Category: Haiti

Break my heart for what breaks Yours

Posted on by Susan Panzica
A dear friend, Lynn Mosher, over at Heading Home has been doing a wonderful series, How To Behave Like a Christian, based on Romans 12:9-21. She graciously asked me (and other bloggers) to guest post. So today and next week, I’ll be sharing over there. Please check out today’s post on “sharing with God’s people who are in need” based on Romans 12:13a, and leave Lynn a comment.
“distributing to the needs of the saints,” Rom 12:13a NKJV

My 2 children have traveled the world on various short term mission trips for the last 9 years. This year’s trips have had perhaps the most profound impact of all their trips. After seeing a school in Uganda without a blackboard, my daughter’s team decided rather than simply purchase one, they’d try to raise awareness in their community of friends. The goal was to raise $100. They raised over $1000. Another girl, after seeing the bleeding feet of barefoot children, is working with Tom’s shoe company to donate shoes to children in Haiti. My son wants start a ministry to raise support for impoverished children to attend school. These youth have been called to “distribute to the needs of the saints.”

Since their trips, I have found myself “accidentally meditating.” A lyric from a favorite worship song, Hosanna, is just stuck in my head. “Break my heart for what breaks Yours…” Over 60 years ago, Dr. Bob Pierce prayed similar words: “Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God.” In 1947, as a war correspondent and evangelist, he traveled to China with Youth for Christ, and his heart was broken by the needs of one little girl. Pledging a monthly sponsorship for her, Dr. Bob Pierce began World Vision to help children orphaned in the Korean War. In the decades that followed, World Vision has fulfilled the calling of Romans 12:13a “Share with God’s people who are in need” by providing global relief using clean water as an entry point into communities, following with other activities that create change and ultimately bring transformation through the gospel.

Last Christmas, our family participated in the Advent Conspiracy and substituted gifts for each other with the purchase clean water, sewing machines, a stocked fishing pond and a flock of sheep for those in need overseas. And closer to home, we take part in our church’s homeless ministry that meets the needs of men from a local Christian shelter.

All these ministries seek to meet the needs of those in need. But there are many NON-Christians who also care for the poor, who sacrifice life and limb to live in impoverished nations, who serve in the Peace Corps, the military, the inner cities, Indian reservations, homeless shelters, safe houses for abused…

As my meditation continued on what breaks God’s heart, I began to realize some other things, some personal things that break His heart. I silently but loudly heard His question to me: You can love people around the world, but can you love the person sitting next to you?

What breaks God’s heart? Not just children dying in Africa. I realized that it breaks God’s heart when my attitudes and actions represent the enemy more than they represent Him. While we need to care for the “least of these,” we ought not to do it out of obligation and then have Him say, “I never knew you.” (Matt.25) It grieves God when His people act like they don’t know Him. He’s not as grieved by sinners who act like sinners as He is by Christians who act like sinners. If we meet the physical needs of the poor, but are judgmental, critical, envious, prideful, angry, or filled with false Pharisee holiness, we are not obeying His call to holy living.

If we truly want to love our neighbor as ourselves, that includes loving the unlovely. “If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Any sinner does that. … In a word, what I’m saying is, Grow up. You’re kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.” (Matt. 5:48 MSG)

As Christians, we must “share with God’s people who are in need.” And we must do so with the assurance that as we do, we are ministering to Jesus Himself. “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to Me!’ Matt. 25:35-40 NLT

My prayer today is found in the surrounding lyrics of “Hosanna”:

Heal my heart and make it clean
Open up my eyes to the things unseen
Show me how to love like you have loved me

Break my heart for what breaks yours
Everything I am for your kingdoms cause
As I go from nothing to
Eternity

May it be your prayer too!

Get Wrecked

Posted on by Susan Panzica
Normally, I’d never suggest getting wrecked in any way. But yesterday the youth shared about their mission trips with us, and after sharing about his time in Haiti, Alex’s closing comment was “God wrecked me for the ordinary.” WOW – now that’s statement worthy of repeating repeatedly! I even used it for my facebook status. 

The youth were anything but ordinary as they shared their experiences on the mission field and since their return.  James and Dave were in Ireland developing relationships with the Irish youth and establishing drop-in centers where they will continue to serve as safe hangout places throughout the year. One highlight for James was an Irish teen that remembered him from last year and sought him out to further grow their relationship. It was a confirmation, not only that God wanted James to be there, but that the work that began last year bore fruit and would continue to increase.


Chanel was a team member on the trip to the Bahamas that AJ led. At 13 years old, she “knew it was time for me to go.” Oh, that we adults would have such assurances from the Lord, and that we would act on them.

Bahamas seems like an idyllic spot for a missions trip, doesn’t it? But the team there (all junior high-ers) did back-breaking heavy-duty construction work for Camp Bahamas, a camp for inner city children from Nassau. On Eleuthera, there is no fresh water supply, so the young teens had to descend into a huge “pit,” a giant cistern to capture rainwater, and use jackhammers to level out the bottom to prepare it for cement. It was 15 degrees hotter down there than the 100+ degrees on the surface. Idyllic? Not so much. They also did hard landscape construction work. Then, in the afternoons, they ran a VBS for the local children.


AJ is planning to write a post himself regarding his experiences, but let me just share his closing remark – “I’m trying to structure my day so that at the end of the day, I’m not embarrassed to talk to God.” Again, the Lord mightily used a youth to minister to us “wise” adults.


You’ll be hearing lots more in a later post regarding Lauren’s trip. So much to share! But for now, this was her closing comment regarding the Christians and the church in Uganda – “Instead of trying to move God, they let God move them.”

O Lord, please keep me from trying to persuade You to my feeble desires. Help me to sense Your leading and be obedient to it. Please move me that I might align with You. Move my spirit to complete dependence upon You.

In one of the slide show pictures, I spotted a child in a t-shirt that read JUST DID IT. As I listened to the testimonies, I thought that it was so appropriate. Nike says “Just Do It.” These teens DID it! I wanna do it too! Do you? Do you want to get wrecked for the ordinary?


Mission Trip – Haitian Style

Posted on by Susan Panzica
As most of you know, my 2 children have been on mission trips this month with Touch The World. AJ arrived back from Eleuthera, Bahamas safe and sound, and has promised to write a blogpost about his trip, but first he’s busy catching up with friends 🙂 Lauren returned from Uganda last night. More on their trips later.

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Last Saturday, the TTW Haiti team bunked over at our place. After arriving at JFK, they stayed with us until their closing rally on Sunday. What a joy! As they shared their stories, we laughed, cried and vicariously experienced their last 3 weeks.

So many things I want to share, but I’ll settle for two:



1- Symphony of Prayer
When we bowed our heads in prayer, I was greatly moved. Rather than hearing one person to pray aloud, each person simultaneously prayed aloud. This is how the Haitians pray, and the team adopted this manner of prayer. As they prayed, I thought – this is what God hears all the time on a much greater scale! The cacophony of voices brought to mind John’s description of the prayers of the all the saints ascending to heaven like incense (Rev. 8:3-4). I heard all the prayers, but not a single word could I discern. Yet God has no problem hearing multitudes of voices across the entire earth and identifying each of His children in a personal way.

God, come close. Come quickly!
Open your ears—it’s my voice you’re hearing!
Treat my prayer as sweet incense rising… Ps.141:1-2 MSG

 

2- What is permanent?
One of the team’s tasks in Haiti was to build the platform from which they presented VBS, dramas and puppet shows. However, the wood supplied for the task could not be cut. At the conclusion of VBS, they had to disassemble the platform and use the wood to make bunk beds, benches and tables for the Haitian children.
As they shared this story with me, we discussed what was really permanent. The team shared the gospel from the sturdy wooden platform they built. The wood then was reconstructed into furniture for the Haitian people which would remain with them. But, eventually time, use, neglect, weather will take their toll on these items. What will really endure forever are the words that were shared, the everlasting truths of God, and the love that was poured into the hearts of these people who have lost so much, yet have gained eternity.  

The grass withers and the flower drops off, But the Word of the Lord (divine instruction, the Gospel) endures forever. And this Word is the good news which was preached to you. 1 Pet. 24b-25 Amp

Thank you, Haiti team, for sharing with us your stories, your humor and your sweet spirit. And thank you, Lord, for using these young people in such mighty ways.

Prayer for Haiti

Posted on by Susan Panzica

This prayer was sent to me in an email. Please pray with me…

Lord, I just want to say THANK YOU, because this morning I woke up and knew where my children were. Because this morning my home was still standing, because this morning I am not crying because my husband, my child, my brother or sister needs to be buried out from underneath a pile of concrete, because this morning I was able to drink a glass of water, because this morning I was able to turn on the light, because this morning I was able to take a shower, because this morning I was not planning a funeral, but most of all I thank you this morning because I still have life and a voice to cry out for the people of Haiti.


Lord I cry out to you, the one that makes the impossible, possible, the one that turns darkness in to light, I cry out that you give those mothers strength, that you give them peace that surpasses all understanding, that you may open the streets so that help can come, that you may provide doctors, nurses, food, water, and all that they need in a blink of an eye. For all those that have lost family members, give them peace, give them hope, give them courage to continue to go on! Protect the children and shield them with your power. I pray all this in the name of Jesus.

To all my friends please continue to forward this so that we can pray together for the people in Haiti.



Thank you Father, for your daily blessings.
—-
Please continue to support those laboring to help the Haitians. I know several people who have been or will be going to aid in the relief effort. As you know, it is a very dangerous place right now, with crime and disease rampant.
 
Here are some ways to provide assistance:
Nazarene Compassionate Ministries – is partnering with the Haiti Project to ship urgently needed supplies to the earthquake crisis in Haiti. The custom store, at Amazon.com, only includes the specific items requested by NCM and the relief effort on the ground in Haiti.

To visit the NCM store, click here.

For financial donations:
Samaritans Purse
World Vision

Susan