When I got to the office this morning there was a spirit of heaviness within me. Roadblocks from yesterday had multiplied overnight, and staff who could get to Emmaus Monday couldn't today. It's an awful feeling, as I sat at my desk and started the day praying His hands of protection over each one of them.
It's not ever going to be normal to pray that your co-workers will not be attacked on their way to work, to pray that they will have wisdom and guidance and protection and courage.
I caught up Emmaus' FB and headed to the finance office to finally unload some wonderful French texts Pam had sent from Langham. As I unloaded all the books, Mano and I talked about how we miss Jodenel, and how he's doing. He's finally out of his cast and has been trying to return to Emmaus since Sunday night, blocked each time.
Mano had an unsettling trip to work this morning, and was obviously on an even heavier page than I was. So we talked some more and shared some of our prayers and I encouraged him best I could and headed back to my office.
But because things were so bad throughout the North today, I decided to take the "long" way back and pop in on a class or two to see if our students were here.
As I neared the classroom building, the room at the end of the hall sounded like fifty men and women they were doing a conga line or a comedy show or in the middle of the best debate of all time.
I popped my head into the fourth year Youth Ministry classroom, which was overflowing with students, with heated debate, laughter, and challenging questions.
Claudia was laughing as hard as everyone else as they tried to work through some tricky topics...how do we talk to our youth about purity and why is it God's plan for them? What does purity look like? What are the boundaries we should encourage? What are the lines the Bible draws? How do we encourage our youth to walk in their relationships with righteousness? How do we lead by example?
Members of the class were offering all kinds of great Biblical support and personal examples, and teasing each other, and listening to every word carefully. I loved being in there so much that I stayed for a while, marveling at the current state of Haiti VS. the current state of this classroom...and I was so thankful.
A few minutes later, I left Claudia's class and headed down the hall, where I was surprised to see Dr. Fanfan at his teacher's desk, his class also in the middle of a passionate debate/presentation. Fanfan lives the furthest away and most often can't come when there is trouble. But on Tuesdays, Fanfan teaches Pentateuch, and by leaving home while it was still dark, he. was. teaching.
Estimable was presenting, and his "team" was all standing around him, pouring through their Bibles fervently, referencing and finding Biblical support to surround his arguments. Standing in the back of that classroom, also full of students, all Bibles open and in hand, I was blessed again, this time by the Word going out.
The hands of these young men and women were literally full of Bibles...VS. the young hands on the street just feet away full of rocks.
I ended in first year, Matt teaching Intro to the Bible. He was drilling them back and forth, one student after another, and my encouragement was complete. The've only been students at Emmaus for a few weeks, and I was so impressed by how much they've already learned, and were flying through questions I couldn't answer!
The call on Matt's life since his youth to "teach God's Word" was not stopped this very day by political instability or roadblocks or burning tires.
Just enjoy those pictures for a minute.
I got back to work just praising the Lord for speaking to my heart. The Word is going out. Darkness cannot overcome it. These young men and women, changed by it, are the difference needed. I prayed again for the leadership of Haiti, for changes of heart and actions, and got back to work preparing for class tomorrow.
At noon we met for weekly staff prayer, a truly powerful time, week after week. This week we were down to fifteen, but fifteen gathered together, praying for our country, praying for our government, praying for our students, and it was powerful.
While sharing prayer requests, one of our security staff shared his concerns about how the bandits in this area always build roadblocks right in front of the University. He feels responsible for the safety of our staff and students coming and going, but can't control the area right in front of the gate.
After our senior administration met for prayer and planning, they asked the main eight trouble makers in, all had some Cokes and talked for a while. There were lots of good things that came out of this effort to build relationships and share understanding instead of threats and fear.
They get that it's not good for the country or for Saccanville or for Emmaus or for themselves. They get that they're making a little money from threatening so that their kids can go to school...except that their kids can't go to school because the roads are too threatening. They're frustrated, beyond frustrated, something has to change, and everyone gets that.
Bottom line, though. They'll stop if we pay them to. Daily.
And for a million reasons, we can't pay violent people to promise not to threaten people.
We can't change anyone's hearts, or open anyone's minds, or reform their choices.
But He can. And one of the ways we share Him is by learning names and sitting down and having Cokes with broken people who need Him, and continue to speak and live peace and wisdom.
So we plant seeds. He does the work.
OK. We can do that.
But then Maxi stopped by the house around three.
A young girl, 16, from Konpech (major Voodoo area a few minutes walk from Saccanville) was in labor, laboring, laboring, and the baby wasn't coming. The midwife needed to get her to the hospital.
They called the hospital, and none of their ambulances had fuel. Sorry.
No one in all of Saccanville had ANY fuel to take her, or they couldn't/wouldn't spare the little that they had...so could he please take Emmaus' motorcycle with the flatbed? A car couldn't fit through the roadblocks.
Three hours later, he returned, shaking his head. The baby was coming but was somehow stuck. He tried to take her to the closest hospital through l'Acul du Nord, but as he turned down the main road, everyone warned him the road was cut...huge log, from one end to the other, burning.
He turned around, headed towards Plaine du Nord hospital, but as he went that way, everyone stopped him again. Burning truck across the road. Can't pass.
She's s-u-f-f-e-r-i-n-g. Bouncing over our HORRIBLE roads in a motorcycle bed. Turned around again. The only clinic NOT blocked to us is in Balan, and so he took her there...a nurse saw her. She needed a C-Section, now.
They can't do C-Sections at that clinic. They don't have anyone who could.
They have an ambulance!
They have no fuel.
They would call the hospitals in town and try to find someone, anyone.
They kept her.
So Maxi, not even knowing the girl's name, came home.
He says he'll call me when he hears. I've called him twice since he told me that, and he still doesn't know.
The injustice, the gravity, her suffering, the baby. The many others.
I don't know what to say.
Guenson reminded us in prayer today that it isn't just Haiti.
In horror our Haitian staff listened as he described the last few shootings in America, which he described as a person with a gun, killing innocent random people he didn't even know, NOT for ANY money or food or survival, just for the desire to kill them, for the pleasure of murder.
He shared more global news until we were heavy, and reminded us...it is a broken day in a broken world. The only hope for ANY place, for any situation, is the Lord, who promises over and over that His love for us is unfailing.
Something that ISN'T failing is very powerful right now.
As we stood and held hands, praying for our country, praying for our world, I was filled with anger and sadness over it ALL.
I want to DO what only God can.
I want to save that little girl and her child tonight, open every road, fill every tank, deliver that baby safely.
I want to take the weapons of every person instilling terror tonight and obliterate them.
I want to turn every standing-by Saul into a PAUL.
I want to change and empower the hearts and the minds and the hands of our leadership, right now.
I want to fix the so-much broken in our world, I want to wipe every tear from every eye. I want peace and security and safety for ALL our children. I want no more suffering and no more pain.
Why isn't God DOING something? a friend asked me this morning. She knows He can.
Like overthrowing the government?
Like setting everyone FREE from this?
Like ushering in peace and joy and plenty?
Everyone asked each other 2000 years ago the same thing, as God's people suffered and suffered. Unimaginable suffering and injustice and AWFUL oppression and slavery and cruelty and horror.
Then there seemed to be some hope in this man Jesus, and suddenly instead of marching in and throwing over the government, or taking his place as King and punishing all the wicked with their own weapons, instead of ushering in peace and joy and plenty, he allowed himself to be spat on?
Broken? Beaten? Poured out? Murdered?
Why isn't Jesus DOING something, they must have asked each other. They knew He could.
Friends.
He Was.
HE WAS.
He was.
God IS doing something.
I don't pretend to get it. It is not my way or my time or my understanding.
But break me down fine tonight.
I trust Him.
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