Pastor’s E-Pistle

From April 26th through May 3rd, I had the incredible privilege of working along side of some of God’s choicest servants on a short term mission trip to the Plateau land of Haiti.  9 Church members from Grace embarked on what would becaome a life changing venture for all of us.  Our goal was to go and work on a Mission medical clinic with the hope that our efforts would make a difference in the lives of the people of St. Raphael, Haiti by facilitating the mission work of Dr. Anne Livingstone.  While we saw a lot of work done, and accomplished all that we set out to do, the greater work was the one that was done in us not the one that was done by us. 

The village of St. Raphael is a remote place in the mountains of Haiti in an area that is known as the plateau.  It is approximately 50 miles from the major city of Cap Haitien, but due to road conditions, it was approximately a 2 1/2 hour trip by pickup truck.  There is no centralized electricity in the city, all of those who have it use a gas generator or solar power.  The level of poverty is hard to describe.  Dr. Anne Livingstone has faithfully ministered as a single lady doctor there for 20 years. 

A 20 year dream and prayer is in the process of being answered there on those mountains.  God has been slowly providing the means for an 11,000 square foot medical center to be constructed.  The block shell and interior walls of the facility had been constructed, and a previous work team had put conduit in the walls as preparation for the possibility of future wiring so that there could be power outlets in the walls and lights in the facility.  Over the course of our short stay in St. Raphael, we were able to install all of the boxes and fixtures and pull all the wire so that the outlets would work and the lights would come on.  It was an incredible, tear jerking day when we all gathered and threw the switch and the lights came on in the mountains of Haiti.  I wish all of you could have been there to see the glow on Dr. Anne’s face.  You could tell that twenty years of prayers were being answered.

In a tropical climate like Haiti, all of the block structures have to be built to allow for ventilation.  So, instead of windows, they use open louvers and a cone shaped roof which allows the heat to rise and be vented out circular holes in the ends.  The problem is that all of these openings allow any insect, rodent, and bat that wants to come in very easy access.  On any given night, as many as 50 bats would take up residence in the clinic, and would leave evidence of their presence all over the place accompanied by an unbelievable stench.  Our team designed and built window screens that insects can’t fly through, and rodents can’t chew through.  On the last night of our stay, we rejoiced as we scouted out the work after night fall and found that the facility was completely bat free.

In addition to that, we were able to install a ceiling fan in Doctor Anne’s house, install lights in the bathroom of the guest house as well as in her main home, and one of the men was able to work on Dr. Anne’s computer equipment so that she will be able to more effectively communicate with people back home via satellite.  That is the work that we saw accomplished, but none of it measures to the great work that God did in us.

I truly believe that the next step of growth for any believer is service.  It was truly amazing to see the way that God put this team, with all of their abilities, together.  For 7 of the team members, this was their first mission trip.  It was truly amazing to see how God had planned for each one to be apart of the work.  God truly has a place for everyone.  It was amazing to see how God provided for the team to be able to go.  4 of our 9 members had their trip paid for by other people.  It was amazing the way that God provided for the work.  Much of the materials that we needed for the trip were donated by people, and the rest was provided through the sacrificail offering that was so graciously given by the people of Grace Baptist Church during the week of our Missions conference.  The great lesson that we learned is this, “in God’s service, the greatest ability is availability, and the second is like unto it, flexibility.”  There were so many reasons not to go, so many hindrances that would keep individual members from going.  So many reasons why God could use someone else better.  In the end, all God was looking for was people who were available, and who would be pliable in His hands so that He could use them to do His work.  God asked, “Who will go for us?”  Isaiah answered, “Here am I, Lord.  Send me!” 

You see, in reality, there in the mountains of Haiti it was the lights of realization that came on.  We all realized that if we would allow Him to, God would use us to things that we could never do on our own.  Our lives were changed as we watched a little Lady who said God here am I send me to Haiti, changed as we sat in a service made up of over 300 genuine believers in Jesus Christ who offered to Him the sweetest of praise while never having experienced any of what we would consider this world’s pleasures and having been denied what we consider to be our necessities.  They truly exemplified the remarkable truth  of contentment with nothing but “food and raiment.”

Here is the question for you:  Will you be available the next time?  God is still asking, “Who will go for us?”  My life will never be the same because I was in the mountains of Haiti the day the lights came on.  Thank you to all who gave to make this trip possible.  Thank you to all of you who were willing to go.  Thank you, Lord, great things you have done!!