Thanks for your prayers and encouragement!
Last week's session on Peace and Joy went really well.
The Mommies and Daddies started out as they usually do: expressionless and non-responsive. I'm trying to see this a cultural norm and a challenge to engage rather than from the (my) point of view as a person who is hungry for feedback!
After a few minutes the Haitian staff began to engage again. We looked at scriptures about Joy and about Peace and talked about the world's understanding of joy and peace, what happens in the absence of joy and peace, and God's provision for us in His Joy and His Peace - the supernatural kind that we hunger for, that our children and youth hunger for!
We talked about the Kingdom Life of Righteousness, Peace and Joy in the Holy Spirit found in Romans 14.
We found out that Psalm 62:5 in my NIV is 62:6-7 in the Creole Bible (that was an amusing distraction!).
We also looked at 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 which shows us how the work - ministry - of reconciliation is not only the work of Jesus Christ, but also OUR work. We have been blessed by Christ reconciling us to the Father and now we are called to do that same thing for others: Rekonsilyasyon! Following the Spirit's leading, supporting and modeling and sharing the truth of Jesus - reconnecting us with Father God so that we have life and have it abundantly!
We encouraged and challenged the staff with this as part of their job description in parenting our kids.
We spent some time coming up with concrete ways we can access and teach how to access the Joy and Peace of God. With some encouragement they came up with great examples:
Know God's Word (spend time in the Bible),
Worship Him,
Time in Prayer,
Obey God,
Work as unto God,
Forgiveness (this got me excited for future work because forgiveness has such huge power to release chains of bondage - I can't wait to see God work here through forgiveness... but that will come...!),
and Salvation!
Their homework assignment was to make peace in their own lives where it is missing and to get involved in leading the children and youth in making peace and experiencing joy. It seems pretty broad, but when we ask God for opportunities do these things He is excited and ready to give us a chance to share Peace and Joy - what a great privilege and responsibility to know and live and multiply Love and Joy and Peace! Even just to SPEAK in Love and Joy and Peace... what a difference it makes!
Today we are going to do a Prayer Walk. We will enter into each of the bedrooms and pray over the space and those that live and sleep there. I believe this is a powerful thing to do and have experienced great blessing by doing that in my home (immediate and powerful results praying over my apartment here!), and am hoping that our Haitian staff will appreciate today's session.
I treasure your prayers as we claim these spaces for Christ this morning.
I'll leave you with 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 (CEV)
God has done it all! He sent Christ to make peace between himself and us, and he has given us the work of making peace between himself and others.
What we mean is that God was in Christ, offering peace and forgiveness to the people of this world. And he has given us the work of sharing his message about peace.
