“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 Merotte, Haiti which is located in the Arcahaie District about 50 minutes Northwest of PAP. It is nestled within a rural neighborhood with scattered houses, plantain groves and vodou temples; on a rough road. When visiting this district, I would usually sleep in a backroom bedroom of this church on Saturday night so that I didn’t have to drive there on Sunday morning and the evening was always a free concert of vodou priests pounding on their drums, making music to their evil spirits.
This sanctuary was constructed with support from a family in Northern California and then adopted by the LCMS FL-GA District as a mission outreach and a school and daycare facility were constructed by a congregation in Kansas. There are 456 children attending school and enjoying the Trinity HOPE feeding program here; God is at work in Merotte.
There have been struggles here, good versus evil type of struggles. Satan continues to bring troubles to the Christians attending Church and school in Merotte. Sin manifested itself into the life of a pastor, and he had to leave the congregation at Merotte around 2005; attendance dropped and it appeared that the vodou priests had brought sufficient evil spirits to cease the Gospel message at Christ the King. School attendance had reached a smaller level and maintained it for a while and has now increased 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 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 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.
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