Day 9 - Call to unity

I am sitting in the current guest house with a cup of Hatian coffee and swatting the Mosquitos away.  The day is warm and with no air conditioning I have a fan taking its place.  With constant noise of horns, people, and diesel trucks driving by there is not many places one can go in port-au-prince to find tranquility.  This is when I truely need the peace of God to drown out what is around me and have him help me focus on Him.  Every time I sought that peace and contentment in him, he has proven himself faithful and breathes truth and life into me.  The times in the car or the times my hands aren't busy,  I find myself in an intense battle to not become very tired.  The heat and lack of sleep make my eyes very heavy but I know it is much more spiritual then what my mind is telling me.  I could feel this spirit of oppression the first day we got here.  The enemy has created a culture that is in constant battle to stay focused and to find rest rest but it never being found.  There is no order here but caos.  The enemy speaks very loud here in a way that is not comforting to the flesh but overwhelming.  This creates a people in a continual cycle of fatigue and hopelessness.  With wy own eyes and in my own strength the task is overwhelming for there to be a true turnaround and change here, but through the eyes of Christ I see a body of followers that are willing to go where god is calling them to and walk by his promises for his people rather then the disappointment the world brings.  A people who are walking by grace through faith in Gods word and a people who come together and are no longer tossed back and forth by the waves of this world.  It is by seeing and being reminded of what God is doing that brings me hope and strength to overcome the false truths of wickedness.

I ended last blog mentioning that I would be preaching (speaking the word) again out of Haggai that night on day 6.  Well I did and when I told everyone to turn to Haggai 2:10-19, pastor Day was shocked.  He told me after the service that at the beginning of this year a group of pastors came together saying that this year is the book of Haggai for Haiti.  It is obvious that God is doing something at large here in Haiti but I also think it is something happening around the world in believers.

Day: 7
We visited the same church we were at service the night before to see the school that is being run by the pastor.  The school has 350 children in it and they are in a large need to expand the church space so they don't have to keep denying children.  The pastor of that church, Thomas, said they could already have 1000 children start school that are currently not able to afford it.  The children at the school were great fun and the teachers were very welcoming when we visited their classes.  After that we had to say goodbye to Brent and drop him off at the airport.  He was great to have with us for the first week and his heart will be missed for the time being in Haiti.  We got to rest a bit and eat dinner at the guest house before going to another service I the evening.  Pastor Day asked me to speak again through the book of Haggai and whatever else the Holy Spirit would show me.  The message this time was from Haggai 2:6-9 and Ephesians 4:11-16.  This message was about the glory of this present house being unified having a greater glory then the last.  Building off of a call for a people who walk by the word of God because through Christ he chose us.
The worship was amazing as always but I am finding that as soon as people aren't moved by the music and the charismatic pastor, their minds seem to be quickly distracted and their excitement seems to be quickly turned to gloom.  As I have been told and seen there is a religious spirit in Haiti that enslaves the people from being free.  This is why there is so much division here in the church of Haiti and judgment from the church.  Many we have talked to on the streets say they can't go to church because they don't have nice cloths and fear being judged.  Unfortunately this is what is happening but this is not Christ and something that the American church as a whole has been moving away from.

Day: 8
We had a pastors meeting at the guest house with 7 pastors from around port-au-prince.  The meeting was established and called by pastor Day.  The focus of the meeting was about creating unity among one another.  The interesting thing is that churches in Haiti are each connected or at least affiliated with an American church for support.  Pastor Day was purposing that they all come together and become affiliated through mosaic church in Denver.  He thinks it would be good because him and I both have the same mission on our hearts for the church in Haiti, being of one spirit and one mind.  It is our task to share the vision and begin to create unity with other churches.  He purposes that they take on the name mosaic but I told everyone that isn't necessary but only if it would create a sense of unity for the churches.  It is more important that we all share in the common goal of Christs glory being known and that the world will know we are his disciples by the way we love one another.  There will be many more meetings to come and it is a large task but I know it is Gods call and so does pastor Day.  In the meeting it was obvious to see how religious the Christian culture is here in Haiti because of this truth for unity and love among one another seeming so foreign, but we will overcome evil with love.
After the meeting we went to the compassion office to get more information about how we could get some of the Hatian churches connected with them.  I didnt get to see Joanno but I did get to see Rico and it was amazing to me that he instantly recognized me from our August trip.  We shared in some reflection and he gave me some information to give the churches and we were on our way.  In the evening peirre and John-Philippe visited at our guest house for dinner and shared with me the organization they have started.  They said they could use my help and we talked about how I could possibly help them get it going.  It  was amazing to hear how they have already been helping children get school supplies when they have had next to no money to spend.  They truly know the heavenly fathers heart and trust in his provision.

Day: 9
Today we drove roughly an hour away to a village called babaco.  It is known for its voodoo activity and poverty.  Most of the children there were only in shirts with no pants and many of the people there had no hope in their eyes.  We welcomed the children to come and they instantly began to hang all over us as we talked to the adults.  We would ask questions about there lives and struggles and listened to what they had to say.  We would ask if they have Christ in their hearts and many said no.  One older man said that he knows Christ is the only way to be saved but he said he has some tasks that he needs to finish that were handed down to him from his father.  He said they were evil tasks requiring sacrifices and had to be finished before he could give his life to Christ.  He said we could pray for him and after we did he said he was very happy we came but he said he couldn't receive Jesus yet.  Another lady said that Jesus has been coming to her in dreams and she knows that Jesus is life but also said she couldn't give her life to him that day.  We prayed for her as well and invited the Holy Spirit to come and she felt the peace of God but still wouldnt let him into her heart.  This was how the voodoo spirits were having there way with the people of this village, by creating strong holds through lies to keep them as they are.  For even the demons believe that God is one and tremble (James 2:19).  This broke my heart out of the love that God has for them.  The children were thirsting for love as they came out of the houses, all wanting to hold our hands and have us hold them.  I know that our time there will make an effect past our presence being there, for it is the woeing of the fathers heart that draws them in.  The light of God does not go unnoticed in a place that is filled with darkness.
This brings me back to the present moment getting ready for dinner and going back out for an evening service at yet another church.  I will be continually watching and praying to see how God is loving the church here so we can grow all the more towards being the hands and feet of Jesus in a world that desperately needs him.