Barnabas Task

Heart and Soul

My time has been a mixed bag of emotions.  The first I ever came to Haiti was in 1981.  I spoke at a countrywide youth convention.  Ron Hittenberger was interpreting for me.  As is the case many times, the lights went out while I spoke, about five times.  One time when the lights were out, we heard a hissing sound like an angry cat.  All we saw was the shadow of something coming toward us from the back of the building. The Haitian youth panicked and began to scream and pray loud.  Ron said, “Keep on speaking.”    And I did.  When the shadow came close to us, rising up, lurching at us, Ron put out his hand and said “in the Name of Jesus,” and the body of a young man twisted and contorted fell to the ground as if hit with a sledge hammer.   We encountered a demonic spirit.

Clean up is slow

In 1982, I wept with friend Dwight Westover as we looked at what seemed to be a thousand lights (or more) that represented so many more people.  Dwight died in a plane crash several years later.  I preached his funeral.  I thought of him and his heart for the lost.  I mourned his loss in Haiti.  I can’t explain it.  It just hit me.

Driving through earthquake-ripped Port Au Prince has reminded of the heart and soul of human suffering.  This city is shut down,taken over by large agencies that have resource answers and structure initiatives.  As I had breakfast with development workers from Denmark, France and Canada I heard their

Remembering

overwhelming frustration of what to do, when and with whom.  This is all complex.  No easy answers in this second phase of relief work.

I had a meeting with Guy Thomas today.  It was great to connect to the Foursquare leader of Haiti.  I took him with me to a meeting at the airport where I had connected with Missionary Aviation Fellowship.  (MAF).  I could not bring Guy a cup of cold water but I did connect him to water filters for the people that attend his church.  Clean water means better health.

When people ask me what  I do, the simplicty of it all surprises even me.  I connect people to people to resource and along the way I make freinds and together the Kingdom is advanced.  It was a cool feeling to watch a new friend drive with enough water filters for his entire church.

YOUR GIVING TO BARNABAS TASK HAS MADE A DIFFERENCE IN HAITI.

I will write more as time and Internet permits.