A pastor friend of mine is serving in Haiti this week. Blessedly, the country didn't receive a direct hit by hurricane Irene; hopefully it will not experience too many effects of the storm. Here are several devotionals my friend wrote and sent out from the island of Hispaniola.
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Hebrews 13:5
"Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said,
'I will never leave you nor forsake you.'"
'I will never leave you nor forsake you.'"
The picture above is part of a Haitian home. The children were full of smiles & even though we couldn't understand one another, we had a lot of fun together. We are building block homes for families to dwell in instead of their current temporary, tarp covered tents.
As we were mixing the mortar for the cinder blocks, a couple of the Haitian young men started singing, "Yes, Jesus Loves Me...Yes, Jesus Loves Me...Yes, Jesus Loves Me...the Bible tells me so." They have an active understanding of our scripture for today. Life does not consist in one's possessions, but in one's position with Jesus. Contentment is something we choose & can learn as we live life:
Philippians 4:11
"Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content."
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John 4:13-14
"Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."
Look really close behind and in between the two girls we met today. There is a hole in the ground literally right beside the gravel street. It is a well for drawing out water for those who live nearby. The surprising thing about the well water is that it is only about 4 feet below the surface of the street.
Water is a necessity for life, both physical & spiritual. The water used out of this well in Titanyen, Haiti, helps families with their daily living. In the same respect, the water that Jesus offered the woman at the well and us today can help us live healthy spiritual lives from now into eternity.
*Don't you just love the look on the girl's face on the left?
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Psalm 42:11
"Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God."
The above picture is a medical clinic in the mountains of a nearby town called Titanyen. The people came from all around to receive medical exams, medical care, medications, personal hygiene items, and nutritional supplements.
The physical needs here are overwhelming. The spiritual needs here are just as evident. As the doctors, nurses, construction workers, and volunteers help the Haitians, pray that we all would be able point the hearts and souls of these people to our Heavenly Father who is our Hope & Help of our countenance.
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Acts 17:24
"God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands."
Here you can see Mayamin and his family standing in front of their new home. This was our first completed home from start to finish. As we dedicated this home and this family to the Lord, we all gathered around in a circle, sang a song together, had prayer, and then presented a Bible and some personal items to Mayamin for everyone in his family.
This family now has a permanent dwelling place in which to live, but the Lord chooses to live in a different type of dwelling place. He has chosen the hearts, lives, and bodies of his most valued creation. The Lord dwells within us. The Bible says he chose us before the foundation of the world to be His own. Pray that Mayamin will lead his family according to God's word and will, and that their home will be established by faith in Christ.
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