“Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people. For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.” Jude 3-4
The man in this photo is a witch doctor from Croix des Bouquets which is a suburb in the eastern part of Port-au-Prince. When I first visited Haiti in 1999 Pastor Isidor told our mission team to be careful if we took photos of vodou priests as they didn’t like it as they believe the photo would weaken their power by having their image lifted. I can attest that they don’t like their photo taken as there were numerous occasions when vodou priests and priestesses chased me with a broom or machete back to my truck when they saw what I was doing. Joey, the man who was hired to be my driver and interpreter said that he was a friend of this witch doctor and got permission to take photos of him and the inside of the vodou temple behind him. To this day, I still pray about that ‘friendship’. If you were to see his man walking on the street in Haiti you probably wouldn’t imagine that he was a vodou witch doctor; no strange clothing, body piercing or that evil stare. Six of every ten people in Haiti openly practice vodou and call upon evil spirits to do their bidding. Our children attending Lutheran schools in Haiti are in the minority but they have the Holy Spirit providing power that is necessary to confront the evil spirits. They are God’s Holy people bringing the message of Salvation to the lost within their families and in the streets of Haiti. I am closing today with the words from the hymn ‘Rise, ye children of Salvation’ that were written by Justus Falckner at the age of 25 in 1697.
“Rise, ye children of salvation, all who cleave to Christ, the Head. Wake, arise, O mighty nation, ere the Foe on Zion tread. He draws nigh and would defy all the hosts of God Most High. Saints and heroes long before us firmly on this ground have stood; see their banner waving o'er us, conquerors through the Savior's blood. Ground we hold whereon of old fought the faithful and the bold. Fighting, we shall be victorious by the blood of Christ, our Lord; on our foreheads, bright and glorious, shines the witness of His Word; spear and shield on battlefield, His great name we cannot yield. When His servants stand before Him, each receiving his reward; when His saints in light adore Him, giving glory to the Lord, "Victory!" our songs shall be like the thunder of the sea.”
Dear 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.