reveds

As day six of our Haiti Mission comes to an end, I sit outside this evening on the patio, listening to the waves crash in to the shore, a gentle breeze in the cool(ish) night air. It’s been a long day of hard word and the only thing that would make this evening absolutely perfect would be to have my family here with me now. At times this place seems like paradise – though when the day begins tomorrow, we’ll return to paradise lost.
Our team spent the day hard at work. Matt and Bruce farmed all day, plowing fields in a tractor our team helped repair. The ladies of the team, Amy, Donna, and Dawn, helped with the girls school work today. I cut metal and welded – all day long. I was covered in black metal dust when finished – I miss the quiet, reflective work of my Pastor’s Study.
There is a new boys orphanage opening this Friday. We have three bunk beds made, and another 9 started. Our plan is to hopefully get them all finished on Thursday, and maybe even get some desks for the girl’s school rooms cranked out too.
We’ve accomplished quite a bit in the short time we’ve been here. It’s been hard work, but all of it has been good work. There’s so much that we can do to help those in need, the widows, the orphans, the poor, and the hungry. As we reach out to those in need, what seems like an inconsequential action – holding a baby while she sleeps, folding clothes with a young mom, preparing a meal for a hungry family – to those who receive such kindness our actions are tremendous, transforming, life-changing.
Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, calls His disciples to a life of goodness – a goodness that glorifies God. “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matt 5:16). As disciples of Christ, we are called to share the Gospel, the good news of salvation for a broken and dying world – and to adorn that gospel as “models of good works” (Titus 2:7-10). While, as good Reformed Protestants, we know that we are not save by good works, we also know that we have been saved for for good works, and that a faith without such works is dead (James 2:18).
The problem is, how can I even begin to do these good works when I am so full of sin? I know my heart and I know my own sinfulness. I don’t need to hear Isaiah or Paul saying my righteousness is like filthy rags, that I have fallen short of the glory of God – deep in my heart I know that to be true. My motive to do good works is more often than not self-seeking, self-promoting, “Hey look at me, I’m doing something nice!” Everything I do is laced with, burdened by, my own sinfulness. So how can I be good?!? How can I even begin something called “good works”?
Well, I guess its simple, really. By faith.
By faith I trust in Christ’s perfect goodness and righteousness to cover my sinfulness. By faith I trust in Christ’s perfect atonement upon the cross that restored my relationship with God – that it might be as if I had not sinned, and I am “good” in the eyes of God. By faith I lean not on my own power, but I wholly trust in the power of God’s Holy Spirit to produce in me goodness, the very goodness of God that is seen in the good works to which I have been called.
As God works Hi goodness in me, I am strengthened and encouraged to engage in the good works that would adorn His Gospel.
May the world see, through this broken life made new; through this sin-stained soul made pure; through this godless heart made good; may the world see the amazing grace of our wonderful God, and give glory to Him forever!
SDG
A big thanks to Donna Amundson for the pictures on today’s blog. Not a lot of photo-worthy moments at the cutting table.

Ahh… peace and quiet at last. It’s day 5 in Haiti, and for the first time since we’ve arrived, we can hear the waves crashing in to shore. There’s no music blaring outside until three in the morning. Just the gentle hum of a generator, the light buzz of the swarm of mosquitos, and the wooshing of bats above our heads. Ah, Haiti.
It is lovely here, really, and we had an adventurous day. We started off dividing our work force. Matt was welding, Bruce was repairing the plow, and the ladies were gofers – going for this and that as needed. I went with Les to the Haiti version of Home Depot – it even had the right smell. We picked up a load of square tubing and angle iron, loaded the Land Rover with gas, as well as bought plenty of gas for the generators, and brought all the supplies back to the Consolation Center.
When we got back, so much had been done, but a break was sorely needed. It’s impossible to adequately convey just what the climate is like here. It’s hot. It’s sticky. The wind rarely moves. And the Sun burns down directly overhead. It’s easy to overdo it, and when you are welding, using a cutting torch, and working in the sun – you can overheat quickly.
We had one team member succumb to a little heat exhaustion today. The Haitians who were with us responded quickly, bringing us a bunch of coconuts – the electrolytes in the coconut have an exceptional ability to rehydrate and restore you. Still, we sent our sick one back the the beach house to rest for the remainder of the day – he went with our prayers, and we got back to work – more welding, some painting, and even some plowing. The good news is, if this ministry thing doesn’t pan out, I now have marketable skills in welding (wire and stick welding).
We finished the day with a refreshing swim in the ocean, followed by wonderful meal prepared by a lovely woman from the community. The main meal was goat, and it was fantastic. She made way more than we could eat, and the leftovers went to good use – we should all sleep well tonight.
Our devotional study for the day was on Kindness as an aspect of the Fruit of the Spirit. Kindness is a benevolence of disposition – desiring the welfare of others, even those who are continually taxing our patience. Kindness is wanting the best, thinking the best, and working for the best for all people, often at great personal expense.
We have been supported (financially and prayerfully) through the tremendous kindness of our congregation at Memorial Presbyterian Church. We have been shown great kindness and hospitality by our mission partners, Les ad Catherine DeRoos. But most importantly, we have receive the greatest of kindness, when God showed the “immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Jesus Christ” (Eph 2:7), when, through Christ, God raised us from the dead and to give us life.
God has proven to be kind and generous. When the punishment of sin was death, God showed kindness to Adam and Eve, clothing them to hide their shame, and sending them out of the Garden and away from His wrath. God continued to show kindness by demonstrating patience, and continually working restoration and reconciliation with His people. God’s ultimate kindness is seen in Christ coming to us for our salvation.
And so it is in that kindness that we have come to Haiti; and it is our hope that we may share God’s kindness with those around us. We want the people of Haiti to know God, and to trust in the grace of God through Jesus Christ for their salvation. We share this Good News freely. Yet we are also here to share this Good News through purposeful acts of kindness. We are making beds, painting gates, fixing plows, playing with children, rocking babies to sleep – so that through our kindness, others may see the kindness of God in us and be drawn to Him.
How much better would our message of the Gospel be if our preaching, our teaching, our evangelism, were always accompanied by purposeful acts of kindness? As you preach the Gospel, as you live the Gospel, try a little kindness – so that the world may see your good works, and give glory to our heavenly Father.
SDG