The countdown to the New Year is on, and so is the countdown to Team Haiti's departure from KCI on the first day of the New Year.
Our final keyword is FLEXIBILITY! It's a good word for all of us, but it is an essential word on the mission field. If there is one thing we can count on, it is the knowledge that we can't count on anything going the way we planned. If things do happen as expected, we are thankful and try not to take it for granted. When things don't go according to plan, we look for what God is doing and try to jump on board His plan as quickly as possible.
A couple of years ago, our plan was to get on the bus and get out of Port au Prince as quickly as possible. We wanted to get to Christ the King in Merotte, set up our work site, greet old friends, and then get on our way to the hotel for a relaxing afternoon and evening after a tiring travel experience. What we got instead was 4 hours stuck in customs, paying various people to help us get through the system, and an arrival at the hotel just in time for a late dinner. Had our team not been talking about the importance of being flexible, our day would have been a lot different. We maintained a good sense of humor, and put our heads together to figure out when action was necessary and when we just needed to wait. God is good. He taught us that we are safe in His arms and in His plan. His timing in getting us to the hotel before dark was perfect. And we had great testimonies of God's goodness in moving us through a corrupt system fairly quickly, (the normal delay is days not hours), and of God's goodness in being able to distribute 300 backpacks and various school supplies--things that could have been taken by the customs officials.
I wonder how our days might go differently here in the states if we became intentional about being flexible. Flexibility means being open to what God has in mind for our day, instead of being intent on our own agenda. Something to think about for sure!
Here's to being FLEXIBLE in the New Year!
Lisa :)
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Keyword Number 2
With just a few days to go until Team Haiti departs for Merotte, this is a great time to share with all of you our second keyword--RELATIONAL.
Our first keyword--INCARNATIONAL is the perfect lead in to what it takes to be relational. We first want to try to walk in the shoes of those we meet in Haiti, which then leads us to want to build relationships with them as well.
We aren't really going to Haiti to "help these people" as some may believe. If that is our attitude in serving, our minds might jump into a mode of believing a hierarchical system--that we are in some way better than those we serve. We may believe we're better because we have something to offer and that those we serve are just there to receive all our good deeds. When we serve with a relational perspective, our attitude has a slight twist. We want to spend our time in Haiti getting to know God's children who live in a different culture, speak a different language, and endure hardships we may never understand. We are going as an encouragement to God's church in Haiti. We are going to be encouraged in our faith journey as well.
Some relationships we make will be ones that last a lifetime and into eternity. When we do meet up with our Haitian brothers and sisters in heaven, I don't think we'll look upon each other as people we once served or who served us, but instead as fellow believers we were privileged to know along the way.
Bonswa,
Lisa :)
Our first keyword--INCARNATIONAL is the perfect lead in to what it takes to be relational. We first want to try to walk in the shoes of those we meet in Haiti, which then leads us to want to build relationships with them as well.
We aren't really going to Haiti to "help these people" as some may believe. If that is our attitude in serving, our minds might jump into a mode of believing a hierarchical system--that we are in some way better than those we serve. We may believe we're better because we have something to offer and that those we serve are just there to receive all our good deeds. When we serve with a relational perspective, our attitude has a slight twist. We want to spend our time in Haiti getting to know God's children who live in a different culture, speak a different language, and endure hardships we may never understand. We are going as an encouragement to God's church in Haiti. We are going to be encouraged in our faith journey as well.
Some relationships we make will be ones that last a lifetime and into eternity. When we do meet up with our Haitian brothers and sisters in heaven, I don't think we'll look upon each other as people we once served or who served us, but instead as fellow believers we were privileged to know along the way.
Bonswa,
Lisa :)
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Key Word Number 1
Whether you are one of the 27 embarking on the Haiti adventure on January 1 or whether you are someone interested and connected in some way to our mission work there, I want to share with you the three words I believe are key for anyone who desires to have servant eyes. Today, I'll share the first of the three words, which happens to be where God has done the most work on me. I believe that if we grasp the concept of this word, it has the potential to be transformational in our lives and in the way we see others. I'm curious to hear your thoughts on it as well, so feel free to post a comment.
Incarnational
As God places us in situations where we have opportunity to serve someone else, think about what it might be like to walk in the shoes of the person or people you are serving. Jesus set the example for us. His ministry was incarnate in that He walked among us. He knew exactly what it was like to be hungry, tired, tempted, sad, angry, etc. He lived among us.
When I hear a Haitian child say to me perhaps the only English phrase they might know, "Give me one dollar.", I could get frustrated. I could be bothered. I could pass judgement and may even think, "How dare she demand I give her money." But if I am trying to understand her world, compassion fills my heart. The chances are not only has she not eaten that day, but also no one in her family has had any food. With an American dollar she can buy a loaf of bread and some rice.
When we try to understand what others are experiencing or what may have brought them to the point where they are asking for help, our hearts are in a better position to love them.
Learning to Serve,
Lisa :)
Incarnational
As God places us in situations where we have opportunity to serve someone else, think about what it might be like to walk in the shoes of the person or people you are serving. Jesus set the example for us. His ministry was incarnate in that He walked among us. He knew exactly what it was like to be hungry, tired, tempted, sad, angry, etc. He lived among us.
When I hear a Haitian child say to me perhaps the only English phrase they might know, "Give me one dollar.", I could get frustrated. I could be bothered. I could pass judgement and may even think, "How dare she demand I give her money." But if I am trying to understand her world, compassion fills my heart. The chances are not only has she not eaten that day, but also no one in her family has had any food. With an American dollar she can buy a loaf of bread and some rice.
When we try to understand what others are experiencing or what may have brought them to the point where they are asking for help, our hearts are in a better position to love them.
Learning to Serve,
Lisa :)
Monday, December 19, 2011
Two Weeks Away
In just 2 short weeks a lot will happen. We will stress out about last minute things to do or buy--gifts or groceries or both! We will quiet ourselves before the manger as we spend time in worship on Christmas Eve. We will delight in the excited sounds of children as we send them off to bed only to wake them early so they can open presents and enjoy all the new stuff. Undoubtedly, many of us will even return to the stores to make necessary exchanges or to cash in on some great after Christmas sales. We will ring in the new year--2012! And then...and then...27 of us will make our way to Miami and then off to Port au Prince.
In just 2 short weeks, 27 lives will be forever changed by the people we meet, by the things we see, by the relationships we build, and by being open to whatever it takes to be molded and shaped more and more into the image of Christ.
Stay tuned for what will hopefully be daily updates beginning January 1 and continuing through January 9 - the day we return.
This blog will also be the spot we post great stories of how we are serving the world whether that be in our own neighborhood surrounding Lord of Life or in Haiti or in Nicaragua or wherever it is that God leads us.
Mold us and shape us, Lord--whatever it takes!
Learning to Serve,
Lisa :)
In just 2 short weeks, 27 lives will be forever changed by the people we meet, by the things we see, by the relationships we build, and by being open to whatever it takes to be molded and shaped more and more into the image of Christ.
Stay tuned for what will hopefully be daily updates beginning January 1 and continuing through January 9 - the day we return.
This blog will also be the spot we post great stories of how we are serving the world whether that be in our own neighborhood surrounding Lord of Life or in Haiti or in Nicaragua or wherever it is that God leads us.
Mold us and shape us, Lord--whatever it takes!
Learning to Serve,
Lisa :)
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