Our Life for God's Glory: Our Journey to the Mountains #2

Good morning, Sleepy head! It’s time to get up and face another new day…

Yesterday was a tiring one and perhaps left you a bit grouchy.. especially after that rough and dusty ride up the mountain and then having to share ONE shower with 33 people! And if that’s not bad enough.. the water that came from that shower head was “blitzen” cold! It was enough to make a person shiver and shake! Since all our water is being hauled up here in a 50 gallon barrels, we were told to use the water sparingly, which hasn’t been too much of a problem. The showers taken up here will probably be your shortest showers ever! :)

Today is Sunday, January 29, 2012. Today is a day for you to kick back and relax. It is also a day for you to worship God. There are many things to thank Him for this morning…

How about getting your Bible and a cup of freshly brewed Eight o’clock coffee and come along with me, I would like to show you the beauty of the morning! Quite a few others are already enjoying this beautiful, breathtaking view.

I think a good way to start this day would be to spend some quiet time alone with God. Go ahead, find a spot, and praise Him! He loves your adoration and worship. Up here on this mountaintop it feels like praise is a natural! Don’t you think? :) It is quiet… and peaceful… The air is fresh and clean….. The sky is blue and heaven seems close… I love being here!

I often think of the song.. “ I go to the hills when my heart is lonely”, when I am up here! If you open your lonely heart to God, He will fill you with true joy and happiness…He will meet any need that you may have.

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It was suggested that we have a little church service up here in the mountain this morning. Let’s gather around in a circle, along with the others and join in the singing. I love the energy and enthusiasm of this group… It is also a great pleasure to be singing English songs with our youth group again! Several people choose a favorite song to sing and some share an inspiration. Don picks one of his favorite songs, “Restore my Soul”, a song that we learned while in chorus with the youth, and shares a few thoughts from his heart. Our family is so blessed when everyone gathers around us to pray. I cannot help but weep. The love and care that you show our family is deeply appreciated. We do love Haiti and the people of Haiti.. and the children of Haiti.. we love living here and feel like we are in God’s perfect will. But Satan is out to destroy and he is eager to discourage God’s children from doing anything productive for His kingdom.. Especially those who sincerely want to do His will… Thank you.. Thank you for your prayers! We feel a great need of them.

We also have special prayer for the upcoming week… There is a big project ahead of us. Don is hoping to fence off about two thirds of the property that was bought with a vision to build a children’s home on someday. Prayers are lifted to God in behalf of this project. There is a desire for this work to prosper… a desire for safety… a desire for good health… etc.

Part of Galen’s prayer really stands out to me. The thought is this: that God would help things to go smoothly but if things don’t go well or don’t go as smoothly as we would like them to that we would all be okay with it. I think the idea of TRUST comes in here again. God’s ways are so much higher than ours… He is so much more intelligent… He knows what is best for us for He only can see clearly into the future of our lives…. And God is God .. He does things for His glory.. and not ours. Am I right? :)

TRUST… TRUST.. TRUST… how can I fully TRUST the way that I ought? My spirit is willing but my flesh is weak.

Our church service is over… and now it’s time to think about lunch! Plans are to take a walk across the way to the Reinford’s orphanage. Jesse and Carol Myer are babysitting the children there while their “mom” is in the states for a six week furlough. Carol has consented to prepare our lunch with the ingredients I took over yesterday evening.

This walk will take us about 15 minutes, we’ve been told. We follow the well worn foot path used by the native people who live in the area. The path is only wide enough for one person so I guess we will play follow the leader. Just make sure and put a leader in charge that knows the way! Actually none of us has ever taken this walk before! We were told to look for the turbine on the Reinford’s windmill and head that direction. The path takes us up an down these rolling hills… sometimes we see the turbine and sometimes we don’t..

I hope that you are enjoying the walk. I am.. very much! If you were to close your eyes and take a moment to enjoy what your skin is feeling…you could well imagine that it is a pleasant, summer day. I enjoy the warm temperatures even more when I think of the end of January back home in Pennsylvania! Closing your eyes might not be a good idea though.. for there is a chance of you stepping in a “pie” of some kind. There are quite a few animals that graze on these hills. Don’t you see that big bull over there? (or is it a long horned cow?! ) Thankfully the animal is tied!! :)

This is Haitian farmland.. it is a good bit different than “Big Valley” but beautiful just the same. It is very common to see animals up here.. and a variety of them too; Goats, horses, cows, chickens, and pigs. You will also see farmers out in the fields… working hard. Two very common farming tools are a “pick” and hoe, which they use to work up the soil by hand. Many farmers work together in their fields. They talk and laugh, same as we. Many Haitians are poor but many Haitians are happy. So it seems to me. :) My conclusion is that it does not take a lot of things to be happy.

Welcome to New Horizon’s Children’s Home! This house has a flat concrete roof… a great place to “hang out”! Make yourself at home… relax… enjoy the sun and the pleasant breezes… while you wait for lunch. Lunch will be here shortly. The menu for today is a delicious chicken and rice casserole ;) , homemade rolls with grapefruit jelly, green beans and a jello, pudding cake. Bon Appetite!

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Evening comes and once again we think of eating! Let’s get a campfire started .. Supper tonight is going to be popcorn and hotdogs…

Seems like there’s no lack of spectators! The natives find this group of “whites” very intriguing! Old and young alike gather round to see what the whites are doing. Perhaps, for these secluded mountain people, life becomes rather monotonous at times. They see very little of the outside world and with this large group of whites “next door” , they wander across the grassy fields in search of something interesting, perhaps. If only I could read their minds…. What do they think of us? Do they feel like their land is being invaded by some pale faces? Do they think we have something to share with them? Or do they just find our way of survival on these mountains intriguing?

We don’t start a fire like they do… we cook differently… we dry our laundry differently.. our language is “gibberish”… etc… etc..

On second thought, If I really could read their thoughts, I wouldn’t be able to understand them anyway for they think in Creole! :)