Thoughts on being servants and prisoners.


While we were in the final preparation phase for this trip, God put the chorus "Make Me a Servant" on my heart and in my mind nearly continuously. It says, "Make me a servant, humble and meek. Lord let me lift up those who are weak. And may the prayer of my heart always be, make me a servant, make me a servant, make me a servant today." I sang, hummed and thought of that chorus multiple times a day, for weeks. It really was, and still is,  the prayer of my heart.

 My goal in every day is to be a servant to/for my Saviour. I fail miserably. A lot. But occasionally, I have a day when I feel like I actually got it right. I had a couple of those days on this particular trip. Days that I felt God's presence with me(yes I know He's ALWAYS there), and I noted the 'Well done'. I think that I can attribute that to my heart's prayer of being a servant. To being open to His will and willing to do it, no matter WHAT it was.  I yearn for that in my daily life at home, BUT, I too often get caught up in the day to day craziness that is life here in the States. I neglect to slow down and listen for His voice to direct me. Yes, I serve Him, but is it His will, or mine? I need to keep singing this chorus, but with a small change in the words. Not "make me A servant", but "make me YOUR servant, today".  Every day.



When we are in Haiti, we joke about the tap-tap being like a prison bus. We are locked into it until we get to our destination. We can see where we are going, but have no control over how we get there. We are dependent on the driver getting us there, and safely. I've thought about this quite a bit lately. How we need to have this same kind of relationship with Christ. To be His prisoner, locked in to His will, and letting Him control where we go, how we get there, and letting Him direct where we step next. Allowing Him to control our safety, as we do His will.(A dear friend once said to me " We are safest when we are doing God's will, NO MATTER WHERE THAT MAY BE.")
So, my thought is this: am I willing to be a prisoner of Christ? Am I willing to be locked into a place/situation/event/life that is beyond any control I could put on it?  I'm working on it. And He's still working on me.

Cindy

So What’s Next:

                That has been the question that we have asked ourselves over and over since returning from Haiti. We went to Haiti this time questioning if God still wanted us there and if He still wanted us involved with Nehemiah Vision Ministries. Those questions and doubts had surfaced over the last 12 months. As God cleared the way for this trip to go forward it was obvious that He had His hands on this trip and that it was in His control. While in Haiti the resounding answer that we got as we prayed was YES you are stilled called to Haiti and Yes NVM is the organization for you to be involved with. That answer has been solidified even further since we have returned home.  It is always difficult to come home but this time our hearts were pulled even more to the people of Haiti. So new questions have arisen and we wait on God’s timing and leading.

 

                One of the difficult areas is maintaining our burden for Haiti while going back to our lives here. Cindy calls it the crazy wheel and it is so easy to get on. It is vital that we see the world in our own back door as a mission field as well. We need to direct the love and compassion that is so easily given in Haiti to those here that we come into contact with each day. God uses that to deepen our love of Him and our desire to share that love with not only the people of Haiti but our neighbors as well. So one of our goals for this year is to deepen our love of Christ and allow His love to be demonstrated to all that we come into contact with. That means seeking new opportunities to do that and hearts that are receptive to his leading.

 

                We are also seeking guidance in how to be more involved in the ministries and outreach of NVM from here in the states. We are looking at a couple of projects this year to help the ongoing ministries at NVM and will have details as we move forward.  One of these projects is an industrial washing machine for on campus.  We are also seeking opportunities to share with other churches and organizations the vision of NVM and the work that they are doing in Haiti. It appears that God is opening the doors for us to do this through some new contacts.

 

                Cindy and I are seeking the Lord’s guidance on a trip to Haiti in the late summer or early fall. We are not sure what the extent or even the purpose of the trip will be at this time. We have some ideas but really are asking the Lord for His direction. We do believe that His purpose is for us to return this year. We will also be planning a medical trip for next February as well. Our hearts truly are in Haiti but we know that God has called us to serve Him full time here and in Haiti as He gives us opportunity.

 

                This past trip was one of the best we have made. We had great team unity and a team that really was seeking God’s guidance and teaching. We talked many times before we left and even after arrival that the most important part of giving medical care was to demonstrate Christ's love even in the little things. I had the opportunity to witness that from all of our team members. (That includes our two nurses from the Genesis team). This love was demonstrated not only to the Haitians but in several ways to the American staff there as well. We also got to watch several new team members fall in love with Haiti. It is exciting to see Melissa fall in love with the people of Haiti and to understand our heart for Haiti. Lee and AJ would like to join us in the future.

 

 

                There is so much more we could share but it would take pages. As we move forward, pray that we will be patient and wait for God’s leading. Also pray that we will be ready to hear the messages and the plan that he has for us and then be willing to take the steps as he leads.

Ephesians 3:16-20

¹⁶ I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸ may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, ¹⁹ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

²⁰ Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

                                                        Sunset from inside the tap-tap.