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What an amazing day. We awoke at 5:00 a.m. and dragged ourselves into the Pignon church where we once again sang songs and offered prayers to our Creator in the dark. As the sun arose to light the day we filed out and returned to our home for a brief nap and then a hearty meal of oatmeal, eggs, and strong Haitian coffee (a wonderful blessing). We then gathered together again in the church for our final teaching day of our conference. We have been focusing in on intentionally becoming more like Jesus, that we are Disciples of Jesus Christ, all the time, wherever we go.
On Tuesday we focused on relationships and how to love like Jesus. Yesterday we cast our attention to morality and how to live like Jesus. Today we set our sights on generosity and how to give like Jesus. We have been asking the Haitian men to open up their bibles and together in small groups read passages from Scripture which speak to relationship, morality, and generosity. From this time of study we provide opportunities for the men to share with the larger group. Each day this has provided new insights into the word and a chance for the men to open up with each other.
Group activities, an afternoon teaching session, and a break all led up to the evening session, where we have been trying to wrap up each concept and allow for a time to respond. This evening we landed in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 25 and Jesus’ Parable of the Talents. The men were reminded that we have all be given something and it is our calling as disciples to use it to give to others. Jesus is our example, having given up His very life that we might have the right to ourselves disciple. So we ought to be generous to others.
We wrapped up our time together by sharing that during the last supper that the disciples had with Jesus, that the Lord of the universe got down on his hands and knees and washed their feet. His act of service reminded his disciples that they were to serve others. We invited the men to come and partake in the act of foot washing as well. Our team was the first to wash the feet of several Haitian men and we began to enter into a time of worship.
What happened next was right out of the book of Acts. Pastor Mele, shepherd of the Savanette church, incited the men into clapping and enthusiastic singing. For the next twenty minutes while all 100 men had their feet washed by each other, we sang, we clapped, we danced and we worshiped. It brought so much attention that people from the city came by and watched from the side doors into the church. It was a beautiful thing to watch men humble themselves before the Lord and each other. Then Pastor Mele provided an opportunity to share the Gospel with the men and invited them into a life of discipleship by faith in Jesus Christ.
As I stood on the side with my head bowed and my eyes closed and prayers coming forth on my lips, I looked up and realized that many men were on the stage along with several of the pastors praying. I was motioned over to one man, John John, whom I had met early in the day. Through a translator, he had told me that on the very first night he had heard us talk and God had been stirring in his heart. He was now ready to believe in Jesus. So together John John and I prayed to ask Jesus to be his Savior and his Lord. By evening there were fourteen men that had made similar decisions and declarations. We finished the evening with a prayer for the new believers as they began a new journey with Jesus.
There was so much work and preparation and prayer that went into this trip and planning this conference. We believed that God would provide the men and prepare their hearts and we would be faithful with what we shared from His Word. We knew that whatever the outcome, God was in charge and His will would be accomplished. To see the fruit of that labor and share in the transformation of souls was an experience I will never forget. To God be the glory as He continues to draw people to himself for His plans and purposes.