Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Thoughts from yesterday

I (John) want to say that yesterday was extremely interesting for me, but packed full of lessons that at another time I may not have seen. As many of you know, yesterday I went to Cap Haitien to pick up some groceries from the market and 14 packages from the airport.

I started off with my quiet time reading a devotion on waiting on God and His timing. Then I read several chapters in Psalms. Two passages that stood out during my reading were Psalm 33:18,20 and Psalm 50:15.

Psalm 33:18,20 (New Living Translation)

18 But the Lord watches over those who fear him,
    those who rely on his unfailing love.
20 We put our hope in the Lord.
    He is our help and our shield.

Psalm 50:15 (New Living Translation)

15             Trust me in your times of trouble,
            and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory

I know, I know, I should have known after reading this that I would have an opportunity to see how much I believe it soon, but sometimes I'm a little slow to see the signs. My hindsight is much better that my foresight.  

After breakfast, I headed out to Cap Haitien with Kylie, two of her friends and Yen Yen (man who helps us with just about everything around the house) along for the ride. Kylie was really excited because it was her first trip to Cap Haitien since we arrived to Haiti. She was also proud to be taking two of the girls from the orphanage along for the trip to the market and lunch.  The day started off pretty well. We had a good ride into town, stopped at two different markets in search of some hard to find luxuries - boxed milk, american peanut butter, 2-ply toilet paper, and some other things. We also stopped by the hardware store to find some items to fix a leaking pipe. Then we headed off to the airport to pick up our cargo shipment.

We were extremely blessed at the airport. We picked up the largest shipment (both in weight and quantity) that we have ever received and the "fee" was almost half of what we have paid in the past for large shipments. It is amazing how God continues to go before us in potentially contentious situations. 

After the airport, we were headed to a "safe" restaurant for a late lunch when we were stopped by the police for not having a plaque (tag). MS plates are not acceptable in Haiti so we paid for the tag and assurance (insurance) right after we got here in January.  However, due to the government inefficiencies we still have not received the tag. Yen Yen has called about it regularly, but there is always some excuse. The latest is that it is still in Port-au-Prince because someone forgot to send it back up to the north end of the island. 

This was my opportunity to put into practice the scripture that I read that morning. Did I truly trust God during my time of trouble? Do I really fear Him and rely on his unfailing love? How much do I put my hope in God? You see it has always been easy for me to trust God because I always had Wal-Mart, too.  It's easy for  me to "trust" when I have a back-up plan - money in the bank, supplies readily available, people to turn to for help, etc. But what about now in a foreign land with limited money (I had already spent most of what I had taken to town on groceries, plumbing supplies and customs fees), a huge language barrier, no translator while staring in the face of a dysfunctional government delay and dealing with the police who operate on no moral code.  

Yen Yen was stressed. Kylie was crying because she thought we were going to have to walk home and never see our truck again. I'm not sure about the other girls because they weren't saying anything. And there I was faced with the decision of how to respond. Do I react as I typically would - blow up at the injustice and give them a piece of my mind for not being reasonable about something that is their governments problem. Or do I trust in the Lord, even in times of trouble, and know that he has a purpose and a plan for all that was going on. Surprisingly, I chose the later (for the most part). I tried to explain to the officials (through Yen Yen and a call to Herod who speaks English) about the deal with our plaque but they did not want to hear it. 

Yen Yen (still stressed and frustrated himself) found a taxi to help us make our expected journey home that would include a ride to a "bus stop" (a whole different story), a ride on an old recycled school bus to Limbe and then a ride on a tap tap (a small pick-up truck converted to taxi) to Camp Coq. It was obviously going to be difficult moving all of the stuff and people around at each stop.  There was disappointment on everyone's faces. As we were loading the taxi (a 1990 Toyota Camry that had seen much better days) I told Yen Yen that we were still going to lunch. He seemed surprised. I was not going to give up in my times of trouble. I was going to trust God and continue on with our plans. It turned out to be a great decision - as trusting God often does. We had a great lunch. The girls were treated to a meal at a restaurant, something the orphans have experienced only a handful of times in their lives and everyone got a chance to calm down, collect their thoughts and prepare for the hard journey ahead. But while we were dining, God had been working. The taxi driver waited outside the restaurant for us to eat and while he waited he decided that he would be willing to take us all the way to Camp Coq. What a huge answer to prayer. This meant that we wouldn't have to shuffle around, fight crowds at various stops and figure everything out as we went. We agreed to a price and he took us home. 

When we got home, we were blown away by the items that we received from the States. Some were birthday gifts for the girls, some were requested items from home, but so many items were not requested but met huge needs. God began working weeks ago in peoples lives to move and meet our needs yesterday. He knew we would be facing a difficult situation and he sent encouragement.

But He also sent a reminder - Trust Me. Rely on Me. Put your hope in Me. Too often I work to figure it all out and tell God to wait on the side and I will let him know when I need the "big guns". I think we all do that to some degree. But He wants more than that from me. He wants to give me so much more. But too often I get in the way. 

I don't know what the purpose of having our truck impounded is or why it is taking more than two months to get a tag (normally takes about 10 days), but who am I to question God and His plans. I am reminded of when God asked Job the same question - Job 38:2 - "Who is this that questions my (God's) wisdom with such ignorant words?" Only God knows what He spared us from yesterday.  A thousand different things could have happened that would have been far worse than the inconvenience of losing our truck for a time. It could be some lesson that has yet to be revealed. 

For now I will respond as Job did after being challenged by God  - Job 40:3-5 - "I am nothing-how could I ever find the answers? I will put my hand over my mouth in silence. I have said too much already. I have nothing more to say." 

I will truly trust Him, rely on Him and put my hope in Him. 

Monday, March 25, 2013

Deeply, dearly, definitely, daily..

“Above all, love each other deeply…”  1 Peter 4:8

Above hurt feelings, love each other deeply…
Above unmet expectations, love each other deeply…
Above selfish desires, love each other deeply…
Above physical stresses and anxiety, love each other deeply…
Above mistrust, love each other deeply…
Above anger, love each other deeply…
Above pain, love each other deeply…
Above open-ended promises, love each other deeply…

Deeply, dearly, definitely, daily! 
This is what I’m hearing… this is my conviction today!

   Maybe you've had a similar conversation with God…
            Me:  “Good grief!  Seriously?!?  I am so done!  
                     Are you seeing the way they're acting, Lord?”
                God:   “Are you seeing the way you're acting?
                    “What do you mean?  I am trying to love them.  
                      What else can I do?”
                           “Do you really want to know?  When you’re ready,
                             I’ll show you.”
                    “God, they’re the ones that are being hateful and it hurts.”
               “The point is not who needs to change but who is willing to change.”
                    “But God, I’m tired of having to be the bigger person.  
                      It’s just not fair!  They can be the bigger person for a change.
                            “I never said it was fair or that they didn’t need to change
                             but you are responsible for you, not them.  And you know
                             that discord with others affects my relationship with you.”
                    “I just can’t do it, God.  I trusted them and now look…  I 
                     cannot love them, I don’t even like them right now!”
                            “You are right; you cannot possibly love them by yourself 
                              but nothing is impossible for me.  When you are ready, 
                              get up and let me help you.”   

I don’t know about you but out of all the jobs I’ve had in my life, loving is by far the hardest.  Some people are just really difficult to love.  Some are never satisfied with the way you do things, some are stingy, some look for ways to step over you, some are pushy, some make fun, some seek to turn others against you, some deceive, some take what is yours, some say they will be there and they are but only 'til they get a better offer…  Loving others is complicated.

I don’t have to search my heart long before I see attitudes and thoughts in there that aren’t in line with God’s will for my life.  And some days I'm not very loveable, myself.  Hard to believe, I know! J 

It’s a constant battle for me as it is with any child of God, I suppose, to keep a pure heart.  When I am hurt, the last thing I want to do is love those that hurt me but my focus must stay on my own heart and how I conduct myself.  I fail so often and I react instead of acting out of love.   

I’m reading a book AGAIN(smiles) called, “A Love Worth Giving” by Max Lucado.  It’s so good and SO challenging at the same time.  Before we ever left MS in route to Haiti, I knew God was calling us first and foremost to love.  To love each other deeply… in our family (old and new), in our community, in our home.

Most of us are familiar with 1 Corinthians 13.  It’s called the ‘love chapter’ and it’s used in weddings a lot.  We see postcards and wall-hangings and art work that use verses from this chapter.  Bracelets and necklaces are sold with portions of the chapter, too.  In part, The Message version says this,

“If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t love, I’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate.

If I speak God’s Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, “Jump,” and it jumps, but I don’t love, I’m nothing.

If I give everything I own to the poor... but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.

Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.
Love doesn’t strut,
Doesn’t have a swelled head,
Doesn’t force itself on others,
Isn’t always “me first,”
Doesn’t fly off the handle,
Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn’t revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.
Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled.
......

But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.


This can be enlightening or it can be frustrating…frustrating when we measure our love (or lack there of) with these truths but enlightening when we realize that this is how Christ loves us. 

When we begin to talk to God about our feelings (even our frustrations) and ask him to do what we (alone) cannot do, we find that He is more than willing to meet us where we are lacking.  But before we can love with this love from Christ, we have to first accept it and “live loved” as Lucado explains.  Something miraculous happens when we accept His love that far exceeds our own. We find that we are able to love whether it's reciprocated or not.
    
Loving people isn’t easy.  It's messy and it’s tough (as I probably over-stated earlier) but as we learn to live in the overflow of God’s love, it can be very rewarding, too!  

I noticed this heart as I was walking outside the gate the other day...


I continue to be fascinated that God loves us enough to keep sending us personal messages.  Look for yours today... and if you are struggling like me to love someone else, try to focus on the One that loves you and ask Him to show you how you can pass that love on.

"God loves you.  Personally.  Powerfully.  Passionately.
Others have promised and failed.
But God has promised and succeeded.
He loves you with an unfailing love.
And His love - if you will let it - can fill you
And leave you with a Love Worth Giving." ~ Max Lucado

Friday, March 22, 2013

Project 'Feed the Children' is underway

As I mentioned in an earlier post, we were elated to hear that a family felt led to give the money needed to build the cookhouse… God never ceases to amaze and provide!!!
This is what the area looked like pre-construction:

Here are some of the photos showing the construction progression from this week:
Trenches are done and wall markings are in place!
1st set of rocks were delivered and put in



More concrete is mixed to fill in the trenches



















More rocks were delivered!
Pastor Josué came to help

Kinley helps Pastor Josué collect small rocks
that are needed, too!

Before long, there were LOTS of helpers!


 And then the bricks arrived!








As Mom always said, 'Many hands DO make the work load lighter'! :)




 

 


And Papa 'He-Man' fascinates all the kids by carrying 4 blocks at a time :)

I must pay compliments to my awesome photographers for this post
--->  John and Kylie, you did an incredible job!  :)

More pictures and updates tomorrow but now it's movie time and tonight it's 'Despicable Me'!  Happy Friday, all!


Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Mail call...

Thank you so much to all who have sent us things from home and beyond!  I don't know anyone who doesn't love to get fun mail and now that we are so far away from all of you, we really look forward to mail pick-up days at the airport!

Many of you have asked about sending things we need and about sending things to the orphans and other kids in the community, as well.  We would LOVE to distribute items for you and I'm finally sitting down to compile a "we can always use/we can never have too many of" list that may help you when selecting items for the kiddos here.  While working on the lists, I asked John (the business head) to help with writing the details pertaining to the mail and.... well.... ladies and gentlemen here are the words from John, himself....... and I quote:

"At Camp Coq Mt. Zion Bethlehem Missionary Christian Congregation of Evangelical Believers in the Holy Word of God (CCMZBMCCEBHWG), we could not effectively do ministry without the prayers and support of our friends and family.  My wife is smoking hot!  From time to time there are ministry needs that we are not able to acquire in Haiti and we must seek help from the people in the US locating the supplies and sending them to us.  We are blessed to be part of Missionary Flights International (MFI), a great ministry that helps meet the transportation/shipping needs of missionaries in the Caribbean.  She is such a hotty.  

(Yes, all, I am laughing hysterically and this may be the last time I ask for his help writing...but wait, there's more...)

MFI has given us a stateside address where people can ship supplies.  Then they deliver those supplies on a regular schedule.  I am so blessed to have such a beautiful, caring and thoughtful wife.  This service ensures that all of our packages are delivered in a safe and timely manner.  They charge a very reasonable $1.50/lb for this service.  If you would be interested in sending something from our list we would greatly appreciate your support and generosity.  The Lord was generous to me when He sent Dawn.  We ask that you follow the shipping instructions below:

*Mail envelopes and/or packages to:
    John Chappelear
    Unit 1134 - LBC
    3170 Airman's Drive
    Ft Pierce, FL 34946

* Send us an email letting us know you are mailing an envelope or package and if possible, please let us know the weight of the package.  Our email is: CirclingHaiti@gmail.com.

* We have to pay a couple of extra fees (transport from MFI and customs fees) to receive our packages. After trial and error, we have determined that the best way you can help offset these fees is by:

    1) Sending a check for $1.50/lb to:  MFI (Accounts Receivable)
                                                           3170 Airmans Drive
                                                           Ft Pierce, FL 34946
        Just BE SURE to put our # (1134-LBC) in the memo line of your check so it will be credited to the correct account.

    2) Including $10.00 per small box or $15.00 per large box in a small envelope marked, "MISSION" inside the package you are sending.  (We have to open all of the packages in front of customs when they are assessing the fee so rest assured, we will get the envelope then.  They do not open envelopes, BTW.)


As soon as the "needs list" is complete (I'm still checking on some sizes), I'll post that separately so stay tuned.


P.S. We have been toying around with names for our Mission here in Camp Coq, hence John's opening humor.  If you'd like to offer suggestions, please do so... we may even make it fun and have a contest for the best name... won't take much to beat John's!!! Ha!

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Many, much and more!

So many praises… so much news… and more…

v  We got the truck back ---yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It's here, it's here!!!
Checking it out...
We are grateful... so grateful!

!!!!God provided every penny we needed to cover the expenses for repairs.  
Thank you so much to those who gave so generously!!!!  

v  A baby goat was born and I got to do the after birth photo shoot… (thanks, God!)







v  John and Yehn Yehn (with lots of helpers) put a fence around the garden… It is continuing to do well!  







We ought to have lots of yummy goods in a couple of months!!


v  LuLu is back and feeling much better… (no new cases of the pox yet, either)!

 
 Fresh coconut milk is great for any ailment! J
  
v  We celebrated another birthday this weekend!  Gaelle turned “16”!!!


Along with her "real" gifts, her brothers gave her a prank gift!
Silly faces photos are a must at every party, right?
v  Kylie is spoiled by Yehn Yehn, getting coconuts whenever she wants… (see him in the tree)
  

  
v  Caleb and Cabila worked hard building a chicken house (from scrap materials they found) for their Mama Hen and (5) baby chicks…



I was so impressed with their creativity... It's complete with old flip-flops for hinges and a tin door!






v  Our water tank is full, thanks to some awesome guys!  



When the water is on but the pressure isn't strong enough, these incredible guys are always willing to help even if it means filling the tank with buckets!! 





v  We got a call Saturday night from someone saying they wanted to donate the $800 needed to build the cookhouse!  John and I had just prayed about the needed money again that day…  God is so good!!!  We began purchasing materials today!  Once the cookhouse is completed, we will need to hire (2) workers and our initial goal is to feed (100) people, 5 days a week.    Keep praying with us about this, please.  We are so excited to see it take off!

v  The Mission Team from LifeBridge Church will be here in 39 days!  We’ve already begun praying for the team and all that God will do while they are here. J

v  Our sweet, spunky and no-doubt spoiled Kinley will be “3” on Saturday so we are getting ready this week to party again!  J  We will miss our normal party peeps this year for our birthdays but we will post lots of pictures so you don’t miss a thing! 

Still more to tell but it's time for the nightly routines so until later, we are sending much love from Haiti!  ~xoxoxoxo~