"There is coming a day when this upside down world will be turned right side up."
First will be last, and last will be first. Weak will be strong and the strong will be weak. Lose your life to find it, find your life and lose it. Treasures stored on earth will be lost, and treasures stored in heaven will be gained. Rich will be poor, and poor rich. What is highly valued among men is detestible in Gods sight (Luke 16:15). Blessed are those who hunger now, for they will be satisfied, blessed are those who weep now for they will laugh. Rejoice when you are persecuted… those who are well fed now will go hungry, those who receive their comfort now will mourn (Luke 6:20-26)….. so on and so on the opposition of heaven and earth are compared in the Bible… Jesus is warning us! He is saying that if we hoard our wealth here, and do not obey Him (give generously, help the poor, orphans, widows, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, provide shelter, spend ourselves on behalf of the oppressed, hurting…) we will not receive His good riches in heaven! Where your treasure is there your heart will be also! We cannot serve two masters! Which do we chose? Our money, comforts, an easy life here living selfishly for ourselves and our family’s… or to give it all for His purposes and help others (Mathew 25:31-46, 2 Cor. 6:3-10)! Let our bodies be used as instruments of righteousness for His kingdom sake (Romans 6:13)! Its not easiest, but it IS what He calls us to do, its an exciting adventure and we are not truly His people if we do not do what He says – James 2 says that faith without deeds is dead, I show you my faith by what I DO!!! Do we believe the Bible? That when Jesus says that He knows what we need, and if we seek first His kingdom that all else will be given to us! Do we believe that He cares for us, and will be faithful to provide?! Do we trust Him? How much healthier lives would we live if we did not worry? The Bible tells us that there is no need to!!! (Luke 11:41-42)If we truly trusted Him, we would be a peace, we would always be resting in His strength, in His grace that is sufficient for us (2Cor. 12:9)! Do we believe this?!!! I tried not to put in too many verses because these are soo good! Please look them up and read the powerful things Jesus said, that somehow we have found so easy to ignore for so long… the 30,000 children that die each and every day from starvation and preventable diseases aren’t right infront of our faces, they are not on our TV’s and so we ignore their cries! They are weak, powerless, and easily forgotten about…. This makes my heart ache, pound, and wrench in my chest! All those helpless lives! That God longs for us to save, to bring to Him… to love on, to take care of!!! We truly must start acting if we call ourselves believers and followers of Jesus… just read Matthew 9:37, 10:6-9, 10:16-23, 10:26, and 10:28-30 – this is a really good one! Basically read all of chapter 10 – its so obvious… if we take it seriously – the words of Jesus as truth, how can we continue living the way we do…. We have to act, do, change! Jesus was wild, and He did the work of His Father! We are called to do this work too ☺. Yes we are all called in different ways, in different places at different times…. Scripture makes this clear too… but after reading these verses I must admit that He is calling ALL of us to do something! To in some way act to help and serve others – to die to ourselves and give up ALL for Him, we are not our own, but His possession (1Cor. 6:19-20)! He bought us with His life! Now we are as if we are dead men walking… if we live in Jesus salvation, it is as if we are dead and He now lives in us instead! If we are basically dead, how then should we be afraid? Afraid of our earthly bodies dieing… we should not be! – Matthew 10:28-31!!! He requires supreme love and EVERYTHING we have.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Friday, February 5, 2010
Haiti - week 2 :)
“Offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness.” Romans 6:13
as I read these words my heart was congruent with them!!! I desire to and hopefully am doing just this! To think of my body as an “instrument of righteousness” to be used by God any way He chooses!!! Wow! “Obedience which leads to righteousness” Romans 6 verse 16, so powerful to be obedient to Him!
Job 29 –
Verse 11 – 17
Whoever heard me spoke well of me, and those who saw me commended me, because I rescued the poor who cried for help, and the fatherless who had none to assist him. The man who was dieing blessed me; I made the widows heart sing. I put on righteousness as my clothing; justice was my robe and my turban. I was eyes to the blind, and feet to the lame. I was a father to the needy; I took up the case of the stranger. I broke the fangs of the wicked and snatched the victims from their teeth….(verse 25) I was like one who comforts mourners.
Romans 4:17
“the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.”
Wow, powerful things to take to heart from our Lord! I am pressed to obey the one whos possession I truly am!
We are seeing lots of quicker than normal healings, lots of doctors here who say so! God is touching, healing bodies and hearts! Thanks for all the prayers! Danita’s is truly a beacon of light to Haiti!
When I hold Jean (the boy with cerebral palsy) I cant help but minister to him the whole time (someone has to always be with him)... feel myself being poured out over him, asking the Holy Spirit to come! For God to love on him, and to heal him... body, mind, soul, and spirit! Praying for him constantly, and ask for good to come to him, his life... what do You want to do here God??? He is not able to do anything for himself… what is the point of his life (as awful as that sounds). Please pray that he is miraculously healed, and would get better at least to the point where he could walk using a walker…etc.
I have grown to love the boys here… my heart has connected with theirs and will hurt when I leave… sometimes I miss home soo much, but at the very same time I know I am going to miss these children so badly when I am back!
The most hopeless situation I have seen would be this lovely girl… her brain has fluid that has swelled her skull (before it has fully formed and hardened). There is pressure put on her brain by this and also it is very heavy! These children don’t usually make it very long… this will only improve due to a MIRICLE – “What is impossible with men is possible with God.” Luke 18:27
At one point (before we had sorted and found all the new much needed supplies) a little girl got her hair washed with laundry detergent… haha and I have seen several bathings with dish soap… haha so funny what is not necessary or needed when you have to just make due, because you have to!
I want ANYTHING to eat BUT rice and beans!!! Anything LESS heavy! haha
The Lord is teaching me the importance of a Sabbath! Eventually as I am sure all missionary's (not that I am calling myself a missionary... ha) find, you hit a sort of wall... you cant stand to be hot, sweaty, hair pulled, body touched (just wanting love, and snuggling... but in 100 degree weather!!!), trying to take your stuff (watch, sun glasses...etc. they don’t know better) but as much as you love them and love our Lord, you can only take so much without a break... going strait from the Africa trip to this one, and being here with these kids day in and day out for 2 weeks... I need a break! Hahahaha. God created a Sabbath day for a reason! There is such a purpose for it! Ha even God needed a day to rest, how dare any of us think that we could go without at least the same! – “For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day must be put to death. The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath, celebrating it for the generations to come as a lasting covenant… for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he abstained from work and rested.” Exodus 31:15 – 18… so as you can see God is pretty serious about rest! Hahaha ☺
Apparently all of the my fly away's (wild hair's!) need to be braided, very tightly... ouch...
I have now also learned to stay "don’t do that, now!" haha, yes it isn’t exactly perfect grammar/doesn’t make perfect sense but was much needed! It has been wild here lately, with all the children from different places... so many! When I sit, I sometimes just feel overwhelmed, Closter phobic even with all the children swarming around! So much need for love, attention, affection... they all want to touch, my hand, arm, face, hair...etc. lay on me pull on me...etc. What do they need Lord? There comes a time where that has to be asked... as a short term volunteer you don’t have to really worry about it. But I see that after 2 weeks here, they need more order, structure, organization, obedience, discipline...etc. they do need more people to help, but not just to spoil the children, love YES! But do whats best for them, their future also! There cant be total chaos all the time... they have to learn... we have to grow them up correctly to send out as adults educated, loving their Lord strong and steadfast to go do great things!!!
Marie Joy’s story – She showed up to us a sad sweet looking lil girl! She is about two maybe a lil younger… but she is pretty tiny, probably party due to malnutrition. We don’t know much about the children as they show up, but we do know that she had at least a mom, who was cooking, holding her when the quakes happened, now lil Marie Joy has a completely burned left arm and a burn spot on her head as well. They are third degree burns and are very painful when we change her bandage. She has a HUGE appetite! She ate a good bit of food, then one of the boys started giving her orange fanta… at first I wasn’t sure how good an idea this was! But then we saw just a lil smile! Hadn’t seen one of those yet! So we continued with the sweet magical drink… then when it was gone he gave her the cup of ice which she played with and proceeded to spill… and LAUGH! Haha I thought it was ironic that her name was Maria JOY, but then we saw the joy in her! Which was brought out with a little of Jesus’ love poured through us… and orange fanta…. Hahahaha ☺ Later we changed a dirty diaper, took a nap, and played with a new rattle, which is when I found out exactly what a typical toddler she is! Cried for the changing (just like the kids at the day care I worked for!), was difficult to get to sleep (curious, yet exhausted!), and had quite the little attitude about someone trying to touch her newfound toy! Sassy lil sweetheart! Opens her mouth super wide to eat, no worries about getting food on HER face! Prayers please for her tiny arm which is covered in those third degree burns…
There are LOTS of donated clothes, shoes and such… which is such a blessing to this orphanage! But also takes a lot of sorting and organizing in order for the goods to useful at all… Random thoughts during this process – is there at all a standard sizing in the industry of clothes making? What are people thinking that send stuff to these kids?? (God bless them for trying…) we got lacy… see through things… haha, worn out things that even poor Haitians wouldn’t wear, only one out of the once pair of shoes… thank you very much! Haha - “I’m not scared of the mouse… it just surprised me” (when it jumped out of that pile of shoes…!) hahaha
I have a Haitian boyfriend named Johnson – he is about 6 years old… he is adorable!
Convicted how I am able to pour out – serve here with all of me! I give all of me… but am sooo selfish in the states…
There are people who need help there! I love to help/serve people… do what they need, I can do that there too! Or go and offer my help/skill somewhere else for periods, seasons…etc. what is Gods plan? I realize that I am home sick… I want to be back there with my family and friends, I love having them around me, I want a husband someday, I want children, I want my own place – do be independent… be also to help! to serve, do Gods will and obey what He says to do… what skills, passions, deeper loves have you given me to go and help, to serve with… what am I needed for? How can I be You to them best??
My feet are permanently stained
Even I get bug bights in Haiti!!! A lot.....
Im prob. permanently dehydrated,
Awesomest inventions ever –
Wipes
Gatorade packets in cold water
Bug spray
I can see the women here… brought here by God, who moved in their hearts with deepest love for these fatherless children! Orphans in their “distress” as James 1:27 tells us. And now they are serving them in such great ways! Yet some days they get so busy, doing “administrative” things to be sure that the children get fed, clothed, medical help…etc. taking care of all their needs! In this process sometimes they don’t get the chance to spend quality time with them, just sitting and talking, loving on with hugs and kisses…etc.! how sad to me! I could not do it that way! I would have to always be able to love on them constantly or I would probably quit! Haha this is probably my immaturity in this… but please pray for these amazing strong women who run this beautiful place!
I’m pretty sure that when I have kids their goin to bed about 7:30… hahaha thats the time every day here that I start thinking “shouldn’t they all go to sleep now!” Cause I’m so exhausted from the loooong days here ☺
When I said goodnight to those boys… getting a hug from “Peter”, and then having my little “boyfriend” Johnson come to hug me and say goodnight, sweet dreams… and the other boys playing guitar, and yet another running out of the room saying he cant give me a hug because he somehow split his pants… my heart is moved deeply, swiftly, and far… I can imagine doing this every night, as if they were my own boys… God has a plan, weather it be for me to adopt a bunch and live in America, or move and have an orphanage… He moves in seasons in our lives and I am excitedly awaiting the next one that is just beginning…
I love you all,
Mommy Hannah ☺
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Haiti - week 1 :)
It is so amazing to actually spend yourself on behalf of the hungry! To clothe the naked, to pour yourself out like a drink offering… and at the end of the day… my feet hurt!!! Ha, ha. I am with Visiting Orphans in Ouanaminthe, Haiti at Danita’s children’s orphanage. She already had about 75 children, and brought 34 new ones a few days ago! We have one leg amputee who is 26 year old boy named Jocelyn
an arm amputation and broken ankle on a 13 year old girl named Catiana,
a little boy I have been working with a lot named Johnny who is about 6 who has a broken femur AKA now a steel rod – he was expected to be walking by now, but he lost his home, family, and everything he knew and was comfortable with, and now cant walk… so it is expected to take a little longer ☺ We are getting there!
Today we flew in 3 more children – one named Amani who has a broken pelvis and left leg (She had writing on her cast telling us her name and when to take the cast off – from what she told us she lived with her Aunt and after the quake doesn’t know where she is), so she has a cast from the waist down her left leg and she is 12,
one named Nonique who has had an amputated arm as well as a cast from his hips down his right leg which we got an x-ray of today (they did not have a way to x-ray at the port a prince grounds so they estimate, assume, and cast) his leg was not set correctly the femur is completely broken and has slid so the broken ends are side by side instead of meeting – therefore we were going to have him sent to have surgery to have the bones re-broken and re-set since they have started to fuse together this way – but because the bones have already re-fuses now we can not get it fixed here, in America they probably would, but can not here, this is going to take a miraculous act of God in order for one of his legs not to be shorter than the other for the rest of his life! PRAYERS!
–A boy with cerebral palsy that is only about 2 – didn’t have a name, and was dropped off at the grounds in port a prince by his mom who didn’t want him anymore after the earthquake… he has been named – Joen – French pronounced like John.
These are the kids we have now and there will be more coming! Momma Danita has gone to pick up more kids from port a prince so who knows how many we will have beyond the 109 that are here now! This is a really hard transition for the children but thanks to your prayers and Gods grace it is going well ☺ A lot to do! I love it!!!
“Do you sometimes just need a hug?” - Amanda “every time” – little girl in her lap haha ☺
I am learning a little Creole, ha, ha its pretty funny… first I learned to say go to bed or lay down ha, needed when I spent the night with the new children in the church building on the orphanage property! Wild nights ☺ Then I learned sit down, and now quiet, water, hello, good, beautiful, thank you, what’s your name, food, your welcome… my mind is soo full trying to remember all their names, the names of the staff and volunteers around me, and the new words… wow, sometimes I just blank and cant think at all…. Yeah ☺
Literally being the hands, feet, laps…etc. of Jesus to these children! Feeding, bathing, helping to use the bathroom, and helping walk/or carrying… for those who cant do it themselves. Watching them come alive and come out of how they hide at first… loving on those who need love sooo much! And have felt none for so long!
Johnny – my boy that’s learning to walk again has a pretty awesome story! His home, and parents were taken by the earth quake, he had wounds and a broken leg, and sat for 11 days after his surgery waiting on someone to take him – claim him (they have to do this after all the emergency surgery’s because they cant spend all their time on finding someone to claim or take care of them… there are so many that they have to move on to the next one). Finally Danita and her team there found him and decided to take him back here with them. Now he is adjusting to the life of being here with all the other children and we are working to rehabilitate his leg… it is so important to get him moving on it or he will walk with a limp for the rest of his life! He is not motivated, understandably depressed and saddened… it is so hard for me to push him and make him practice when I know he doesn’t want to and it isn’t comfortable but I know I have to do what’s best for him if I truly love and want the best for him – the way our God does for us ☺
A few facts I have learned while in Haiti –
Fact – you can name a kid ANYTHING you want to… any sounds you can make – put together and you have a new name.
Fact – roosters do not only crow in the morning! They crow any dang time they want!
Fact – God answers prayer! Like healing, when you have strep throat, are dehydrated, and start your period and are still able to work as hard as you can serving Gods beloved!
Fact – a white watch was an un-wise decision – seeing as my heart is being called and life is gearing towards missions/orphans/other countries… its not white anymore…
Fact – I want/need to learn more languages! They speak Spanish, Creole, French, and English here…
Last fact – other countries such as Haiti, Africa, and Japan have amazingly awesome fruit!
God causes our hearts to fall in love with broken hearts… and such a beautiful thing this is!
Hmmm… there is not a mirror in the entire place so I haven’t seen what I really look like in days ☺ haha and kinda like it! Instead of bottles of water they have little bags of water that you simply bight a hole in and suck the water out… pretty good idea ☺ there is no shower curtain, very freeing… ha
Here’s a typical day for since I cant tell you about them all! –
Because no photographers came on this trip (most of our team members are medical) there wont be a lot of good pictures – the ones you will see will not be of the hard work we get to do – serving – acting on our Fathers words, obeying Him! – about our Fathers business – they’ll be of the (little) playtime – when the kids confiscated my camera…! What you wont see pictures of will be – me taking care of little Johnny’s needs – of me carrying him up to take a nap (trying to decide what’s best for him – and EVERYONE has a strong opinion on this!) waking him up after less than 1 hour (as I was told to, and to his dismay). I asked him if he had to pee. He didn’t say – assuming he didn’t (because he is supposed to understand the words pee pee and poo poo and tell us when he needs to, but I shoulda made him). I carried him down stairs (got reprimanded for this – “he needs to walk”) Even though he had surgery about a week ago, lost his family, is depressed…. He should be doing more at this point. We sat on a bench – he proceeded to cry out something (we can not understand each other – do not speak the same language) and pee – A LOT everywhere…. All over the place! At this point all adults had left me and only a few children were around… I scoop him up and carry him to find someone to help me get him new clothes (I didn’t know where to find any) I take him to the clinic we have set up and ask them about clothes and they ask me why I am carrying him (I only found out later that they didn’t realize who I had and just thought I was carrying a boy who had peed on himself…) so I’m thinking yeah I know “HE SHOULD BE WALKING” hahaha. Eventually we found him clothes and got him cleaned up, we checked his temperature and found it was 102.5 therefore maybe his wound was getting infected, changed his bandage, gave him a shot for antibiotics, and let him sleep some more. He then woke with a vengeance and ate 3 plates of rice and beans (he wont eat anything else!) and took a nice poo ☺ that I was responsible for wiping off… haha (thanks to working at the day care this wasn’t a problem). At this point (as usual) I stink, am wet – sticky… but the day continues on ☺ a sweet little girl falls to sleep on me knocked out from sheer exhaustion! Also longing for loving and affection (snuggling in great in 90 degrees haha). Then I got to help put together the new bunk beds for the port a prince children to sleep in! After putting my lil sleeper in a bed I soon got the hang of my tools… eventually ☺ Later there was more taking care of Johnny – working on walking or standing at least, feeding the children, taking care of all needs and then eventually going back to an awesome cold shower and bed!!!
He said –
Spend yourselves on behalf of the hungry – Isaiah 58:10 and the whole chapter!
Take care of the fatherless/motherless… Deuteronomy 10:18
Feed the hungry, clothe the naked – Isaiah 58:7 and Matthew 25:35
Speak up for those who cant speak for themselves – Proverbs 31:8
Defend the rights of the poor and needy – Proverbs 31:9
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” – James 1:27
Anything we do for the least of these – one of these little ones we do for HIM! – Matthew 25:40 – “The king will reply, I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me” – WOW!!! Sooo powerful! Even more it also says “I tell you the truth whatever you DID NOT do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.” We must obey these direct commands from our God! This is Jesus being strait up truthful with us and it is serious, He means it!
“And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward.” Matthew 10:42
“Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead…. Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that – and shudder…. You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did… As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” James 2
Lose your life to truly find it – Matthew 10:39
Seek first His kingdom and all else will be given to us – Matthew 6:33
“If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. – 1 John 3:17
We had church today – God was speaking to my heart about the pride, and selfishness, and the lack of wisdom and spiritual maturity in myself and others… especially Americans! Pray that I will learn this lesson and I pray for others as well on this… I don’t think we realize at all how proud and selfish we really are! Obedience is something we chose not to focus on and it is all over the Bible and soo important! A simple act of obedience from one person is what makes an awesome ministry like this orphanage happen!
For some reason it has taken longer for me to see in Haiti than in Africa but the extremely beautiful spirits of these people are soo pronounced! If they can trust God, rest in His hands – love, rejoice, thank Him – have joy, peace, and love – amidst such tragedy, poverty, and disaster, living in the second poorest nation! Surely I should also! What selfishness to even doubt, fear, or complain…
The pastor talked about “Mamma Danita” answering the call of God… I heard Him – my Daddy, say “Answer me Hannah” I teared up instantly! I said YES! What is your call? Where, when, and what, I want nothing else! Nothing more, than to answer YES!
I can get stuck in these accusing, convicting thoughts like the first ones I talked about having this morning (pride, selfishness, obedience) and feel hopeless. I know that this is not His will! I thank Him that He is all that is good! He works even when I am so unworthy – let my flesh come through in evil – selfish… but the devil is the accuser – and he is right (I am selfish, unwise…etc.) but thank you Lord that you’ve covered it! Change my heart, character to be like Jesus! Your word says you are not finished and will complete the good work you’ve started! I receive you Lord, please come in – convict, change, purify me, my heart, my character! Praise you Lord that you do this! You are sovereign and all sufficient in all my weakness! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
p.s. the pictures didnt work out exactly how I wanted them to... but you can figure out who's who :)
an arm amputation and broken ankle on a 13 year old girl named Catiana,
a little boy I have been working with a lot named Johnny who is about 6 who has a broken femur AKA now a steel rod – he was expected to be walking by now, but he lost his home, family, and everything he knew and was comfortable with, and now cant walk… so it is expected to take a little longer ☺ We are getting there!
Today we flew in 3 more children – one named Amani who has a broken pelvis and left leg (She had writing on her cast telling us her name and when to take the cast off – from what she told us she lived with her Aunt and after the quake doesn’t know where she is), so she has a cast from the waist down her left leg and she is 12,
one named Nonique who has had an amputated arm as well as a cast from his hips down his right leg which we got an x-ray of today (they did not have a way to x-ray at the port a prince grounds so they estimate, assume, and cast) his leg was not set correctly the femur is completely broken and has slid so the broken ends are side by side instead of meeting – therefore we were going to have him sent to have surgery to have the bones re-broken and re-set since they have started to fuse together this way – but because the bones have already re-fuses now we can not get it fixed here, in America they probably would, but can not here, this is going to take a miraculous act of God in order for one of his legs not to be shorter than the other for the rest of his life! PRAYERS!
–A boy with cerebral palsy that is only about 2 – didn’t have a name, and was dropped off at the grounds in port a prince by his mom who didn’t want him anymore after the earthquake… he has been named – Joen – French pronounced like John.
These are the kids we have now and there will be more coming! Momma Danita has gone to pick up more kids from port a prince so who knows how many we will have beyond the 109 that are here now! This is a really hard transition for the children but thanks to your prayers and Gods grace it is going well ☺ A lot to do! I love it!!!
“Do you sometimes just need a hug?” - Amanda “every time” – little girl in her lap haha ☺
I am learning a little Creole, ha, ha its pretty funny… first I learned to say go to bed or lay down ha, needed when I spent the night with the new children in the church building on the orphanage property! Wild nights ☺ Then I learned sit down, and now quiet, water, hello, good, beautiful, thank you, what’s your name, food, your welcome… my mind is soo full trying to remember all their names, the names of the staff and volunteers around me, and the new words… wow, sometimes I just blank and cant think at all…. Yeah ☺
Literally being the hands, feet, laps…etc. of Jesus to these children! Feeding, bathing, helping to use the bathroom, and helping walk/or carrying… for those who cant do it themselves. Watching them come alive and come out of how they hide at first… loving on those who need love sooo much! And have felt none for so long!
Johnny – my boy that’s learning to walk again has a pretty awesome story! His home, and parents were taken by the earth quake, he had wounds and a broken leg, and sat for 11 days after his surgery waiting on someone to take him – claim him (they have to do this after all the emergency surgery’s because they cant spend all their time on finding someone to claim or take care of them… there are so many that they have to move on to the next one). Finally Danita and her team there found him and decided to take him back here with them. Now he is adjusting to the life of being here with all the other children and we are working to rehabilitate his leg… it is so important to get him moving on it or he will walk with a limp for the rest of his life! He is not motivated, understandably depressed and saddened… it is so hard for me to push him and make him practice when I know he doesn’t want to and it isn’t comfortable but I know I have to do what’s best for him if I truly love and want the best for him – the way our God does for us ☺
A few facts I have learned while in Haiti –
Fact – you can name a kid ANYTHING you want to… any sounds you can make – put together and you have a new name.
Fact – roosters do not only crow in the morning! They crow any dang time they want!
Fact – God answers prayer! Like healing, when you have strep throat, are dehydrated, and start your period and are still able to work as hard as you can serving Gods beloved!
Fact – a white watch was an un-wise decision – seeing as my heart is being called and life is gearing towards missions/orphans/other countries… its not white anymore…
Fact – I want/need to learn more languages! They speak Spanish, Creole, French, and English here…
Last fact – other countries such as Haiti, Africa, and Japan have amazingly awesome fruit!
God causes our hearts to fall in love with broken hearts… and such a beautiful thing this is!
Hmmm… there is not a mirror in the entire place so I haven’t seen what I really look like in days ☺ haha and kinda like it! Instead of bottles of water they have little bags of water that you simply bight a hole in and suck the water out… pretty good idea ☺ there is no shower curtain, very freeing… ha
Here’s a typical day for since I cant tell you about them all! –
Because no photographers came on this trip (most of our team members are medical) there wont be a lot of good pictures – the ones you will see will not be of the hard work we get to do – serving – acting on our Fathers words, obeying Him! – about our Fathers business – they’ll be of the (little) playtime – when the kids confiscated my camera…! What you wont see pictures of will be – me taking care of little Johnny’s needs – of me carrying him up to take a nap (trying to decide what’s best for him – and EVERYONE has a strong opinion on this!) waking him up after less than 1 hour (as I was told to, and to his dismay). I asked him if he had to pee. He didn’t say – assuming he didn’t (because he is supposed to understand the words pee pee and poo poo and tell us when he needs to, but I shoulda made him). I carried him down stairs (got reprimanded for this – “he needs to walk”) Even though he had surgery about a week ago, lost his family, is depressed…. He should be doing more at this point. We sat on a bench – he proceeded to cry out something (we can not understand each other – do not speak the same language) and pee – A LOT everywhere…. All over the place! At this point all adults had left me and only a few children were around… I scoop him up and carry him to find someone to help me get him new clothes (I didn’t know where to find any) I take him to the clinic we have set up and ask them about clothes and they ask me why I am carrying him (I only found out later that they didn’t realize who I had and just thought I was carrying a boy who had peed on himself…) so I’m thinking yeah I know “HE SHOULD BE WALKING” hahaha. Eventually we found him clothes and got him cleaned up, we checked his temperature and found it was 102.5 therefore maybe his wound was getting infected, changed his bandage, gave him a shot for antibiotics, and let him sleep some more. He then woke with a vengeance and ate 3 plates of rice and beans (he wont eat anything else!) and took a nice poo ☺ that I was responsible for wiping off… haha (thanks to working at the day care this wasn’t a problem). At this point (as usual) I stink, am wet – sticky… but the day continues on ☺ a sweet little girl falls to sleep on me knocked out from sheer exhaustion! Also longing for loving and affection (snuggling in great in 90 degrees haha). Then I got to help put together the new bunk beds for the port a prince children to sleep in! After putting my lil sleeper in a bed I soon got the hang of my tools… eventually ☺ Later there was more taking care of Johnny – working on walking or standing at least, feeding the children, taking care of all needs and then eventually going back to an awesome cold shower and bed!!!
He said –
Spend yourselves on behalf of the hungry – Isaiah 58:10 and the whole chapter!
Take care of the fatherless/motherless… Deuteronomy 10:18
Feed the hungry, clothe the naked – Isaiah 58:7 and Matthew 25:35
Speak up for those who cant speak for themselves – Proverbs 31:8
Defend the rights of the poor and needy – Proverbs 31:9
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” – James 1:27
Anything we do for the least of these – one of these little ones we do for HIM! – Matthew 25:40 – “The king will reply, I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me” – WOW!!! Sooo powerful! Even more it also says “I tell you the truth whatever you DID NOT do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.” We must obey these direct commands from our God! This is Jesus being strait up truthful with us and it is serious, He means it!
“And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward.” Matthew 10:42
“Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead…. Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that – and shudder…. You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did… As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” James 2
Lose your life to truly find it – Matthew 10:39
Seek first His kingdom and all else will be given to us – Matthew 6:33
“If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. – 1 John 3:17
We had church today – God was speaking to my heart about the pride, and selfishness, and the lack of wisdom and spiritual maturity in myself and others… especially Americans! Pray that I will learn this lesson and I pray for others as well on this… I don’t think we realize at all how proud and selfish we really are! Obedience is something we chose not to focus on and it is all over the Bible and soo important! A simple act of obedience from one person is what makes an awesome ministry like this orphanage happen!
For some reason it has taken longer for me to see in Haiti than in Africa but the extremely beautiful spirits of these people are soo pronounced! If they can trust God, rest in His hands – love, rejoice, thank Him – have joy, peace, and love – amidst such tragedy, poverty, and disaster, living in the second poorest nation! Surely I should also! What selfishness to even doubt, fear, or complain…
The pastor talked about “Mamma Danita” answering the call of God… I heard Him – my Daddy, say “Answer me Hannah” I teared up instantly! I said YES! What is your call? Where, when, and what, I want nothing else! Nothing more, than to answer YES!
I can get stuck in these accusing, convicting thoughts like the first ones I talked about having this morning (pride, selfishness, obedience) and feel hopeless. I know that this is not His will! I thank Him that He is all that is good! He works even when I am so unworthy – let my flesh come through in evil – selfish… but the devil is the accuser – and he is right (I am selfish, unwise…etc.) but thank you Lord that you’ve covered it! Change my heart, character to be like Jesus! Your word says you are not finished and will complete the good work you’ve started! I receive you Lord, please come in – convict, change, purify me, my heart, my character! Praise you Lord that you do this! You are sovereign and all sufficient in all my weakness! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
p.s. the pictures didnt work out exactly how I wanted them to... but you can figure out who's who :)
Monday, January 25, 2010
Off to Haiti for some spiritual warfare!!! Prayers please ☺
I am going to the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, the second poorest in the world … a cursed place, God wants to give prosperity! I am going to a place that at one time, if I am correct, in order to become free from French oppression or rule, made a pact with the devil that if they were to gain freedom they would serve him… I am going strait into spiritual warfare, intense! I need to be covered in Christ’s blood every day!!! Every moment! Prayers please! Intercession and warring for those people and for me too… that I would be used mightily and not hindered by the devil, by fear, by physical infirmities… or any other attack he may bring against me! No weapons may prosper against the sons and daughters of God! Haiti is in such deep poverty… and troubles, while the Dominican republic prospers – seems blessed, RIGHT ON THE SAME ISLAND!!! That is spiritual in nature… a lush, beautiful land on one side with dirt and intense, dieing of malnutrition - kind of poverty right on the other side of a thin line…. Wow! 490,000 orphans in Haiti alone!!! 300,000 children in slavery in Haiti!
A lil more from Africa… I’m tellin you I’ve got a lot…
Watching how a child’s attitude can change, by simply letting him know that he is loved. Asking him to be my friend, his face lights up. He feels loved, wanted, important to someone, and this makes him smile, have joy, love back. When before he knew this, he acted bitter, hard, like he was trying to be mean to everyone around… even the little boys on the plane, not orphans – yet longing to be loved. They ended up sitting in my lap, and playing with me, hugging, I even got a kiss on the cheek! Ha ha.
I think I (sorry boys) started my female monthly troubles about the moment our plane hit the ground in Ethiopia. So with this lovely aching in my back, stomach, and knees, the fact that I got very little sleep in the past 3 some hours, the insanely long line that took us about 2 hours to get through to receive our visas to enter the country, plus the hauling of all our luggage, it was refreshing that God had reminded me on the plane as I read in 2 Cor. 6 particularly verses 4 through 10 that it is not easy to do His will and His work that He calls me to.
“As servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.”
As a servant of God, who will face hardships, troubles, distresses, even beatings imprisonment, riots, hard work, sleepless nights, and hunger, I should have endurance through these and fight for purity, understanding, patience, kindness in the Holy Spirit, and sincere love. This passage is encouraging because it shows that it is okay for me to face all this, because I have God on my side, and He says that these things will happen! Even the smell, the moment you step into the Ethiopian airport, just smells dirty, like sweat, and spices foreign to my nose. The people themselves smell… similar to the homeless in Nashville, but you don’t even mind when you think of Gods great love for this un-reached people!
I think I (sorry boys) started my female monthly troubles about the moment our plane hit the ground in Ethiopia. So with this lovely aching in my back, stomach, and knees, the fact that I got very little sleep in the past 3 some hours, the insanely long line that took us about 2 hours to get through to receive our visas to enter the country, plus the hauling of all our luggage, it was refreshing that God had reminded me on the plane as I read in 2 Cor. 6 particularly verses 4 through 10 that it is not easy to do His will and His work that He calls me to.
“As servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.”
As a servant of God, who will face hardships, troubles, distresses, even beatings imprisonment, riots, hard work, sleepless nights, and hunger, I should have endurance through these and fight for purity, understanding, patience, kindness in the Holy Spirit, and sincere love. This passage is encouraging because it shows that it is okay for me to face all this, because I have God on my side, and He says that these things will happen! Even the smell, the moment you step into the Ethiopian airport, just smells dirty, like sweat, and spices foreign to my nose. The people themselves smell… similar to the homeless in Nashville, but you don’t even mind when you think of Gods great love for this un-reached people!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
