After our recon trip to Haiti back in February, we chose to serve in Gonaives, Haiti. This town once had an orphanage, but due to financial constraints it recently closed. The church we visited then, Tabernacle of Christ Methodist Church, was able to place some of the orphans at other orphanages, but then its families opened up their own homes for the remaining orphans. (a beautiful & loving gesture of sharing all that they have with those in need... a true depiction of Mark 12:42-44: "but a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Calling His disciples to Him, Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasure than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything - all she had to live on.")
Over the course of the last month, our Haiti Serve team has been meeting & planning ways we can serve the orphans & families of Tabernacle of Christ Methodist Church. We've been working on the VBS we are going to hold - the stories we want to share with the orphans & other children of Gonaives (we've been told to expect as many as 175 kids!!!), the games & songs we want to teach them, the crafts & snacks we want to have with them... Each day, after VBS, we will also have a work day. We will be helping the people of Tabernacle put a concrete floor into their church, extend the roofline, & if time permits, maybe even build a latrine... serving God isn't always pretty! ;) It makes my heart nearly burst to know that we will be helping children AND adults in this beautiful, yet impoverished country. Even though they may live in hardship, I so want them to tangibly feel His love through our actions.
This (appropriately enough) was in a devotional I was reading recently...
Giving to God is a guaranteed investment with a certain return. God wants us to be a channel of blessing to others. When we are, it is we who receive the greatest blessing of all.
"Give & it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together & running over will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." ~ Luke 6:38
...& then the other day, I heard a song, "Live with Abandon" by the Newsboys:
There's gotta be so much more to life than this; a higher calling that I missed.
I want my life to count, every breath...
I wanna live with abandon. Give You all that I am.
Every part of my heart, Jesus, I place in Your hands.
I wanna live with abandon.
Living with abandon means that love & service will just naturally pour out of us because of our love for Him. I want my life to be one of complete abandon to God. I want to serve Him & follow Him and have His love spill out of me! In doing so, I also know that whatever love & grace we extend, that God is going to give us back this love & grace tenfold! I am humbled (& unworthy)...
Dear Lord,
I DO want to live with abandon... I want to set aside my cautious, controlling nature & let YOU run with it! I know that this trip can be even MORE spectacular than I can even imagine... if You are in control. I place this entire trip in Your hands. Please continue to direct our steps so that we may become the hands, feet & heart of Jesus to those we are serving in Gonaives, Haiti. Please continue to direct us to follow YOUR plan! Help us to live with abandon for You so that those who see us will naturally want to know, follow & love You! In Christ's Holy, precious name I pray. Amen.
Renmen ak benediksyon!
~Laura
P.S. - We covet your prayers while we are away... safe travels to Haiti & back home, God's protection for our health & safety while we are there, good weather (so that we can accomplish all we've planned), and pray especially for the orphans, pastors and the families we will be serving during our time in Haiti. We want to serve them & love them with the grace and affection of Jesus Christ. We want them to feel God's favor on them through our efforts.
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