Mesi Anpil Jezi

I have started reading this great booked called One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. I am truly at the beginning of the book and haven't quite figured out her writing style, but I certainly understand her message: Give thanks to God to be fully saved and to fully follow his will. I can already tell I am going to be changed and energized from this book and I am so excited about that!

This past week I have been extremely blessed to share time in Haiti with my church. I was blessed to see Haiti through their eyes, blessed to work with the pastor that we started a relationship with, blessed to introduce my Creole teacher to people who could help with his dreams, and blessed to spend time with people that I love. I am truly grateful to God for putting it on the hearts of these 9 people to travel to Haiti. I am so grateful that I had a way to fight some of my homesickness with an extra special dose of home and church.

Last picture with the group

Something happened in Haiti on Thursday that is one of the pitfalls of introducing "rich, white people" into a community. After finishing our work at the church, the group gave the pastor money that was left over from purchasing supplies and food to be donated to his Saturday family program. It was something around $400 US, a very high sum that would have helped him purchase more supplies for the construction of the church and to assist his family. In an effort to make the transaction secure we hid the pastor and gave him the money so that no one in the community could see. However, this was not enough. In the afternoon or night, one of the workers who had been there the day previously robbed the pastor and his wife at gunpoint. Taking all the money that was given to him. The pastor and his children were unharmed and the other supplies he was storing at his house were not taken. The pastor was able to identify the man and he was arrested, no money was returned.

Hearing Pastor Desauguste's news (Pastor is located in the center)

I was in a similar, albeit incredibly less dangerous, situation 2 weeks prior. My purse was slashed with a knife while I was at a Flag Day festival and my iPhone was taken along with credit cards, license and about $150 US. For me its very easy to replace all of these things and I did within hours (thanks to the help of my parents). I was not ever in danger, the robber did not show any intent to harm me and I truly never even felt it happen. My immediate thoughts were-whoever it was, they needed it more than me.

The pastor's immediate thoughts were to praise God! 

I know this because he called Patrick Villier, leader of CONASPEH, and said how grateful he was to God for the group (Woodmont) coming to his church and sharing the time with him and his members. How grateful he was for all the work  that was done, and the supplies that they gave. Then, and only then, he told Patrick about what had happened. He then said Thank you to God that we are still alive and unharmed!

WOW! I did thank God and was completely aware of the blessing I was given of being unharmed, but only after I had done a complete inventory of the material possessions I had lost and called my mother to get them all replaced. 

"If I am truly in Christ, mustn't my initial act, too, always be an act of thanksgiving, 

returning to Jesus with thanks on the lips?" 

One Thousand Gifts Ann Voskamp

Please say an extra special prayer of thanksgiving that Pastor Desauguste and his family was unharmed, that he is a pastor in a community that desperately needs people like him to lead and offer programs and services to the community, and that he can continue to a have a joyful, thankful spirit in this life of adversity and struggle. And please continue to pray for me that I may be thankful in every up and down that is my life here in Haiti.