“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ Matthew 25:40-45
From time to time someone will ask me about the times when my life in Haiti was brushed by vodou and how that impacted me. Today, vodou is being estimated to be practiced by over 65% of Haitians and when Trinity HOPE asks people to pray for children in Christian schools, we North Americans probably don’t really grasp or fully comprehend what they are up against in their daily lives.
The attached photo is of a vodou rara band that was marching down the street outside of my apartment building in Petionville on an Easter afternoon. Rara bands are often led by a priest and this particular group probably numbered 400–500 followers who were chanting and honking on long bamboo or plastic horns and some were pounding on drums. These people are following the liar and are lost; they are the challenger. These are the people that ‘assure’ children in Christian schools that satan defeated Christ on Good Friday. They will stress that Jesus died on the cross, was buried and is still in the grave. In vodou temples there are crosses buried up to the cross bar to signify that Christ is still in the tomb. These rara bands are really active during Lent as that is when they will do whatever they can to bring doubt into the lives of Christians in Haiti. They generally begin to march on Friday night and don’t stop until mid-Sunday morning; hopeful that their commotion will keep Christians from attending worship service.
On the first Monday of each month Trinity HOPE asks that you dedicate a time of prayer at 10 AM for children in their feeding programs. May their lives be protected by a company of angels as they are Spirit driven to proclaim the Gospel of our Risen Lord and Savior to the lost, such as these, in their families, neighborhoods and to strangers on their streets in Haiti.
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