Tag Archives: coreluv

June 23, 2014 · 6:47 AM

Haiti Day 5: We Said Goodbye

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Instead of going to a traditional church on Sunday, we took church to the Myan orphanage. We sang a couple of songs in English and then did one in Haitian Creole. Some children got up and recited memory verses and others sang a song they had learned. A few members from our team shared scriptures and short messages for each child. We then stood in a large circle around the room and went one by one telling one thing we are thankful to God for. The answers from some of the children were clothes, a bed, food, a beautiful house, someone to wash their clothes and one just thanked Him for everything that’s been done for her.

After we said our tearful goodbyes, we went back to the guesthouse to put our work clothes on. We headed to the Gonaives orphanage to finish the job. The children loved the warm yellow that we painted it. The old gray didn’t have a happy feel to it. It’s amazing how a little paint can transform not just a house, but a child’s outlook on life. Every new orphan that walks through the freshly painted gates will be greeted with a heart to show them love and a beautiful house to welcome them home.

The words “home” and “family” mean so much when you see the world through an orphan’s life. They don’t have a mother or father that they can go to for advice. They don’t have a safe place they can go when it storms. There are no family reunions that they can go to in order to connect with their roots. They aren’t even guaranteed their next meal or clothes when they grow. They miss the chance to be children when they have to grow up so fast in order to survive. That’s why orphan care is so important.

We may not be able to help every orphan in the world, but we can make a difference in the lives of a few. At our nightly devotional, we each shared the name of an orphan who changed our lives or touched our heart. We collectively smiled as each name was called out. It was the smile that says, “I know that kid! They touched my life too.” These team members may not have known the name of an orphan before they came. As we are leaving, I can tell you they don’t just know the name of an orphan, they know one personally.

I often think I would like to have known James in the Bible. He was hard nosed and didn’t pull any punches. His book in the Bible is short, but power packed. In the first chapter verse 27, he said, “Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress.” This week, each member of our team got to experience what pure and genuine religion feels like. My hope is that what was born in Haiti will carry on with each of them for the rest of their lives. May they never stop giving what God has placed in their hands or serving Him faithfully.

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June 22, 2014 · 6:31 AM

Haiti Day 4: Feeding The Least Of These

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Day four started out like most days. We were up early, ate breakfast and had a morning devotion. We heard from one of our team members about I Corinthians 13:1-3. It doesn’t matter what we do on this trip or back home. If we don’t do it in love, it’s not worth anything. We were challenged to look at our motivations in helping these orphans. We also shared some take aways and what God spoke to us the night before.

We went back to the Gonaives orphanage to continue the paint job. The day before, we had done cut work and trim work. Today, we had to retouch, finish cutting and then start painting the walls. The children loved the bright yellow that we were painting. We also painted the outside wall to the orphanage so that the entrance would stand out on the street. The staff seemed to enjoy it as well.

We took a break from painting when it got close to noon. We loaded up in the trucks and drove across town. We went into the poorest part of Gonaives to a place called Raboto. It sits right on the ocean and is where a lot of fishermen are. The beaches are covered in the filthiest trash you can imagine. There are pigs roaming around eating what they want. Broken boats and boats that look broken are also strewn about the beach. Children are running around in all of it as well. Their houses, made of tin, line the beach and have walls up to keep them from seeing it directly.

It’s in a place like this that our team not only encountered Jesus, but became His hands and feet. We weren’t going just to see how the poorest people live. We were taking them food. About 150 children crowded into the room where we were setting up to feed them. They were singing and laughing. The energy level was high. You sense how excited they were. Our being there meant that they were going to get to eat that day. Their parents have barely enough money to feed themselves, let alone their children. This food is the only meal most of these kids will get.

I watched as a couple of them brought other containers with them. When they were handed their food, they carefully split it up and put some into the other container. I thought, “Wow! That kid is taking their parents some food.” As I watched a couple more kids do it, I remembered that it was Saturday. We typically bring food in Monday through Saturday. That meant these kids were rationing their food so they would have some the next day when we don’t feed them. It broke my heart to see that.

After our team served these children lunch, I took them to the back to show the school we had built. Since so many children were coming each day for food, we decided to provide them with an education that they couldn’t otherwise afford. I had them look at the beach and pointed a few hundred yards away to the salt flats. There, people dig holes so when the tide comes in and goes back out, they are filled with water that drains into the earth leaving salt behind. It was there that our youngest orphan was abandoned by his parents. He had been left to let the tide take him out. God ordained that a fisherman would come into that spot and hear his cry. His life was rescued.

We went back to the orphanage to continue painting and doing crafts with the kids. We came back to the guesthouse to clean up, have dinner and devotions. God moved again during our time of honoring Him. The message we heard was simple. God wants to use what we have. We heard stories of an 8 year old holding a concert in their front yard to raise money for orphans. We heard about a 16 year old who raised $16,000 in two months to be able to outfit and paint every room in the Myan orphanage. We also heard of a dentist who took 100% of what came in on one day at his practice and donated it.

Each of us have something we can give God. The less we have in our hand to give Him, the greater the miracle He can do. He is looking for us to offer Him our everything instead of excuses of why we can’t do anything. He is looking for people who will listen to what He wants to do through them in their community and then to step out and do it. Each one of us are able to reach people that others can’t. Each one of us have God given ideas. If God gives them to you, He wants you to do them. He’s not asking you to tell someone else to do it. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have enough in your hand to make it happen. Step out in faith and let Him work. If He gives the vision, He’ll make the provision.

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June 21, 2014 · 5:50 AM

Haiti Day 3: God Refreshes Us

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Exhausted. Tired. Wore out. These words aren’t strong enough to describe how this team felt at the end of yesterday. Have you heard the saying, “Leaving it all out on the field”? That’s what this team did yesterday. They worked their hearts out in the hot, Haitian sun. They gave everything that was in them to these orphans and God has rewarded them. When they were tired, they kept going. When they wanted to take a break, the kids kept coming up for love. At the end of the day, everyone was talking about an early bedtime.

We started by eating an early breakfast. We separated into three teams who each had a different purpose and team leads. We loaded the trucks with the supplies we needed for the day’s work and then headed to the Gonaives orphanage. As we pulled up, you could hear the excitement in the children on the other side of the gate. We went over the plan one more time before the gates were opened. As we walked in, the kids grabbed our hands and asked to be held. We sat down with them and then explained we had a surprise for them.

On my last trip, we took many of these children out to Myan to see the new orphanage and to play with them. They’ve heard stories about that orphanage so we thought we’d introduce them. As they walked around it, many kept talking about how nice it was. One even asked if they had TV’s. They began comparing it to their home. So on this trip, we decided we would paint their home and make it look nice. They cheered when they heard the news. We told them that they were going to go play with one team while the other two painted.

After painting the window frames and trim all day, I met with the missionaries and we decided to take the team to the ocean to swim and cliff dive. We made the drive winding down a dirt road through the beautiful scenery. It took about an hour to get there. We unloaded and then had to walk down a beach and over a half mile of boulders with jagged edges. Our knees and hands were skinned up. Our bodies were covered in paint. As hard as it was to get there, we all made it to the cliff. People who were tired became exhausted. The ocean waves became more difficult to swim in as the tide came in.

Jumping off the cliff into the water was fun though. It was an exhilarating reward for the work it took to get there. I jumped off with my sister in law. We were among the last to jump. We counted to three and over the side we went. It seemed like forever until we hit the water. When we did, we must have gone under around 20 feet. It took a while to come back up. When we did, I grabbed her and we decided to try to swim around a big rock and head for shore. The more we tried, the harder it got. Fear set in. Hopelessness started to creep up. Our exhaustion was beginning to overpower us. The waves and current were stronger than we could manage and the group had already moved on.

We made our way to a rock. The edges cut our hands as we tried to hold onto it. The waves hot us and pushed us into it time and time again. We stopped and prayed for peace, wisdom and safety. She said, “We have to get on this rock.” I made my way up it and pulled her up too. We then started to make our way back to the rocks that would lead us to the group. We got the attention of one of them and he stayed back to help us navigate through the boulders. She said, “Jumping was the easy part.” If you’ve ever stood on a 30 foot cliff and thought about jumping, you know the first time isn’t easy.

We arrived home, changed clothes and went to dinner. The team was beginning to ask if we could just have our nightly devotion at the restaurant. We toyed with it, but decided it was best to keep the routine. We arrived home and headed for the balcony. As we began to sing the first song, I recognized there was something different about this service. During the second song, one of the missionaries spoke what God told him. We began to push into God’s presence despite our exhaustion. We sang louder than before. Our hearts opened wider to receive from God. People stood in the street and watched as we worshiped corporately.

Mike Reizner spoke up and shared how in Acts 4 it talks about the disciples praying and being filled with the Holy Spirit. They had already been filled in Acts 2. Why did it mention that they were filled again? It was because when you give out what is in you, you need to be filled again and again. We had given everything in us and all needed to be filled up again. We were on empty. One by one people walked into the middle and we prayed over them. The presence of God was thick and refreshing. We could have stayed on that balcony all night singing and praying.

As I spoke to them, I remembered what Isaiah 40:31. It reads, “He energizes those who get tired, gives fresh strength to dropouts. For even young people tire and drop out, young folk in their prime stumble and fall. But those who wait upon GOD get fresh strength. They spread their wings and soar like eagles, They run and don’t get tired, they walk and don’t lag behind (MSG).” I recited it to them and reminded them how tired we all were. No one wanted to go to bed at that point. Everyone was energized by God’s presence. We refreshed and renewed. We’ll need it because we are only half way done.

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March 28, 2014 · 4:21 AM

Changed Through Serving

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It’s Free Friday! Today is the day you let go of the things in your life that keep you down or hold you back from all God has for you. To celebrate, I’m giving away a copy of “No Longer A Slumdog: Bringing Hope To Children In Crisis” by K. P. Yohannan. Keep reading to find out how to enter.

On our last full day in Haiti, we started off by climbing the mountain in front of the guest house. It was as much a spiritual journey as it was physical. We walked through a poor neighborhood on the side of the mountain and then followed the rocky path up. We had to stop several times to catch our breath. It was good to see how far we had gone and then be able to look at the top to know where we were going. It reminded me how we often grow weary doing good. We get tired in our walk with Christ. We hit plateaus at times, and at others, we have steep climbs to make in a short amount of time.

When we got to the top, there was a spot where a church was being built. There were two ladies and a man who were up there singing and praying over the community below. When we walked back down the mountain, there were more people along the path who were also singing and praying. It challenged me to pray for my community, city, work place and wherever else God has me. The sound of prayer was inspiration on such a tough journey. It reminded me that prayer gives us strength where ours runs out.

After we arrived back at the guest house, we loaded up the team and headed for Roboto. It’s the poorest part of Gonaives. The students got out of the truck and immediately started filling plates with the rice we brought. We then went class to class giving these students the only meal they will receive for the day. It was incredible to watch these students serve the poorest of the poor in the Western Hemisphere. They truly were the hands and feet of Jesus and brought light into such a dark place.

After we finished feeding and playing with the children, we went to the Gonaives orphanage to pick up the children there. For the first time the children were going to visit the Myan orphanage. They climbed the trucks like they were jungle gyms. As we drove over the mountain to Myan, the kids were smiling ear to ear. There was laughter and excitement. When we pulled into the gates, they jumped out and immediately began playing with each other. It was beautiful to watch orphans from both our orphanages playing together for the first time.

Before we left, we went out of the gates to where we were breaking ground for a school building. While the construction team was digging up the ground for the foundation, they came across another foundation that was a part of a nearby wall. The contractor researched the history and found that there was a French fortress that had been built on that spot in 1802 that enslaved Haitians. Over 200 years later, an orphanage and school are being built on that very spot and is setting Haitians free! Our God new 200 years ago that we would hear the call to defend the orphan and would build in that spot.

God moved in our hearts on this trip. He called several to be missionaries and others into ministry. I watched as God took kids who were timid and opened them up to share what He has done in their lives. This experience has wrecked their lives because they’ve done what James 1:27 calls true and undefiled religion. They have cared for orphans and widows. They have helped push back the darkness in Haiti with the light of Jesus. Not only have we been changed because we were here, Haiti is different too. We now have a 14 hour journey home where each one will tell their story and others will catch the vision.

If you would like to win “No Longer A Slumdog” by K. P. Yohannon, all you have to do is go to my Facebook page here and “like” it. I will randomly pick one person tomorrow (March 29, 2014) who has liked my page. If you have already liked my page and enjoy reading these daily devotionals, you are already entered. Please invite your friends to like my page so they can receive encouragement from God’s Word too.

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March 26, 2014 · 5:56 AM

Let Go Of Fear, Be Used By God

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We started our fourth day in Myan. We picked up right where we left off. One team went back in to keep painting and the other team went to finish staining the bed rails in the girl’s rooms. A group of freshly hired nannies showed up for orientation. They started with prayer and a beautiful song. While they met and others painted in the same room, I began cleaning paint off the floor with a few others. As I scrubbed, I began to think how my own sins have stained my life. I’ve tried to wash them off on my own with limited results. Nothing I do can ever erase them, but God’s love, like the paint thinner we were using, can wipe away the stains.

As the day progressed, it got hotter. The wind wasn’t blowing either which made for a tough day. When we got through painting the walls and the others were through staining, we met outside to play with the kids. Everyone stayed on the porch in the shade. As I walked around, I saw three small children taking a nap on a blue carpet outside of their room. They were so peaceful. When I got on another porch, I found more orphans asleep on the chests of our team members. I thought of the rest we get when we trust God fully in our lives. When the fires come and life gets hot, we can rest assured that God will take care of us. We just need to crawl up on His chest to rest in the assurance of who He is.

In the early afternoon, we came back to the guest house to grab a sand which, grab things for the Gonaives orphanage and to get some reprieve from the heat. Not long after arriving at the orphanage, the kids, orphans and locals, all came running. We sat them on a hill and one of our students told them the parable of the Lost Sheep. She told them that wherever they went in life, no matter what happened, Jesus would always be looking for them. We then played Marco Polo on the soccer field to illustrate the point. It wasn’t long until Marco Polo turned into a soccer match.

In the evening, we came back to the guest house, cleaned up and ate my favorite meal here, roasted goat. We met on the balcony for service. God spoke during that time and challenged us to let go of the fear that keeps us from true worship. He wanted us to let go of the fear of what others might think and to let to of the fear that keeps us from talking about him. The students began to share what God laid on their hearts. They began to share why they came and what they wanted God to do. One said she was afraid she’d be a nobody in life, but found that no one who serves God will ever be a nobody. We are heirs to the King of Kings, princes and princesses.

We all struggle with sharing our faith at times. If we can’t share with other believers, how can we ever share with the world? We should be so full of Jesus that He leaks out of us wherever we go. We have to learn to let go of the fear of what others will think of us, push past that feeling like we’re going to explode and just speak. God will do the rest. It’s not our words that change people’s lives. It’s His love and His spirit that draws them in. We are merely vessels used by Him. We only work when we’re full of Him, are willing to open up and are poured out. Don’t be afraid. Let Him use you today.

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March 25, 2014 · 6:06 AM

Jesus Is In The Details

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We got up early yesterday ready for a day full of work. We loaded the trucks and headed for the white, dirt road that leads to Myan. It’s a slow, bumpy ride that takes us out of the city, over the mountain side and into the quiet life of the country. As we got closer to the orphanage in Myan, my heart began to beat faster. On my first trip here, the foundation was being poured. On my second trip here, we stained and varnished beds as well as built shelving units. But on this trip, I’d get to see the first children who were brought in last week. I could hardly wait.

As is the custom when we get to Myan, we get out of the trucks, meet the locals who followed us and head up Prayer Mountain. When we got to the top, for the first time there were orphans running around on the property. We then heard all of the miracles that have taken place over the last 2 years that made this orphanage possible. We tried to balance the poverty we saw against the beauty of the country side. Your mind wants to figure out how you can be surrounded by such beauty, yet have so many who survive on less than $2 a day. We began to pray over the orphanage, the community of Myan, the staff, future children and the stewards of Coreluv.org.

We made our way down the hillside hand in hand with the local children who followed us up. As we approached the gates to the orphanage, Epoli opened them to us with a smile on his face. The girls went to the girls house and the boys went to the boys house. We looked through the rooms and began playing with the kids. It didn’t take long for most of these newly orphaned children to put down their defenses and to allow this team of American students to embrace them. Laughter begs to fill the air. Games of chase started up. Kids were being kids.

We brought the kids into the cafeteria and sat them on benches. Courtney, one of our students, had prepared Vacation Bible School for the kids. When she finished, a pastor from Port au Prince came and shared a message with the kids too. We’ll repeat that each day as part of giving our students the opportunity to minister and so we can plant the seeds of God’s love in the hearts of children. They will know what true love is by the time they’re grown up because we believe in loving them unconditionally and because they will know their Father in Heaven loves them as well.

After the lessons, we broke into three teams. One team set up the medical cabinets at the orphanage and prepared it to have a pharmacy in the future. Another team went room to room on the boy’s side and stained the newly installed bed rails. The third team painted the cafeteria a pastel green. We had someone use a paint gun, some used rollers and some cut the edges where rollers and paint guns can’t get. It took all afternoon and we only got about half way done.

As I helped paint the baseboards, ceiling crease and corners, I couldn’t help but think that God is in the details. We like to try to find him in the broad strokes of a roller. Those are quick, easy and cover a lot of ground. While He is there too, I found that He does His work in our lives in the creases and in the slow, tedious details. He is patient and kind with us. He takes His time and does the work the right way because He knows it’s when you take care of the details, the larger things are possible.

We capped off our day with a soccer game at the Gonaives orphanage. Many of our team members were among the crowd of kids running back and forth on the dirt field. The rest were loving on orphans and kids from the community. There is great ministry in just loving on people. When you give love, you give more than just your time and talents. You give a piece of your heart and that’s what changes lives.

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November 19, 2013 · 7:40 AM

Where’s Your Roof?

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One of my favorite things to do in Haiti is to get up before everyone else and meet with God on the roof of the guest house. There’s nothing quite like sitting up there watching the sun rise light up the mountain and spending time alone with God. As the tap taps and moto taxis go honking by with music blaring, there’s a quietness that can be found up there where I can block all of that out and just relax in the presence of God as I enjoy His creation and spend time in His Word. Most people on the team will also find their “roof” somewhere in the house where they can meet God. I love walking around the house seeing Bibles opened, coffee in one hand and a journal in the other.

With expectant hearts and open ears, we wait to hear from God. We hang on His every word to write it down and to share with others. We fill our spiritual tank each morning because we’re about to go give it all out throughout the day. After breakfast we have a team devotion where one person shares what God is showing them. I love to see how excited people get when all of a sudden God’s Word becomes alive to them. Scriptures they had read several times before start making sense to them. Words they had never seen or glazed over become real and applicable. We receive so much while we’re there because we expect so much.

My question is, “How do we duplicate that once we get back?” The first thing I tell those who as is to find their balcony or roof back home. In Matthew 6, Jesus told us to go into our closet when we pray. I don’t think He literally meant to go in there. He was telling us to go so we here private where we can be alone with God. He wanted us to find a place where we can just sit in His presence and expect to hear from Him. He wanted us to find a place in our every day lives where we could have our Bible open, coffee in hand, a journal in front of us and to be excited to be in His presence.

I believe God wants to have daily encounters with each of us. He doesn’t want to just do it when we’re on a mission trip. He wants to meet us in our every day life. If it means we get up an hour before the kids do or stay up an hour after they go to bed, that’s the sacrifice He’s looking for. We somehow expect reward without sacrifice when it comes to our relationship with Him. We expect Him to do everything in the relationship while we receive all the benefits. Your relationship with God is just like any other. It requires time, effort and sacrifice. If you want a healthy relationship with God, find your “roof” somewhere around your house and make time to be alone with Him. You’ll find that excitement you’ve been missing and you’ll hear from Him each day. Your spiritual tank will be full and you’ll be able to give out God’s love all day without worry.

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November 18, 2013 · 7:51 AM

Your “Little” Is A Lot

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I forgot how hard it was to go back to work and my normal everyday life after a trip to Haiti. It’s hitting me this morning though. As I pull out of my driveway, drive out of my neighborhood and turn onto the freeway, part of me is fighting it. I wonder why can’t every day be full time ministry, why every day can’t be spent on the mission field and why can’t I be doing things with an eternal purpose all the time. It’s an ongoing struggle that I’ve had since April and was renewed with this trip. It’s hard to do things that won’t matter for eternity once your perspective changes. It’s hard to do the things you once did when you see the need others have.

When you meet an entire village of people who are living without electricity, cell phones, Internet or brick and mortar homes you begin to see how truly blessed we are. You also see how wasteful we are. When a bug hits my windshield, I simply pull a button to spray water to clean him off. In Myan, Haiti, a person would have to walk six miles for water that I’m using to wash a bug off my windshield. When I get the same meal two days in a row, I complain. There, they’re lucky to have a meal each day. They’re thankful for the same meal over and over because it’s life and death.

There’s so much to be done there and yet, so much has been done. It’s easy to see a mess that big and think, “I can’t possibly make a difference here.” You can also pretend that it doesn’t exist. After all, ignorance is bliss. If you aren’t aware of it, you don’t have to do anything to help. The only solution I know of is to go in, get your hands dirty, connect with the people so it becomes real names and people, not just stories, and then do what you can to make a difference with what’s in your hand. If you can’t go, help someone who can.

The real question is, “What has God given me that He intends for me to use for Him?” I am and have been wasteful with what He’s given me. We think we have so little because we’re comparing ourselves to the rich in this country. If you look at the other 98% of the world, the “little” you have is more than they will ever have. We use the excuse of “I don’t have much” to keep us from giving or doing things that matter. In reality, we have been blessed more than we will ever know. As Jesus said in Luke 12:48, “To whom much is given, much is required.” If you can read this, you’ve been given much more than most of the world.

What excuses have you made that have kept you from giving and using what God has given you? Have you falsely compared yourself to the world’s wealthiest people instead of to the majority of the population? What will you do differently going forward? How can God use your “little” to make a big impact in the world of others? It all starts with you recognizing how much you truly have, how wasteful you’ve been with it and opening your eyes to the potential God sees in you. What are you willing to let go of that He can use? The power of letting go rests in your hands.

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November 16, 2013 · 6:42 AM

Saying Goodbye

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Saying goodbye in Haiti is always the hardest part in coming here. I know it’s coming on every trip. When I start to think about it, I start to cry. Fortunately, as you’ve read, we’re usually so busy, I rarely have time to think about it. At each passing day though, it looms and I’m made more aware of it. Day 6 on this trip was that day. It would be the last time we visit Myan and the last time we play with the children in Gonaives. I have to force myself to get in the truck so they can drive me away.

We started the day off in Myan. We wanted to go back and help those who didn’t get into the clinic the day before. Word spread quickly that we had returned. People would dress their absolute best to be seen by the nurse. They would come and patiently wait to get in. We had told them we were leaving at 12:30. When that time came, we had two pregnant ladies and two elderly people in line, plus all the kids who wanted to be around us. I couldn’t leave them sitting there. No one could. We stayed an extra hour in order to help them.

The kids were all running around playing, throwing balls and being kids. I got a couple of the older ones and pulled out my phone. I played a video of a few of them who had sung on my last trip. When that started playing, they yelled out names. Before I knew it, there were twenty kids piled around me wanting to see it. I then asked for an encore. The boys sang again and others joined in stomping feet, banging Toro bottles and lending their voices. I don’t know what they were singing, but it was beautiful. Afterthought song was over, they sang “The is the Day that The Lord Has Made” in their native Creole. I couldn’t help but to be overcome by the situation.

As we loaded up and drove off, I took one last look at the orphanage. The next time I come back, there will be orphans there, the buildings will be completed and generations of families will be changed because people give their time, money and talents. I tried hard not to look at anyone on our team because I knew I’d break down. Instead, I prayed over the future of Myan. I prayed for those who have yet to be born and abandoned that will call this place home. I prayed for those who have a hand in helping to make this dream possible.

We made our way to the orphanage in Gonaives. When the gates were opened, the kid who chose each one of us on our other visit came running through the gate to find us. The team grabbed their child or children and began playing. Soon, we headed off to the soccer field. Choosing teams was hilarious with kids running back and forth. I had no idea who was on my team, I only knew our direction. A kid pointed at me and then at the goal. I was nominated to play goalie. I picked up a Nelson, a small child who is HIV positive and is deaf, and kept him on my hip while we played. With every blocked shot, he gave me a fist bump. Every time we scored he made a sign of celebration.

As the sun set, it was clear that it was time to leave. The kids had to go to bed and we had to get back to the guest house. Fortunately, we were able to delay the goodbye until we leave for the States. When we got the guest house, dinner was ready. During dinner, the missionary asked if we’d like to have service at Myan. The team agreed. We quickly finished dinner and headed out there. Even though it was dark and late for this community, several locals showed up for our service. They came and dispersed among us as we stood in a circle on a cloudless night lit only by the moon.

God came down and met us there. As we stood in a circle, we prayed for the locals and then each other. We shared what changes we plan to make when we go back. It was a very intimate setting with a very real God. The locals left one by one as we continued to pray. At the end of the service, there was this quiet presence of God. We rested in that moment and then loaded the truck. The ride back to the guest house was like being in a bubble of peace knowing that God was happy with what we accomplished and who we accomplished it for.

Today, we make the long journey back. We have a four hour ride in the back of the truck sitting on suitcase. We’ll load a plane and fly home. It will be after midnight when we’re finally with our families. For some, their journey will continue until sun up. We can’t wait to get back to our churches and friends so we can share how God met us in Haiti. Our challenge is to continue having Him meet us when we’re back. It’s also to find what He wants us to do for Him over there. God’s desire is that we live daily in His presence and show others who He is by how we live our lives wherever we are.

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November 15, 2013 · 6:43 AM

Free From Excuses

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It’s Free Friday! What are you going to let go of today so that you are free? What’s holding you back from being who God called you to be? Every Friday is an opportunity to get yourself free. This week’s Free Friday is different from others. I’m in Haiti and recounting our trip day by day. There won’t be a giveaway today, but there will be an opportunity to be free.

As we move into the second part of this trip, our spirits are high and we are energized because of the people of Haiti. Our bodies are sore and tired because the work we are doing combined with the heat. Day 5 was a very productive day for our team. We planned this work weeks before our trip. It started with me emailing the team members that I didn’t know or hadn’t seen in a while. I asked what skills they had that they felt God could use on this trip. I wasn’t sure what all we could do with the diversity of the skills, but God knew and placed each person on this team to do what only they could do.

Two of the skills came from a couple. One of them is a nurse and the other can do carpentry. The orphanages and communities where we work here need both badly. When we first arrived at Myan on Monday, we told all the local kids we would have a clinic on Thursday. We asked them to spread the word throughout the community. Just because the orphanage isn’t open, it doesn’t mean we can’t start impacting the community around it now. We explained the process and that was all that was said about it.

When the clinic opened yesterday, it was slow going with only a few people. These ladies brought their children dressed in the best clothes they had and had shoes on their feet. They were so excited to be seeing a medical professional. We treated them, gave them medicine and sent them on. Word really spread after that. Our team treated families from 10:00 to 5:30 without taking a break. We had to turn people away because it was getting dark and we had to get back to the guesthouse. We told them to come back tomorrow so we could help them.

Another team was finishing up staining the beds for the orphanage while another team was putting varnish on the finished ones. They worked until the beds were finished being stained and the varnish ran out. When they finished up, they began to entertain the kids in line. We gave each person a number so they didn’t have to stand there or lose their place to see a nurse. One person, began teaching the kids how to do cartwheels while another introduced baseball to them. Our freshly leveled courtyard made a great baseball field. The children had a stick and an old, beat up tennis ball. Perfect for baseball.

Our other team finished up two full walls of shelving units for storage and medical supplies for the orphanage. We also build a tabletop desk for the administrator to be able to sit at and do work. The local workers kept coming in to look at what and how we were doing things. By the end of the project, we had turned it over to two men who are on Coreluv staff. It was amazing to watch them pick it up after watching us and to complete the project. The shelves are sturdy and beautiful. We’ll finish them up by placing doors on the medical side.

This trip has reminded me of something that Mike Reizner, the founder of coreluv.org, told me once. He said, “You shouldn’t pray and ask God for permission to go on a missions trip. He’s already commanded us to go into all the world. The real thing you should ask Him is if He is ok with you not going.” It’s time to free yourself of the excuses that keep you from doing what God wants you to do. Free yourself from the things that hold you back from His will for your life, whatever that may be. Don’t let another excuse keep you away from a missions trip. If you’d like to go to Haiti, email missions@coreluv.org to find out how.

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