Welcome to the Kingdom Brothers & Sisters
Today was a day that God used to advance His kingdom and allowed us to participate in His work. Many of us began our day back at the home building site feeling enthusiastic & grateful to work alongside the Haitians and to be a blessing to Haitian families in need. Little did we know that God had bigger plans for our team today. We moved blocks, mixed & shoveled mortar & I of course spent time with a dozen or so Haitian children. Toward the end of our morning Marc came to the site and began talking with an older gentleman. Part way through the conversation Marc shouted out for the team to come down to this man. What lay next to his home was a large pole with painted stripes on it - voodoo paraphernalia. Marc relayed to the team that this man was a voodoo priest. Marc asked him why his voodoo items were tossed aside on the ground and the voodoo priest said he had "no need for these items anymore". The conversation progressed and this man felt led to give his life to Christ. Before we could even pray for him, along came a woman - his daughter who too has been living a life without Christ. We had the privilege of praying over this man & his daughter as they accepted Christ. What a privilege to come alongside & welcome new brothers & sisters to God's family.
This morning was just a precursor to this evening's service at church. We spent nearly 3 hours in church this evening and left feeling renewed & on fire for Christ. Haitian praise & worship cannot be put into words. The enthusiasm for Christ here in Haiti is incredible. We had the privilege of listening to various testimonies of how God is at work in His church & through the Haitian people. What a blessing to see & hear the Haitians reaching out by going on missions to spread the gospel to their own people. God's love & word was shared down South where I had the privilege of building homes last year. To see & hear the Haitians responding to God's calling & spreading the gospel to their own people at a work site that I was at just a year ago gives me so much hope & joy for this country.
We also were privileged to hear God's word spoken through Pastor Jim. It was a message that resonated with me & one I needed to hear. He spoke about the Holy Spirit & the enthusiasm & impact that the Spirit can have on a believers life. Too often we ignore, are fearful, don't have the ears to hear or are too lazy to respond to the Spirit. As this trip comes to a close this is a message that I need to fester in my heart. Too often we ignore the Holy Spirit stirring & working inside us; this trip to Haiti has served as an awesome reminder that the Spirit is at work in each of our hearts. Titus 3:6 says "God poured out the Holy Spirit abundantly on us through Jesus Christ our Savior." The way the Spirit is moving in Haiti is something to be coveted and the evidence of the Spirit using believers to lead those who are hungry for Christ to Him has been remarkable to say the least!