How to sum up Canaan at the moment...things here are not so great. This place is always busy and always crazy. But lately there has just been more evil than usual. No one can explain it, or point out any certain causes. The spiritual warfare is at its worst. Spirts are low and stress is high.
Pastor Henry has been away for over a month now, in the states. Sister Gladys is here very little and has a ridiculous amount going on. She came back from the states on Sunday and has yet to really sleep. She is losing her voice and really I just do not know how this lady does it all.
They are trying to get some of the kids to Convention, for school, in the states. Getting them out of the country has been the most consuming and ridiculous thing I have ever seen. International Convention happens once a year, where kids from all over that are involved in the A.C.E program, can come together and compete in different competitions; sports, games, writing, etc. Canaan kids look forward to it every year, it's a chance for them to go to the states, and just a fun time to get away. However, things in Haiti and Canaan never go as planned.
Flights were bought for tomorrow. At this point, no one is leaving tomorrow. No visas have been granted yet. This has been such a long process, and they keep sending everyone in circles. One of the older girls is graduating, and her graduation is in Tennessee. She has been so excited and getting all the final things done. Today, they denied her. The Embassy said they did not think she had clear plans for while she was in the States. She still doesn't know. At this moment she is taking one of her last tests. It's heartbreaking.
To make things even better, tomorrow is flag day, a national holiday, everything in Haiti is shut down. The earliest the kids will be able to get Visas is Thursday. They are supposed to fly into Miami and drive to Virginia. Convention starts Saturday. The airline they are flying with has one flight a day. Not even sure if we do get the Visas, that there will be room on the flights. We still have no idea who is actually going to be able to leave, and these poor kids are packed and ready to go. No one has broken the news to them yet, no one knows what to say. No one knows if they will even make it at all.
Beyond the Convention...
Caroline was planning on leaving in a couple of weeks to take a baby to the states who needed surgery. The baby has no anus and going to the states to have surgery was actually an easy fix. It was just a matter of getting her there. Monday morning, the mother came to the clinic. There is no straight story, but the baby passed away on Thrusday. The family thinks it was witch craft, clearly that is not the case. The mother showed up saying she does not remember anything since Thrusday evening, when it all happened. She had been wandering around for almost 4 days. This has also put bad air over Canaan. Things were all set up for this little girl to fly to the states. I know God has a plan, and this baby is no longer suffering. It has been especially hard on Caroline, because she was so excited to take her back and help this little girl.
Some teachers in the school also have things going on. No one has voiced what exactly, but things have been different. The air is bad, tension is everywhere you turn. The missionaries have started to seperate, we have not had time for our weekly meeting. We're all on different schedules.
Elsie is supposed to be leaving in the morning for Costa Rica, but the president is supposed to be speaking in a town near Port, so she needs to leave really early to avoid crazy traffic. Things like this just don't happen in the states. It's such random chaos all the time.
There are also tadpoles in our shower. There were frogs in our water tank, that apparently laid eggs, (this is not the first time) and now we shower with tadpoles raining down on us. Fabulous.
Also, our amazing cook Sister Rose, has decided to leave. I think she is just burnt out. Spending all day in the kitchen by herself. They really need two cooks to have shifts, because the poor lady does not get to have a life. We do what we can to give her days off, but when groups come, its just so hard.
I feel like I am just complaining, but really I just don't even know what to do at this point.
Sister Gladys sat down with us last week and had a conversation with all the missionaries. I remember he specifically saying, bad things are happening at Cannan, please just pray. Bad things are happening, we may not see them, but we all feel them. It is tense all the time. If we don't start to really pray, I fear for what might come. Life here is hard enough, all of this added....
We all just need prayer. The missionaries, Pastor Henry, Sister Gladys, the children, the workers, all of Haiti. Please just pray for things here....
"Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing" -Helen Keller
3 comments:
It sounds ominous and almost scary. The devil always looks for little cracks to weasel his way in. Close those cracks with prayer. I will get everyone here to pray for you and for everyone at Canaan. I remember the first time that baby was brought to Canaan. Poor darling and poor family. We never understand God's plans for us. Just remember I love you and always pray for you. MM
A friend from Grace Redeemer Church (NJ) had passed this along to the us. We will also be praying for resolutions and for God to work in the midst. By no means are you complaining but just sharing what's happening in the midst. It's definitely a spiritual warfare. Take heart. God has overcome!
My trials pale in comparison to what Haiti and your group is facing and yet the process, the struggle to get through difficult circumstances remains the same. When I went through my "trio of trials," Malachi 3:3 came to me three different times - first from a friend of faith and then from my Mother-in-Law twice.
Maybe these words will somehow bring with them encouragement and give you something to hold on to when days ahead seem to intense to handle.
Malachi 3:3 says: "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver."
This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.
One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.
That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver.
As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.
The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver." She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined.
The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.
The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?"
He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in it"
If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has his eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.
Pass this on right now. This very moment, someone needs to know that God is watching over them.
And, whatever they're going through, they'll be a better person in the end.
"Life! is a coin. You can spend it anyway you wish, but you can only spend it once."
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