Contentment and Christmas

Ever since my trip to Haiti earlier this year, words like "contentment" and "simplicity" keep echoing in my mind. I did a little post-trip processing in March, trying to make sense of living in the land of excess and being able to be content with much...which is a lot more difficult than it sounds. And here we are at Christmas--a time of year set aside to remember that God put on human flesh so He could dwell with us, walk with us, talk with us, die for us, redeem us, save us. How can we be discontent when He did so much for us? Yet, ironically, Christmas time is when the culture around us is screaming for us to be DIScontent...with last year's toys, with yesterday's clothing, with our supposed "lack." And you know what, I can easily find myself buying into that lie. There are many things I'd "love" to have. But those words--"contentment," "simplicity"--they keep coming back. What I think I need, I really don't. Paul's words to Timothy penetrate to the heart of the matter, "For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content." (1 Timothy 6:7,8)

So this year, my family and I are practicing contentment. Because we DO have food and clothing. But there are those who don't. So maybe instead of filling my coffers fuller and fuller, the better choice would be to give what I don't need to others who do.

Compassion Visit

During my March visit to Haiti, a definite highlight was the trip we were able to take into the mountains to the town of St. Raphael to visit with Olgentz and his family. Our youth group has been sponsoring Olgentz through Compassion International for the past year and a half, and it was a wonderful, over-the-top, surreal experience to get to meet in person this dear young man who has been a fixture in our youth group on Sunday nights by way of a picture on the wall.

Outside the Compassion Project

We first arrived at the Compassion project--the faith-based school Olgentz attends thanks to the Compassion funds. We got treated like royalty as we were the first Compassion sponsors to EVER visit this site! The staff came and was introduced to us, a feast of fried plantain, chicken, cake, salads, casseroles, and ice cold drinks was served to us, and we got a tour of the project site.

Left to right: our translator Bernard, Olgentz, me, Pastor Randall B., the Pastor who oversees this project, Lori G..

Walking the footpath to Olgentz's home

After a brief visit there, we all piled into the back of a truck and headed to Olgentz's home. Nearly a month later, I am still overwhelmed by the incredible hospitality that we received there. Olgentz's mother welcomed us into their home where we all squeezed around a table and were presented with ANOTHER feast with more ice cold drinks. They blessed us time and again for the ways that we have helped to provide for Olgentz. Such a humbling experience, and I find that words continue to fail me when it comes to telling about that experience.

Showing the family some pictures from our town.

Some lessons from my time with this most precious family?

Hospitality matters. Your house's condition does not. Relationships matter.

Loving people matters. "Stuff" is not important.

Jesus is quintessential to life.

Those are all very simple sentences and concepts, aren't they? You know what I'm finding, though? They are much more difficult to put into practice than they are to type out!

Part of our Compassion support has provided a pig for the family, and we were thrilled to see babies!

With Olgentz and his family in their sugar cane field.

As we left the sugar cane field and headed back to the truck to prepare to leave, I glanced back over my shoulder and saw the most beautiful sight: Olgentz's mother was standing there by herself, with her hands raised toward the sky, her eyes closed, and her mouth moving in prayer. In the midst of poverty and lack, she did not forget "from whom all blessings flow."  I want to be more like her...

Living in the Land of Excess

Will you indulge me a little post-Haiti-mission-trip-processing?  Thanks! I recently had the privilege of spending 5 days in Haiti, making new friends, seeing the countryside, and visiting a boy our youth group has been sponsoring through Compassion International (there will be a future blog post about that trip). The experience was so much more than I can even begin to put into mere words as it involves my feelings, my thoughts, my spirit...those parts of experiences that seem to be cheapened if you try to put them into black and white sentences and phrases.

As I have begun the process of "re-entry" back into normal life and normal routines, I'm not sure I can handle "normal" any more. One of the realizations I am sure of is that we live in a land of excess. Excess clothing. Excess food. Excess media. Excess opportunities. Excess stuff. Excess. Check out Jesus' words in Luke 12:13-21. He has some pretty specific things to say to people who make "excess" their goal in life:

     A man in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide with me the property our father left us.”  Jesus answered him, “Friend, who gave me the right to judge or to divide the property between you two?” And he went on to say to them all, “Watch out and guard yourselves from every kind of greed; because your true life is not made up of the things you own, no matter how rich you may be.”
     Then Jesus told them this parable: “There was once a rich man who had land which bore good crops.  He began to think to himself, ‘I don't have a place to keep all my crops. What can I do? This is what I will do,’ he told himself; ‘I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, where I will store the grain and all my other goods. Then I will say to myself, Lucky man! You have all the good things you need for many years. Take life easy, eat, drink, and enjoy yourself!’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night you will have to give up your life; then who will get all these things you have kept for yourself?’”   And Jesus concluded, “This is how it is with those who pile up riches for themselves but are not rich in God's sight.”

Life in Haiti

For the past week, I've been contrasting the riches of the US with the riches of Haiti. When you look at material goods, the US comes out on top easily. But when you start looking at those things considered "rich in God's sight" I think Haitian believers have the edge. The brief experience I had in Haiti showed me in numerous ways how believers there depend on the Lord solely day in and day out for their needs. Complete and utter dependence. And you know what? They actually believe that God will take care of them! Not just a head knowledge, either...they truly believe it.

Can I be honest? It's been difficult this past week being bombarded with all that this land of excess has to offer. So much seems like such drivel when compared to what God would have us spend our time and resources on. How can we justify spending thousands on "entertainment" when every 5 seconds somewhere in the world a child dies from hunger? We sing songs to the Lord with lines like "Break my heart for what breaks Yours. Everything I am for Your Kingdom's cause." The reality of that is penetrating my very being in ways that it hasn't before. If my heart breaks for the same things that God's heart breaks for, then my daily life needs to look a lot different. If all of my time and resources are spent for the Lord's Kingdom's cause, then my daily life needs to look a lot different.

Some of you are probably saying, "Yep, it's obvious she's just back from a mission trip. Give it a day or two."  Well, I'm determined that my five days in Haiti are not going to be a "flash in the pan."  I will share this line that I believe God impressed on my heart: "I don't feel that God is calling me to move to Haiti, but I do believe He is calling me to be moved BY Haiti."  May it be so, Lord.