Lets Get Real..The Cross is BIG!!!

Well, as God begins to break down walls, I feel I need to be more transparent in this blog.  This one will be the most difficult one to write but pray someone else benefits from what God is revealing to me.  The last couple weeks, haven't been easy but especially the last few days.  Wounds and insecurities make one vulnerable and for someone that doesn't like to be vulnerable, I meet it with resistance.  So, when God sends someone into your life to help open you up to what God wants from you it can be difficult.  The reality is, if you can't be real with yourself, who can you be real with?

So often, the love that we know is conditional.  American culture teaches us that we have to seek approval from others, that we must do something to be loved and constantly fight for it, and if we mess up along the way, we are a failure.  God's love is unconditional.  When I fail, he still loves me.  The only prayer that God answers the way we want it answered every time, is when we pray for Grace and Forgiveness.  He may not always heal the way we want Him to, He may not always lead us down the path we want Him to, and He may not always provide everything we think we need, but He ALWAYS offers grace and forgiveness.  So, when I hold on to failures and sin in my life, I try to place restrictions on God.  I am in essence saying the cross wasn't big enough for me.  You see, I know the love and forgiveness of the Father, but I often want to hold on to and beat myself up over things I know God has the power to forgive.  The cross is big enough but the apologetic in me wants to "prove myself worthy" of all He has done for me.  IT ISN'T POSSIBLE, because apart from God's forgiveness I'm not worthy.

Not only for myself do I try to place restrictions, but when I say he will never change, she could never do that, she'll never understand, he/she can't or won't...  I mar God's creation.  I again say God and Jesus' cross aren't big enough.

I am forever blessed that God sent someone who was real with me.  Someone that was willing to not sit silently when God asked them to be bold and speak openly and honestly to me.  So often, we want to sugar coat things when what people really need is for someone to be real with them.  To be "respectfully real" with them.  

-Instruction does much, but encouragement everything.
-To share your weakness is to make yourself vulnerable; to make yourself vulnerable is to show your strength.  Criss Jami
-You wouldn't worry so much about what others think of you if you realized how seldom they do.  Eleanor Roosevelt

I'm thankful that I've known forgiveness and the love of my Heavenly Father for 20 years but we all need a good wake-up call.  I'm thankful that I made a decision for myself, not others, to walk with the Lord at the young age of 11.  There have been and continue to be bumps along the way, but I recognized my need of salvation

(the grace that God offers) that only a relationship with Jesus provides. I recognized that we aren't born saved from Hell but that I must make the decision for myself.  That moment, I was immediately obedient to the truth God revealed to me.  Shouldn't we always be immediately obedient rather than questioning what we think is being said?  Whew...that's far more difficult!!!

God continually calls us to closeness with Him.  He offers rest for each of us.  He offers refreshment for our minds, body, and soul.  Waiting on the Lord keeps us connected to Him.  It makes us aware of what He has to offer us.  We must trust Him in every moment and stage in our life.

Pity to Passion

I heard a team member this week mention the phrase "pity to passion."  I began to think about that.  I feel like that can be said with the poor, children, people with special needs, or just people in another culture.  Anyone that has ever done a mission trip knows the feeling of seeing someone in need and thinking, "I should give them money" or " I should give them shoes, clothes, food, ETC..."  The pity we often feel for others is overwhelming.  It's the southern "Bless her/his heart" syndrome.

I remember my first several trips to Haiti.  I had so much pity.  I wanted to give anything I could to people, because in some sick way, that was supposed to help them or make their life better.  It was hard to see someone at the gate that wanted something and turn them away.  Pity isn't the answer.  Pity tends to give way to materialistic wants.

Passion on the other hand, tends to produce meaningful relationships.  It's no longer "the foreigner" but now it's "Casey."  Pity causes us to see people as objects while passion causes us to see people as people.  Those equal to ourselves.  Passion eliminates cultural boundaries, financial differences, or race dominance.  Once I was able to get past the pity view of things, I inherited a HUGE family.  I have more parents, brothers, sisters, uncles, cousins, ETC... than I did before.  Now we are one family in the body of Christ instead of Americans, Haitians, Africans, Hispanics, Asians.  With God as our Father, and Jesus as our Savior, we are one GIANT family.  We are all accepted equally, with our own quirks, annoyances, and aggravations.

People do this with their kids all the time.  Kids from divoced families see this a lot.  Parents will give the kids something or money to make a kid happy but as children age, is it the kid that was given "things" that is better off and has good relationships, or the kid that was loved and shown affection?  The child that had a "healthy relationship" with a parent?

We must work together, cross culturally to impact the world for Jesus Christ and we must move from pity to passion!!!!!

Where It All Began

As a Christian, we all have those that have helped us along the way and we can credit for Spiritual guidance.  There are so many people that have helped form me into the person I am.  Parents, grandparents, aunt and uncles, and several friends or coaches that have played a role in showing me what it's like to truly follow Christ and what the life of a real Christian should look like.  The road is long and difficult, but God never leaves us.

This weekend I had the privilege of hearing a testimony that I have heard over, and over, and over.  It was different this time.  David and Judy Heady (Pap and Aunt Judy)  have always been Godly examples of what living a life for Christ really looks like.  What committing one's life to the Lord may require.  What sacrifice means.  How to face hardships, trials, and criticism while standing strong in their faith.

It was different this time because I was actually with them where Pap preached his first sermon in Haiti.  This weekend, he returned to preach and visit the church where it all began.  It was also where God confirmed His call on their lives to sell everything, leave everything, and follow Christ.  This was when God revealed to them that His desire was for them to move to Haiti and minister full-time.  They start their 32nd year in Haiti this week and the impact that they have had on the lives of Americans and Haitians alike is phenomenal.  There is now a picture in my mind and the story came alive for me.  I saw the love and passion that they have for the Haitian people.

I recommend all Christians, that have the opportunity, to visit the location where Spiritual leaders in your own lives were saved or called and hear the story from them.  It was so encouraging and uplifting to be a part of this special weekend.  I thank God for the opportunity to see where something that I have become so involved with originated.

Changing Hearts/Eternity NOT Culture!!!

 

So, we have language and culture classes every Tuesday and Friday afternoon.  I cherish these times together and it has taken on a different look.  We have recently started having a Haitian lady sit in, and ask us questions about American culture.  It has been so enlightening.  I have lots of Haitian friends and feel like I know much about the culture but there is always more to learn.  When my friend asks us questions about our culture, she always asks in a way that shows us what the Haitian culture thinks of such issues.  She often will explain to us her cultural view after she hears our stories. 

She asks the questions and we respond in Creole.  We have a missionary here that is fluent and corrects us when we are wrong or helps us when we don’t know the right words.  Last week was a very important week.  We discussed divorce, rape, clothing, and alcohol.  So many things in other cultures are confused by right or wrong, when in fact, they are just different.  I remember classes at Lee University when my professors would present topics of discussion in relation to other cultural views and am thankful I can be an informed listener and try to differentiate between right and wrong or different. 

 It has become so incredibly easy for people to get divorced in the U.S.  In the Haitian culture, divorce doesn’t occur often.  Divorcees are really looked down upon in the community where I am.  Even in adulterous situations the spouses are responsible for taking care of each other, even if they don’t live together because they are legally married.    Though, I don’t agree with all of the cultural differences, divorce is a major problem in the U.S, and I feel we have a lot to learn from a culture like this.

What about clothing?  Those of you that know me know that I don’t love skirts.  However, Christians, in this culture are expected to wear skirts to the market, church, and through the villages.  Many people in the older generations do not believe you are a Christian if you wear pants and especially shorts.   Do our clothes have an eternal value?  Not at all!  Is this different than my personal belief?  Absolutely, but I am a guest in this culture and have not come to change the culture.  I have come to impact hearts and people’s eternity.  That is my ultimate responsibility.  1 Corinthians 9:22 Paul says “To the weak I became weak, to win the weak.  I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.”  I am a guest in this country and as a result and a woman of God, must present myself as a Christian to this culture, not my American culture.  I don’t want to do anything that may harm my witness, especially on something with NO eternal value.

As Americans we have become so relaxed in our expectations, that it’s hard to identify true Christians/ Christ followers because we are not truly set apart.  Our lives should reflect God, and we/I often fail to be “set apart.”  If someone comes to church in pants and not a skirt, should we let them in the door (here in Haiti)?  Absolutely, but that doesn’t mean we should make it the norm.  Especially as Americans, it is not our responsibility to change culture.  It is our responsibility to show love, compassion, and joy. 

Much is the same with alcohol.  If someone is seen in our village drinking alcohol, people will say they are not Christians.  Why then should we as Americans try to change this?  Shouldn’t we follow the Christian culture in which we are guests?  1 Corinthians 8:13 reads, “therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall.”  If my clothes or what I consume cause a brother to stumble, I am responsible.  I don’t want to be the result of causing someone else to stumble because of my cultural pride.  The attitude that my culture is better than another.  I therefore, must focus my attention on eternal differences and showing Christ’s love by being like those that have accepted me into their land, families, and cultures without compromising the Gospel.

 

 

 

Thank You

It's a Friday night, and the distractions of the week are behind me.  As I sit here reflecting on where I am, where I've come from, and what God has in store for my future, I'm overwhelmed with gratitude for all those that have gotten me here.  So many have given of their time, finances, resources and love to grow me into the person I am today.  Without you, there is no way I would be here in Haiti sharing the acceptance and love that Christ gave me and continues to pour out on me.   I am completely broken listening to Ray Boltz "Thank You," http://youtu.be/1lVzeS5i8WQ.  I know it's an old song, but the message is incredible.

 Tomorrow I'm going up the mountain to visit another mission, and I'm so excited about a new adventure, new friends, and God to reveal Himself in a powerful way.  I look forward to what God has in store and I'm looking forward to the blessings that will come of this outing.

Sponsorship Success

I've had a lot of time to think about our sponsorship kids and the benefit of the program. Helping parents educate their children in this country has multiple benefits.  Sure their are some that are less grateful, and some that don't have good endings to their stories, but the majority of our families are extremely grateful, will do anything they can to show their appreciation, and we witness, firsthand, the success stories.

The director of our morning and afternoon school is a young man that is building a house, earning a degree in civil engineering, and preparing to get married, all while running two schools.  He was one of our students that was given a chance, as an older student to attend school.  He worked hard, graduated, passed his national exams, and is now in university. Without the afternoon school, he would have never had the opportunity for an education.  He knows what it's like to go through the sponsorship program and works so hard to help students with similar stories.

Peter, also pictured above is an achiever.  While at the schools one day, he said "Casey, do you remember me?"  Sadly, I didn't.  I had to ask. He said "I'm Peter, I was a sponsored kid."  He went on to thank me for all those that invested in him, and told me how much he loved substituting and hoped to teach full-time one day.  He wants an opportunity to help other kids succeed through their education to give them a chance in this society.

Thanks to all that have sponsored kids through this program and the vision my mom had to start and maintain the program.  You have helped to educate hundreds both academically and spiritually with a Christian education.

When Other's See a Shepherd Boy, God Sees a King!!! (Special Needs)

                                       

God looked into a field and saw the shepherd boy, David.  Those around him said he's just a shepherd boy, but God saw a king.  Today I have been reflecting on those around me with special needs.  As I was looking through all the Facebook posts of the Cleveland, TN Special Olympic events and friends of mind that have been trusted to care for these blessings from God, I reflected on the children here in Haiti with special needs.  Currently we have two 3 year old boys in the clinic that have special needs and are both burned.

Mikey came to us burned from his face to his waist and a little on his legs.  When he first came to us, he would scream, cry, kick, fight, whatever he could to try and get out of the clinic.  It was a daily battle but we realized he didn't communicate with us like many of the other children and then his mom explained that he screams and fights her a lot at home.  Love is what Mickey needs.  One day, after about a month of treating him, I walked out into the lobby, picked him up out of the water and sat him in my lap.  Almost, instantaneously he stopped crying but whimpering off and on.  I walked him outside watching the cattle go by and I began making a cow sound.  He smiled, but a small one as if he didn't want me to know he thought it was funny.  Then a moto went past and honked at us so I made the sound of a moto and he cackled.  You see, Mikey has probably never been shown affection.  In this society, the parents aren't educated on how to deal with disabilities.  There are no awareness activities, no education for these children, no Special Olympics, they are still seen like a leper in Biblical times.  A large majority of the children aren't even diagnosed.  Who speaks for them, who educates others, who shows them love?  That day, and every day since, God has given me the responsibility.  He has trusted me.  Mikey will sit in my lap, and we pour the water over both of us.  Sure treating him is still difficult and when we have to hold him down, he is terrified, but I can look in his eyes and know he trusts me.

Today, Nielson came in.  Another beautiful child, but doesn't know how to communicate. Nielson doesn't have that trust with me that Mikey has learned.  He lets me know he is in pain by biting.  It took one time for me to realize he was going to try every chance he had.  He is burnt on his foot.  His cousin brought him in.  The love of God shines in her.  She knows he has special needs but she loves him anyways.  She talks to him and tries to calm him.  It's difficult for her to watch him being treated because she hurts for him.  However, I know that God can use me over the next few days or weeks to help ease his fears and suffering, if they continue to bring him.

They are both kings in God's eyes!!!!