Rain has been a common theme this
month. Over the course of the month,
we’ve gone from no rain, to rain every night, to torrential downpours from
tropical storm Sandy,
to praying for the rain to cease, to worshiping God to “Let it Rain”.
NO RAIN: When we first
arrived in Haiti,
we immediately noticed the lack of rain.
The thunder and lightening came every night, but the rain never
fell. The country desperately needed the
rain – the soil, the people, and the atmosphere. We began urgently praying for rain and
believed it would soon come.
RAIN EVERY NIGHT: Nine days
after arriving in Haiti,
it finally came! While visiting a
ministry in the mountains, which was also the epicenter of the earthquake, we
anointed the earth in Jesus’ name and claimed the country of Haiti for His
kingdom. The rain came for a week straight
without missing a single night! The day
after anointing the ground, the Lord said this to Liz: “No longer will I turn my back on Haiti – they now have my favor”. I believe the rain was a sign that the Lord gazed
upon Haiti
as his special possession.
TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS: I
first learned about tropical storm Sandy
on Tuesday afternoon. That night the
wind picked up, the rain began to fall, and the temperature quickly
dropped. It stormed on and off for the
next four days – so much so that roads began to flood, roads were washed away
and bridges collapsed.
PRAYING FOR THE RAIN TO CEASE: Today
we were schedule to travel to Santo Domingo, DR for
a few days before departing for Thailand
on November 1. Our leaders left on
Thursday, smack-dab in the middle of the storm; however they didn’t get very
far. They got about an hour outside of Port-au-Prince before
having to turn back around due to flooding and impassable roads. After arriving back in Port-au-Prince, they learned that a bridge on
the route to the DR had collapsed, making it nearly impossible to reach our
destination! We immediately began
praying for the rain to cease, for the roads to dry, and for quick repairs of
the bridge.
We were ready to get out of Haiti! We wanted out of a country filled with
spiritual darkness; we wanted to put an end of our month of sickness. We were ready to get back to the DR and for
debrief to begin.
The rain, however, was affecting
our plans! It’s ironic how the rain we
so desperately wanted at the beginning of the month and prayed so fervently for
was now what we begged God to end. The
prayers we prayed at the start of the month were answered in a way much greater
than we ever imagined J
“LET IT RAIN”: Our debrief
was moved from Santo Domingo, DR to Port-au-Prince, Haiti due to the condition of the
roads. We so desperately wanted out of Haiti but it
seems as though God has different plans in store. He simply wasn’t ready for us to leave! This evening we met as a squad for
worship. After several songs, we began
singing “Let it Rain” and kept singing two simple verses for quite a long time.
Several things were brought to
mind when we began singing. First, I
found it funny that we were singing a song about “rain” when that’s one thing
we prayed for in various ways this month.
Then it struck me that we weren’t asking God to “open the floodgates of
Heaven” and “let it rain” actual rain, but for his spirit to REIGN.
We so desperately wanted out of Haiti because
we were tired and worn out from fighting a hard battle in this dark
country. But God has kept up here for a
few extra days because Haiti
needs the Holy Spirit and the Kingdom
of Light!
During worship tonight, someone
prayed for the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts then overflow into the room, from
the room to overflow into the compound, from the compound to overflow into the
street, from the street to overflow into the town, from the town to overflow
into the city, from the city to overflow into the country, and from the country
to overflow into the world!
That’s why God has kept us in Haiti for a few
extra days – for our light, for our love, for our joy, and for the Spirit we
carry to overflow into the vastness of this world.
“And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him –
The Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The Spirit of counsel and might,
The Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord”
Isaiah 11:2
written: Saturday October 27
