Healing Haiti-Friends: First Day Haiti

We have all arrived safely with the teams meeting in Miami 

We were served with excellence from the Healing Haiti staff waiting for our arrival and then were treated with a great tasting dinner.



Charlie

Preparing to Leave

As I prepare to leave for Haiti in 6 short days I want to mention how thankful I am for all of you who have supported me through prayer and monetary support.  God has richly blessed me on my journey to this point.  

I am very excited to see what the Lord will do in and through my life as I surrender to His will.  I know we have talked as a group and with individuals how frightening it is to say "God your will be done in my life: because we know not where that will lead us and what God will demand of us.  But, I am trusting that He only wants the best for me and where I fail physically or in speaking HE will fill in those areas with HIS power and not mine.

I would be lying if I said I feel prepared and ready. But, I am willing. In my devotions today God told me that my relationship with Him is meant to be vibrant and challenging, as he invades more and more areas of my life.  He tells me not to fear change for He wants to work through me and continue to refine me.  When we cling to old ways and sameness, I resist His work within me. He wants me to embrace all that He is doing in my life, finding my security in Him alone.  I pray for that peace and allowing Him to work in and through me.

So, I end with a verse that my daughter, Lindsay gave me the other day.  Is. 6:8  Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said "Here am I send Me!" This verse just gives me goosebumps as I prepare to go to Haiti. 

Take Time For Jesus

Psalm 27:4, "One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire (or meditate) in His temple".

Shannon and I were talking last night about the business of the week ahead of us and all we had to do in preparation for our trip this coming week to Haiti.  We both agreed that in the midst of all the "things" that need to be put in place and accomplished, we both just desired to get our hearts prepared to do His work.  We both agreed that the biggest priority needs to be that we carve out time each day this week, no matter how busy, time to spend with Jesus.
Funny how God works as I arise this morning and this is what my devotions are on.  King David, a king, a soldier, and a great leader says, in the verse above, that His greatest desire is to dwell in the house of the Lord and to behold His beauty.  It is not to devise battle plans, lead men into victory, build a stronger fortress, etc., but to dwell in the presence of the Lord.  THIS is what made him great.  He loved Jesus and he spent time with Him.  "If the one thing that is needful is desired and sought, everything else will fall into it's proper function".
Let's make it our goal this week to put Jesus first.  Let us rise up in the morning and commune with Him, know Him more, and seek HIS face.  I am confident that this is the best thing we can do to prepare ourselves before we embark on this great adventure.  Preparing food for our families we are leaving behind, cleaning our house, and making our lists and checking them twice do matter, but they can be secondary and WILL happen if we choose to place Jesus first.  What He desire of us is for us to know Him more intimately and to love Him more deeply. 

Kindness is what God asks of us

In my devotions today I was reading about kindness and love.  Something we will be showing to those we meet in Haiti.  It tells of the time someone was walking down the street and a beggar asked for some money and he reached into his pocket and said "I'm sorry, my brother, but I have nothing to give.  The beggar brightened and said, "You have given me more than I asked for--- you have called me brother."

To the loved, a word of affection is a morsel, but to the love-starved, a word of affection can be a feast.

I thought this fitting for what we are about to embark on in Haiti.  My sisters and brothers in Christ I have been praying that God would love so much through each and everyone of us that He would touch the hearts of all we come in contact with.  And that our hearts would be over flowing with all He has to offer those in need.

I'm praying the Lord would use each and everyone of us in this trip.  I have no fear that He will be with us every step of the way.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.  The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself.  There is no cmmandment great than these.  Mark 12: 30-31

An Offering

I read Oswald Chambers last night before bed and it seemed to be just for me and just for this trip in 2 weeks to Haiti.  The title was, "Are you ready to be offered?" and the verse was 2 Timothy 4:6, "for I am already being poured out as a drink offering...".  In the Message it says, "...my life: an offering on God's altar", and in the NLT, "...my life has already been poured out as an offering to God".

I want my life to be an offering to Him.  I want to lay myself at His feet and offer my will, my agenda, my skills, and my abilities to Him and see what He will do.  I feel small and like there is no way I can make a difference in a week in the kingdom or for the kingdom of God, but I am willing to offer.  Chambers says, "tell God you are ready to be offered, and God will prove Himself to be all you ever dreamed He would be".

 This offering, Chambers says, is a transaction of will, not of sentiment.  When we surrender our will to Him, it is in this crisis that we open ourselves up to whatever HE choses to do, not what WE chose to do.  I'm scared, but I will bind my sacrifice on God's altar and let Him purify what I have to offer.  I'm praying that He will use what is there for His glory, not mine, and He will take whatever is left and use it for His kingdom.

"Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven"  Matt. 6:10

VBS in Creole

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We had the opportunity to run VBS for 54 orphans at Grace Village today. The children don't start school until October 1st and eagerly engaged in our activities. We shared the story of creation and it was translated in Creole. The children became even more alert when we did a few art activities including magic modeling clay, creating a banner for the orphanage and made gospel bracelets. We were all sweating in the 95 degree/100% humid room with no air conditioning. I plan to never complain about weather conditions or a hot office again. Next stop was at Isaiah's Orphanage, then Olson's and the Shalom House where we brought more food from Feed Our Starving Children. How good it is to serve the Lord. Thank you for your prayers. Teri

Not Enough Arms!

Greetings from Haiti where we finished our first day bringing clean water, hugs, eye contact and love to the poorest neighborhood in Citie Soleil. Children ran to the truck when we arrived and asked us to pick them up. At times I was holding two children in my arms with a couple hanging on my legs. There were children no older than my granddaughter Abigail (2 1/2) unattended and walking in the street barefoot, some with grey mucous in their nose.  There were little children carrying babies but not many parents around.  I felt a moment of satisfaction when I put the two children down and played patty cake with all of them. Then we started singing Jesus Loves the Little children and many more came over and tried to learn some of the words. The most heartbreaking experience of the day is when a young woman asked us to take her baby.It was difficult saying good-bye when we ran out of water but rewarding to refill our truck and service 2 more villages. Thank you for your prayers, Teri