Service for the Servants

Last night we set a call time for breakfast at 7:30 am.  If you've been on a missions trip with me before you know that we are not going to be sleeping around all day.  You can do that on your vacation.  Mission work is different, you are usually going to help someone with the mission that God has placed on his or her heart.  It is important to them.  It matters.  As I was rounding everyone up about 7:45, Charlie began making pancakes, the problem was we didn't get the kind that you just add water.  We had the kind that required milk (which we didn't have) and eggs (which we didn't have).  So, we found some powdered milk and just went without the eggs and believe it or not, I couldn't even taste the difference.  They were good or I was just that hungry, but either way, we worked it out. 

Then it was time to bless the orphanage with some good old fashioned hard work.  We took on the project of painting the kitchen for the orphanage.  And the team did great.  We had it knocked out before lunch and was able to play with the girls and watch them paint rocks in the afternoon.  Some had talent and some had paint all over them but all had a good time. 

I had the opportunity to go to the store today to buy some new mops for the orphanage and the traffic was crazy.  No order only means one thing: Chaos!! As I was driving with Paul, the American that runs the orphanage, he was sharing with me how excited he was for the devotion times because he could tell that our team was hear for others and not for ourselves.  I don't believe I could have received a better compliment about our team.

After practicing our skit for Monday's VBS we got ready or dinner and watch the girls play hide and go seek in the court yard.  I was blessed to know that these girls get to experience some of the pleasures of childhood that most other Haitian girls don't get to enjoy.

My First Trip to Haiti

As I went to bed last night at 12:00 am. I knew it was going to be a rough day having to get back up at 4:15 am.  When I got to the Church a little after 5:00 the team was there and ready waiting in the limo that would take us to the airport.  I'm still not quite sure how that happened but off we go.  Riding in stile and trying to stay awake. I did however, have everyone hold up their passport so I could see it before we left.  We got to the airport with not much said (the girls were sleeping) and we headed off to our gate.

It's amazing to me that we, as americans, can get on a plane and travel around the world the way we do.  This though lead me on a mental journey for the rest of the day.  Scriptures were coming to my mind about the great commission and our ability to actually fulfill it, and to who much is given much is required.  The end of that thought provoking journey was this: when we leave Haiti will be have left a tangible gospel or just felt good about the fact that we were willing to go.  

As we got to Haiti is was the same scene that have seen many times, people begging to help you with your bags for a small tip, crazy traffic, bumpy streets with no order, riding in the back of a compact truck with all the luggage.  The complex was not quite what I expected.  I was expecting an american oasis in the middle of Haiti but not so.  It is very much under construction and the girls and one litttle boy are the gems of it all.

We had dinner and sat on the roof top sharing our first impressions of the place and God was in our midst.  it was a blessing to see how God works all over the world.

Living by Faith

The thing that sets Christianity apart from every other belief system in the world is the element of Faith. Because we have a God who is all knowing, and the master of all he has created; we know that we can trust him to watch out for his children and do what is best for us. We trust God! Not that we trust in God, but that we trust God. We trust Him with our lives, our families, our finances, and our future. We pray to him for health and prosperity and we know he hears our prayers. This is what makes a strong Christian.

You see Christians all the time not living by faith and they are miserable and worldly. It's hard to see any testimony of Christianity in their lives because our testimony is so wrapped up in our faith.

Yesterday was a huge day of faith for me. My father, Brian Sizemore,had to go through open heart surgery. A surgery I didn't think he would make it through. There were people all over this country praying for my father asking God to pull him through the surgery. Dad had a staff infection that attacked his heart and had attached itself to the one of the valves in his heart. Untreated, the infection would destroy his heart. The doctors were going in to open his heart and cut out the infected valve and replace it with a new mechanical one. This would mean more pills and treatments to watch and maintain this artificial part in Brian's heart.

As the doctors began the surgery they noticed that the infection wasn't on the valve at all but on the wall right next to the valve. They were able to cut out the infection and leave the valve in tact. This was a major blessing that I don't believe anyone was praying for. But God knew what Dad needed. That's why we trust him. We are praying that God would save Brian's life for his glory and ministry in the future, so we are looking for great things. This is the joy of living by faith. What we don't know God knows. We can trust him.

Then last night I had a meeting with a family that had been struggling and before the night was over the man received Christ as his Savior with tears in his eyes. Now he trusts The Lord and will begin to live by faith like the rest of us.

How about You? Do you live by faith? Do people know that you trust in God for all the areas of your life?