Simon and Philip

It’s been a good week in Haiti. Our teams left on Friday and Saturday so those were sad days. It’s funny how in a week you can grow to love people so much. As an intern I’m with the teams most of the time. We normally have two or 3 ministry days and then painting days. Through all of this time you get to hear the team’s story and learn how the Lord has brought them to where they are today. I’ve always love hearing how people became who they are, so being an intern is a pretty sweet deal for me. Meal times are also crucial. We have three great meals at MOH and meal times are relaxing and typically pretty long. I love getting to sit and talk, play mafia or nertz, and not rush off to something like I would normally in the States. Days are pretty random around here. Some day’s you work all day in the sun and then others (like today) I get to rest and write on my blog. I enjoy both of them. There is no “typical” week in Haiti.

Now that I have been here almost two weeks I’m starting to feel a little different then I normally do on a weeklong mission trip to Haiti. I’m gonna be here for a while so I better try to understand the Haitian people a little more/ get used to Haiti. In reading When Helping Hurts this week I was convicted of a couple of things. In Chapter two the author poses some questions: “why do you want to help the poor? Really thing about it. What truly motivates you? Do you really love poor people and want to serve them? Or do you have other motives? I confess to you that part of what motivates me to help the poor is my felt need to accomplish something worthwhile in my life, to be a person of significance, to feel like I have pursued a noble cause…to be a bit like God… It is a very ugly truth, and it pains me to admit it, but “when I want to do good, evil is right there with me” (Rom. 7:21).” These words hit home. Do I really love the Haitians? What do I really have to offer them? Is my heart pure towards them? As I asked these questions I was reading Acts 8. In Acts 8 Simon is a sorcer who does many magical works and has a large following. When Philip comes to town and preaches the gospel, Simon believes that Jesus is the son of God. Simon believes in Jesus but yet after he sees the power that John and Peter have in verse 18 because they can give the “Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands”, he offers to pay them in order to have this ability. I’m Simon. I want the glory. I can see where Simon was coming from. He had been powerful for so long, people had looked up to him, and now following Jesus, Peter and John were the ones who could do cool “magic”. After he offers to pay for this ability Peter responds to him that “his heart is not right before God” and he should pray to the Lord for forgiveness. Simon may have shown his ugly, selfish, glory wanting heart, but God is a forgiving God and He wants Simon’s heart (and my heart) to be right with His. I have nothing to offer Haiti but through the Lord I can offer everything. Further along in Acts 8 Philip is led by the Holy Spirit to preach the Gospel and then literally zapped away to another town to share the Gospel. Philip isn’t zapping himself. It’s ALL through the Lord. Philip didn’t know to go to the road where he would meet the eunuch to share the gospel, but the HOLY SPIRIT led him. I’m a Simon but through daily surrender to the Lord I can be a Philip!!! If that’s not exciting then I don’t know what is!

So that’s just a bit of what I’ve been learning. I’m starting to understand the saying “for the glory of God” more each week. I miss the teams but I now have a lot of new friends from Texas and Oklahoma! Hook em’ Horns and Boomer Sooner!

Love y’all lots and lots,
Bec