This Sunday will be the second major holiday away from my
family in Haiti. This Sunday I’ll go to church by myself, drive thirty minutes
to my mom’s side of the family for lunch, all day long be asked a million
questions about my family as to which most I won’t know the answer to, and then
drive back to Murray for dinner with my dad’s side of the family. Alone.
But I’m not here to talk about the mood I’ll be in on Easter
Sunday or how I won’t be with my sweet mom and sister or my crazy dad and
brother because it’s not important. What is important is that my family is
sharing Christ’s love with the people of Haiti.
What is important is that we, as Christians, are ALL called to share the
gospel with everyone around us no matter our circumstances, emotions or
location. I’ve learned through this process of being “abandoned” in America
that our lives as Christians are not always ones of ease and comfort. Actually,
they
usually should be exactly the opposite. Our
physical comfort should not define our relationship with the Lord. Sometimes
it’s so easy for us as Americans to do nothing more than fill a pew every
Sunday and what a waste that is! We are called to proclaim the gospel to those
around us and those all over the world (Acts 1:8). If we aren’t doing this, we
must ask ourselves if we are truly seeking His will and serving Him in our
lives.
Today, my parents drove to another mission, Real Hope for
Haiti, in order to save a baby’s life. Real Hope is where the worst of the
worst cases of malnourishment and dehydration are sent to. In Haiti they deal
with the brute reality of third world poverty every day diligently loving on
these kids that may not even make it through the night. Today my mom got sweet
baby Peter back to breathing and cared and loved for him as they rushed to Real Hope. My
parents are selflessly loving and living out the Lord’s call in their lives.
But how as Christians in America can we live out the Lord’s call in our daily lives?
We must serve, equip
and teach. We must serve the least of these in our communities and around
the world (Matthew 25:40). We must equip others to
serve in places we cannot, we are called to support and pray for those serving
in every village and city on earth. We must also be careful because this
can be misconstrued as an excuse not to serve in full time ministry when the
Lord has placed this call on our hearts. We must teach others of the wonderful,
freeing, good news of Jesus Christ.
Katie Davis, a missionary in Uganda, famous for her book Kisses from Katie said this, “People
from my first home say I'm brave. They tell me I'm strong. They pat me on the
back and say, 'Way to go. Good job.' But the truth is, I am not really very
brave; I am not really very strong; and I am not doing anything spectacular. I
am simply doing what God has called me to do as a person who follows Him. He
said to feed His sheep and He said to care for 'the least of these,' so that's
what I'm doing, with the help of a lot people who make it possible and in the company
of those who make my life worth living.”
Let our hearts be ever longing to serve the One who saves.
Please continue to pray for sweet Peter as they treat him at
Real Hope for Haiti.
I’m also selling shirts to help raise money for my family in
Haiti as they serve there. They are short sleeve comfort colors and only $20.
If you’d like to order one make sure to get your name, size and money to me
before April 10th!
