His beautiful plan for an ugly world

Baby Evangela ("The Good News") was born today!  I had been hoping she and I would share a birthday, and turns out, she was too!

Paul's wife, Sarah, and the baby are doing well, Paul is happy to have mom and baby safe...I know they were nervous about having a baby in such a time as this!  Luke was back from his honeymoon today, too, and it seems that in the midst of struggle, life, and it's many joys, continue.

It might seem a bit random, but John and Dorothy gave me a rack of ribs for my birthday flown in from Florida, a rare and beautiful gift :)  Matt fixed them for us, with rolls, green been casserole and cranberry, and a cake.  We all had a lovely dinner together, making 28 feel a bit less depressing.   Lily loves birthday's SO much, and was thrilled to have candles to blow out and gifts to open :)  Thank you all for your cards, gifts, emails and prayers!

Paul's four kiddos, before Evangela

One of our third year students, Civil, gave "Pastor Matt" a letter today, not asking for anything, just reminding us of his prayers and thanking us for being here....as rare and beautiful a gift as those ribs!

"Thank you for everything God put in your heart to do for me.  God said to me to pray for you and your family and for your responsibility.  I thank God because through the blood of Jesus Christ God put us together.  I ask God to blessing your family because you leave the very best country, America, and you come to live in the very worst country, Haiti."

For some reason it always breaks my heart to hear Haitians acknowledge that most of the world considers Haiti one of "the very worst" countries.  I hate when these dear brothers and sisters acknowledge that they KNOW things are terrible.  It's much easier when we all talk about the things we love.  At the end of the day, I continue to claim Haiti as being one of the best places in the world.

And there is only one reason.

Anyone with two eyes can acknowledge that the roads, the buildings, the schools, the health care, the politics....just a mess, most of it seemingly beyond repair, most of it seemingly with no hope and no answers.  I don't KNOW what to say about cholera, about the government, about the UN, about the instability, about the way things are going, about the earthquake, the tents, the orphans, the financial aid, the poverty, the corruption.

There may be no Thanksgiving dinner.  No where to safely go on your birthday.  No movie theaters, no malls, no stores, no ice cream, no air conditioning.  We might get cholera, or whatever comes next.  Or get locked in again.  Or have another earthquake, hurricane or drought.  The government might always be a mess, there might always be poverty and corruption and instability.

But I have spent much of life these past years with Civil.  With Junior.  Lucner.  With Paul.  Dear and normal moments with Gertha.  Enick.  Abel.  Maxi.  Pehpay.  The young girl with the amputated leg in Port.  I have seen faith that crumpled me, miracles that have changed me, kindness that astounded me, and a TRUE hope in THE True Hope that I would not have dreamed of here on earth.

And I saw it all in Haiti.  I want to be like Christ like these.

If I didn't know Him, I guess Haiti would hold nothing of value for me.  But because I DO, and because I have so frequently and beautifully met Him here through His people, I might just always claim Haiti as being one of the best places in the world.

Little Evangela, coming into the world in a time of sickness, a time of devastation, a time of fear in "the worst" place.  Easy to think, "Ah, what a shame."  But man, do I thank the Lord that He sent Little Jesus into the dark world in the time of sickness, devastation and fear, smack into a stinking manger leading to the worst death.

What great transformation and unparalleled beauty comes with the fact that
I,
and you,
and HE,
and Evangela,
were sent to a dying, ugly world in a dying, ugly day to help transform that which was HIDEOUS, the WORST...separation, death and sin, into something BREATHTAKING, the BEST...reconciliation, life and holiness.

Brothers and sisters, let's keep taking up His cross with an EXPECTATION to be sent  into lostness, ugliness and disease, EXPECTING to lose our lives, so that we take on more of His.