“for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” Philippians 2:13
I read a ‘parable’ recently that made me chuckle at first and then caused me to consider its subtle worldly wisdom. “Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.”
The church in the attached photo is “Christ the King” Lutheran church in Merrotte, Haiti which is in the Arcahaie District and is located about 50 minutes Northwest of PAP and a quarter of a mile North of the Bay of Gonave. It is nestled within a rural neighborhood with scattered houses, plantain groves and vodou temples. When visiting this Church, I would usually sleep in the backroom on Saturday night so that I didn’t have to drive back there on Sunday morning, and the evening there was always a loud concert of vodou priests pounding on their drums, making pleasing music to their evil spirits.
This sanctuary was constructed with support from a family in Southern California, adopted by the FL-GA District as a mission outreach and a school and daycare facility were constructed by a congregation in Kansas. There are 391 children attending school here and enjoying the Trinity HOPE feeding program; God is at work in Merrotte.
There have been struggles here; good versus evil type of struggles. Satan continues to bring troubles to the Christians attending Church and school in Merrotte. Sin manifested itself into the life of a pastor, and he had to leave the congregation at Merrotte, attendance dropped and it appeared that the vodou priests had brought sufficient evil spirits to cease the Gospel message at Christ the King. School attendance has grown threefold since then and children continue to be blessed and share the message of their risen Savior throughout their neighborhood, bringing an end to the lies of the vodou priest and in time will silence their drums. The work of the Holy Spirit in their lives enables their “Christian” witness to be more powerful than the lies of this world, and in their neighborhood. Thank you for your continued support of their Christian education as they go about fulfilling His Good and Perfect purpose.
Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen.
May God be with you…Jay