Let God use you •
On 10/13/2017 we went into a village about an hour away. We spoke to about 5 or 6 families, one that sticks out was a women who wanted a relationship with Christ, but her husband is a voodoo priest. She was scared, and after we shared some of Jesus’s story, we prayed over her. Please keep her and her husband in your prayers also. Afterwards we shared more stories with others whose some ears have heard only for the first time. The highlight of the Race so far came next. We approached this family out in their yard under a shade tree in the dirt, trimming some vegetables. After some time of getting to know them, Jesus let himself into the conversation. The grandmother asked us many questions about who he was, and noted that she was interested in allowing him into heart but didn’t know much about him. We spent about an hour or so talking with her, told the story of Jesus the best we could, one thing she said that will forever stick with me was “how could I love a god that allows our people to live this way”… and it’s easy to put on your church clothes, and think this so easy to explain to someone struggling back in the states, but looking around the poverty was unlike I had ever seen in the states or even thought about for that much. Most people here in Haiti can’t go to church because they can’t afford nice enough clothes… and feel as if God won’t love them because of it. Putting yourself in those shoes, it’s different. So we told the story of Job, how he was so faithful to god that god allowed Satan to test him, taking away his family, home, and even making him severely sick. Citing the scripture of 1 Samuel 16:7 which reads :
But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
As we were reading this, a smile on her face began to arise so beautiful you could almost see the angels singing beside her. We further talked about the unmatched love Jesus had for her on that cross, and that after 3 days he rose from the dead to be alive and well. Finally after explaining that the Bible tells us that he whoever knocks on the door of the kingdom, shall be answered. We asked her if she was willing to consider accepting Jesus. She said yes. We dug deeper asking if she would consider accepting him today. She said yes. And with a smile as big as day on all of our faces, we asked again if she wanted to accept him now, and with Jesus right there next to all of us, he called her to say yes for a final time. We gathered around her, and to this day I have never experienced the feeling in my heart that I felt that day during that moment, and no matter what we said, we knew Jesus was speaking through us. I asked her to repeat after me, translated in creole by my now good friend Alfred, and right there in the dirt outside of the blue tented hut she had been living in her entire life. She came home. She came home to the father.
With tears leaking out of our eyes, and smiles as bright as the morning sunshine itself. We hugged her, and told her that as we leave here, Jesus will never leave. He is there whenever she calls, and is there holding her hand until she meets him face to face in heaven.
We left her village that day, and as we got back on the bus, I knew that alone is why I not only joined the race. But that alone is why we are all here, Jesus called us to be disciples. His hands and feet. We as humans on earth are here to spread the good news, that Jesus is alive!
That moment is one I will never forget, and a feeling I will forever chase. To my supporters, I say that none of us are truly equipped to share the gospel, but with a true heart, God speaks through us, and those who need to hear, will hear. Trust him. Do not worry about saying the wrong things, again the Lord will speak through you if the heart is true, and God doesn’t make mistakes. He knows what we need before we even ask, and he knows what someone needs to hear even if they have no clue what you are talking about in the moment.
Thank you so much again to my supporters, again this would not be possible without the endless and loving prayer support. I am loving life out here, wouldn’t want to be anywhere else doing anything else.
Thank you so so much for reading to those who take the time to read.
God Bless,
Joe
