The Best Gift

 Katrina and Enrique at Salem Church Baptism

At the baptism at Salem Church I met a homeowner named Enrique.  This sweet man is friendly and thankful for everything people do to help him.  He tried to work on his house damaged by Sandy nearly 20 months ago, but it was more than he could do by himself.  He did not want to ask for help, because he was afraid others needed it more than him.  He volunteers to help others “worse off than me”.

 

Aiman took me to Enrique’s home.  Enrique was washing his laundry in a bucket when we arrived.  The interior walls and most of the insulation were gone in his house.  A mattress, couch, table and chair reveal that he is still living here.  A grill in his shed provides a means of warming water for baths, laundry, and cooking.  His neighbor is generously allowing Enrique to connect to electricity at no charge.  Volunteer teams from Crisis Response have been working with Enrique on his home, praying with him, and sharing with him about God.

 

The following week, Enrique again attended Salem Church.  On Monday afternoon, Enrique called Katrina over to him and said, “Katrina, I do not know what happened yesterday at church, I just wanted to cry.  I didn’t because I was ashamed.  I felt so light I could fly.” He spoke of having goose bumps and a new feeling he had never had.  Enrique usually can only understand half of what he hears in English, yet at church he understood 97%. Enrique was smiling when he told Katrina he only misunderstood three words in the whole service.  

The following night, Enrique joined a volunteer team visiting the Brooklyn Tabernacle.  He had been asking many questions about God.  While walking with Billy, a volunteer from the Georgia team, back to the Staten Island Ferry station, Billy asked Enrique, “If you were to die right now, do you know where you would go?”  Enrique answered, “No.”  Billy asked, “Are you okay with that?”  Enrique was not and asked if he could say the prayer of salvation.  The rest of the group joined them for Enrique’s prayer.  Enrique knew what to say and how to say it without any direction. He was crying, and they were crying.  He came back with the team.  When Katrina heard he had accepted Jesus as his savior, she said, “I am so happy for you.”  He replied, “Not as happy as I am.”  

On sharing night, Enrique was given a Spanish/English Parallel Bible that many of the team members signed.  Enrique said that it was one of the best gifts he had ever received.  When Enrique cried, so did everyone in the room.  This is just the beginning of the story.  Enrique is already sharing the Gospel with his neighbors.

Enrique and Aiman



God Care About the Little Things Too

 

Jacqueline and Lily standing in back at Aiman's for lunch

 

Jacqueline, a volunteer with ReachGlobal Crisis Response, spent some time with Lily, a homeowner.  Lily does not drive, so Jacqueline drove her to the grocery store.  Lily had eaten kale recently and was impressed with how good it tasted.  She had hoped to buy some, but she did not because of the price.  She and Jacqueline joined the work teams at Aiman’s house for a lunch feast cooked by his mom.  

After lunch, Jacqueline waited outside while Lily checked out Aiman’s tent. Lily emerged with a big smile and proudly held up some kale.  Jacqueline was amazed and asked, “You found Kale in there?”  Lily exclaimed, “Yes!  He always knows just what I need.”

Jacqueline was impressed that Lily automatically credited this gift to God.  Lily has been discouraged recently.  God used kale to show her He cares about even the little things in her life.  God is so awesome!



Pray for Haiti Summit

Dr. Jean Dorlus wrote in Curriculum Development for Social Transformation , “Although there is a place for serious research to undergird practice in Christian service, the Christian worker relies primarily on the leading of the Spirit to receive a vision and to implement it.  In other words, we do not call the shots, God does.  It means that we wait to find out where God is working in order to follow him there and to work as he commands.  It is at this very juncture where a life of prayer and dependence upon God’s guidance reveals itself all the more important in Christian service.”

As the second Haiti Summit approaches in September, please be in prayer for God to lead and us to follow.  Pray for real lasting change in Haiti, and real lasting change in the United States because of work in Haiti.

Dr. Dorlus also wrote, “The implication is then clear: social transformation is not the work of clever Christians with fertile mind, sparing no expense.  It is God’s work.  If it were the work of man for man’s glory, it would not differ from the social gospel of a few generations ago.”

We want to be part of God’s work.  We want to glorify Him.  God has given a vision to the Haiti Consortium as a result of Haitians and Americans joining in prayer, conversation, and cooperation.  The results will be transformed lives.  This requires much ongoing prayer from many.  Will you take up the challenge to pray for the Haiti Consortium?

Helping Without Hurting

 Dr. Dorlus

 

“I think there are churches, missions committees, and people in leadership wresting with ‘How do we do things differently?  How do we go into a third world context and simply not foster some of the negative stuff we see going on?’” pointed out Senior Pastor George Davis of Hershey Free Church.  “We don’t know how to do that.  I think the Haiti Summit is a great opportunity for people to explore that and to see a working model without necessarily getting involved in Haiti.” The Haiti Summit will meet September 24-26, 2014 at Constance Free Church in Andover, Minnesota.

The book When Helping Hurts has garnered a lot of attention, and people see the problem of ministry that fosters dependence.  The question is how do we do it differently? 

“One of the keys to doing it differently is building relationships with the people you are working with and listening to them rather than simply doing it for them.  Those are the recurring themes in the consortium.”

Dave Hyatt, Pastor for Global and Local Outreach at Hershey Free Church highlighted why people should attend the Haiti Summit.  “If people are considering involvement in Haiti, or anywhere honestly, to hear from national partners is really, really critical.  Typically missions and ministry is from the West to the rest or things we can do to Haitians or for Haitians.  This is really considering a vibrant partnership where we hear from them.   We do things together.  We learn from some of the mistakes that have been made in Haiti and also celebrate some of the successes.”

Dave added, “The vision of the consortium ‘to see an indigenous, disciplemaking and multiplying church within walking distance of every Haitian, which demonstrates and engages in proclaiming the transforming power of the Gospel’ is going to take a lot of resources, a lot of people pulling together.”

2013 Haiti Summit Panel Discussion

 

The Haiti Consortium is involved with Global Fingerprints that helps keep families together, Haitian Perle coffee production to fund missionaries from Haiti to Senegal, Leadership Development, Community Health Evangelism, Community Agriculture Evangelism, Community Education Evangelism, and a study of the Haitian worldview.

Dave pointed out, “There are a myriad of needs.  One of the big things about getting involved is that it is not a defined ‘Here’s what we need and here’s how you can be involved.’  It is really asset based.  We say, ‘What does your church do well?  What are the particular needs of your congregation?  How could involvement in Haiti help you?’  It is a two way street.  It is a conversation.  Ministry there isn’t just what you can come in and offer, but we want to see those who come and the churches that are involved be part of the discipleship process in the lives of their congregation.”

To learn more about the Haiti Summit and how you can be involved, go to http://go.efca.org/opportunities/conferences/haiti-summit-2014 . 



 worship time

 

Meeting to form Haiti Consortium

The Rock Guy

Jackie Passer shared this story.  God is working in a huge way on Staten Island in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. The hurricane was 20 months ago, but many are living as if it was just yesterday. George, a senior citizen, has become known by our volunteers as "the rock guy".   Each day for 7-8 hours, the teams carried rocks into his yard. Teams poured big rocks, little rocks and tiny rocks by the bucket loads into his yard day after day to improve drainage in his backyard so his house doesn't flood again. The team layered large rocks (from concrete slabs removed from other locations by another part of the team by sledgehammer and loaded by hand into a trailer), then small rocks George had purchased, and lastly, a layer of dirt over the top raising the yard about 2 feet all around the house.

 Now you'd think George would sit back and let the young people do all the work while he watched, but not George! He was right there filling bucket after bucket of rocks for the bucket brigade of 12-15 teens. The kids noticed how hard he worked and how much he built them up.  When work sites were assigned, these kids begged to go back to George's. The work was hard and the buckets were heavy, but the kids loved George and wanted to be with him.

 

The night before the teams leave we have a time of sharing.  Person after person shared about how they moved rocks each day and how those rocks, that were seemingly endless, affected them and how God was working on them through George and his perseverance. But it wasn't until George himself shared about how he saw God move through every kid that reality hit. We are affecting lives for eternity and for God's glory. George became one step closer to a relationship with the God that allowed this huge disaster to hit his neighborhood but then brought a bunch of teenagers who paid to come and help him. He was blown away by this! And God was glorified. The kids wept as they shared, some even saying that they finally could take on a faith of their own rather than their parent's faith.

One volunteer shared how she was learning from the daily Discovery Bible Studies how to serve others and not think so much about herself. This young woman cried Thursday night when learning their leaders had decided to not work on Friday morning. The job wasn't completed at George's and she wanted to make sure the team coming in next would be helping George. She hugged him and told him how much she loved him, and she plans to return to Staten Island to check on George.

George is on the left. They are having lunch cooked by Aiman's mom.