"And There Will Be Earthquakes in Various Places"

When the disciples asked Jesus what would be the sign of his coming and of the end of the age (where was the lawyer who should have objected to that compound question!), Jesus responded in part by saying, "And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginning of sorrows." Mark 13:8. Flying into Port Au Prince in a puddle jumper enabled us to get a bird's eye view of the destruction from the January earthquake. It was a subtle reminder that this earthquake was the "beginning of sorrows."

On our first night aboard the ship, a man who spoke English asked me if the earthquake was God's judgment on Haiti. "No, I doubt that," I told the man, "but the Bible talks about there being earthquakes in various places in the end times. So I believe that this earthquake was probably God's wake up call to Haiti. So I suggest that you heed it." The man then translated my comments to a pastor.

I thought the man was a Christian, but I later learned that he was not a Christian, and that he had despised anyone who said that the earthquake was God's judgment upon Haiti.

At any rate, after a couple hours delay (a bird flew into the cockpit, so they were trying to get it out), we finally took off and landed back in Miami. We left behind true poverty, a natural disaster, extreme heat, and lots of mosquitoes, but gained a new found love for the people of Haiti. We hope to return again, preferably sooner rather than later, for we want to make a difference, even if for only one child.

I Need the Two Heaviest Guys Up Front

There is nothing quite like waking up at 5 a.m. to get ready for a flight is there? You know how it is, you quickly take a shower to wake up, grab a quick bite to eat (or do what I normally do: run to McDonald's to grab an Egg McMuffin), and then dash out the door, so that you get to the airport on time, so that you can clear security, etc. Well, things are a little different in Jeremie, Haiti. Yes, we still got up at 5 a.m., and, yes, we did dash (sort of) out the door, and we did have a half-hour drive to the airport. But when we got to the airport (actually it was a strip of grass with some gravel on it), there was no security to clear, there were no ticket agents, and you could actually bring liquids onto the plane! But one thing was missing at the airport: our plane! Before long, however, he showed up. And then he announced: "I need the two heaviest guys up front." I looked around and saw that I came in about third place, so I didn't get to sit all the way in the front. (The heaviest guy actually got to be co-pilot, so next time I think I might have to bulk up a little.) "And I need the two lightest people in the back." I haven't qualified for lightest person on the plane since I was in diapers, so I knew that I was going to be somewhere in the middle. So we all snuggled into the plane (all nine of us), and prayed without ceasing (sometimes more often) as we went down the runway and then out over the ocean. As one light after another flashed and beeped, the pilot commented that we probably had too much weight on board (what did he think with a bunch of Americans!), but we should be fine. About 45 minutes later (or 11 hours and 15 minutes faster than the ship), we arrived in Port Au Prince to await our next flight. We didn't get any frequent flyer miles, nor was there in-flight service, but we had a beautiful view of Haiti on the way. And we all got window seats. And, hey, those window seat were also aisle seats, so top that, Southwest Airlines!

Read All About It!

After walking around picking up trash for a couple hours, I decided to join the paint crew at the local library, for I have painted a lot in my day. In short, the group was painting the library inside and out. So I grabbed a brush and a bucket of paint and started painting the building. Before long, however, I had a young boy who wanted to help me paint. Initially, I was thinking, "This kid is going to get paint all over the place," but then I warmed up to the idea, so I gave him a brush and showed him how to paint. He then began to enthusiastically paint the library. A few minutes later, another young boy showed up looking to join the painting crew. As such, I got him a brush and showed him what to do. And, before long, another young boy joined us, so I showed him the ropes, and let him paint. After awhile, I went from painter to painting supervisor, as these young men began to paint the building. While they were a bit messy, it was a beautiful sight. For they had taken ownership of the project, and they could tangibly see the difference that they made.

Forget Texas, Don't Mess with Jeremie

The State of Texas's Department of Transporation wanted to stir the public's awareness of its trash problem, as such, it created the slogan, "Don't Mess with Texas." If you have ever passed through the State of Texas, then you know that you can get anything and everything with that slogan pasted on it.

Well, on our last full day in Jeremie, we decided to join the team that had been out in the streets picking up trash. On the first day that the team picked up trash, they had a crowd of many hundreds following them around. Jeremie, you see, has very few trash cans, so everyone throws their trash all over the place. So when the trash team started picking it up, it was instantly noticeable. On the day that we went, we had people expressing gratitude for what we had done for their city. One vendor in the park even had a bag of trash waiting for me when we came through the park to pick up the trash again. Can you change a mindset in a week? I don't know, but it was obvious that such a small thing as picking up trash can have a positive impact upon an entire city. So "Don't Mess with Jeremie!"

Plugged In?

One of the things that I love about a short-term mission trip is when God speaks to your heart. As much as you would love to be able to "make it happen," God just has His timing and His way about things. So as Susan, Tyler, and I were sitting there one morning for a devotional teaching, the Lord really spoke to our hearts as George used an example of a fan. Briefly, he said that a fan is absolutely no good unless it is plugged into a power source. So, too, we can look great on the outside, but be utterly worthless unless we are empowered by the Holy Spirit. Is your life lacking power? Could it be that you have yet to be filled with the Holy Spirit? When the early church leaders heard of a situation where some new Christians had not been baptized in the Holy Spirit, they sent the apostles John and Peter to pray for them to be baptized by the Holy Spirit. Put simply, if anyone knew what life was like before and after receiving the Holy Spirit, then it was these two. Before receiving the Holy Spirit, Peter denied Jesus. After receiving the Holy Spirit, Peter stood up and preached and 3,000 people believed. Are you like an unplugged fan? If so, then follow Luke 11:3's direction: "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?" Being filled with the Holy Spirit isn't about getting some chill up your spine, rather, it is about being filled with His love, so that you love like He does. Nothing matters anymore when the love of God touches you. When you ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit, you are asking Him to fill you with His agenda, purpose, and heart. Put simply, you lose yourself in the transaction. Is it worth it? Jesus said that "he who seeks to save his life will lose it, but he who loses his life for my sake and the gospel's sake will find it."

Hot as Haitis

"Come on, Daddy," said Tyler as it began to lightly rain, "let's go out into the rain." Although I was as hot as Haitis, I really wasn't in the mood to get wet, but I decided to go anyway with Tyler, for it was only sprinkling at the moment, and I could tell that it sounded like fun to him. So out into the rain we went on our balcony, for we had returned home from our day at the orphanage. And before long it began to pour . . . and then torrential rain came down . . . and Tyler and I just soaked it up. And before long, Susan joined us, and then our friend, Josiah, came out with a bar of soap and we began taking a shower. For, you see, in Haiti, you cannot take a normal shower, for water is so precious. So when the rain started coming down in buckets, we started to fully enjoy our first "real" shower. And, oh, how wonderful it was to cool down. God is so good; open your eyes and see His goodness, for it is all around you.

They Are Filthy Rich By Comparison

During our stay in Haiti, we visited four different orphanages. On one occasion, we visited an orphanage next to the sea. The buildings were in terrible shape, and, quite frankly, it should have been condemned. What is worse, during our six-hour stay, the children never were given any food or water. One of the nurses commented that the children had bloated stomachs, which was a sign of starvation. Yet as bad off as these orphans were, there were children living below them in a blighted area. In fact, Tyler accurately commented that the orphans were "filthy rich by comparison" to the kids who lived below them. As you can see from the photo, the children had no shoes, some had no shirts, and some had shirts that wouldn't be used as a rag in America. So it came as no surprise when the kids from the area below the orphanage delighted in our company and joined us for fun and fellowship. I only wish that we could have fed and clothed them all.