“Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed; not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence; continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” Philippians 2:12-13
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 in the Northern claw of Haiti. It is nestled within a rural neighborhood with scattered houses, plantain groves and vodou temples. When visiting this church back in the day, I would usually sleep in a backroom on Saturday night so that I didn’t have to drive there on Sunday morning. And Saturday nights were a diabolical, sinister and evil concert of vodou priests and their followers pounding on large drums, making 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 421 children attending school here and enjoying the Trinity HOPE feeding program sponsored by Joe and Sharon Kemper; God is at work in Merrotte.
There have been struggles here, good versus evil type of struggles. Satan continues to bring challenges to the Christians attending Church and school in Merrotte. Decades ago, the evil foe manifested itself into the life of their pastor, and he had to leave the congregation. Attendance dropped and it appeared that the vodou priests had brought sufficient evil spirits to cease the Gospel message at Christ the King. God is in control, and school attendance has grown, 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 prayerfully, 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 fallen 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.
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.
May God be with you,
Jay