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When God calls you to stay on the mountain

We just returned from Haiti and are sharing adventures and thoughts from our trip. You can read my first post here!

When God calls you to stay on the mountain

“You’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting,
So… get on your way!”
― Dr. Seuss, Oh, The Places You’ll Go!

We had quite the adventure on our trek to church on Sunday in Haiti. The missionaries we were staying with are the superintendents of the work of the United Pentecostal Church International in Haiti and oversee some 600 different churches. They had decided ahead of time to visit one of the works in St. Marc, about an hour and a half from where they live in Bon Repo.

Almost all of the roads in Haiti are horrendous. And by that I mean you must hold on, not just to your hat, but keep your seat as well if you don’t want to end up in the floorboard. We had been on a few decent highways but Sunday we were in for the ride of a lifetime. (This is the other car in our party with Missionaries Ron and Terry Brian, my sons Korey and Kris and other ministers.)

We traveled in two vehicles, eleven of us in our party. Along the way you must watch out for the hundreds of thousands of people you pass just standing at the side of the road, walking to their destination or attempting to sell you something if you slow down even the littlest bit. This time it wasn’t the peddlers that stopped us, we had a tire blow out!

We pulled over and were immediately surrounded by helpers. Aware of the heat, the men in our group, who were dressed for church, decided it would be worth it to pay these eager assistants rather than sweat through their clothes and be covered in grease. Three kind young men had that tire off and the full-sized spare back on in no time. We paid them well and were back on the road again.

My friend, Bonnie, who was making her eleventh trip to Haiti in four years, couldn’t resist making friends with this little girl and giving her a tiny doll that she had stashed in her purse for hopeful occasions.

Now it was time to start the climb up the mountain. Pictures do not begin to do it justice, not only is it steep but it is such rough terrain I was contemplating walking instead of the treacherous ride in a four-wheel drive! Thankfully I was able to see some interesting sites along the way.

Arriving at the church, they were already in full swing. Service began at 6:30 a.m.! We had left the house at 6:45, since the first half of their service is Sunday School, and we made it there by nine with our unplanned stop along the way. When we entered the building we were ushered to the platform even though those of us who were not ministers begged to sit in the congregation. But, we didn’t want to offend our hosts, so all eight of us, plus our interpreter, went to chairs lined up behind the podium. Admittedly, we would have rather sat in the congregation because we couldn’t see the young people that sang or much of anything else.

But they had church!

They sang forever and a day but it was all good. They prayed and prayed some more and then The Sweetheart was blessed to be able to minister in that service. He loves preaching with an interpreter and Richardson (pronounced Re-CHARD-son) is one of the best. We had such a good time with him this week.

Afterward, the ladies had prepared a meal for us; I was nervous since there were no facilities and Haitian food is so spicy and I have a nervous stomach…get the picture? But they did have plantains, which are mild and tasty and a couple of other things I could eat. They sat a beautiful table and just outdid themselves trying to please us.

The boys were fascinated by the donkey, or burro, that was tied up right behind the church. He made for some great pictures!

This is my friend Bonnie…lover of God, lover of children and now? Lover of donkeys. She’s the best.

And my favorite part of the day was when a young lady came carrying in this little bundle of joy! Isn’t he precious!

This is Marie Carmen on the left with Bonnie. Marie Carmen is a song leader, hostess and servant of God. She was most hospitable.

Marie Carmen lives on this mountain. It is not the most desirable location in Haiti. Such a struggle to get up there, such a struggle to live. She would like to have a husband, and several have been suggested for her, but if they won’t climb the mountain she is not interested. Her calling is to this church, to this people and she will not leave, even for love and personal happiness.

This stuck with me as we drove down the hillside (which was almost worse than going up!). To call this place primitive would be an understatement, to actually love living here would be unfathomable to most of us reading this today. But people like the pastor and his wife and Marie Carmen pour their lives into helping those less fortunate and introducing them to the Savior.

We refer to mountains in our spiritual lives as two different things, depending on what we are going through. Some say the valley is the low place, the difficult, the somber and they can’t wait to get back to the mountaintop, meaning they have made it through their struggle and now they can dance with Jesus (you understand my point). Others say that there is a mountain in their way, it can’t be moved, it is impossible to get over, around or through. They liken a mountain to the obstacle in their life that they can’t control or change.

But when we choose to conquer the mountain, to turn it into something positive, to see what needs to be changed, what needs to go or stay, then God can use it to teach us, mold us, make us into something more like Him.

Look at this poem by Howard Simon:

The low lands call
I am tempted to answer
They are offering me a free dwelling
Without having to conquer

The massive mountain makes its move
Beckoning me to ascend
A much more difficult path
To get up the slippery bend

I cannot choose both
I have a choice to make
I must be wise
This will determine my fate

I choose, I choose the mountain
With all its stress and strain
Because only by climbing
Can I rise above the plain

I choose the mountain
And I will never stop climbing
I choose the mountain
And I shall forever be ascending

I choose the mountain

howard simon

True, there isn’t really a place in Haiti that offers luxury and comfort. But choosing to live on this mountain means there isn’t sporadic electricity like other places we visited, there is NO electricity. There is NO running water. There are no sidewalks or paved roads or walking paths. For as difficult as life is down below in the valley, it is even more strenuous on the mountain. But rather than looking down at what could be, Marie Carmen is committed to her calling and making a difference where God has planted her.

Don’t begrudge the mountains that God puts in your way!

The grass isn’t always greener on the other side. If where you are at is where God wants you to be then fulfill that purpose! Choose the mountain and realize that by answering that call, whatever that call is, you can rise above the obstacles and find the favor of God in your calling.

Some day He might speak to that mountain and call you to a lush, green valley. But until then, know He is working all things for your good; He is in control and you are His hands and His feet to a lost and dying world.

Trust Him!

Enjoy these super short clips of our service!

Posted by Terry Brian on Sunday, December 13, 2015

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What I’ve learned from Henry in Haiti

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“I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare. In other words, if our expenditure on comforts, luxuries, amusement, etc., is up to the standard common among those with the same income as our own, we are probably giving away too little. If our giving does not at all pinch or hamper us, I should say it is too small. There ought to be things we should like to do and cannot because our commitment to giving excludes them.” ~ C.S. Lewis

What I’ve learned from Henry in Haiti

My heart has been turned every which way but loose these last few days since we landed in Port au Prince, Haiti.

Just a couple of hours after we touched the ground we were visiting our first orphanage. You can read about that here!

We have hosted 135+ children at the missionary compound, what a day that was. So much fun and such a blessing to see them enjoy the day and get some much needed nourishment.

Then, we went back to one of the group homes again last night right before dark. They have no electricity and it is so difficult to see where you are walking or which one you are hugging.

So, for the third time, Henry met me at the car, threw his arms around me and followed me like a puppy. Henry is 14. Henry wants me to take him out of the orphanage and, ultimately, out of Haiti.

Henry wants to go home with me.

(Henry is the one at the very bottom with the yellow t-shirt on. They were surrounding my son, Korey.)

Before I could get a big head about being chosen, those that know Henry said he has worked his magic on every Mom that comes to visit. And every Mom leaves here brokenhearted, knowing she cannot really take Henry home with her.

But yet, it tugs at your heart when, in his broken English, he says, “Nan-nette, I pray for you every day, so when you leave I can go with you, oui?”

To understand how we are all born with a different lot in life is impossible, at least to me. Why am I living in a free country, with a nice home, more food than I need, cars to drive and nice clothes to wear when someone such as Henry lives in complete poverty and despair?

Adoption isn’t easy in this country, or any other. Most of them only let those with physical disabilities and special needs be adopted out of the country, which is good and also not so good. Henry is neither one of those. So what is his lot in life? What is his hope?

I cannot explain it to me or to Henry. The only thing I can tell him is that he is loved by a Savior that knew his name before he was born. That His love is unconditional, never fails and never runs out.

Missionaries from around the world live here on this beautiful, yet impoverished, island and call it their home. They are here to make a difference as much as is possible. I have watched the missionaries we are staying with, Ronald and Terry Brian, LOVE BIG. That seems to be the answer to me. Yes, they give financially, very big. They give food, supplies and as much physical help as is possible. They are superintendents over a work of 600+ congregations, all over the island; it seems overwhelming to me that you cannot necessarily change the future of so many people, most who will always live this way.

BUT, if you take it one day at a time, if every day you get up, such as the Brian’s do, and make a little change for someone THAT DAY, hand out some extra rice and beans, grill some hot dogs for 135 kids, pass around extra water that they normally wouldn’t get, and most of all? Generously hug and love on adults and kids alike; they are starving for that affection at times even more than their natural food.

So, there is hope for Henry. Hope that if he stays connected to the Church here, the Body of Christ, that even though he may never leave his homeland for bright lights and big cities, God’s plan for him can still be huge. Henry can change lives too one day by sharing Christ with his friends, relatives and those even more less fortunate than himself.

I love you, Henry, and I pray for you every day that God will fill you with His spirit, full and overflowing with His love for others. That, as the Brian’s have loved you, and hundreds just like you, that you will now continue on and grow the Kingdom of God. Go, make a difference, Henry, for someone just like you.

May we not be so consumed with what we do not have that we cannot see the needs of others around us. But may we be so filled with the love of God that we will use what He has given us, whether it is natural things or spiritual things, and GO, DO, LOVE BIG.

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Welcome to Haiti, Jesus loves you

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We made it to Haiti and I have wifi!! Woo hoo!

Thank you all so much for your prayers yesterday. We had a great trip, no travel issues. Except when the pilot came on the intercom in Miami, after a 20 minute wait, to tell us that he thought the mechanic thought the problem was fixed and he agreed so we were going to take off. Yes, I felt so much better. (smile)

We arrived in Port au Prince around noon and the resident missionaries, The Brian’s, took us to the nicest place for lunch. They wanted us to know on the way that this restaurant was not the norm and that was evident as we drove down the highway. But we were thankful for a nice meal, wonderful service and a beautiful outdoor venue complete with a pool and palm trees.

Then reality hit as we stopped by our first orphanage. As soon as Pastor Brian’s vehicle pulled up, children began pouring out of the complex. We couldn’t even get inside the gate due to the hugs and literal clinging to each one of us. My friend Bonnie Beecham, who were are blessed to get to do this trip with, just wanted to see her kids. And you could hear them all hollering her name, “Bonay! Bonay! Bonay!” It was heartbreaking and heartwarming all at the same time.

The children were fascinated with my youngest, Korey, who has let his hair grow, just a touch, over the last few months. Korey is not normally a touchy-feeling person but you get over that quick here.

His heart was captured in the first few minutes as was my middle son, Kristopher. The children were fascinated that they were my sons. You? Mama? Him? Papa? Ha, ha, ha…so cute.

At Felix’s orphanage, the children received new flip flops that Pastor David and Bonnie Beecham had brought with them from Tennessee. Hanging on to their shoes and to us, I tried to help them unwrap the cellophane to get to their new shoes but every one of them would shake their head negatively and smile and say something I didn’t understand. Finally, Pastor Brian’s wife, Terri, explained that they wanted to wash their feet first, before they put on new shoes. (tears!)

Here they are singing, and playing with Korey’s hair.

From there we stopped by one other orphanage before reaching the missionary compound. By now it was dark, there was no electricity, we relied on our phones to even see our way inside. But, again, we could hardly get out of the car for the swarm of children yelling the Brian’s name and David and Bonnie (Bonay!)

There were a couple of young teenage boys who could speak a little English and they wanted to know my name and then my age. When I said, “54”, they laughed and said that would be my name, just 54. Ha. Ha. Ha. Just how I wanted to be known.

One witty little boy, he was 12, when asked my name and I said, “Nannette” then said back, “Watch me whip, watch me Nan-nette!” Quoting the popular song, “Watch Me Nae Nae” (which I have never understood, ha). But he was quick on his feet!

Before we left, one of the young boys pulled on my arm and said, “Jesus Loves You” and I said, “Yes, He does and He loves you too!” We didn’t bring gifts to that orphanage right then (they are coming to the compound today for a field day of sorts) all we brought was ourselves and plenty of hugs to go around. They were starving for that attention, that touch, that personal affection.

That’s all I could think of the rest of the evening and in our sharing time with the missionaries we talked about how they have absolutely nothing here, nothing to look forward to for many, nothing to eat, sometimes no shoes to wear, but they are starving even more for love.

And they are not much different than the people you see every day that need love, attention, someone to just say they care. God’s love is unconditional, agape love and ours should be too. He doesn’t care what we look like, how much money we have or what we can give back to Him. He just loves us.

That’s all anyone needs today in this unsure world.

Jesus loves you. Would you tell somebody today? Would you reach out and touch the hand (if appropriate) of one that is suffering or hurting and let them know you care and that Jesus cares even more? Would you offer them agape love and share the Gospel, the Good News, of Jesus Christ? You will change a life and they won’t forget that touch.

Keep pus in your prayers today as we open up the missions compound here and 135 children descend upon us! There will be peanut butter sandwiches in the morning and hot dogs and all the trimmings this afternoon. Soccer, basketball, any other games they want to play. Korey and Kristopher will be exhausted for sure.

Pray that we can show them love, that they feel the presence of God, that they know they are safe. Even if for a little while.

(These last two pictures are of them surrounding the vehicle as we left. Knocking on my window and waving “Goodbye!” was just about more than I could take.)

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