Haiti: Day 9

Sunday, the final “day off” before the final stretch of class days this week.  It is amazing to think that we are ready to launch into this second week.  Today was a day of worship, rest, and preparation for class this week.  We were blessed this morning to attend the church of one of the seminary students.  One thing that stood out about the service was his desire to preach the Word and make his people aware of the spiritual battle all around us and especially for them here in Haiti.  During the service he called to the front a young couple with a small daughter.  They had sought the help of a local man in voodoo when the wife had experienced a difficult pregnancy with this child.  

Sunday AM service

According to their voodoo tradition and the instruction of this spiritual voodoo leader, it was believed that their “payment” was that this child would belong to this man.  Sometime after her birth, the parents accepted Jesus Christ as Lord of their lives and had become a part of this church.  Yet, they believed that they still owed this spiritual “debt” to the voodoo leader.  The pastor asked them to come up front so that the church leaders could gather around them to pray a prayer of “divorce” from the voodoo.  He boldly proclaimed that they now belonged to Jesus, that He had canceled this debt, and that He has freed them from this spiritual bondage.  It was a powerful moment to look upon this young girl and to know of the different path in life that Jesus has granted to her --- a path that is available to all who will receive Him, in Haiti and everywhere.  (For a fuller account of this, feel free to read Stacey Ayars' blog for today).  The ride to the church took us through a small village and then some further distance into the country.  All along the way I had the opportunity to view the people and dwellings, pray for them, and wave to them as they waved at us while walking to church themselves.  

My "sweet ride" to church this morning

I have never before ridden to church in the back of a 4x4!! The bed was fitted with two bench seats along the sides for transporting extra people beyond those who could fit in the cab.  It got interesting as we were pressed for time on the way back and were traveling a little faster than we did on the way to church.  When we hit a rather large rut (I was bracing myself using my legs as shock absorbers), one of the other guys in the back really “took air.”  I am pretty sure that he came between 2 and 3 feet off of seat and nearly landed on me.  All a part of the Haiti experience!  

This evening I am preparing for class tomorrow.  I will be taking the opportunity to try to model Bible study for the students in class, studying 1 Corinthians 10:1-13.  I am praying earnestly that not only would the students learn something about Bible study, but that the truth of the Word would impact our hearts and minds.  I pray that we would all, in a new way, see Jesus as the complete provision for our lives.  I would appreciate your prayer for this in these next days.  We desperately need a “demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God (1 Corinthians 2:4-5).”   

In Christ,

John