La Vida Hondureña

Thursday, February 4, 2010 - We just landed in Honduras this afternoon. Haiti was truly an eye opening experience, and I don’t think I’ve ever been so encouraged spiritually. The Haitian people are amazing and the brothers and sisters there are an example to us all. The church where we worshiped Sunday had people worshiping outside…the building was overflowing. But what got me was the congregational reading, Psalms 118, “and His love endures forever”. If there were ever a people that I’ve known who seemed to have reason to question God, it would be the Haitians. Instead they only wanted to talk about His amazing love… it brought me to tears.

Vs. 15 “shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous”… All I could think about were Rebecca/Ally/Meredith’s story of the patients at the hospital in Jimaní. Patients fleeing the building out of fear after an aftershock. One guy jumped from the second story, landed in front of Rebecca and broke his back. I cannot imagine the sheer terror. There were people (despite their own fears) dragging the severely wounded and those who could not walk out on sheets…but when it was all said and done the girls had video footage of hundreds of wounded Haitians outside singing praises to God.

While I don’t want to give any false illusions as to the horror that is Haiti … we saw dead/mutilated bodies, the fires from burning carcasses, children beating one another over the head with pots to move closer up in the food line. We rushed suffering/dying patients to the hospital in a minivan, stood atop rubble and smelled rotting flesh and heard screams/saw images that won’t leave my mind… The fact that Rebecca, Riley, Kurt and I came home today and were encouraged by the Haitians and their love for God despite their pain…it’s beyond my comprehension… We encountered some truly great Christians.

I also think God has provided Mission Lazarus a way to “get our foot in the door” with rebuilding efforts in Haiti and perhaps even be involved with Haiti for the long term. With the help from Debbie Vanderbeek (missionary with Hope for Haiti’s Children) we found a man, who out of his own pocket and on his own property, started a church, orphanage, school and community lunch program for his neighborhood. He is a truck driver (short haul) and only works about 5 or 6 days a month. While the church helps, in this poor neighborhood it’s truly a testament of God multiplying the loaves in order for all these programs to be up and running.

Coordinating with Debbie, Mission Lazarus has funded all the food needs for the lunch program and orphanage for the next 6 months. This includes 3 meals a day for the 30 children at the orphanage and 1 hot lunch 7 days per week for approximately 50 more children from the neighborhood. We also left some extra funds to tip the ladies from the church who volunteer their time (even after the earthquake) to help make these programs possible.

Something to note is that the preachers home (doubled as the orphanage) fell during the earthquake, people were inside but none were injured. The church building also suffered significant damage but is still standing. Fortunately it is still the dry season, but when the rainy season comes next month the preacher and orphans who are sleeping outside will face a whole new set of problems. Hope for Haiti’s Children has committed to ensuring the kids have more than adequate temporary shelter to sustain them during the wet season.

Depending on how the Lord leads us and what doors He opens, we have an opportunity to use our expertise in construction, medical care, group coordination and helping locals be accountable for funds to begin serving the people of Haiti for the long term. We are eagerly awaiting to see how or if God will use us to glorify Him on this island.

Sometimes when I need strength I like to read Ex 3:14 when God says to Moses “I AM WHO I AM”—He is powerful. As I continued reading past that verse the other morning, Ex 4:31 really jumped out at me, “and they believed. And when they heard that the LORD was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.” After reading that, my sense of need was renewed…Just as God used Moses to share His concern with the Israelites, it should be our desire for God to use us to show His love and concern to those suffering today. In doing so we are spreading the Gospel and He is glorified and praised.

Check out http://missionlazarushaiti.tumblr.com/ for more pictures and reports.