God is moving!

The most common question I am asked when speaking to a group about Haiti is, "Are they making any progress?  Is there any change since the earthquake?"  Most people know of Haiti because of the earthquake or at least that's the first thing that comes to mind when they think of the country.  Since Hurricane Sandy impacted the East Coast of the USA I have also gotten a lot of people who ask how Haiti made out since Sandy visited there first.

My answers to each of these questions and ones that are similar are usually the same.  "Haitians are amazing people and they are very resilient.  They will pull together and repair/rebuild what they have the resources for, they will encourage one another and they will continue to trust that God has a plan for them and seek to continue to honor/serve Him."   That is true for the majority of the people I know and work with, however, there is a side of Haiti that I sometimes don't often talk about to those asking general questions.  There are many Haitians who still do not have a relationship with Jesus Christ.  There are many who are angry/bitter/frustrated with the years of empty promises from their government (and others).  There are many who are still grieving the loss of jobs/family members/friends in the earthquake.  There are many we meet who just need the peace and love that only comes from salvation.  It is a blessing to go to Haiti and serve, but ultimately if we do not share the love of Jesus with people and help those who are searching accept Him as Savior we have failed.  Redgi likes to laugh at me because we once tried to shoot a promotional video for Hearts United and one of the lines we shot over and over was, "If we feed them, clothe them, give them medical care, and educate them we have succeeded only in creating a community that is heavier, better dressed, healthier and more intelligent, however they are still going to hell."  How true.  We need to remember the primary  reason for our service in Haiti is to share the gospel message.

We ask that you pray for our upcoming teams who will be ministering in Haiti in the end of November and December.  We have 31 people between three teams who are coming to be the hands and feet of Jesus and to not only tell the Haitians about Him but to model Him as well.  Pray that their witness will impact many as will ours.  We have seen how God is moving in Haiti and using His people to show His love, mercy, compassion and heart to the lost and the hurting.  We pray when the Haitians see us working and ministering among them that they will see Him as well because without Him we can not do anything.   :)  :)

the outstretched hands of children as our team prayed for them - March 2011