Obama Wins and America Loses

Obama Wins and America Loses

America has spoken, but has America spoken truth?  Neither candidate was my preference for president; but then, I did not have any choice in the matter.  There were only two viable candidates.  One was a known quantity, albeit not a quality quantity.  The other was unknown on a national scale.  Both lied through their teeth during the months leading up to yesterday’s election.  In politics, you must remember, that it is acceptable to tell as many lies that are necessary in order to get votes and money. 

For those of you who voted for Obama, last night was not cause for rejoicing and celebrating, nor is it a reason for you to gloat over his election win.  I do not call it a victory, for half of the country did not vote for him.  Indeed, it was not a victory for America, but a resounding defeat.  America is following in the footsteps of other world powers that have fallen because of their rejection of Godly principles and instead choosing immorality and idolatry.

Do you really think that God is going to bless a country that chooses a leader who deliberately rejects Godly principles?  Can we still sing God Bless America and believe He will hear and answer?  Please!  Do not profane His name by asking for His blessing if you voted for him.  God cannot nor will not bless any country that deliberately rejects Him and His law. 

But, someone says, not everyone in America believes in God.  We have a right to have the kind of government we want.  You Christians can’t force us to believe your way.  If we want humanism, that’s what we will choose.  No one is forcing anyone to believe in God if they choose not to believe.  The founding of this country was based on proven, reliable laws that protected all people regardless of their beliefs.  But, it also saw the wisdom in following God’s laws.

History has proven beyond any doubt that any country that turns its back on God and His Word is doomed to destruction.  The greatest example is Israel who were God’s chosen people to bring redemption to the world.  They had God’s law written in stone, had God’s hand to personally direct their steps and to drive out idolatrous nations before them, but they thought they knew better than Him and they rejected His law and His principles, and as a result, were taken into captivity by the Assyrians then the Babylonians.  Later, after rejecting the Son of God and crucifying Him, the Romans completely destroyed the nation and scattered the survivors to the wind.  Rome then fell because of the moral rot that decayed them from within. 

The revisionists have attempted to refute history by telling us that America was not founded on the Bible and God’s laws.  This is an attempt at destroying what they hate.  Their hatred of God and truth will not alter history.  Humanism is also doomed to utter failure.

America cannot expect God’s blessing if they think that homosexual marriage is a normal way of life, that murdering unborn babies is simply a choice that is between a woman and her doctor, that the rich should be mandated by law to willingly redistribute their money to the poor and give them free medical care, that if someone chooses not to work then they should still have the same comforts in life that those who do work have, that if a company is greedy and therefore about to go under that the government should throw money at them to solve the problem, that if Christians speak out against the evil choices governments make they should be prosecuted.  The list could go on and on.  Socialism always fails.  Godlessness always fails.  It must.  God’s law has never failed and it never will regardless of who likes it or dislikes it. 

I will pray for the president because the Bible tells me I must.  I will not pray for him because I like him or his agenda that will bring more pain to this country.  Who knows, maybe God will change his heart and mind.  Manasseh, the most evil of all of Judah’s kings, repented in his later years, yet the nation had to suffer untold misery because of his evil leadership.  He led Israel into the vilest of idolatry, immorality, murder of children, and rejection of God.  How is America today different from those days?  If God judged Israel, give me one good reason He will not also judge America for its immoral and idolatrous self-seeking, self-serving ways.

America must live with what God has allowed to happen.  But, how much will America suffer because of it?  The debt will grow to levels no one even imagined before.  Generations in the future will be saddled with paying it off.  This is not a joke.  It is real.  If I had my way, only those who voted for Obama would be responsible for paying off the debt.  If that were the case, how many would admit to voting for him?  Why should the rest of us pay for stupidity?

For the past several years our constitution has been slipping further and further down the toilet.  Last night, the final flush came.  What so many people, including those in authority seem to think is that the constitution is meant to be interpreted by the newest generation in whatever way it wants to interpret it.  If how the founding fathers wrote it is not the way we want it, let’s change it to suit us.  They are reading into it what no one with a lick of sense would see there.

It seems to me that the only ones who voted for him are greedy people who have their hand out waiting for the government to fill it with money or food stamps or free medical care; those who believe that same sex marriage (yuk! there’s a horrible taste in my mouth by just saying those words) is constitutional and to be admired; who think that it is perfectly fine to kill a baby while still in the womb of the mother; who think that government is the answer to all that ails our country; who think that it is the responsibility of the government to meet all of our needs and wants.  Or, there may be those who are none of the above but want to be thought of by others as tolerant and politically correct.  They just don’t want to offend anyone.  But they offend God.  That seems to be OK.  God will understand.  Wanna bet?

America has gotten just what it deserves.  God has given America a president that He will use to judge us just as He has done to other nations that turned their back on Him in the past.  But there is hope in that God still rules and reigns from Heaven and is able to overrule man’s foolishness.

Why I Hate the Yankees

Well, maybe hate is too strong a word.  I do not hate the individual players.  They can’t help it if they are some of the best in baseball.  No one would expect them to play down their ability in order to accommodate lesser players.  What I hate – again, maybe too strong a word – but then again, maybe it isn’t - is the Yankee organization that believes it has an inherent right to obtain the best because they can afford to pay them more than any other team can.  After all, they are the Yankees.  They deserve the best.  Forget about bringing them up through their farm system.  Let other teams train them, then the Yankees can steal or buy them from other teams. 

Now, I must confess that I have personally witnessed some great games that the Yankees of the past have played.  I was at Memorial Stadium the night Roger Marris hit number sixty to tie the Babe.  I saw the Mick hit a 513 foot home run against the Orioles that cleared the stadium and landed in the parking lot.  How do I know it was 513 feet?  The headline of the Baltimore Sun the next day said so.  To see the Yankees of the 50’s and 60’s play was incredible.  I repeat – I do not hate the players.  Well, some of the arrogant ones who presently play may stir a lot of dislike with in me.  You know who he is.  Oops!  Who they are.  I fully expect the Yankees to buy more and better players this off season. 

Now, I understand the free enterprise system, and I suppose that the system works in baseball also.  But what I liken the Yankee mentality to is a card shark stacking the deck in a poker game.  Make sure you win at all costs.  Make sure you get the best cards (players).  Cheat if you have to, but win. 

This year I’ve seen Derek Jeter cheat on at least two plays.  He claimed to have been hit by a pitch when clearly – replay confirmed this – that the pitch hit the end of the bat, not him.  He put on quite a show to convince the umpire that he had been hit.  He also pushed a runner off of second base to tag him out when he was clearly safe.  Is winning a game – and baseball is only a game – more important than playing fair?  What role does sportsmanship play in modern baseball?

The Yankee fans seem to have the attitude that if the Yankees are not in the World Series, it just is not the World Series.  Again, the Yankees deserve to win because they are the Yankees.  And no, this is not sour grapes on my part.  It is my sense of fair play.  Let the Yankees fill positions that are not quite up to par like every other team does.  Bring them up through their farm system; do not buy them from other teams.  No one except Yankee fans thinks their team building strategy is right.

Shoving Christianity Down Someone’s Throat

From time to time I hear people say that they don’t want anyone to shove Christianity down their throat.  When anyone says that someone is trying to shove Christianity down their throat, they really don’t have any idea what they are talking about.  They are speaking out of complete ignorance.  In their arrogant pride they are proclaiming that they have all the answers they will ever need in life.  No one can teach them anything.

If the truth be known, Christians cannot shove their beliefs down anyone’s throat.  No one can be forced to believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.  No one can be forced to believe truth.  Believing is a purely voluntary acknowledgement that one is a sinner in need of a Savior.  It is only hatred of truth or failure to recognize truth that makes anyone reject salvation. 

When someone tells me they don’t want Christianity shoved down their throat, my response is that I don’t want anyone to shove arrogant unbelief down my throat.  If by telling someone the good news of Jesus is shoving Christianity down their throat, then they must follow their own standard and never give their opinion on anything. If they do, then are they not trying to shove their opinion down someone’s throat?  Or is the standard now different?

Truly, it is those who reject Christ who are trying to shove their way of life and thinking down the throats of believers.  Everywhere you turn there is godlessness in abundance.  The degenerate cesspool that is Hollywood cranks out such filth that no one is immune from its influence.  The so called “stars” live totally immoral lives, yet are praised and lauded and worshiped by mindless minions as “role models.”  Role models for what?  Godlessness?  Demonic living?  How to go to hell?

Most TV is trash.  Garbage abounds on the internet.  Media of every ilk pours out liberal anti-Christian filth.  Politics is anything but wholesome and honest.  Is there any politician who does not lie?  Who, then, is trying to force what down whose throats?  It is Christians who are standing alone - yet we are not alone - in this world. 

You who attack Christians for telling the truth about this world and the ultimate destiny for those who reject truth are the ones trying to shove your unbelief down our throats.  It has always been that way.  Those who live for the Lord have always and will always – as long as this world exists – be subject to the attacks of the wicked. 

It’s OK for you to shove sin and godlessness down our throat, but we should never speak up for truth?  Who should be obeyed – God or man?

All that matters in the end is the eternal result.

Haiti Missions Trip July 2012

Christian Mission to Restore Haiti is thankful to God for His blessings on our recent 9 days in Haiti.  Pastor Andre, Fred, Melissa, and I arrived on Wednesday morning July 18 and were met by Methelus, our administrator in Cap-Haitien along with our driver for our time there.  Instead of having a car to use, we boarded a small school bus.  We found that in many ways it was more accommodating than a car -  except for no A/C and a stiffer ride. 

We accomplished much more than we anticipated.  A much needed well was drilled in the village of Dubre that will serve many hundreds of people – perhaps well over a thousand.  The well is 70 feet deep and was drilled entirely by hand by three men.  A video will be posted later showing the process. 

Three scheduled medical clinics were held on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and one impromptu one on Tuesday that served between 600 and 700 people.  A Haitian doctor and two nurses were present to see those who came.  The two nurses, both members of the Cap-Haitien church, decided they wanted to establish a permanent clinic in Dubre, the most medically needy village we minister to.  It seems that everyone in Haiti has a medical need of some sort.  The clinic will be held at the church and will begin very shortly after proper documents are secured from the government.  In Haiti, nurses can write prescriptions.  We must have about $600 per month for the nurses and medication.

Pastor Andre baptized 28 people in the Bas Limbe river on Sunday afternoon after I preached the morning service. We walked about a mile and a half to the river, then back again.  Then we went back to Cap-Haitien where I preached the evening service. 

Each morning and evening we were treated to authentic Haitian cuisine.  Beginning Tuesday, Fred, Melissa and I decided that we could survive very well on canned soup and crackers and peanut butter.  We all had intestinal tract problems.  I think I just got over mine this morning (Sunday).

The Bible Institute went well.  We have 16 students who are very pleased with what they have learned so far.  God blessed us with a Haitian seminary graduate who will be teaching the students once a month the courses I have provided.  We will provide transportation for the students and food when they come into the city.  It will cost us $130 per month.  Our goal is to expand to 2 days per month, and eventually 4 days per month.  The students are excited about this new change.

We have stepped out on faith in all we have done.  God has put into our hearts these ministries, so we know He will supply all of our needs and provide what is necessary.  We are seeking prayer and financial support partners to join us.  We just cannot do it ourselves.  Yes, God is helping us, but He uses other Christians to accomplish His will.  Please pray about what God will have you to do to help those in great need.

I must make one more comment.  Missionaries go on short term or long term mission trips with the full knowledge that the probability is very high that they will endure discomfort of many kinds.  It is not a possibility.  It is assured.  Two out of the three times I have gone in the last 12 months, I have had bowel problems; each time we have endured heat with no A/C, no running water for showers or flushing, sewage in the street and many other discomforts.  All of that is but a small sacrifice for the honor of serving the Lord.  I will continue to go as long as God gives me the strength.  Those who go imitate Jesus.  He came to earth knowing the suffering that awaited Him, yet love drove Him to come.

God has called every Christian to serve Him.  No one is exempt.  John 15: 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.

We do not choose how we will serve, but Jesus chooses how we serve for the purpose of bearing lasting fruit.  Some are chosen to go, others to send.  Many Christians I know are overly concerned with being comfortable, both physically and financially.  That is not what God has chosen us to do.  Those who do not go are chosen to send others.  Those who send imitate God the Father in that He sent Jesus.  No one is chosen to do nothing.  Eternity is just around the corner and we will all be comfortable then.  Each person must recognize how God would have them to serve.  Will you go or will you send?

We just heard from Cap-Haitian.  The health department has approved our request for a clinic, but we need to complete two buildings first.  We need $1,600 to finish the project we started so we can open the much needed clinic.  Will you help?

www.cmrh1.org

Thanks.  God bless.

Election 2012

Election 2012

I am in serious quandary.  I have been voting since 1968 and have never had a problem deciding who to vote for – until now.  This upcoming presidential election will stretch my decision making ability to its limit.  Who to vote for?  Neither candidate is right for America as far as I’m concerned.  Neither candidate will make a good president.  One candidate may be a “not as bad as the other” president.  As much as it pains me to say this, I am even thinking of not voting this time.  This is the second time in my voting lifetime that I would be forced to vote for the “lesser of the two evils” instead of voting for a candidate that I wanted to lead this country.

 Now, I know some of you are thinking that I must have had a serious knock in the head to even consider not voting.  I know my responsibility as an American citizen, and I do not take it lightly.  I served in the U.S. Navy to help preserve this most important freedom.  So, why am I thinking this way? 

I don’t think that I need to explain in great detail why voting for our current president is not a wise decision.  We all know that he has made grievous and deliberate decisions that hurt our country’s economy and its morality.  He has an agenda that is dangerous to our welfare and our future.  His goal is nothing short of all out socialism that will make each and every citizen dependent upon the federal government, which he intends to see grown to proportions that we cannot imagine.  He has spent astronomical amounts of money that we do not have in order to bail out banks and companies that should have been allowed to fail due to their own greed and foolishness.  No.  I do not believe for one moment that some companies are “too big to be allowed to fail.”  If avarice and lack of foresight destroys a bank or large insurance company or a car manufacturer, so be it.  All greed deserves to fail and fail miserably.

No one deserves health care that the taxpayers or employers are mandated to provide for them.  The “entitlement” mentality is going to bring America down and down hard.  Foreigners are not entitled to enter this country without following its immigration laws regardless of what liberal minded politicians and activists say. 

Another “entitlement” that the current president is pushing is the right of homosexuals to be “married.” Here is another example of liberals hijacking a perfectly good word and giving it a meaning that is not inherent to the word.  No one who is anti “gay marriage” (even writing those two words makes me want to go throw up) is advocating that they be treated less than humanely.  If they want to live together, no one can stop them from doing so (except God).  But they cannot be “married”, for the word contains the meaning of being able to produce children, which was God’s mandate in the Garden of Eden.  The fact the president’s children “helped him come to this decision” (he said) tells me that he cannot think for himself or be a man in his own household and stand up for what is right.  They helped change his mind on the issue.  I could go on, but you know where I’m coming from.

On the other hand, the other candidate (presumptive) has serious drawbacks that I consider to be negative.  He has shown liberal tendencies when governor of Massachusetts, one of the most liberal of all states.  How else could he have been elected governor?  He is culpable for many people losing jobs in companies that he was instrumental in buying.  Many jobs went overseas because of his efforts.  The bottom line is all that mattered to him.  Not people.  I’m not naïve enough to think that people should never lose jobs when companies flounder, but everything should be done to preserve those jobs when possible.  People are still more important than money. 

This should not be a consideration, I know, but I can’t help it.  He just looks “too slick.”  His demeanor does not set well with me.  His attitude appears to me to be that he deserves to be president.  I see pride and arrogance in him.  No one deserves to be president.  It is a great honor that the American public bestows upon someone.  I just heard on CBS news this evening how he wrote against the GM bailout, but now is claiming that he helped save the company by lobbying for the bailout.  Which is it?  You cannot have it both ways.  No one will believe a word you say.

Another consideration, which for me is important, but has been pooh-poohed by many, is the fact that he is a Mormon.  Some of you know the basic tenet of Mormonism; others of you do not.  The foundation of the Mormon belief system is that they can earn the right to be a god of their own world someday through obedience to God’s laws as recorded in their writings (which supposedly, an angel named Moroni dictated to a guy named Mormon who recorded those words on golden plates that another guy named Joe Smith found, and with the help of magic spectacles was able to read).  Mormonism is based upon the first lie ever told in this world, that man can be like God.  Look at the absolute mess our world is in because Adam and Eve believed that lie.  Do we want someone who believes that he can achieve godhood one day leading this country?  Mormons do not believe in the God of the Bible.  The God of the Bible is Holy; He is separate from all of His creation and His creatures.  He can never be like them and they can never be like Him.  Yet, listen to words of Mormon president Lorenzo Snow, who said, “As man is (now) God once was, and as God is (now) man may become.”  WHAT HOGWASH!!

There are many other strange and bizarre teachings of Mormonism such as: Jesus came to North America somewhere around 600 BC and taught the lost tribes of Israel the gospel; many Native Americans are descendants from these lost Israelites: every human had a “pre-mortal” life as a spirit being until a body was created for them by their earthly parents; the Book of Mormon is more inspired than the Bible because the Bible is fallible because it has been translated by man, and the cross is not as important as focusing on the life of Jesus, temple activities bring them closer to “godhood”, and don’t forget the magic underwear they wear.  Many other silly, non Scriptural doctrines are taught.  I do not have the space or inclination to write them all.  If you care to look at other Mormon doctrines, go this web site http://www.pbs.org/mormons/faqs/#1.  Of course, there are many other web sites that tell what they believe.

Why should Romney’s religion be a factor in this election?  Because as a man “thinks in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7).  What a man believes in his heart is how he will act.  I am not at all concerned that the Mormon church will control Romney.  Not at all.  But I am concerned that his belief system will greatly influence his decisions.  What a man places his trust in is not to be taken lightly or disregarded or minimized.  It is important.  I ask you again: Do you want a man who thinks he can achieve godhood leading you?  He may just act like he has already achieved godhood once he gets into office.

A friend of mine recently told me that we are not electing a “pastor-in-chief”, but a commander-in-chief.  True.  But, as I have said, religion is a strong motivator in decision making.

I know in what direction I am leaning for this election.  I just pray it is the right one.  

Why I am a Republican

By: John Ehrlich

June 2006

Although I was raised in a Republican household, I am not a Republican by birth.  I am a Republican by choice.  By deliberate choice.  By conviction.  These are some of my reasons for being a Republican.  They may or may not be yours; you may or may not agree with them, especially if you are a Democrat.  But they are my reasons, and I stand by them.  I sincerely believe that everyone should have reasons for what they believe, and be able to defend those beliefs to others, not simply say they believe something without being able to explain the reasoning behind their belief.  To say I’m a Republican because my father was one simply isn’t good enough.

Through the years I have asked a simple question to many people, and a majority of them have given the wrong answer.  My question is, “What form of government do we have?”  The majority have given the answer “a democracy.”  I would then begin the Pledge of Allegiance.  “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the ???  I would stop there, and wait for them to give the answer.  Republic.  “Republic for which it stands.”  The United States of America is a Republic.  We have a republican form of government; we are a constitutional republic; we are not a democracy. Our freely elected government officials, whether president, congressman, or senator are  elected by the will of the majority, so it could be stated that we are a democratic republic.  Just because we have democratically elected government in no way implies that we are a democracy that is ruled by what the majority wants.  It simply means that we democratically elect those who will govern our republic. 

Words have meanings, and those meanings are important – they cannot be changed.  There have been attempts to hi-jack words and make them mean other than what they do.  An example is the word “gay.”  I don’t need to explain that.  There was a time when there was not a dime’s worth of difference between a Republican and a Democrat.  The word “politician” would have been a better word to describe both of them.  But, today, there is a vast difference between the two; much of it is based on the meanings of the words.  I am a Republican because of the meaning of the word “republic”.  The word “republic” means “rule by law.”  It means that we are not free to do whatever we wish to do, but we are free to live within the confines of the law of the land, which is the Constitution.  We know what the law demands and what it prohibits.  It is spelled out for us.  There are federal, state, and local laws by which we are to live.  Republicans believe in rule by law. Our republic is ruled by law. 

The word “democracy” on the other hand means “mob rule”, or “rule by majority opinion.”  Whatever the majority wants should become the rule of life.  When is the last time that the mob has been right about anything?  Mobs are not controlled by logic or by law, but by emotions, and emotions are not reliable.  Emotions fluctuate depending on the situation.  Emotions cause people to make decisions that do not take into account any future consequences, but are only concerned with present benefits.  Does it make me feel good now?  Am I getting a benefit from it now?  By definition, Democrats believe that the majority should rule according to what is most popular.  A republic, by definition, cannot be ruled by whatever opinion is popular at the time.

Were we to have a true democracy in the United States, that would mean putting on the bench judges who will find a way to make the Constitution say something that it does not say.  Let’s swear in judges and Supreme Court Justices who will circumvent the law of the land and implement what is popular or what is convenient for most people.  Let’s elect representatives who will hold their finger in the air to see which way the wind is blowing before they pass any new laws.  Let’s have an executive branch that will only enforce the laws most people want and totally disregard the others.  We would have total chaos. Unfortunately, that describes the condition of our government now.

Doesn’t that sound like Democrats?  See which way the wind of popular opinion is blowing before they address the issue?  There is no absolute standard, but it can, and many times does, change from day to day.  Because the standards by which we live have drastically changed over that past 50 years or so - more godlessness, more self-centeredness, more denial of absolutes - politicians think that in order to be elected they must adopt to the will of those who squeal that loudest, whether or not they conform to the constitution.  We cannot depend on knowing what to expect on any given day.  The majority can change their mind and therefore, we must change to reflect that whim.  That is what a democracy, by definition, is, and we do not have such a government. Well, unfortunately, we are rapidly becoming such a government.  No standards, but change with the wind.

If you will be honest in your evaluation, you must admit that that is the essential difference between Republicans and Democrats.  Now, I realize and readily admit that there are exceptions to this definition within both parties.  But, the majority of Republicans hold to this way of thinking and government and the majority of Democrats do the same. 

When is the last time you heard a Republican leader change his message depending on who the audience was?  When was the last time you heard the identical message given by a Democrat to various groups of people with different backgrounds and goals in life?  Democrats have a way of changing their message and their meaning to fit the audience and what they think the people want to hear, or to fit their message to any given situation.  Democrats say one thing this week and something entirely opposite of it next week. 

Their problem is that they try to please everyone.  Mob rule, remember?  If you try to please everyone, you can’t please anyone because your story changes all the time, and no one knows what you really mean – if indeed you mean anything.  If you have something to say, someone will be offended by it.  There’s no getting around that.  But, so what if someone is offended?   They’ll get over it eventually.  We cannot live our lives in fear that someone will not like what we say or who we are.  There is absolutely no one who can go through life without offending or being offended.  On the other hand, Republicans, for the most part, realize that truth and so speak, not to deliberately be offensive, but realizing that there are some people who just will not like what they have to say, but let the chips fall where they may.  There have been so many examples of this recently.  Even the media, which tends toward supporting liberal Democrats, have shown this to be true.  Democrats want to be popular more than they want to maintain a constant message, while Republicans give the same message to all people, regardless if it is popular or not.  The law does not change just because a certain group is not comfortable with it or willing to conform to it.  Neither should anyone seeking to be elected to public office have different messages that are contradictory depending on the audience. 

What about our right under the constitution to dissent and to demonstrate?  Americans most certainly do have that right.  If a law is unfair, then is should be changed.  Perhaps the definitive example would be the civil rights demonstrations of the 1960’s.   The laws were unjust and needed to be changed, and civil demonstrations and dissent caused them to be changed.  Whenever there is a law that is obviously unjust and discriminatory, it should be addressed by the people affected and changed by our elected officials.  I do not know of any true Republican who would deny people the right to dissent and to demonstrate against unjust laws.

Democrats do have one healthy advantage over Republicans.  They have mastered the art of oratory.  Most of them far exceed the Republicans in this ability.  Their method and manner of speaking gets attention.  They know how to make emotional appeals.  I, for one, would rather hear the truth spoken in a less than fluent way than to hear deception and disinformation spoken with power and precision.  Republicans are more concerned with the content of what is being said more than with perfection in delivery. Again, I realize there are exceptions, but this is the general rule. 

We have gotten to the point in the United States that we just do not want to offend anyone, that if what I say to this group is not the platform of some other group, then let’s change what we say to each of them so everyone will be happy.  Everyone has the right to do whatever they want to do, regardless of whether it is right or wrong morally.  Everyone has the right to have whatever they want.  Everyone has the right to say whatever they want to say, to change the meanings of words if they are offended by what the original definition is.  If I want to believe that 2 plus 2 equals 17, then it equals 17.  Just because you think 2 plus 2 equals 4 does not mean I have to believe that.  Just because it is right for you to believe that does not mean it is right for me.  I do not care if it is right absolutely.  The only people who do not have a right to voice their opinion are those who believe in absolutes, who believe that there is a right and a wrong.  If anyone dares to be so presumptuous as to disagree with the relativism of today, they are attacked and shouted down.  “Who are you to tell me what I can or cannot do?  Who do you think you are?”

The issue is a greater one than political.  It is one of “Is there truth that is absolute, or is everything relative?  Can I do whatever I want to do, say whatever I want to say, and think whatever I want to think without consequence, or is there accountability for my actions?” 

Several years ago a radio talk show host asked the question, “Why are most evangelical Christians Republican?”  That is easy to answer.  Christians believe that the Bible is our authority for living.  It is the revealed Word of God.  It is the revelation of a Holy God, His will for us, His expectations for us.  It tells us what God’s laws are, what is acceptable and what is not.  Christians do not have any problem with recognizing God’s authority and subjecting ourselves to that authority.  We understand that we are sinners and that our propensity is to do wrong, to break God’s law.  We need to have guidance on a daily basis.  We do not have all the answers.  We know that human wisdom only goes so far in solving problems.  God’s wisdom is needed.  His direction is to be followed if we are to live peaceable and productive lives.  God’s laws are given for our protection, not our bondage.  They are given so we will enjoy freedom.  As “America the Beautiful” says, there is “liberty in law.”  Without law, God’s or man’s, there is no freedom.

In the same way that we understand God’s authority in our lives and are willing to submit ourselves to it, we understand that human laws and government are ordained by God also.  We believe in rule by law, even if that rule may not be perfect or popular.  We do not believe that the majority is to rule simply because there may be more of them or they may be more vocal.  The Bible and the Constitution both are documents that recognize the dignity of men and sets forth standards to protect them, not to enslave them and put them into bondage to the law, forcing them to do what is not good for them.

On the other hand, Christians recognize that there are those who totally reject God’s authority over them.  They believe they can do whatever they want to do without suffering any consequences.  While it may be true that we all have the ability to make choices, and those choices may include a denial of God and His right to rule over us, God does not give us the right to reject Him, any more than the law gives us the right to disregard any law we do not like, even though we may have the ability to ignore it. 

I have the ability to drive my car at 100 miles per hour and crash it into another vehicle if I feel so inclined to do so, but I do not have the right to do it.  I have the right to drive at the posted speed limit and yield the right of way to other vehicles.  I have the ability to take a gun and shoot someone, but I do not have the right to do so.  I have the ability to break any law that I want to break, but I do not have the right to break it, and if I do, consequences will be administered by the authorities.  I have the right to live within the confines of the law. 

Should I choose to disregard God’s commandments and break them, I certainly have the ability to do so, but not the right to do so.  Man may think he has the right to disobey and to ignore God, and on a human level, he does.  Man may believe in God or not believe in God in any way, shape or form that he desires, but God recognizes no such right.  God demands that we believe in Him as He is revealed in the Word of God.  We cannot define God the way we want Him to be or not to be.  He defines Himself and His actions.  He will administer the due consequences to all who reject or neglect Him.  We have the right to trust in God and to receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior, but not to reject or neglect Him.  That may sound unduly harsh or bigoted, but it is true none-the-less.  And because it is true, it is a compassionate statement that effects eternity for everyone.

Inherent in the meaning of the word “right” is that if I exercise that right, then there are no adverse consequences to my decision – God will not care or have a problem with what I choose.  I have the right to do it.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  God cares very much what we decide concerning Jesus Christ.  God gives no one the right to reject Him and His authority over them.  Those who do not trust in Him as their Lord will have eternal consequences to suffer.  You may believe or not believe, the decision is yours.  God allows you to make that decision.  You have that ability, but make sure your choice is the right one.

Because of the direction our society has gone, there are those who think that God is like man.  He will change with the wind.  If I do not like what He is saying, then He will change what He says in order to accommodate me because He wants to be popular.  God has never tried to be popular.  He has always demanded obedience.  While Jesus approached people in various ways depending on their particular need and circumstances, He never altered His message, but told them the truth.  There were many who were offended at Him and what He said, but He still told them what they needed to hear, not what He thought they wanted to hear.  He realized that His message would drive some people from Him, but He spoke truth regardless.  Jesus came to separate and divide, not to unite all people.  He does not wink at those who go through life doing their own thing with a total disregard for Him.  He does not have a bad day because some people reject Him.  The only bad day God has had – and I say this reverently – is when Jesus was crucified for our sins, when He paid the price for our rebellion against Him.

I’ve tried to make a simple analogy between being a Christian and being a Republican and how I see them as being related.  No, not every Republican is a Christian. There are many Godless ones who live a life of self-centeredness and who reject God.  And no, not every Democrat rejects God and His authority.  There are many Godly Democrats who love the Lord.  This is why we do not have a government sponsored church.  This is not, also, to say that every Republican would make a better leader than every Democrat, or that every Democrat would make a worse leader than every Republican.  Not at all.  There are good and bad in both, and each needs to be examined individually. 

But, analyzing our current political situation, I have no problem in saying that for the most part, Republicans more closely resemble Constitutional and Biblical principles and design than Democrats do. I do not expect anyone to change their mind based on what I say.  It is merely my opinion, which I believe to be the right one.  You are entitled to yours.  There are many other reasons I could give for being a Republican, but these are the main ones.

The Trumpets of Revelation Are Sounding

The Trumpets of Revelation Are Sounding

The tornadoes we are witnessing throughout the US for the past few days are a warning from Almighty God to repent.  They are the manifestation of the trumpet warnings of Revelation.  The following is taken from my book The Second Coming of Jesus Explained So Anyone Can Understand It.  Available at http://www.amazon.com/Second-Coming-Explained-Understand-ebook/dp/B004YR18T2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1330734755&sr=8-1 for $3.99.

People are in the habit of blaming some imaginary female entity named Mother Nature for our weather calamities.  Do I really need to state the obvious that there is no such being as Mother Nature?  Father God does not need anyone to protect His reputation by disavowing His actions.  He takes full responsibility for what He does without apology to anyone.

But, someone argues, there are Christians who are suffering through these tornadoes.  If you read Revelation 8 and 9, God makes the distinction between His people and the unsaved with the fifth trumpet, just like the plagues in Exodus 8 and 9 included Israel for four plagues, but with the fifth, a distinction was made between Israel and Egypt.

Chapters 8 – 11

The next section is chapters 8 – 11 and it deals with the seven trumpets, sounding in answer to the prayers of the saints.  These trumpets adversely affect the world.  These trumpets sound in response to a world that has opposed Jesus and has persecuted His people.  These trumpets do not sound only once, but again and again in every age.  I know that there are many who take offense at the idea that God punishes the wicked by sending judgments upon them, but God is not merely a God of love, mercy, and grace, but is also a God of holiness who will not always allow sinful man to do as he pleases.  His wrath is (present tense) revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness (Romans 1:18).   God’s wrath is constantly being revealed against sin, and its manifestation is explained in these trumpet sounds.

But, in all of these trumpets, God is calling sinners to salvation through repentance.  Even in His wrath, He still extends mercy, (“in wrath remember mercy” Habakkuk 3:2) but sinners do not respond to His invitation.  They still do not repent.  9: 20 But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk. 21 And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.

This shows the absolute hard-heartedness, arrogance and pride of sinful man.  “If God is going to do this or allow this, I will not worship Him.  I cannot believe in a God who does this.”  Their attitude is that they are teaching God a lesson by their response – or lack of an appropriate response – to His justified actions against their sin and arrogance.  The sad reality is that they are stoking the fires of their punishment even hotter by their arrogant refusal to repent and receive God’s mercy and forgiveness.  The harder the heart, the hotter the flames of punishment.

As this section begins, there is silence in Heaven for about a half an hour.  This is the silence of awe before the Almighty God. 

Habakkuk 2: 20 “ But the LORD is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him.”

Zephaniah 1:7 Be silent in the presence of the Lord GOD; For the day of the LORD is at hand, for the LORD has prepared a sacrifice; He has invited His guests.

Zechariah 2: 13 Be silent, all flesh, before the LORD, for He is aroused from His holy habitation!”

The Lord is about to speak in judgment and all of Heaven is silent in anticipation of His actions.  They are unable to speak or to even move about while waiting for the terrible consequences of the sins of the inhabitants of the earth to fall upon them.  Reverent silence is the only acceptable reaction to the knowledge of forth coming judgment.  Make no mistake about it.  These trumpet judgments are in answer to the prayers of the persecuted saints.  Seven angels are each given a trumpet, but before they sound their trumpets, another angel is given a vial of incense, which is mixed with the prayers of the saints.  Since this vial of incense is given to the angel, it can be nothing other than the intercession of Christ for His saints to His Father.  God sees and hears all that occurs on earth.  He knows when His children are in tribulation and trials because of their faith, and He acts in response to it.  Nothing escapes His sight.  The vial is then cast to the earth, and the judgments begin.

Now, before we look at the trumpet judgments (warnings to repent), there is a precursor to them in the Old Testament, in Amos 4: 6-12, which gives us a better understanding of them.

6 “I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and (Deuteronomy 28: 27; Lamentations 2: 12) lack of bread in all your places, (Jeremiah 15: 7; Haggai 2:17) yet you did not return to me,” declares the Lord.  7 “I also  withheld the rain from you (Jeremiah 3: 3) when there were yet three months to the harvest; I would send rain on one city, and send no rain on another city (Exodus 9: 26);one field would have rain, and the field on which it did not rain would wither; 8 so two or three cities (Amos 8: 12) would wander to another city to drink water, and would not be satisfied; yet you did not return to me,” declares the Lord.  9 “I struck you with blight and mildew (Deuteronomy 28: 22; Haggai 2: 17); your many gardens and your vineyards, your fig trees and your olive trees the locust devoured (Joel 1: 4); yet you did not return to me,” declares the Lord.  10 “I sent among you a pestilence after the manner of Egypt (Deuteronomy 28: 27, 60; Isaiah 10: 24, 26); I killed your young men with the sword, and carried away your horses (2 Kings 13: 7), and I made the stench of your camp go up into your nostrils (Joel 2: 20); yet you did not return to me,”declares the Lord.  11 “I overthrew some of you, as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah (Isaiah 13: 19), and you were as a brand plucked out of the burning (Zechariah 3: 2); yet you did not return to me,” declares the Lord.  12 “Therefore thus I will do to you, O Israel; because I will do this to you, prepare to meet your God, O Israel!”

All of God’s natural judgments sent against Israel were designed by Him to bring them to repentance, but they refused to repent and to return to Him, but continued on in the flagrant rebellion and disobedience, so He had no choice but to continue to send judgments and punishment for their sin and rejection of Him and His commands.  Therefore, they met their God in the most unpleasant of ways.  These Old Testament descriptions of God’s dealing with Israel set the stage for the sounding of the trumpets in Revelation.  As with the Amos passage, God’s intent is to bring people to repentance.

The First Trumpet

There are two groups of judgments that occur.  The first four trumpets harm the wicked in their physical beings while the last three trumpets harm them in their spiritual being.  The first trumpet sounds and there is an outpouring of hail and fire mixed with blood that is cast down to the earth that results in a third of the trees and green grass being burnt up.  This trumpet, which sounds throughout the time from our Lord’s first coming to His second coming, most likely represents various disasters that afflict those who persecute the church that occur on dry land.  Whatever these disasters entail, they include severe weather that destroys lands and buildings.  Even as I write this, there is a 30,000+ acre fire raging in the Big Cypress Preserve, part of the Everglades just outside of where I live in Naples, Florida.  It was started by a lightning strike.  The smoke is drifting overhead and blocking out the sun.  There are multiplied accounts of wild fires throughout America and the world that very well may be a result of this particular trumpet sounding.  Think of the disastrous hurricanes of recent history; Ivan, Katrina, Charlie, and Wilma, and the tsunamis and cyclones that strike Asia, of the terrible mudslides in rain-soaked California that destroys many homes.  The news covers these events, but fails to credit the source of these events as God and the cause as man’s rebellion against God and persecution of His church. 

The Second Trumpet

The second trumpet sounds and what appears to John like a great mountain on fire is hurled into the sea.  It was not a real mountain, but something that looked like a mountain.  The symbolism is that God is causing terror to those who are unbelievers who make their living on the seas, or who sail the seas for pleasure.  God is using maritime disasters as a tool to speak to those who reject Him, who foolishly think that they are the “captains of their own fate”, who “sail their own ships.”  God is in control of all that happens upon this earth, not man.  Puny man, arrogant man can do nothing to prevent the trumpets from sounding and working their designed destruction of killing one third of the sea creatures and ships, and turning a third of the sea to blood.  The imagery is of destruction upon the sea, not a literal turning of water into blood.  It is a vision, a word picture that conveys truth through symbols.

The Third Trumpet

The third trumpet sounds and it affects inland waters.  In his vision John sees a huge fiery star falling from the sky that falls on rivers and streams.  Hollywood has recreated similar scenes in movies where large meteors are heading toward earth with no possible way to avoid them.  The screen is filled with terror stricken people screaming and attempting to escape, but how do you escape such a calamity?  The scene John is seeing is one of total terror experienced by those who see it falling.  This symbol is one that shows what God’s judgments upon rivers do to men.  Just recently the Red River flooded in North Dakota, Iowa, and parts of Minnesota that caused tremendous damage.  There have been countless devastating floods that destroy towns and people.  The name of the star is Wormwood, which symbolizes bitter sorrow and distress.  This falling star that lands on the waters not only kills people, but destroys all that the water is used for, such as commerce and pleasure. 

When Katrina broke the levy that held back Lake Ponchartrain from New Orleans, people were terrified, although the night before they were partying and laughing, completely disregarding the thought that disaster was imminent.  Although unbelievers – and unfortunately many Christians also - absolutely reject the truth that God had anything to do with this flood that killed many people and destroyed a great portion of New Orleans, it was a result of this third trumpet sounding.  But, man’s rejection of truth does not negate it.

The Fourth Trumpet

When the fourth trumpet sounds, a third of the sun, moon, and stars are affected.  Their lights do not shine for a portion of the day and night.  How exactly this affects man is not clearly stated, but it cannot be overstated that the heavenly bodies do exert influence on life as we know it.  When the sun is experiencing storms – sunspots – it drastically affects our earth.  When the moon goes through certain phases, it affects certain men in various ways.  Again, these events have occurred throughout the history of man and will continue to occur until Jesus returns and establishes the new heaven and earth.

This is a small excerpt from the chapter “What About Revelation?” in my book.  

January 2012 Mission Trip

We left Ft. Lauderdale at 6:30 am and arrived in Cap-Haitien at 9:15 expecting our luggage which contained the new computer, many bags of candy for the children, and other essentials to be off loaded from the plane. Instead we were told that luggage would arrive a few hours later on a cargo plane. OK. Not a serious problem, just a minor inconvenience. Sure enough, after arriving at Pastor Andre’s house, we received a phone call from the airport an hour or so later that the luggage was here. He and I went to the airport to get it. On the way we got two other phone calls asking where we were. It was alright to make us wait to get the luggage, but not alright for us to make them wait a half hour for us to drive back. First problem solved.

We went to the Cap-Haitien church early afternoon and it was mobbed with children and widows. They were expecting us and surrounded us when we arrived. Fred immediately set up his video camera and began recording. The school was in session, but the teachers lost control when we got there. Well, I guess it was controlled chaos. All the children wanted to be in the video. Melissa was immediately surrounded by one of her new fan clubs.  In each church she was mobbed by children. When the candy was passed out, wrappers were flying.

The widows were being taught how to use a sewing machine. In each church, there were many widows. In all, there are somewhere around 70 widows, none of whom have any means of support. We have a plan to put a few of them to work, and if it works out, more will be able to go to work and make a few dollars.

We went home after going to the only American hotel and restaurant in Cap-Haitien, the Mont Joli Hotel. It is the only place Pastor Andre will let us eat. Even he gets sick eating the food anywhere else. After returning to Pastor Andre’s house Fred went to work on setting up the new computer .   He hit a brick wall.  He could not log onto the internet.   The satellite modem wanted a username and password which the technician who installed failed to provide.  OK.  Fred finally figured out the password, but without the user name, it didn’t help.  Methelus, our administrator  in Haiti, contacted the technician and arranged for him to come on Thursday at 4 PM.

At just about 6 PM, the power went off in Cap-Haitien, so we sat on the roof for a few hours, nodding off a few times.  After being awake for close to 40 hours, sleep was welcome. Fred decided that the roof was his bedroom. The breeze coming down from the mountains was cool.

Thursday:

We got an early start to Dubre. Both Fred and Melissa were shocked at the condition of the “roads”? What passes for roads are far worse than anything you have ever driven on.   There are more pot holes, gullies, holes, rocks and other obstructions on any given stretch of road than there are level places.  Melissa closed her eyes and laughed at the way everyone drives there. I think she screamed a couple of times. Absolutely no traffic control at all. Cars have the right of way there, not pedestrians. If you are walking, look out.

School was in session in Dubre, but unlike Cap-Haitien, the children were quietly sitting there learning. They had been forewarned not to act up. After taking video for a while, candy was passed out to the children. We were ready to go when Melissa called me to where she was. She was kneeling beside a mother holding a small baby boy only 19 days old. He had a hole in his head that was severely infected. My heart sank. This child could not live without immediate help. I called Pastor Andre over as he was calling for us to leave. He saw the baby and his expression changed immediately. “Pastor John, pray,” he said. I gently touched the baby and prayed, knowing that unless God intervened this sweet baby would not survive.

The next thing we knew, another mother came to us with her daughter who had an abnormally large swollen belly and feet. I prayed for her, with my hand on her stomach. Another mother came to us with a daughter that had growth inside her mouth. We prayed for her. Adults came with eye, head, feet, and hand problems. I laid my hands on each of them and prayed. Many came for touching and prayer. If I never understood the words “moved with compassion” before, I did at that moment.  I now have a complete understanding of what the words “moved with compassion” mean. It was a scene that brought out deep emotion. Since the mother only had dirty water to clean the wound, Melissa was trying her best to clean the wound with bottled water. She used some antibiotic she had to try to reduce the infection. I was praying for many others. Fred was videoing. He told me afterwards that he was crying through the entire time. Most of the problems they are experiencing are due to bad water. It is filled with bacteria that causes untold misery.  The next day Melissa went to the pharmacy to buy as many supplies for cleaning and health as she could.  There was not nearly enough money to purchase all that was needed.  She spent a few hundred dollars. 

Yet, in spite of the major medical issues there, Dubre is a joyful church. The singing and worship bordered on heavenly. Their church building is nowhere near complete. Only a third of the building has walls and a roof. One side needs a wall and two thirds needs a roof. The wall can be completed for only $1,000. That is our first building project for them. Then the roof needs to be put on for approximately $2,500.

They have no water, so they also need a well. We met a missionary in Ft. Lauderdale airport who gave us the name of an organization in Haiti who drills wells for free. We are waiting to hear back from them. They also will repair the well in Bas Limbe that has been broken for a long time now.

Then on to Robillard (pronounced oh’ bee are) where school was in session again. The children were well behaved and enjoyed their candy. Since they do not own their building or land, we will not consider drilling a well there. They need their own land and building, but it is such a poor village, that purchasing property is completely out of the question unless God’s people help them. The toilet facilities there are a hole in the ground about ten feet deep. It is used by anyone who needs it. There is no lye to use afterward, so you can imagine…

Back to Cap-Haitien across gullies and massive craters in the road.  We took a side track to Milo to find Water of Life, the organization we heard of from the missionary we met in Florida.  We finally found it, but the pastor who runs it was not available, so we spoke briefly to his wife who told us we had to speak to him.  We got his phone number and Pastor Andre called him and left a message.  To the hotel for a meal, then back to the house where we expected to meet the technician.  He was not there.  After a few phone calls we located him and he finally showed up at about 8 PM.  But, the power had gone off again at about 6 PM.  Pastor Andre had started the generator he had, but shortly after the tech got there, it ran out of gas.  The tech did not know the user name but told us he needed to contact Port Au Prince to get it.  OK.  He’ll be back tomorrow.  We packed it in for another night.

Friday:

We left in the morning for Bas Limbe to visit the church and school there.  If a church does not have a school, no one will attend.  Schools are an important part of churches in Haiti.  Only about 10% of children attend government schools.  That leaves 90% of the children to be educated by churches.  Government schools are free, but churches must charge tuition, however little it may be, for a child to attend.  In Bas Limbe we had a reality check.  Felix (in blue shirt), the head master of the school, spoke to us after Fred videoed the children and passed out candy.  He asked us to come into a private room.  He then emphatically spilled his guts to us.  He has lost many students to government schools because the parents have political contacts that enable their children to attend free school.  Because of the free schools, no one is paying tuition and the teachers are working for nothing.  They all are discouraged.  They are working hard and sacrificing to teach the children but they are not being compensated.  Not even a little bit.  But they are faithfully fulfilling their ministry.  We did our best to encourage him and the other teachers.  They will stay with their school even with no pay.  They have no other place to go.

Back to the hotel for our afternoon meal.  Then back to Pastor Andre’s house to meet the technician.  Oops!  He can’t make it today, but will be there tomorrow.  Are you beginning to see a pattern here?  6 PM the power mysteriously goes off again.  It has been going off for two months now at the same time every day.  No one knows why, and it seems no one really cares.  It’s just a way of life in Cap-Haitien.  But, on the hill where the hotel is, there is power.  Go figure.

Since the Cap-Haitien church was holding revival services, Pastor Andre asked me to preach that evening.  He gave me about 30 minutes to prepare.  So, I had to wing it.  But, God honored my effort and the people were blessed.  As was I.  Being able to preach the Word of God is always a blessing and an honor.

View the short video tour of the four churches.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apH_-BiP5Xs&context=C30c9d16ADOEgsToPDskIpuGl-IyH57vLES8B_Lp05

Saturday:

The North Haiti Bible Institute starts today.  The students arrived from the villages and across the city at 8 AM.  They wait for us to show up.  We get there by 8:45 and start indoctrination.  I welcomed them and give them the guidelines for their study.  They are really excited to think that I have actually kept my word to them.  I promised them back in July that we would begin this Bible institute.  So for six months I have been writing courses for them.   What has happened to them in the past is that others have gone once to Haiti, made promises, and never returned. 

We were there until after 2 PM and the students left to go back to their villages ready to study.  Felix, the head master of the school in Bas Limbe, told me in broken English that when he finished the courses, he wanted to be a pastor.  I, of course, encouraged him, although he did not understand much of what I said. 

We fed the students two meals while they were there.  Only one woman said she was not hungry and put her second meal to the side.  It was not difficult to know the reason.  It was going home with her to feed to her children.  We also paid all their transportation costs.  We began with 18 students, but very easily could have more.  There were pastors from four hours away who wanted to take the courses.  We just do not have the funds to be able to do so at this time.  It is totally free to them.  We pay for everything. 

Our Bible institute is fully accredited and accepted by the Haitian government.  It takes years to achieve this, but Pastor Andre has worked for years in Haiti and has met all of the requirements for acceptance by the government.  It is under the umbrella organization of Christian Mission to Restore Haiti (English translation). 

Again, to the hotel and back to the house to meet the technician who we just knew would meet us there.  Really?  OK.  Tuesday for sure.  The day after we leave to come home.  Sorry Fred.  We just can’t get it all done this trip.

We were blessed with some singing that evening.  Destiny, a 14 year old girl sang a couple of songs for us.  Here are the links.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAlnM0NGDy0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHTREcnL93E

Miloude, our secretary in Haiti also sang a song for us.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCD1QXI1UbY

Sunday:

I was expecting to preach in Bas Limbe in the morning and Cap-Haitien in the evening, but Pastor Andre told me just before we went to bed Saturday that he thought we should be at the 7 AM service in Cap-Haitien, then travel to the 9 AM service in Bas Limbe, then  again at the evening service in Cap-Haitien.  He wanted me to preach all three services.  So, quickly, I had to come up with a sermon for Sunday morning in Cap-Haitien.  I had one prepared to preach in both Bas Limbe and the Cap-Haitien evening service.  God was faithful.  He gave me another for 7 AM.

In Bas Limbe, a men’s singing group sang.  The minute they opened their mouths, we knew we were in for a real treat. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyEpMUDHgpo

At the evening service in Cap-Haitien a young man about 20 years old received Jesus as Savior.  That made the entire trip worthwhile.  That is what missions is all about. 

Our needs:

You can see that the needs in Haiti are great.  Yes, there are many organizations at work there, but with most of them, there are administrative costs that eat up a lot of the donated money.  We all pay our own way.  We are all volunteers. 

There is a company in Chicago who will donate a 20 foot container filled with food to us.  We need to pay transportation costs from Chicago to Miami, then pay to have it shipped to the docks in Cap-Haitien.  Care to help with that?

We need pedal sewing machines for some ladies so they can make dresses, shirts, scarfs, etc. that we can give to those who donate to us.  We will pay them for their time so they can have an income.  We need to obtain a Toyota or other Japanese pickup truck that we can convert to a Top Top, the primary means of transportation in Haiti.   It will give a couple of men work and also be used by us when we return.  Our transportation cost is $100 per day plus gas plus feeding the driver.  This trip was nearly $700.

We need medical professionals who will go with us for clinics.  Haitian people have little means of paying for medicine or doctors, so as Christians, we need to help them by providing for them.  We are not advocating giving them everything indefinitely, but we need to help them in the short term with medical issues and train them to support themselves.  That is what we are trying to do.

Please help us to help them in any way you can.   Di ou mèsi ak Bondye beni ou.

www.cmrh1.org