Created for Worship

A group of Haitian pastors start to get in the spirit of worship at our Worship and Music Conference in 2014

Have you ever came across something so beautiful and so perfect that you just were compelled to talk about it?  Maybe it was a perfect campsite on the beach, a secluded mountain overlook at sunset, or even a novel that you just can seem to get over?  Now consider the One who created and inspired all that we hold lovely and perfect.  Worship seems like a pretty appropriate response to his beauty and bounty!
This week we and several of our Haitian colleagues are attending the Symposium on Christian Worship at Calvin College.  We have made the effort to invite these leaders to Grand Rapids for the Symposium because it effectively teaches a balanced view of worship where planning, the Holy Spirit's direction, and solid theology are not mutually exclusive.  Despite the passionate and inspiring nature of Haitian worship, sometimes it is often suffers from the ad hoc and impromptu approach of Haitian pastors and worship leaders.  Our prayer is that Haitians can integrate the best of both worlds--passionate and inspiring worship that is thoughtful and well-planned.  Yes, in the Kingdom of God, you can have your cake and eat it too!
We also hope that through this experience, these Haitian worship leaders will be energized to become presenters at our annual Conference on Music and Worship in Haiti which we hope to hold in August, 2015.  Please pray for the planning of that conference.  One of our key Haitian collaborators immigrated to the USA last year and we don't really know what that will mean going forward.  We do know, however, that God deserves the very best of our worship!

"Post-op"

Dear Friends and Family:

Some of you know that our daughter, Hannah King, had an operation today to remove some moles from her skin.

Here is the "Post-Operative" Update:

Hannah King is home and recovering after having several darkened abnormal skin patches surgically removed-it ended up being four in total.  She is doing okay though her incision site on her scalp throbs with pain.  In her good humor through pain she stated, now I know how Harry Potter would feel when his head has searing pain.   We hope to get the biopsy results back in about a week as to whether or not these removed skin patches were cancerous.

Thanks for your prayers.

At the end of February, Isaiah will be having the same operation!

Prayer for Politics

Haiti's former parliament building destroyed by the January, 2010, earthquake.

The new temporary parliament building which will house no parliament since the current parliament's mandate expired on January 13, 2015.

Christians from the Reformed perspective have historically confessed all the world belongs to God, even the realm of human government.  In many places throughout the world (especially in developing countries), people would be more likely to confess that politics are are a morass of immorality and lawlessness that Christians should flee at all costs.  Yet, in Romans 13:1-7, Paul outlines a Christian's duty to government because political leaders are ordained by God.  In view of Paul's Biblical perspective, we would request you all to pray for the political situation in Haiti.  The last election in Haiti was the runoff held between current President Michel Martelly and opposing candidate Mirlande Manigat held in the winter of 2011.  Since then, not one single election has been held, meaning, that as of January 13, 2015, there was no other elected official (from mayor to senator) functioning with an elected mandate in Haiti besides President Martelly (whose term finishes in mid-2016).  The problem is that Haiti's president and legislature were unable to put together an electoral committee to run elections.  Why?  Of course, we have our opinion (which we shouldn't post on a blog)!  How is the government currently functioning? The answer is by the decree of the president.   President Martelly recently chose a new Prime Minister who was automatically confirmed in office since no parliament existed to approve him.  As you can imagine, any decision made by a president under such conditions will be considered invalid by his political adversaries.  For this reason, Port-au-Prince has been roiled by almost daily demonstrations which, for the most part, have been peaceful and well-organized.  Pray that President Martelly and his political adversaries can come to some agreement so that elections can be held and the country can move forward.

Five Years Afterwards

On Monday, January 12, 2015, the nation of Haiti remembered the 7.0 earthquake, centered in the mountains above Leogäne, approximately 20 miles east of Port-au-Prince.  January 12, 2010, found Haiti completely unprepared for a disaster of such magnitude since there had been no major earthquake in Haiti for 160 years.  In the decades preceding the common masonry construction was notoriously haphazard due to skimping on rebar and cement, poor quality aggregate, and building too many levels.  This is all to say that when the earthquake hit at 5:00 pm in the afternoon, the damage was catastrophic.  The Haitian government estimates that over 200,000 persons lost their lives in collapsed structures.  Countless homes and businesses, eighty percent of schools and universities, many churches and the majority of government offices were destroyed.  The months afterwards were some of the most difficult and traumatic ever endured by the people of Port-au-Prince, Jacmel, and their environs as commerce and civil life came to a complete standstill.

So, five years later, what has changed?  There are some clear improvements to point to: the population of displaced persons under tents and shelters has decreased from 1.5 million to less than 100,000.  Most of the rubble has been removed and many properties are again inhabited (though structures are mostly smaller and transitional).  There has been a construction boom as many hotels and commercial centers have been rebuilt.  Schools have been reopened and rebuilt, though there is still a chronic shortage of space in Haiti’s schools.  Many iconic structures in Port-au-Prince have not been replaced—like Haiti’s Roman Catholic and Episcopal cathedrals and the Presidential Palace.

Where is God in all of this?  Haitians give thanks for the billions of dollars given by individuals, churches, charitable organizations and foreign governments.  Without this historic help provided through the Holy Spirit’s inspiration, Haiti would be far behind where it is today.  Unfortunately, one of the unintended consequences of the relief effort was the reinforcement of a common attitude that Haiti must have foreign aid to improve.  The church, which was the only organization capable of reaching out to and serving earthquake survivors in the first weeks following the earthquake, is still growing.  Many came to faith through the crucible of suffering and bereavement after the quake.  Interestingly, almost no one blames God for this disaster, but gives thanks for his provision of protecting of the lives the loved ones who survived.  Please continue to pray for Haiti as there is a long way to go!