“Boldly enter the landscape of the unfamiliar...
Seek the completion of God's work in your journey.” Author unknown
My latest life course
involved a mission trip to Haiti, where I led a healing prayer ministry and
prayer walk, and where events brought me into a new territory.
Prologue
It all began with a small
decision several years ago.
Some time after the Life
Group of which I was a part ended, God prompted me to again participate in one. It was led by Ola and Yvonne, a couple who
loved the Lord and whose prayers reached deeply into our spirits, and whose
vibrant faith gave energy to mine.
Little did I know what
that small decision would lead to.
A year later, Ola accepted
a job in the oil patch in Fort McMurray, and so I took on the group leadership.
Our numbers were now four, and then down to three when our youngest member left
for Bible College. Our meetings included a ministry of counselling as well as
Bible study and healing prayer.
I took a seminary course
in Trauma Counselling to equip me further to assist my group members. (Trauma counselling
had been an interest of mine ever since teaching English to refugees and
helping them process their war experiences.)
From there it was only a
small step to join the healing prayer ministry in our church, Centre Street
Church in Calgary, where we saw people healed, relationships restored, and seekers meeting Christ or finding
peace in the midst of turmoil.
All this led to an
adventure this winter that I had not expected—going on a mission trip. Four
years ago I thought I was finished with demanding mission trips, but God had
different ideas.
Part 1
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| Me, Judy and Carol, our team organizer |
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| Prayer training. I'm in front of the tree wearing brown. |
There came a time in my preparation when I recognized that prayer training was a two-way process. While I would be teaching the Haitian women principles of healing prayer and guidelines for group prayer, I knew that they could teach me a lot from their experiences.
And they did.
Their absolute trust in
God’s faithfulness amazed me. "God knows", they said about their
needs. Their prayers were vigorous and fervent, and in each of our five teams, women asked for physical healing, pregnancy after several years of
marriage (children are so important in Haiti), strength during persecution,
faith for their children, return to God for wayward husbands, and spiritual
growth for themselves.
Perhaps the most dramatic
story of healing came from a woman who was healed as one of our prayer team
touched her forehead. The next day while meditating with her eyes closed, she
saw a Man in white. As he touched each sore spot, the pain disappeared. It was
so real. But when she opened her eyes, he wasn't there.
While our prayer ministry
focused on the hundred or so women in the conference, I wondered how we could
minister to our own team’s needs. During our daily debriefing, members shared
life and spiritual experiences, sometimes including difficulties, both personally and in their
families. The prayer ministry to each person was a memory I will never forget,
as God brought healing and a promise of victory.
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| The newest "family" |
Our group visited the newest cottage, with three small sisters. Their mother had recently died in childbirth, and the baby died later. The father had also passed away, leaving fourteen children. These three young girls were rescued, and the other eleven distributed to relatives--or perhaps sold to be child slaves, working long hours, with no opportunity for education or friendship. (There are approximately 300,000-400,000 child slaves in Haiti--one in ten children).
As our days in Haiti progressed, "God knows" became the informal motto of our Canadian mission.
But then our trip took an
unexpected turn.
Part 2
Unrest in Haiti had been
growing, due to rising fuel prices, as well as from government corruption. People
wanted the president to step down, which he refused to do. In protest, rioters
set up road blocks along the major highways, throwing rocks and setting fire. Fortunately,
the unrest didn’t seep into the communities and we were safe in the mission.
However, everything was shut down—schools, hospitals, banks, the market, and
people were advised to stay in their communities.
As days passed, the local
Haitians began running out of food. It broke my heart to know that we would
eventually be evacuated, while the Haitians had to live through and suffer the
shortages and violence. The church at Haiti ARISE called for a week of prayer
and fasting for the situation.
But how could we return
home? God gave me peace that He would make a way where there was no way,
and that we would arrive home safely. I was reminded of the Israelites fleeing
Egypt, hemmed in by the desert on one side, the Red Sea on another, and the
Egyptian army pursuing them. There was no way of escape. And God put them
there to show His miraculous deliverance (Exodus 14:1-4). Somehow, He would
do the same for us. (Lisa Honorat, co-founder of Haiti ARISE with her Haitian
husband Marc, wrote a compelling blog summary of our experiences.)
We were in limbo for several days. During that time, God gave me another opportunity to explore new territory. Our team leader Carol asked me to lead our team on a prayer walk through the Haiti Arise mission, praying for all its areas of ministry and services. It was an honour to do so. I've gone on individual prayer walks, but leading one was a highlight for me.
We were in limbo for several days. During that time, God gave me another opportunity to explore new territory. Our team leader Carol asked me to lead our team on a prayer walk through the Haiti Arise mission, praying for all its areas of ministry and services. It was an honour to do so. I've gone on individual prayer walks, but leading one was a highlight for me.
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| The first group of nine ready to be evacuated |
While we in Haiti were
praying about our situation, I was unaware of the other side of the story—the scope
of what was happening in the media, and in our circles of friends and family.
Part 3
At our arrival at the
Calgary airport, we were surrounded by a contingent of reporters, all wanting
to know about our evacuation. You may have seen some of these news reports.
Once home, My next-door neighbour, who had looked after my house while I was gone,
brought over dinner for me. She burst into tears and hugged me when I met her
at the door. “I’m so glad you’re home and safe,” she cried.
I spent the rest of the
day phoning family and friends, updating them on details I had given in brief
in phone calls from Haiti to my sister Elaine (my emergency contact).
Epilogue
Two
weeks later I’m still processing the events and discoveries while in Haiti—and
there were many.
I’m also
asking, “Where does God want to lead me from here?”
…as we
said in Haiti, “God knows”.
Afterword:
Now It’s Your Turn…
Where
have you needed faith to chart a new territory in the past, or where is God
challenging you now? Is God calling you, like Abraham, to, “Go to the
land I will show you” (Genesis 12:1)? Or to, “walk through the length and
breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you” (Genesis 13:17)”?
Do
you need God to speak to your fears, as He did to Joshua? “Be strong and
courageous…Do not be terrified, do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God
will be with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:6,9)?
Tell
us your story.
