I am a Missionary....

One of  my missionary friends here had found this and posted it on Facebook. I liked it and thought I would share it.

My calling is sure. My challenge is big. My vision is clear. My desire is strong. My influence is eternal. My impact is critical. My values are solid. My faith is tough. My mission is urgent. My purpose is unmistakable. My direction is forward. My heart is genuine. My strength is supernatural. My reward is promised. And my God is real. I refuse to be dismayed, disengaged, disgruntled, discouraged, or distracted. Neither will I look back, stand back, fall back, go back or sit back. I do not need applause, flattery, adulation, prestige, stature or veneration. I have no time for business as usual, mediocre standards, small thinking, normal expectations, average results, ordinary ideas, petty disputes or low vision. I will not give up, give in, bail out, lie down, turn over, quit or surrender. I am a missionary. That is what I do.

While I can’t say that I am all that is described here, I do see myself, and I know I am ever growing as He leads.

6/28/12 ~ HARD

If I had to some up my thoughts and feelings about Haiti, “Hard” is about the best I can come up with. As the last two months has crawled by here, I have come to the unerring conclusion that everything about Haiti is hard. Haiti is incredibly hard on everything. The rough roads beat vehicles to pieces. The salt air causes everything to rust in no time. The heat and humidity make life miserable for everyone. The water, when you find it is full of calcium and other assorted nasty things and will probably get you sick.  The ground is thin and rocky, and the only thing that grows the most is mosquitoes, which again, will probably get you sick. Haiti is really hard on the people who live here, making them old before their time, and wearing them down. Everything about Haiti is so difficult, it really makes me wonder if anyone should actually live here, or just abandon the whole country to the insects and go somewhere better. Haiti is really, really hard on missionaries. Trust me, I speak from personal experience. I have been bitten by more mosquitoes then I can count, and continue to be their favorite snack! I have heat rash, I can barely sleep. Most days I’m so exhausted and dehydrated that just making it through the day is a chore. I have several weird sores on my legs that won’t seem to go away, and I have a fungus on my big toe that I think may cause it to fall off soon. The food ranges from bland to scary (if I never again have to eat beans & rice, it would be too soon), and you quickly learn to eat for the purpose of living, not to enjoy.

Haiti is hard, and I can truthfully say that if someone offered me a plane ticket home tomorrow, I would go. I would go back home to Indiana, enjoy some time with all my friends and family, eat some good food, and sleep in my bed. It would be great.

Then, I would re-supply, pack back up and head back to Haiti.

Here’s the thing: No matter how hard Haiti is, no matter how much it feels sometimes like the entire country is trying to kill me, I have seen the beauty here, and I know now more than ever that I have been called to serve here. I have seen the beauty of a people and a country, that no matter how much the devil tries to hurt them, still stand tall and worship the Lord with all their might. I have seen the beauty of lives that have been changed in the Miriam Center, where children with special needs ( who are abandoned and shunned by Haitian society) are growing and flourishing, learning to walk, to talk, even going to school. I have seen beauty as the Miriam center has reached out to parents of these kids, showing them how to love and care for them, changing the attitudes, one family at a time. I have seen beauty in the lives that have been changed through visiting surgical teams, who work tirelessly, helping as many patients as they can, fixing everything from Hernias to Club Feet and anything in between. I have heard beauty in the sound of newborn babies, delivered safely in our Birthing Center. I have seen beauty in the faces of the Gran Moun, the elderly who live on campus. In Haitian society, if you’re too old to work, you’re too old to eat, so many of these people would be left to die. Yet here they have a place, a society, a reason to go on. I have seen the beauty of a church service, filled to overflowing, with praise and devotion so powerful, you think the roof is going to come off the church. And i have seen the beauty in a people, that no matter how hard their life is, that are quick to smile, to tell you hello, to offer a hand in friendship. And I have seen the beauty of God’s love in the passion, commitment, caring, dedication and love of the American missionaries that I am privileged to serve alongside. They are simply amazing people, and I count myself blessed daily to be able to work with them, to help them by supporting their ministries, using my God given gifts and talents to serve our Lord and Savior!

IIn my time in Haiti, I have been broken by God again and again. Everytime I think I have a handle on my life here, God shows me again and again how wrong I was. I have come to look forward to learning everyday what new ways I can be stretched, what new ways God can show me how to truly feel others pain, how to truly love, how to truly serve. I don’t claim to know the future, nor what God has planned for me. I do know that I have been called to serve in Haiti, and I serve with a glad heart, a weary body, and the knowledge that great things are being done for the Kingdom, and I am honored to answer Jesus’ call in Luke 10:2

He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

Haiti is an amazingly hard, extensively difficult, brutally demanding country. What better place can there be to serve?

4/12/12 ~ A Day in the Life..

Hey all, I just wanted to do a quick update, and share with you a day in the life, so to speak, of a maintenance person in Haiti.

Problem: Need to install a new washer and dryer to be used by the Miriam Center.

Hurdle: Water and electricity already run, appliances moved into place, just need a hose for the washer, a exhaust line for the dryer and a cord for the dryer.

Solution:

In the U.S. ~ Run to Wal-Mart, pick up needed supplies, return home and install hoses, test washer and dryer.

In Haiti ~
1) Talk to plumbing guy on campus to determine we don't have what we need here. Best bet is to find the parts in Port du Paix.

2) Get cash for parts and travel to Port du Paix, walk to downtown St Louis and board a tap-tap to PdP. ( The funny thing about this experience, when me and my guide boarded the tap-tap, there were only 5 people in the bed of the truck. by the time we got to Port du Paix, there were 38 people, 2 boxes of clothes, about 10 cases of empty beer bottles, a ton of bananas and assorted fruit, some empty diesel cans, etc)

3) Arrive in PdP, disembark from tap-tap and begin searching local "hardware stores" for needed parts. Cant find parts, but every place suggests somewhere else to try.

4) No parts at nearest places, so we board 2 moto's (scooters) and widen our search area for parts. (and yes, before you ask, the sight of me hanging on to a small Haitian on the back of a beat up little scooter, flying through the streets did get quite a few strange looks)

5) After about 2 hours, 250 Haitian Gourds (equal to 50 Haitian dollars or about $ 6.25 U.S.) and too many stores to count, we determine that no matter how many back-alley places we visit, they either don't have the parts, or we just can't find them, we decide the parts may be in Port au Prince, so we head our motos back to where the tap-taps gather on the outskirts of PdP, and head home to St Louis. Did I mention that it is raining by now?

6) Pile into a different tap-tap to head for St Louis ( this one is a smaller truck, with only about 17 people in the back, plus cargo. This truck also has the endearing trait of dying every time he stops, and only wants to start back up about half the time, necessitating the driver to get out and whack the starter with a piece of metal to get it started)

7) Return to St. Louis campus with no parts, no hope of parts, and 350 Gourds lighter.

8) New goal is to try and find out tomorrow where they got the parts for the other washers and dryers on campus at the last time, and go from there.

9) Take a shower, call it a night and dream of a Wal-Mart or Home Depot opening up just down the street.

10) Wake up tomorrow and start again!

One undeniable conclusion I have reached about my service in Haiti, is that it will be an adventure, and will most assuredly teach me about patience. thank you God for allowing me to serve your Kingdom, and for all of the great blessing you have shown me!


Good night all, and God bless you all!

Justin

4/1/12 ~ Safe and Sound

Well, after much stress and anxiety, I finally made it here to my new home in St. Louis du Nord Haiti! It's been a long journey to get here, not necessarily physically, but spiritually and emotionally as well. After years of praying for god to show me a place to serve, I am here and ready to go. it has been very bittersweet leaving my friends and family back home, but I (and they) know that this is where God wants me to be, and i know I go with their prayers and support.
I was welcomed to my new home with open arms, much happiness and the promise of plenty of things that need doing. Even though the campus has changed quite a bit since September, it really does feel good to be back, and I'm excited to get to work.

The journey itself was actually pretty smooth, other that a big rain storm that delayed my flight from Indy to Miami. Instead of getting into Miami about 9pm, we ended up getting there about 11:30, which made for a very short night when I had to leave back for the airport at 4am. But that's probably OK, i don't think I could have slept much, even if i had the time :-) I got to meet a lady named Barb on the shuttle to the airport who was also traveling to Northwest. She is from Indiana as well, but her flight schedule had routed her through Cincinnati, so we didn't meet until that evening. She had been to NWHCM several times, and was returning for the week. It was great to have somebody to talk to in the shuttle and in the airport. Once in the airport, we met up with several other groups that were going down, and we all had a good time hanging out in the airport.

The flight to Haiti went without problem, and i was pleased to see that all of my luggage made it to Haiti. After the maddening rush of getting our luggage, going through customs and finding Jacques (the gentleman from NWHCM whose daunting job it is to get all of us off of planes and where we need to go, as well as getting us out when we leave) we made our way outside where we split up. Most of the group would be taking the bus ride to St. Louis and barb and I were flying. We left the group and all our luggage at the bus, and headed to the airport, where we waited several hours for another couple of groups to come in that were on different flights to Haiti. Once everyone was there, we waited for the next flight to Port du Paix, when another small problem presented itself. We had 18 missionaries (including myself) heading to PdP, but the plane only holds 17. So, I volunteered to hang out for the next flight, and let the others go. I figured I'm here for 7 months, i can wait a little bit. About 2 hours later I boarded the plane to head out.
The ride from PdP to St Louis was as exciting as ever, and I finally made it to the campus just in time for dinner (after a round of greetings and hugs), then took a look at my new digs. It was a great blessing that Ed Ginter, who had just left Haiti, left me a bunch of things to help get me settled. It is such a blessing, not only for the stuff, but for the thoughts and care he left to help me feel at home. Thanks Ed, you're a great guy and i hope we meet again someday.
Well, that's all for now. I have a bunch of pictures, but i have not been able to figure out a way to get them from Ipod to computer to Blog. (if anyone has any suggestions, please shoot me a line) But I'm hopeful I will get them up sometime.
Have a great and blessed day, week and Easter, and may God bless you all!
in His name,
Justin

3/25/12 ~ 5 days and counting

The last couple of weeks have been really tough for me. It’s been very hectic, trying to get everything done that I need to get done (packing, re-packing, cleaning, training my replacement at church, etc) and just generally trying to get everything done so that I can head to Haiti and know that everything here is taken care of. Or at least as well as I can be. I’m sure that I haven’t thought of everything, but I planned as best I could. Kind of like my packing for Haiti, it’s really hard to plan what I’ll need for 7 months, as well as what I’ll want, comfort wise. Plus all of the tools that I think I’ll need make for several very full suitcases (I hope American Airlines has a sense of Humor on their weight limit), and a carry-on packed to the gills! I feel pretty well prepared, but I’m sure that once I get there I’ll find several things that I haven’t thought of.

An interesting G.A.W. (God at work) moment = I’ve been trying not to worry (with little success) about my move to Haiti, as well the people and things I’m leaving behind. I know that God has big plans for me, and I know that my life, all of the peaks and valleys, has been in preparation for this missionary journey. I know that, yet still I worry. Anyway, as I was searching yesterday for a particular Bible passage before church, I came across the following verse:

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?  Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?  Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” ~ Matthew 6:25-27 NIV

It still amazes me sometimes how God will give us answers, most of the time before we even ask the question. All we need to do is read the owner’s manual (a.k.a. the Bible) and our problems are resolved. Thank you God for giving us Your word to study and learn from!

Probably the hardest thing that I’ve been dealing with is saying goodbye to all of my friends and family. I’m not really big on goodbyes, I’d much rather just kind of disappear one day. It’s easier to hide your emotions that way. Nonetheless, I was really touched by the friends of mine, saying goodbye and wishing me well. I was even awarded the “Golden Plunger” by the staff at Cornerstone! A truly great honor, reserved for only the best and brightest!

Having such a strong group of family supporting and praying for me is a blessing beyond measure, and I am eternally grateful to all of you, and I look forward to keeping up with you via email, and seeing you in November. Although I may not have shown it much, you all mean the world to me, and I love you all!

Until next time,

BONDJE BENI OU !

3/11/12 ~ Ups and Downs

Hello all, I hope that you are all well, and firstly I would like to apologize for the tardiness of this post. The month of February has been full of a lot of ups and downs for me, and it’s been hard for me to write about. I’m getting back on track, and I appreciate your patience.

February 15^th marked the first anniversary of my sister’s death. Michelle was a great person, with a great heart full of compassion. She spent most of her life caring for others as a nurse, doing pediatrics and home health care. Michelle and I were very alike in a lot of ways, which is probably why we didn’t always get along the best, but I loved her and we all miss her dearly. I look forward to the day when I will again walk with her and my parents on the streets of Heaven someday.

A couple of weeks ago, we held a “Hearts for Haiti” fundraiser and I was overwhelmed by the response I had. The number of people that volunteered, donated items for the silent auction and showed up to eat and wish me well has touched me more than I can say. I’ve wasted  a lot of my life telling myself, and being told by others, that I’m really just not that much of a person. That I don’t really matter. These feelings are something that I have fought with and against for a long time, and the outpouring of love and support I have received from my church family have meant more to me than I can ever say. God has truly blessed me with a wonderful church family, and I thank Him for them daily. As I prepare for my service for the Lord, I know they will be alongside of me, covering me in prayer.

I am truly blessed indeed!

“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." ~ Ephesians 2:4-10 NIV

Time keeps on slippin', slippin', slippin' …

Hello everyone, I hope that you are all doing well, and enjoying the weird weather we’re experiencing this winter / spring. Not that I’m complaining, but it just doesn’t seem right that we’ve had days in the 50’s, and had hardly any snow this winter. Perhaps mother nature is just trying to help me acclimate me a little closer to Haitian weather. Or maybe we’re just being set up for the other shoe to drop, so to speak J

It’s hard for me to believe we’re already into the first week of February. My time before I start my service in Haiti is slowly fading away, and sometimes it’s seems like there’s just not enough time to get everything done that needs doing. I have gotten my plane tickets, so I’m officially leaving on the evening of March 30^th, flying to Miami, the continuing on Haiti on the next morning. I’ll serve the people of Haiti with the men and women of NWHCM, then return to the states on November 7^th, where I’ll meet with a NWHCM representative in Savannah, then returning home to Indiana on the 8^th. Now that I have plane tickets and a set date to leave, I’m starting to feel more of a sense urgency to get things done, but I’m just taking deep breaths, saying a prayer for peace, and working on getting things done bit by bit.

On another note, I am very excited that to date I have received monthly pledges to cover just a little over half of  my needs while serving in Haiti. I am very grateful for all of you who have chosen to step out in faith and partner with me. While I still have a way to go, I am not worried, because I know that God is with me, and has plans for my service in Haiti, and I know that he will provide! As it says in Luke, chapter 11: 9-10

“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”

I am still in need of partners willing to join with me as I serve our God in Haiti, and I hope that you all will consider joining with me. I know that times are tough, the economy is bad, and we are all pulled in many directions. I also know that God has richly blessed all of us, and that the more freely and generously we give, the more we receive. We are called by God to step out in faith, and I would encourage everyone to commit to supporting a missionary this year. Of course, I would love for you to partner with me, but if not, there are thousands of men and women serving God and the Kingdom throughout the world. I would encourage you to partner with one of them, and learn the joy of helping to expand the Kingdom!

On Sunday, February 19^th  following services at FCC, we are hosting a “Hearts for Haiti” fundraising dinner. For $5 a person you can have a great dinner (Spaghetti with choice of sauce, salad, bread, dessert and a drink), enjoy some fellowship and learn more about Northwest Haiti Christian Mission, their ministry in Haiti, and my impending service with them. We will also be having some live entertainment and a great silent auction, with all of the proceeds going to help support my work in Haiti. I would love for anyone in the Brazil area to come out on the 19th, have some great food and learn how Northwest Haiti and I are serving, and ways that you too can be involved in Haiti!

I pray that you all stay well, and I would love to speak with you in more detail about the need in Haiti, and my service there. If you would like to reach me, you can either contact me at the church office (812-446-2214) or by email at servinginhaiti@yahoo.com

Have a great night and weekend, and God Bless!

Justin