testimony

It was as sweet a moment as I had thought it would be.

Belony and Pehpay walked in a few minutes late, holding hands, and everyone could see that Pehpay had worked hard to look as nice as possible. His pants must have been 3 sizes too big, but a belt bunched and held them up, and they had been carefully pressed, as had his faded shirt.

They walked hand in hand down the aisle, both of them beaming, and all the guys got quiet.

"This is him!" Belony said joyfully, and everyone knew we were standing on holy ground. Not because of anything special about the grinning old man before them, but because of what Christ had done in his life. Pehpay never went to school. "Not a day" he told me, and has spent his entire existence here in the little muddy community of Sakenville.

And yet it was with rapture that this most educated group of brothers and sisters listened, all sitting forward on our pews to catch every word.

"I was all but dead..." Pehpay began, and slowly and boldly shared his story with the pastors, evangelists, missionaries and teachers around him. He showed them how big his stomach was, talked about what dying had been like, talked about living his life in darkness.

"But God met me, and then He healed me, and I will love Him forever, no doubt. I will love Him forever" he swore with a child-like faith, clear eyes, and a huge, almost toothless grin.

"God preserved my life, but you know, I am still going to die one of these days. But because of what Belony told me about Jesus, I will have eternal life now! So, it is all ok. I will love Him forever!" he said again, and then Belony led his "little brother", back down the aisle to a beautiful chorus of applause...not for Pehpay, for he had done nothing. And not for Belony, because his hand had done no miracle, his sacrifice had saved no one from their sins.

No, once again the chapel was filled with beautiful applause of praise, praise for a God who continues to surprise His children by His great love, His great power, and by His great mercy. I'm so thankful we have all of eternity to applaud who He is...with Pehpay.

It is the season of the mango, and the trees are heavy with them. If you pick them, they never ripen, rotting where you place them. But if you wait until they fall, they are perfect...sweet, warm from the sun, dripping with vitamins and nutrients. Matt would say, "That could preach."

These days they are falling by the dozens, much to the delight of everyone, blessed for once with truly free food. All the kiddos (and several of the students :) have orange around their mouths continually, and Lily is quiet happy to join them.

The revival services have been going really well, with two or three people committing or re-committing their lives to Christ each evening. Matt's played bass and few evenings, and Lily and I go until she can't keep her eyes open. Sunday evening there is a large final service. Please pray that the Lord will continue to move...

their mustard seed

couldn't wait to share these with you...story tomorrow!

life as it happens...

As I finished our last post, I thought, I sure hope I'm not the only "AMEN!" here, or I think that I should just quit blogging.

All your "Whoo-hoo!" comments have quite confirmed that I am not alone in my excitement for who He is, how He works, and what He's doing! Thank you :)

Nothing fluid tonight, just a bunch of random things on our hearts, minds and schedules...

Tomorrow, Pehypay is speaking in chapel! Belony had asked him to come and share his testimony as soon as he was able, and after making it to church on Sunday, he can absolutely make it to Emmaus. I can't wait to hear his story from his perspective, and to share in this with the students and staff...I'll have pictures and an update for you this week!

The revival has been going well, and tomorrow night and Friday night Matt is playing bass for the worship portions. Belony will be preaching tomorrow night, and I've invited several people throughout the community that have been open to the Gospel, but "not ready." Please keep praying for these services! I'll have photos of this by Friday, too (It is NOT easy to get pictures in these situations...Many people do NOT want their pictures taken, and I don't like taking pictures often in church).

If you're looking for music for your devotional life, I just downloaded Kari Jobe's CD, entitled "Kari Jobe" a few days ago (took 3.5 days to download, but still) and MAN, it is fantastic. She strikes the perfect balance between personal worship and reverent worship...just REALLY good stuff that has been making my Bible study and prayer time extra intimate and focused. If you're looking for something like that, check it out.

Matt's Romans course is officially half-way through, and today's class went really well. He's been using a Key Note (MAC version of PowerPoint) presentation, but was getting really frustrated that the students were SO intent on copying down every word, that no one was focusing on the thinking and inductive part. But today, all four projectors unexpectedly lost power and were unable to be fixed, and without the presentation, Matt had the best class yet....might be on to something here...

Also, we are overjoyed to announce that our dear friend Don is getting packed and ready to come on Sunday, staying with us this time for a month to work on the second-story of the men's dorm (which is FAR from being finished) helping with a few things around the seminary, and helping to work on Lucner's house. He is always SUCH a positive and Godly example and influence for us both, and we are so excited he's coming and giving of his time and money and family and skills, yet AGAIN, to pour out Christ in ways that only he can. (Plus, Matt loves that he gets 2 man-movies in a row when Don is here for every chick flick versus his normal 'every other.')

Thank you for all of your continued prayers. Normally, graduation would be this week, but due to the Earthquake, we still have 5 more weeks of classes...the difficult year is working on everyone, and we're grateful for your prayers for the energy and perseverance of the staff and students!

Pictures and testimonies on Friday...

this is BIG

Today was a BIG day. It didn't start big. We planned to go to church right across the street. Matt didn't have to preach. We didn't have any visitors to translate for. A few friends were coming for lunch. "Bless us with your sweet presence" I had prayed this morning, wanting nothing else.

By His grace, He gave us that, and much more.

As we walked up to the church, I saw Frandia standing outside. She was the "first" convert I have spoken of frequently, and for weeks as Belony and I have opened the Word to her, we've talked to her about going to church. We've spoken to her about the importance, especially as one who lives entirely in a non-Christian household, about spending time worshiping the Lord with other believers. But each week, she has had a reason why church wasn't for her.

But this morning she was outside, scraping mud off her shoes, and though she looked quite uncomfortable and was wearing a rather failed-attempt at appropriate church clothing, she was THERE, and she and I both broke into a big grin at the sight of each other.

"Lord, this is big!" I prayed silently as we walked in together.

After some opening announcements, Abel stood to introduce any visitors, but said that this week there were two new Christians to introduce. "Joseph" Abel nodded, and a few pews over Joseph stood, a previous gate guard for EBS. A man who had spent his life in a Catholic / Voodoo mix of religion, this past Tuesday he came and found pastor Janiel, saying, "Today is the day. I want to be a Christian. Tell me how."

It was all I could do to keep from clapping my hands in joy, when Abel introduced the second, who sat right in front of us. We could tell he was young, but then he turned around, and we recognized him immediately. Remember the day when several young men from Sakanville stood outside the gate, behaving quite badly? And Matt prayed that one of these Saul's would one day be a Paul?

Kenson was in front of them, throwing rocks and spouting off mouthy responses to each word of peace Matt spoke. "With so much energy and passion and intelligence, Stacey, these men could do BRILLIANCE unto the Lord. We have to keep praying," Matt had told me.

This morning, in front of all of his peers and neighbors, Kenson stood. "I am a Christian now," he said strong and slow. THIS IS BIG.

We were floored. Making an announcement like that here is not the same as it might be in the States. He won't drive 30 minutes home and not see any of these people until next Sunday. They will see his every moment, hear his every speech, watch his every move. He pronounced to Sakanville this morning that he has died, and been born again a new person, and 100 people will be holding him accountable.

Beside him sat three other young men, all in jeans and t-shirts. This completely unacceptable dress for church in Haiti was entirely ignored by the whole church, who welcomed these men the same as everyone else, and I breathed another silent prayer..."LORD, THANK YOU." They were friends of Kenson's, that he had brought with him.

"Don't you want to become Christians today?" Abel asked them. "Not yet," they each said, but Matt whispered hope next to me. "If this is real, Kenson will bring them to the Lord." (After the service, Matt and Kenson had a long talk, and Matt quickly saw that all of the attitude, hatred and bitterness formerly possessing Kenson have been entirely replaced with a quiet joy.)

Pastor Janiel announced that every night this week there will be services, calling this week a "Week of Revival"...please be praying for these, starting tonight through next Sunday, from 5-7 pm. Pictures to come.

Overwhelmed by the miracles around me, the service began, but it wasn't until the end that that they brought me to tears. Right at the very end of the two hour service, and old man stood from the old-man-row, and picked up a stick and headed out the door.

It was Pehpay.

He met my eye and grinned, holding our hands for a moment in joy before heading home.

Pehpay should be dead. DO YOU HEAR ME? I was THERE. I held his dying hand. Pehpay lived his whole life in darkness. Pehpay should be at the beginning of an eternity of death, darkness and HELL. Pehpay should be dead.

Instead, Pehpay has been given NEW life in every way imaginable. He walked 6 blocks, by himself, to church this morning. He is just at the beginning of an eternity of glory, of love, and of sweet communion with his new found Father. Pehpay is ALIVE.

IT IS A MIRACLE, friends. Miracles, all of it. I saw 5 miracles this morning, family, with my own eyes. I was THERE. Family, I'll never have anything more sweet to share with you than this. I was THERE today, and so were YOU.

Dan and Gill, Gord and Doreen, all that you did down here to build the Seminary and His kingdom, you played a part in the bigness of today. Sam and Cammie, all the hours you spent pouring Jesus into these brothers and sisters, Christ in you did BIG things today. Have you prayed for Sakenville? Given 1$ to build a seminary in its midst? Come on a team? Prayed for Haiti? Prayed for us? YOU were there today. Christ in you, the hope of glory for Sakanville.

In this little block church in a little quiet community on a little distant island, God's doing the same thing He did for me. Called me to Him, took on my sins, and exchanged my spirit of death for a beautiful spirit of LIFE. As steadily as He's changing me, He's changing Sakanville, and doing what He does best....the impossible.

Glwa a Dye...Glory to God

Not. One. Inch.

There are several kinds of public transportation here in Haiti.

You can hire a motorcycle and driver to take you most anywhere, or, for less money, flag down a pick-up truck, known as Tap-Taps. The truck bed has benches and a cover, and a kid hanging off the back of the tap-tap “Tap-Taps” on the side when a passenger needs to get on or off.

And for even less money, you can try to flag down a barreling huge yellow bus cram jammed with people. Matt and I both have had the adventure of bus travel, and it is hot, dangerous, and most of all, CROWDED. Chickens, pineapples, school children, scaffolding, cement, paint, books, clothes, men and women of all shapes and sizes and everything you can imagine in between sit three or four to a seat, stand in all the aisles, pack around the driver, and stand on the stairs by the open door.

Nobody is more “in” than anybody else. If you have one foot perched precariously on the bottom step and cling for dear life to the door handle while the driver tears around mountains and potholes, you are as much on the bus as anybody else. You will arrive (by the grace of God) the same time and place as everyone else, unload for repairs like everyone else, feel each bump like everyone else.

Years ago, before Emmaus Biblical Seminary even thought about building a new campus here in Sacanville, there was a HUGE mango tree just a few yards from our front door, where the women’s dorm now sits. I’ve told you before what a dark and Satanic place Sacanville chooses to be, and this is part of the history of Sacanville as much as the present, perhaps more.

Under this mango tree, for decades on end, hundreds of people gathered for worship, chanting and singing praises to demons and Satan himself. The small ceremonies we frequently fall asleep to supposedly pale in comparison to the huge services once held under this tree God created. Much was given to Satan under this tree, and as the stories go, much was given by him as well.

The land was sold, and then sold again to OMS maybe seven years ago, and no one seems quite sure as to whether the previous owner or OMS chopped down the huge tree to make way for construction. Either way, the tree was hauled off and ceremonies split out among the small voodoo temples scattering the countryside of Saccanville.

A few nights ago, several doors in the women’s dorm slammed shut unexpectedly, and Wednesday, a very unsettled kitchen staff (that lives in the dorm during the week) came and asked if we could have a service of exorcism around the dorm, because Satan lives there.

Satan, in Haiti or anywhere else in the world, is no laughing matter. And these women clearly have a pressing spirit of fear about sharing a space with the devil. However, I felt the Lord speaking through me to come alongside these women with His Truth.

Satan doesn’t live in blocks. Neither does Jesus.

Jesus offers us His Holy Spirit, who can therefore, if we desire Him, live in OUR Spirit. He can take our natural spirit of death and replace it with the Spirit of Life. We each have a spirit, and I have seen many times in the past four years that a sleeping body and a dead body look entirely different…one no longer has his spirit.

The Bible makes it clear that the Holy Spirit lives in US. …the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:5

Satan doesn’t live in a mango tree, or in the women’s dorm, or in your car or coffee mug or in your basement. Satan lives where he’s asked to, allowed to, desired, permitted, made comfortable, JUST like the Holy Spirit does.

And I don’t believe they can live together. Just as we cannot have radiant light and drowning darkness at the same time, or ravenous hunger and full stomachs, or glorious truth and deathly lies, or pure holiness and blatant immorality.

I don’t believe the Holy Spirit will live where Satan hangs out, and I don’t believe Satan CAN dwell where the Holy Spirit reigns.

But you know, I don’t think Satan needs a whole lot of an invitation. I know how weak my flesh and mind and tongue and heart are. And I think that all Satan needs to get on board is the small corner of a bottom step to plant his foot.

We might have a whole lot of good things packed onto our bus…honestly and generosity and love and patience and kindness. But if we leave a small space by the door for Satan to jump on, he is as much a passenger of our life as anything else.

“Tolerating a wrong attitude toward one another (or a wrong pattern, or a wrong thought, or a wrong action, or a wrong anything!) causes you to follow the spirit of the devil, no matter HOW saintly you are,” O. Chambers says.

“Live constantly, then, reminding yourself of the judgment seat of Christ, and walk in the knowledge of the holiness that He has given you in His Spirit.”

“The Christian life is one of spiritual courage and determination lived out in our flesh. We fail because we are ignorant of the way God has made for us, and we blame things on the devil that are actually the result of our own undisciplined natures.”

Praying for us each, today… for the women in the dorm and for Matt and I, for our brothers and sisters around the world, for YOU…that we would be SO committed to His path, SO entrenched in His Holy Spirit, SO disciplined in the holiness that He is offering us, that Satan will have Not. One. Inch.

For sin shall NOT master over you. Romans 6:14.

But now, you have been freed from sin and enslaved to God, and the outcome is eternal life. Romans 6:22.

If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will give life to your mortal body through His Spirit who dwells in you. For we have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption. We are His children! Romans 8

fervent love

A new session started this morning, which means that Craig and Debbie finished up yesterday and headed out bright and early. Their Christian Family class was quite a hit, sparking lots of good conversation and interesting questions. Their presence in our lives for two weeks was also a great blessing, and they even finished off their time by babysitting Lily one evening so Matt and I could go out, for the first time since December. It was fantastic…Thank you, Craig and Debbie, for everything!

Matt begins teaching Romans this morning the fourth year class, and the preparation for this class has really catapulted him into a new stage with the Lord. There may be no better way to learn something than to teach it! I am continually grateful for the way that Lord meets us and speaks to us and guides us in many challenging and beautiful situations!

This is the passage He is opening my eyes to:

Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another,

because love covers a multitude of sins. 1 Peter 4:8

As I've been meditating on this passage this week, I keep thinking about the 'multitude of sins' that fervent love could cover.

In my marriage...intense, sincere, enthusiastic love would absolutely overcome irritation, selfishness, anger, bitterness and resentment.

In my parenting...wholehearted, dedicated, ardent love could totally wipe-out impatience, frustration and selfishness.

In my communion with missionaries, co-workers, students...committed, passionate and sincere love can kill the temptations for frustration, selfishness, grudges, gossip, short-fuses, bickering, defensiveness, slander, my rights, justice and what is best for me.

FERVENT love, the kind He models for me, can cover a multitude of possible sins before they even happen...

Obviously, this is not an easy thing, but if fervent love for Christ and others was my goal, and constantly on my heart and mind, I know my life could look more like His.

Keep fervent in your love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins.

Prayers and Praises...

PLEASE be praying for our internet situation. We have now been down since Saturday (we can send and receive occasional emails, and throw up an occasional photo-less post) and this is starting to greatly affect the Master's studies of Matt, Paul, Luke and Guenson. They are now going to hotels in town every other day to upload and download assignments... Please pray that these major problems could be fixed.

PRAISE the Lord for the Renner's, who are letting me use their internet right now!

PRAISE the Lord for the exciting news that Paul and his wife are pregnant with their fourth!! (Paul is not yet overly excited, but will be :)

PRAISE the Lord for the fruit of new believers blossoming in Sakanville...little by little, roots are digging into the soil.

Continued PRAYER for the staff and students as they work to tell Haiti about Him...many still haven't heard the Truth of Christ, and many more are hard-hearted.

The internet is still VERY down...will blog as soon as we can, or will start emailing blogs to our family to post for us if we don't get back up in a day or two...

Happy Birthday Lisa!

Today my little sister is 24! I don't know how that can possibly be, but am so incredibly proud of the woman she has become. She is an inner-city teacher to fourth grade in downtown Chicago, and will be moving to Denver this summer. (Big job interview today!) She is as strong and courageous and sensitive as they come, and I am constantly learning so much about perseverance and joy from Lisa. Besides all that, she is a fabulous aunt and sister-in-law, always thinking about things that would make Lily and Matt and I happy before her own happiness. Lee, we love you and wish we could be there to celebrate!

One of my many Lisa verses..."Be hospitable to one another without complaint. As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of His beautiful grace." 1 Peter 4:9-10

I have several pictures to put up, but we are, and have been the last 24 hours, having some major internet problems....can't even get on Google! We'll keep trying. Love you, Lee!

Also, praise report....working through several different people in several ways, one of the students made a contact that might enable us to buy entire Creole Bibles in the near future from Port at $60 a piece (roughly $7.50 US). Getting excited...will let you know how this pans out! THANKS for all your Bible prayers!

dog days of summer

It is heating up, and Matt and Barry's dad just spent the morning putting an air conditioner in the guest bedroom for Dr. Cooper, who is greatly struggling with the heat!

Lily has decided she wants one, too (as has her father)...

...and that poor Shay is her horse...
poor Shay

..and that going with her friends is way more fun than hanging out with Mom.

giving, pants and what burning charcoal might look like...

Ah.

Every time I think the dust has settled on my "burden balance"...that I "get it"...that I've found that place between this culture, my culture, and HIS culture to dwell... that I understand or have seen it enough or thought it all through...I have a today.

Matt watched Lil so Belony and I could go out right after lunch. We stopped in to see Pehpay first today, and he is doing SO well. We talked about where he is in the Bible, how he's feeling, what his days are like, and when he's going to be a guest speaker in chapel (next week! should be AWESOME).

The almost toothless smile and his beautiful spirit...ah, just bring me such joy! His crumbling little shack has become a little hut of hope, and the dirt and holes and smells and clutter and poverty that were so heart-wrenching the first week have truly faded in light of his new walk with the Lord!

However, I was greatly humbled by Belony. A few days ago, I noticed that he clearly had a burden on his mind. I probed gently at the source, but he continually hesitated, finally just asking that I pray for his family. I promised that I would, but after a few days, still felt burdened about it. The Hubele's had left us some money, and when I came across the envelope, I felt strongly that some should go to Belony's family for whatever this problem was.

After giving him the envelope, he was deeply touched, because his family is struggling greatly right now financially. Yet as we started to leave Pehpay's little hut today, Belony pressed a wad of crumpled bills into Pehpay's hand, knowing that he needed it desperately too, though Pehpay has never asked.

I have so much and yet so often give so stingily of my finances, my time, my money, my gifts, my friendship, my love. My giving here has never set us back...we have so much more than everyone we live with, it would be almost impossible NOT to give. If you had 25 bags of McDonald's in your car, and saw a homeless man on the street, it would be nothing to give him a burger.

But to see one brother sacrificially (in a way I don't even begin to understand or know) give to another brother, to see a man with just one french fry to live on give it joyfully to his brother...

Tears stung my eyes as we continued on and I tried to process this act of selfless pure love.

No time. We talked to each person we passed, one woman telling us that she would "become a Christian one day when she finally quit smoking" (???) and another that didn't want to follow Christ, but did want us to ask Christ to give her more money and food and to solve their problems.

In a moment we had arrived in the little yard, surrounded by cacti, where Belo meets with new believers to study the Bible. Only Frandlee was there today, and has been faithfully there since becoming a Christian (she was the first one) several weeks ago. After several weeks of setting good foundation, today Belony began to talk with her about living "set apart" and about what "repentance" looks like..."turning a different direction."

As he began to share with her from Romans, a rather rough looking group of men, one woman and several children began making a lot of noise from another house in the yard. In a few moments, something I couldn't see happened, and the tallest and angriest man began beating a small boy that seemed to be his son.

The boy was screaming, the man kept beating him in the side of his face, and the mother and neighbors didn't blink. No interest, no involvement, no emotion, no change. I felt instantly sick and anxious, and looked at Belony. He met my eyes, and pointed me back to the Bible on Frandlee's lap. Focus on what we CAN do, he seemed to be saying.

He continued to try to speak to her over the noise, and I tried to focus, but found it impossible, praying for wisdom and courage about how I could intervene. I couldn't even breathe, while everyone around me, buses charging by, men playing dominoes, children laughing at the withering boy, continued. An instant before I could stand it no longer and jumped between the livid man and crouching boy, the man threw down his fists in disgust and walked away, flopping down on the porch and glaring hatefully at me? belony? life?

In this atmosphere Belony persevered, and I realized really for the first time what Frandlee was facing. No mother (left them when she was 3), no father (he lives an hour away and does not provide nor is involved with her.) NO Christians in the house or in this yard community of houses. No Christian friends. No Christian family. Almost no safe or moral ways to provide for her existence. No one looking out for her.

I looked again at Hateful Man, and then at Frandlee, and shuttered. The men and women that sneer and jest and slur at Belony and I are the men and women living with Frandlee. And she has chosen to follow Christ. What a HUGE commitment. Even to sit for an hour and study the Bible in the middle of such tension, such darkness, such sadness. To be SEEN with "Pastor and the Missionary".

"We have to be in the world, Frandlee, but not OF it!" Belony encouraged her, while my mind whirred. "You might live here, but you must be set apart. This might be a very dark place, but you must be a light! The things you did before? The things you are seeing everyone do? You must not do them..you must be set apart. The Scripture will tell you how to live! Let's look here...and here...."

As he spoke to her about Biblical standards, I heard them applied to a set of cultural norms that varied greatly from those in mine.

"Frandlee, you cannot prostitute yourself for some money, for some food. You must live differently than the rest of the world. You must trust the Lord for your food. He will provide for you!"

"Frandlee, you cannot wear pants any longer!" (now before you say, "WHAT?" let me continue.) Belony explained to me on the way home, "It is NOT because the act of wearing pants is a sin. Of course not. It is no sin to wear pants. But here, in this culture, women have been wearing pants for years as a sign that they are available for pay. Now, more women wear them, and they are NOT all necessarily prostituting, but they ARE still synonymous with trying to attract men sexually. Frandlee cannot be set apart, be a light in her community, be holy as He is holy, in this culture, while representing to all that she is trying to sexually attract men." (For the first time, I really got why I'm in a skirt everyday.)

"Frandlee, you can't have a boyfriend who is not a believer! You cannot seek the Lord and hold these standards for yourself, and yet spend all your time and conversation and money and love with someone that does not love your Lord. He will pull you away. Just as a pile of burning charcoal will burn for hours, but if one is pulled out, it sputters and dies. You must date burning charcoal! Your boyfriend must be one who helps you burn for Christ, not one who pulls you away from Him."

"Frandlee, do you know what one of the hardest things is? You must forgive. The Bible says clearly that if we do NOT forgive our brother, our Father in Heaven cannot forgive us. No matter what anyone has done to you, we have to forgive, because He has forgiven us. Can you forgive?"

"All but one," she said firmly. "Not this one."

"Ah, Frandlee, but you must," Belony said, love brimming over in each admonishment. "We will pray for that."

As Belony went through several other things, I asked myself the same questions. I thought about my culture. I thought about MY standards. I thought about Belony, and if he saw me in the States, if he would think I looked or lived any differently than anyone else. Sure, my heart might be radically different for Christ, but what about my LIFE. What about my dress? What about my hobbies? Habits? Speech? Friends? Schedule? Job? Spending?

I realized today that I spent most of my life in the States trying very hard NOT to look much different. My HEART was for Christ, wasn't that enough? He knew I loved Him! Couldn't I blend?

What would a totally set apart person even LOOK like in the States? What should I even look like? If I'm representing HIM -- not "Christian Stacey" or "Good" or "Traditional" -- everywhere I go, Haiti, US, wherever, what should that look like?

THIS was the peace I found, the peace I overjoyingly shared with Frandlee as I was almost beginning to despair for her almost seemingly impossible situation...HE WILL MAKE IT POSSIBLE.

If His strength is made great in our weakness, if He calls us to be Holy as He is Holy, if He is faithful even when we are not, if He promises to draw near to us if we will only draw near to Him...Then HE will help Frandlee be human-impossibly set apart. Then He will help her be light and find other lights and rely on Him for her food and to stand firm under persecution.

Not a thing has He asked us to do or be that He cannot do or be in us...that He will not help us to do. I'm still working all this through, but tonight, this is truly abandoned and trusting prayer:

Search me, O God, and know my heart

Try me and know my anxious thoughts;

See if there is any hurtful way in me,

and Lead me instead in your everlasting Way.

psalm 139

the people 'of the mangoes'

Matt came literally floating in the house late Saturday afternoon, deep-red sunburnt, parched, sweaty, coated in a thin layer of dust and beaming.

"THAT WAS AWESOME" he gushed, plopping down in a plastic chair and guzzling an icy Coke. "We gotta do that like EVERY weekend."

I wish I had seen Matt, Belony and Jean-Marie, all packed onto John's motorcycle heading through the countryside for this unknown area.

The area might be more realistically called "Of the Bamboo" because Matt said just forests of bamboo, some almost 40 feet high, went back as far as the eye could see, just unbelievable. They travelled past all of the bamboo and stopped the bike in front of the first little hut.

Two teen-age girls were squatting on little chairs, scrubbing clothes against each other in a large black tub. Belony started talking to them about Jesus, and one of them prayed with Him for forgiveness of her sins and for new life.

The next yard was empty but for an old woman shelling beans. Her foot was badly injured, with the skin peeling off of it and pain excruciating. As soon as Jean Marie began talking to her about the Lord she said she has waited for a very long time to become a Christian.

"I want to. I have wanted to for a very long time. But this is not my home, and they let me live here, but they worship Satan. I think they will put me out if I become a Christian."

Matt jumped in, and talked to her about the Spirit of Death that we are born with, and the Spirit of Life that God is offering. "You can choose not to become a Christian, and choose to keep that Spirit of Death, but your reward, keeping this house, will only be temporary. But if you choose to take on the Spirit of Life, NO one can take that away from you."

"Who created those beans that you're picking?" Matt asked. "Who gave you life?"

"God, of couse," she said quietly.

"Then those are His beans. You are HIS. How can you deny Him?"

"I want the Spirit of Life, please" she said after they spoke a while longer. She was the second.

Belony prayed with her for her salvation, and Matt prayed while they prayed, silently, for her foot.

When they finished, she was beaming. "I feel different!" she grinned, "AND I feel a tingle in my foot!"

After a few more houses, Belony, Jean-Marie and Matt split up, because there were WAY more homes than they had expected.

The first house Matt approached alone had a 20-something year old girl in the yard. As soon as Matt approached the tiny girl, her boyfriend approached to see what Matt was doing...dreadlocks, no shirt, rotten teeth, attitudinal.

Matt felt the Spirit leading him in a different direction than the typical, "Jesus wants you to come to Him" approach.

"Can I tell you a story?" Matt asked.

"Yeah!" they both said, and all sat down.

"We were all born, right, of a man and a woman, so we're all alike, you know? But one time, there was ONE man who was different, not like we all are. The God that created the earth and gives us each life, His Spirit put a child in the belly of a woman, and many people knew that this was a miracle. As this special guy got older, people could see that he was very special. Have you heard this story before?"

"No," they both said, very interested.

"Well, He was different than all other people, and demonstrated power and authority. Like, He was able to heal people just by touching them...a blind man, a lame guy. AND, He controlled nature...walked on water, calmed a storm."

"An another amazing thing that He did that showed His power was raising a guy named Lazarus from the dead. This special guy had two friends, Mary and Martha, and their brother was very sick, and they knew that if this special guy came, He could heal them."

"But, the special guy couldn't come right away, and Lazarus died. And four days after he died, the special guy came, and his friend came to meet him, so sad that He did not heal their brother. They were so sad, and the special man was sad too. And He asked them if they believed He could raise their brother."

"So they took Him to Lazarus' tomb. You know what happened? The special guy said, 'Lazarus, come out!' and you know what? He DID. EVERYONE could see that this guy was special, good, unique, powerful."

"You've never heard this before?"

"No, tell us more!"

"Well, people got upset with Him, because He told them about how God was His Father, and so they killed Him. And many people were so sad, because He was dead."

"Yeah, but He raised, Lazarus, right, so He could raise himself, right?" the boyfriend asked eagerly.

"YES," Matt said. "Not even death could hold Him down. He came back to life, and many people saw Him after He came back to life. After a short while, He was hanging out with His friends, and He told them that He had to go, but that He would send His Spirit to help them."

"And THAT'S where He still is, with His Father, God. And because He's different, and He wanted everyone to have the same Spirit that HE had. The Spirit of LIFE! But we have the Spirit of Death, and we can't get that Spirit of Life for ourselves."

"Like you," Matt said, pointing to the skinny girl. "I KNOW you have done bad things."

"Yeah, I have," she agreed honestly. Quietly, she whispered, "We are pregnant. We are not married."

"God wants you to be married," Matt said. "You know why? Wouldn't it bring you joy and peace and comfort to stand before your family and God and promise to love each other and always be faithful to each other, no matter what? Wouldn't you have such joy and peace if he told everyone that he would NEVER love another woman and always be yours?"

"YES," she said.

"And you," Matt turned to the guy, "Wouldn't you have joy and peace knowing she would always be faithful to you?"

"YES," he said.

"And you," Matt said, pointing to her punk boyfriend. "I know you've done bad things, too."

"YES," he said wholeheartedly.

"We ALL have, me too, and we all deserve to die for all that bad stuff. But you remember I told you that people killed Him. Well, He died in OUR place. He suffered our consequence FOR us. And He said many times that He wanted us to be forgiven and that He took our sin on Himself, even though He was GOOD and did nothing bad."

Matt could see clearly that both of these young people were so devastated.

"Do you know what to do if you regret the bad that you have done and if you are so sad that you have disrespected God and His love for you, do you know what to do?"

"No, we don't." they both said.

"Just ASK." Matt told them both. "He will forgive you. The special man? His name is Jesus! And once you are forgiven, you can leave your Spirit of Death and take Jesus' Spirit of Life and He will LIVE in you. Jesus lives in me, right now! And you know, this morning, I know He sent me here to you, even before I knew you, He did."

"Is that something that you want?" Matt asked the girl, then the guy.

"YES."

"YES."

Belony joined them, and holding hands, these two became these four in the Spirit, the Spirit of Life.

After praying, Matt reminded them that in the same way that they breathed, they could call upon the Lord in ANY moment. "Satan and your friends and even yourselves will try to make you doubt, but when that happens, be quick to call on Him, and He will come to you. He will help you and come alongside of you, just call on Him."

Three and four. Three and four beautiful people, sitting in their yards like they have every day since birth, just waiting to hear the Truth. Just waiting for TODAY. Waiting for someone to tell them.

Throughout the rest of the afternoon, one more person Of The Mangoes became Alive, and many choose to keep the Spirit of Death. Beyond Of the Mangoes? A thousand, a MILLION other villages, other people, sitting, sleeping, eating, waiting...

Praying we will always go when sent. Praying for these five and for the many who have taken on His Spirit of Life these past weeks...

Happy Mother's Day!

We are grateful today for the man and women who have been "Mother" to us...

"My mom continues to demonstrate patience, unconditional love, and tenderness all resting upon a backdrop of tenderness and originality that makes me especially proud of her." --Matt

My dad continues to beautifully be mother, and father, to me...calling frequently, listening, encouraging, and taking ridiculously good care of me. He has died to himself in so many ways so as to give freely to my brother, sister and I, and I am forever grateful that the Lord has given me such a godly parent!

My sister is also always filling in for mom...sending us presents, emails, calling, and nurturing and is continually giving us the JOY that she is known for.

My mom's sister, Aunt Patty, is ridiculously generous, loving and interested in us. Everyone in Haiti knows of "Aunt Patty" by the many boxes of goodies she sends, and she makes sure she always knows what we're doing, who we're with, and how we are. She reminds me of mom in so many ways, and I just cannot imagine life without my aunt!
We met "Aunt" Lori four years ago as we were preparing to come to Haiti, and since then she has becoming a dear friend and prayer warrior for all three of us. Frequent emails, care packages and reminders of prayer and love are always coming our way, and she has such a humble and caring spirit!

Not long after mom died, I lived in Port-au-Prince for six months with this amazing woman. Cathie loved me where I was, and then slowly helped me become more of who I am today. I am so grateful for Cathie, and for the way she loves and encourages me to be more like Christ!

WE LOVE YOU each and praise the Lord for the gift of you, and so many others, today! Thank you for being our mothers!