The not-so-little Things

Day to day life in Haiti can get overwhelming very quickly.  If we were to just scan the population and observe the people in need, in a moment it could be enough to say there is nothing we can do to make a difference we might as well pack up and go home.  But God says otherwise.

A Haitian friend that leads a small, fairly new congregation had extended multiple invitations to us to come to his church for Sunday worship.  He had been telling us of the need for a church building which has made us cautious not to ‘promise’ anything we weren’t prepared to follow through with.  We have Many Hands for Haiti ministry efforts at hand, not our friend’s ministry efforts.  This past Sunday we made our way along the dirt roads, bumping along on the ‘moto’ looking for our destination of the church.  We arrived to find a very humble worship setting with 4 simple benches and a table with a dirt floor underneath a thatched roof with ‘walls’ created from sheets to outline the ‘Sanctuary’.  We arrived on time so…we were the first ones there!  It gave us time to appreciate the stillness, the cool breeze, knowing God is HERE in this ‘simplicity’. 

During the worship time there was beautiful a cappella music from both the congregation and individuals.  There was preaching about Jonah (Jonas in Creole) not wanting to serve God in Nineva.  The scripture just before the offering was received was 1 Korent 16:1-4 …two 5 gourde coins (worth $0.12 US each) and the money we gave as our offering to God made up the entire giving on that day.  It seemed like so little.  Our thoughts were mixed.  After the service ended the pastor was excited to walk with us down the road a ways to show us the site where they would build the church.  There was wood to be used as posts for the walls at the site.  The announcement was made that because of today’s offering, NOW they could buy nails and NOW they can begin to build the church. 

 

With Pastor Elisma and the wood to start their new church

Faithfulness, patience, perseverance, gratitude….JOY!  God’s reminder to us that HE takes the little things and makes them BIG…for His Glory.  A baby in a manger, a teenage mother, a cup of cold water, a mustard seed, two coins… Not-so-little after all.

Homemade Pizza and Koka

Bread Art from the local market