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Seeing things from another perspective can in many ways help us understand and appreciate what we have known from previous experiences and obtain a greater understanding of the world around us. One of my favorite places to go daily at different times of the day is to the rooftop of the school that is on the Mission property that we are serving at. The rooftop is accessible by a staircase that was created to access future construction of additional floors to the structure. It is a flat roof that is perhaps thirty feet above the village below. From this vantage point one is able to see the mountains, children playing, and the occasional flash of lightning in the evening as storms pass in the distance.
This journey has also been much about new perspectives. Much of what I know and have become accustomed to in our Americanized Christian culture, revolving around my comforts and conveniences. What is interesting to me is that the Haitian believers here are content to gather and sit on hard wooden benches for hours on end. The heat and humidity are a constant burden only to be alleviated by the occasional gust of wind through the open windows or the luxury of ceiling fans positioned high above the gathering room. Worship on many occasions has no instrumental accompaniment only the voices of the people singing in four part harmony with no hymnals or words from a screen. Background noises and distractions like dogs fighting in the street outside the church and giant bugs on the wall during our meetings have little or no impact.
It’s all about love for the Savior. Single hearted devotion that transcends our comforts. A willingness to gather and worship the King of Kings because of his amazing Grace and Love. And I ask myself would I have that same devotion if all the comforts that I am familiar with were stripped away?