12/31/09
Thursday - New Year's Eve
Sunrise is early in Haiti - at least it was while we were there. I think it was up around 5:30-5:45 - I was awake by 6:30 even though we didn't get to bed until around midnight and had been up since 4am the previous day. Everyone was just kind of naturally up by then.
Before heading out for the day, Jan warned us that we are now out of the comfort of America and right in the middle of a spiritual battle field. Many in Haiti practice voodoo which in a nutshell is the worship of the dead (and who is the father of death? - the devil). She warned us that he (the devil) would be hitting us hard because he wasn't happy with what we're doing. Back home it is so easy to get comfortable, to not see things for what they truly are. Hollywood has trained us that good and evil are just shades of grey and that voodoo is just a silly religion - just as silly as Christianity if we believe Hollywood. But let me tell you, the spiritual realm is real. Even someone like me who has been a Christian all my life has trouble seeing the truth because we've been blinded by our society. But in Haiti, oh boy, in Haiti I saw it so clearly. I'm not saying I saw ghosts and demons. But I am saying that there was an oppression just hanging in the air. During the first day there, people were getting annoyed with each other, irritated, etc. over very little things. I'm telling you that it wasn't simply because we were tired. Satan was ticked off that a group of Christians was there to do God's work and he was playing every little mind game he could to divide us.
If this sounds nuts, I get it, I understand that. Like I said, it took me going to Haiti to see the spiritual battle field a little more clearly. Ignorance is bliss, but if ignorance does nothing but make you ineffective for the kingdom, wouldn't you rather know a little bit more about what is going on? I believe this is what Satan has done in America. He's helped us to believe that the spiritual stuff is all nonsense, that it's entertainment (palm reading anyone?), but I'm here to tell you that he has blinded you to what's going on around you. By thinking that it's not real, you don't combat it. You float through life luke-warm (Hmmmm... I think there's something about that in Revelation...)
Sorry, I didn't mean to preach, I just started typing and that's what came out. As much as I realize it might make me look like a nut, I'm going to leave it there. I'd much rather be an effective nut than an ineffective "sane" person. :)
So, anyway, this day was a cleaning day at Jan's new house. They got the keys to it on the 30th (they were supposed to have access to the house long before that, but, well, things work differently in Haiti). The ladies worked on cleaning while the men figured out the plan of attack for the improvements the house needed. We worked on cleaning up the trash pile in the backyard as well as cleaning out the three bedrooms. One thing that we take for granted as Americans is our sanitation departments. There is no trash pickup in Haiti. You burn what you can and dump the rest where ever you find a place. The countryside is dotted with piles of broken glass and rusted tin cans. Jan's backyard was no different. We raked through what had been the previous owners trash pile and pulled out all the glass and rusted metal we could find, then we burned the rest. Matt used a machete to trim the trees. Way more fun than a chainsaw if you ask me.
During lunch I found out that there would be Kids Club at Jan's house that afternoon. It just kind of naturally fell to me to come up with the story/lesson. No pressure! So while everyone ate I frantically tried to figure out what a good lesson would be. I didn't know it at the time, but God used this as a confidence booster for teaching Kids Club in Bor Kanal.
After lunch we headed back to the house to get some more cleaning done. We eventually got the bedrooms ready for painting which we had hoped to start that day, but God had a different schedule in mind apparently! 8^)
At 3:45 me and a few others came back to Jan's current house for Kids Club.
Our translator (who works with Jan on a regular basis during Kids Club and the Women's Bible Study) led the music and got the kids excited. Then I narrated the story while Jacob portrayed Samson and the other people there portrayed his enemies. They all had fun acting it out, though I think some of the "enemies" may have been a little too excited at getting to beat up Samson (could it be that his older sisters were some of the enemies?).
Anyway, the kids loved it. Their memory verse for the lesson was Philippians 4:13 "I can do everything through him who gives me strength." We talked about how Samson thought his hair had given him strength, but really his strength came from the Lord. Then we talked about how Samson prayed one last time for strength to overcome his enemies and since he relied on God for his strength his prayer was answered and Samson and his enemies learned that true power comes from God. As I look back now I wonder if this verse has stuck with these kids as they deal with the effects of the earthquake.
The best part of Kids Club was teaching them the song I learned through teaching at the preschool. It's "Jesus' Love is Bubbling Over." Jiffy translated it and we taught it to the kids in Creole. At the end of the song you do a kind of jazz hands thing and they thought it was hilarious watching the white people act goofy... which gave them more freedom to act goofy. It was a fun time.
That evening we had our first "adoptive" family over for dinner. It was the brothers Judes and Lucson (adopted by team members Steve & Ron). In 2008, they lost their mom and aunt in Hurricane Hannah along with everything they owned (they are both in their early twenties if I remember correctly).
Judes used to have a guitar which was also lost in the hurricane. So, Steve and Ron brought him a new one from America. The look on his face was just... hard to describe. Before knowing that he was going to receive a guitar he told us how he used to use his guitar to praise God. And how, even though it was lost, he was still able to use his voice to sing praises. After receiving the guitar he helped lead us in at least an hour of singing. It was just an awesome time. We sang in English and learned some in Creole. I even have a short video of Ron learning to sing "Jesus Loves Me" in Creole. The whole team signed the guitar so they would remember our names. Judes told us that though he wanted to do something for us in return, all he could do was pray for us. I can't quite explain how much it means to know that he's praying for me. There is a connection there that can only come from being in the family of Christ. It is more powerful than any blood-bond, because our being a part of the family of Christ means we'll be together for eternity. No matter where our life takes us, I know that I will one day see them again in Heaven.
They shared with us how they became Christians. I wish I had written all those details down. I do remember Lucson saying that when he decided to go to church all he had to wear was his school uniform. So he went, in his uniform, and sat on the back row so no one could see him and make fun of him. He said though, that once he became a Christian, he made sure to sit in the front - no matter his clothes. It makes me wonder how many people are sitting in the back of our church because they don't want to be seen. Maybe I should start sitting in the back so I can get to know them and help them feel welcome. Just a thought.
I was in bed before midnight, but that didn't stop me from hearing the revelry from outside. Haitians celebrate the new year too, with LOUD music and shouts and who knows what else. Too bad for the men who were sleeping on the roof. I don't think they slept that well that night. :)
Until the next installment,
Naomi
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