February 15, 2010
The following is copied from an email my Sunday school teacher sent out. I cut out only the addresses at the top. A television preacher was recently criticized for suggesting that the earthquake could be God's judgment on Haiti for witchcraft. God does bring judgment on some things before eternity but I think the earthquake may have been the path to God through revival, such as described here. The Old Testament would bear me out on this. Even when God pronounced severe judgment against a disobedient and rebellious people, He ALWAYS held out the hope of mercy and redemption. That should never be overlooked.
This is my niece that I requested prayer for yesterday in SS. This is long but what a TESTIMONY. It will be worth your while. I read a little and cried all through her testimony. God is still in control and rules. We must continue to believe it.
Wilma
----- Original Message -----
From: Lara Berry
Sent: Monday, February 15, 2010 10:03 AM
Subject: What Haiti taught me about my poverty
Hello Friends and Family,
I want to share this amazing experience that I had yesterday with you.
This week the Haitian government had called for a three day fast and prayer from all of the Haitians in the country. They ask that people would pray for the situation that is at current here in Haiti. All people participated in this event. Here on the Plateau, the prayer began Friday in the afternoon and a large group of people from this community showed up at the church to begin in a time of prayer, song, and dance. They did so for five hours. Then Saturday, people woke up at 3am (yes that is am not pm) in the morning to gather again at the church. There they sang, prayed and danced until 8am in the morning.
On Saturday, I did not go to the gathering. But every now and then I would wake up in the middle of a loud cry of voices, singing at the top of their lungs, crying out to God for the sake of their country. I would then slip back into sleep only to be awaken by the same sounds of faithful people crying out to God in this great time of need.
Sunday was the last day that the prayer and fasting was to take place. This time it was to begin at 12pm Saturday night and was to last until 6am Sunday morning. This day I had felt so deep in my heart to go and pray with the people here so, I decided to load up on coca cola and at 12pm I walked into a church full of sleep deprived people faithfully waiting to begin in their hours of praying.
I don't think I can even begin to describe to you how passionately and enthusiastically the Haitians praise God. They shout, sing, dance in circles...giving everything they are in the presence of God. I realized why I was there that night. It wasn't just to witness an event like this. I realized that what they were so deeply praying for I too have desired so deeply in my heart. Yes they prayed for their country, the poverty, the corruption, the despair but the common theme that kept reoccurring was that they prayed that God would change their hearts and the burden they carry. That night Manis, who was leading the event, had said that we cannot change anything that's wrong in our country until we change ourselves first and that we can only do that by the help of God. This is something that I've prayed for and continue to pray for not only for my own life but for the lives of many others who suffer from not just material poverty but the poverty I see exists in people’s hearts that destroy our relationships with others, our communities and our world.
Before I get to the next part I have to explain the situation in this area. The one thing that the people materially lack on the Plateau that keep them in their cycle of poverty is water. Rain rarely passes through here and often times drought causes their gardens to fail and their animals to die. They walk miles just to find water to drink and often times this water is filthy. Yet they always continue to pray for rain and never do they blame God for their situation.
As the night continued we danced and sang hymns with an indescribably energy. As I looked around the room people where smiling with joyfulness. Then Manis said it was now time to pray with our hearts and to truly humble ourselves and ask God to change our hearts from any of the "poverty" that we carry. I believe so deep in my heart that God knows our needs but that our needs cannot be met until we decide to confront what is preventing us from getting those needs...to me, that is our issues and the burdens that we carry. As 4:30am hit everyone continued in prayers out loud. There was a sense of complete humility that filled the room. All of a sudden it began to rain on us. God was dropping water from the sky! But no one stopped to be surprised...the music began and everyone was dancing and singing praises to God in this tiny little church with a pye roof (made out of palm leafs so water leaks right through it), with water raining down on us. It was not at all a shock to me that they weren't surprised. One thing that I've always seen in these people is their ability to be completely faithful and to know that in this faith God will always deliver to us the things we truly need. At that moment I began to cry. I realized that God gave this gift in appreciation to their faithfulness and perseverance through this time of fasting and prayer. Every day they came to pray in their fatigue state, they persevered through a fast and on the last day they fully opened up their desires to God. God gave them rain on that last day.
To me this was so symbolic. At a time where people feel in fear, where their country has experienced complete ciaos, where many have lost their loved ones and everything they owned, they gathered in a little church not to curse God but to ask him to change their hearts and thanking Him for his blessings. Then God gave them a sign that He will not leave them. The one thing that they need most here...rain. It was a gift to show him that we are loved.
At times I feel like so many of these gifts come to us. But in the western world we are so caught up in what we don't have, always trying to analysis things and always trying to medicate our burdens that we can't even see the gifts God gives to us in our lives. There is one thing that I try to express constantly to the people here in Haiti. They are always so appreciative of my help and the help of others who come to their "burdened" country to help develop what they seem to cannot. But what do we carry? Material things. I try to express each time to them that I may bring something to fix their poverty but they always give me something greater in return. They teach me what it is to truly have faith in God and that in that faith he delivers to us the things we need to develop our lives that are already full of abundance...These things come in the form of peace, love, joy, forgiveness, patience, perseverance. The list can continue. These are the things I think my country lacks...this is our poverty. God bless the Haitians for their overwhelming faithfulness and for helping me through my poverty.
What I've seen here is a tragedy but I can say that I will not walk away feeling hopeless and sad. That night God showed me that even amongst the greatest tragedies, He will never leave us if we open our hearts and remain faithful. Thanks for letting me share this.
Lara
John (Dr. Gran'pa) Henderson