Saturday, June 5, 2010

God Works Beyond What We Ask or Think

During our ministry in Haiti, God showed me again how He works in ways that often go beyond what we ask or think. We faced a number of challenges during this trip, one of the biggest being the fact that container shipped by Churches Helping Churches never arrived. That meant a lot of last minute work to accomodate the pastors participating in the conference (buying 200 air mattresses, setting up tents, turning the main teaching room into a dorm, etc.). In spite of these challenges, Dr. Jean Dorlus, President of the Seminary, told us that, "this is the best conference we've ever had." Churches Helping Churches director, Thomas Kim, shares his thoughts on why:
Personal spiritual renewal: It is relatively easy to put together a gathering that results in intellectual enrichment. But this wasn’t our goal. We were praying for God to bring healing to pastors’ afflictions as they opened up. The first evening, one of the pastors shared in tears about the loss of his son and daughter. At one point in the conference, one of the most respected church leaders in the country stood in front of 200 peers and confessed a personal sin committed just the day before. The S.T.E.P. faculty later told me this never happens in Haiti. This kind of vulnerability and brokenness does not get crafted by human hands. God was clearly at work.
Practical equipping: I will never forget this sentence that was repeated before and during the conference: “You already have more than you know to counsel those in need. You have the gospel.” Many pastors came thinking they would receive new skills to put in their toolkit, but instead, they learned how to practically use the one they already had.
Revitalized vision and passion: The final day, we gave an opportunity for pastors to come and share final words. Pastor Ford Estima, a leader of leaders, started off, “For me to say how much this week helped me would diminish its value.” After a few more words, he finished by looking directly at the teaching team from the U.S. who challenged and encouraged the Haitian pastors throughout the week. Estima exclaimed, “What you asked for, you will get it!” The entire room burst into both laughter and agreement.
It wasn't until the plane ride home that I realized one of the most important ways God showed up. I met a reporter and photographer from CNN who were on assignment in Haiti. They told me that a major storm front was predicted for Haiti with torrential rains and high winds during the week of our conference. CNN wanted people on the ground to report on the predicted damage, and how people were coping in the tent cities. But, as the reporter told me, it never happened, so we wound up covering other stories. During the conference, the pastors and seminary staff all commented about how great the weather was, and how difficult it can be during the rainy season. This would have been a major problem for our conference as small groups and our food lines all took place outside with the destruction of many of the STEP seminary buildings from the earthquake. We had no idea that Haiti was ground zero for such a destructive storm. Isn't it interesting that the day after the conference, the heavens opened and the rainy season continued after a week break.
Blessings,
Dr. Paul