Prayers for Haiti — and Vision

As I write this, I’m working through two totally separate emotions. The first is overwhelming sadness about the earthquakes in Haiti. In 1983, During the first months of 1983, I was in Haiti with the Christian Veterinary Mission. I worked as a vet tech on various animal husbandry endeavors about half my time in the countryside and the other half in Port-au-Prince. Haiti was desperately poor, and life there was difficult no matter how you looked at it.

“Overwhelmed” is the best word to use when you talk about Haiti – Overwhelming poverty, spiritual activity of the bad kind, hunger, desperate catch-22 problems. No where to start to fix things apart from the grace of God.

Yet I was so impressed with the Haitian people, their great sense of humor, their ability to not take themselves too seriously despite the dire seriousness of life.

I recall walking up a long mountain with several Haitians (Haiti is mountains and more mountains). The interpreter had gone ahead into the village. Someone asked me a question like, “What’s your last name?” or “Who’s your best friend?” Whatever the question, I answered mistakenly with the word for “donkey.” They laughed good-heartedly and brayed for hours.

When we got to the village, they asked the interpreter where I came from. They didn’t believe I was American, because Americans don’t smile as much as I did. What they didn’t know was that my non-stop smile was me gasping for breath.

I learned a lot from the Haitian people. I was offered a job in Haiti, and if I had been more heat-tolerant, I would have seriously considered it. Despite all Haiti’s problems, you “couldn’t not” love the Haitian people. And now these series of earthquakes leave those same people in overwhelming distress.

Switching gears, I’m excitedly packing for Lexington, Ky for a “visioning” meeting at Asbury College. A group of “big picture thinkers” are gathering and praying about how God is leading in the horse industry, and what our part may be. Many of you have written to me with horse ministry hopes and dreams, some of which you’ve had for many years but now feel a restlessness to pursue.

I would appreciate your prayers for this trip, and that we would hear from God on this matter. My goal is to help raise the tide that will float many boats.

And please keep Haiti in your prayers, and give to an appropriate agency that can get relief supplies where they are needed. (The Christian Veterinary Mission will use the funds right.)

Thanks for listening. Email me with any thoughts you’d like to share. Don’t forget to hug your family and your horses.

Tagged as: horse ministry