A STORY OF CHRISTMAS
This past Spring I received a phone call from a teacher out in Penn. She explained that she had a young lady in her class who had the desire to help the children of Haiti through some sort of class involved project. The teacher had gotten enough information about GAP ministry from the young lady to contact me and get more details about the situation in Haiti and the involvement of our ministry work there. It didn't take me long to figure out who the impassioned young lady might be and I received a call from her father days later confirming my conclusion. As we talked he shared his daughters wish to help out and feed the children of Haiti and asked how I might put the funds raised (at that time unknown) to use. Knowing I would have a team in in Haiti right before Christmas I suggested we use the money to provide a Christmas meal for a school in a mountain village where GAP Ministry had been working this past year.
As Summer concluded and Fall arrived I had long put this out of my mind. Then one day I received an e-mail saying I would soon receive a check for the amount the class of eleven year old students had raised. I had already shared the Christmas meal idea earlier in the summer with my December team so they were prepared to be involved. The amount actually given by the students was $180.00 so the team agreed to add enough to bring the total to $400.00, an amount I hoped could bring a Christmas meal to at least 400 people in the village. I turned the responsibility of bringing all of this together to Diesmy (Jasmine) GAP Ministry's field coordinator for our "Feet Across the Mountains" ministry. Jasmine actually took the funds and purchased the food items in the Montrouis market then took charge of overseeing their transport five miles up into the mountain village of Fretta. He also arranged for the people of the village to prepare the meal on Thursday December 17th our last full day in the Montrouis area. At about 10:00 am that day we took two trucks with about 20 of us and drove as far as the road allowed into the mountains. The remaining distance took us about 45 minutes of hiking to arrive in the village as planned at noon. We (at least I) thought our involvement would be to film, help serve and partake in the meal. It was upon our arrival that Jasmine pulled me aside and asked what program we had prepared to share with the villagers. After a quick timeout and huddle we came up with a game plan. We split our team into two groups, some went with the young children others with teens and adults. The team shared testimonies, songs and prayer with the Haitians, some of those who were Christian also shared with us their testimony and prayer needs. At the conclusion those who desired to accept Jesus were asked to come forward and join us outside to learn how to have Jesus into their lives, twenty plus (20) people did so that day. As I said earlier I thought I knew who the cast of characters were in this story but I had overlooked The Director .
Only God could have brought together a cast of characters to bring the ultimate Christmas gift to a mountain village in Haiti. Consider the following: A father in Penn. sharing his passion for Haiti with his young daughter after his mission trip. An eleven year old inspiring her classmates and teacher to do something for the children in an impoverished country. A teacher having the courage to not only inquire about the situation in Haiti but take it to her principle to involve her class in what some parents might construe as promoting Christian ideals. A ministry team from Indiana not only traveling to Haiti at just the right time but willing to step out of their comfort zone and travel into the mountains of Haiti to deliver a gift of love. A small amount ($180) being blessed to provide enough to feed a whole village of 400 people. An unprepared team of ordinary people being empowered by the Holy Spirit to bring the ultimate gift of salvation to 20 or more people who accepted Christ into their lives .
That day a group of families and friends traveling from a far away place were used by God to bring the true gift of Christmas to a small village in the mountains of Haiti . I believe I can honestly say that for all of us that walked up there that day we went away treasuring our part in having been the bearer of God's eternal gift.
GAP Ministries " Feet Across the Mountains" outreach is based on Isaiah 52:7 . That day God brought to life these words through a list of characters some of who may never see each other till they meet in Heaven. None of us can deny that on that day we were the feet and voice for God's ultimate gift. " How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things, who proclaims salvation." In God's love, steve
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