

 

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

It's only a mountain...

He said to them, "Because of your little faith." If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain,

       'Move from here to there,' and it will move,

               and nothing will be impossible for you.

                                                                     Matthew 17:20

 

      So, now we are in the heart of making our plans for Haiti. I filled out and printed off forms for the children's passports. I took Zeke to the doctor for various immunizations.  I typed up a letter to send to churches seeking support.
      
       The problem was each of these things was an epic fail. I couldn't get the passports done because the hours at the office were from 8:30-10:30am and then 2-4pm. I showed up at 11:30am, all four kids in tow. I couldn't get the immunizations done because Zeke's tantrum was so huge that I left the office crying. I couldn't send out the letters because there were just too many blanks yet to fill in.
       
       It was the last one that really got me going. Anxiety. Questions. "Are you sure, Lord, this is really what you want? Where am I supposed to get all this money from?Am I reading you right? Am I just wrong about the entire thing?"
      
        I sulked around for a good 4 days, until I spilled it to Dave. The words that came out were
  
        "Why is this so hard?"

     and even while I was saying it, I knew it was ridiculous. 
          
     Why do I doubt what God wants, just because it isn't easy? Why do I try to solve my earthly problems with earthly solutions, when I have a savior waiting with heavenly ones? Why do I try to climb mountains, that are just meant to be moved?

     Dave told our friend, Julie, that we were struggling with the financial aspects of our time in Haiti. Julie, in all her wisdom, responded back in sarcasm, "Yeah, because that sounds like something God can't do."


        
       We all have mountains in life. I'm sure you have yours. Are you struggling with one now?  
         
       Sometimes we are meant to climb them, we learn and we grow from perils and work, and trial, we get to the top and praise the Lord. Sometimes, though, I think those mountains were just meant to be moved. God is gracious, He is faithful, He is merciful, but He is also Mighty, and Strong, and really does hold the world in His hand.
     
         So, here you go, Lord. Here's my mountain. I'm telling it to move. 





Monday, November 5, 2012

Cliff diving...

When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea.

                                                                                                John 21:7

   

Cliff diving has never been on the top of my to-do list. Diving has never been on the top of my to-do list. Cliff jumping, that's a stretch even. 

So, when we were offered to ford a river, drive up a mountain, and hike in the forest, I'm all- "sure!" But when standing on the precipice of a big round rock looking down into the ridiculously deep waters of Bassin-Bleu, I panicked. Not so much visually, shaking and crying and such, but you know the feeling. I froze. I made up questions about the pretty blue water and the visitors around me. I let other people take their turn and jump in ahead of me. I stood pretending to gaze at the glorious, cloudless sky. Anything, to put off jumping off that rock and into the water..

Jen came up beside me and said, "Let's do it! Let's jump in." We counted to 3 and we jumped. It wasn't hard. I didn't drown. The water was the first cool thing I had touched in 6 days and it felt amazing. Spine tingling.  

We all have our own rocks. The places we stand...watching...pretending it's not quite time yet.
When will it be time? Sometimes, we just need to jump in, fully clothed, and stop thinking about it.  

Peter jumped in the sea because he had heard John say, "It is the Lord!" 5 seconds before that, they thought it was just some random guy standing on the shore. But "It's the Lord" made Peter a different man- a jumper

So we jump. How much easier it should be when we know who we're jumping in for? 
Who cares how deep the water is when someone yells, "It is the Lord!" 
There are times that call for thinking and pondering, but there are definitely times when Christ stands on our shore and all we can do is throw ourselves in.

When has God called you to jump?