Haiti Update – Week 1

Posted on March 8, 2012 | 5 Comments

Well, it’s been a week since I flew to Haiti, so here’s an update on my experiences here.

Missionary Flights International was awesome to fly with and their entire staff have servant’s hearts. We took off from Ft. Pierce, Fl in two DC-3 airplanes. Landed almost two hours later at Exuma Island, Bahamas to re-fuel. Everyone had to get off the plane and go through security, then right back on the plane. We then landed in Cap-Haitian on the northern shore of the island, where we went through immigration and most of the people onboard disembarked for good, while the final three of us (and a group returning to the U.S.) got back on the plane for the 40 minute flight over the island to Port-au-Prince.

From the internet and talking to others who have been here, I expected more people to speak English than do, so it is a struggle to do even minor tasks, such as exchanging money or ordering food.

Over the past week, I have walked a great deal of Petionville, marking in my GPS the location of restaurants, markets, other NGO’s, as well as places to avoid at high traffic times.

A few other groups from the U.S. have come through the guesthouse, and it has given me an opportunity to ask many questions concerning organizational operations in Haiti. There was a big presentation to one group by a leader in Haiti from “Catholic Relief Services” that I was invited to set in on. Other groups have included medical teams and school projects. These conversations will definitely help me have a better mental framework for how things get accomplished once I move to directly working in our orphanage.

One group that came through went on a tour of the city on Sunday afternoon to see some of the effects of the earthquake, and they invited me to go with them. This was nice since to do so myself would have cost me at least $60 for the car and driver rental. I tagged along with them for free.

We saw what remains of the Presidential Palace, the National Cathedral, and the main Episcopal church. (It was an Episcopal church.) We then had lunch at the historic and somewhat famous Hotel Oloffson in downtown, then headed up into the mountains to see the historic Fort Jeacques.

At Fort Jeacques I was “accompanied” (or maybe this should say, “followed around by”), a man on crutches who was a “self-employed” tour guide. He was very knowledgable about the history of the country and did tell me a lot about the area, so I walked slow enough for him to keep up. When the group was ready to leave, I tipped him some money for the tour and asked if I could pray for healing for his foot. It turns out that it was crushed in a car accident six months ago, but he can’t afford a doctor. I prayed for him, then left., but perhaps the Great Physician has attended to his needs since I left.

The location of Fort Jeacques is near the orphanage, so I was keeping watch to see if I recognized any of the area from pictures I’ve seen, but I didn’t. We also stopped at the big Baptist Mission near Kenscoff, but it was closed for the day. We still enjoyed the amazing view, though.

Yesterday I had lunch with Pastor Benite Jeune, who oversees a network of about 150 churches across Haiti, as well as a school and other community projects. He was very friendly as we talked about ministry strategy in Haiti and obstacles to be overcome. He also invited me to come preach in his church sometime, but we did not set a date as he lives quite far from here.

I have sent out a couple of emails to other orphanages in the area, hoping to meet with them and observe their day-to-day operations to be better equipped when I move to our orphanage. If anyone has direct contact with another orphanage in the Port-au-Prince area, I’d be very grateful for an introduction.

Overall, I think this week has been beneficial for me to learn my way around, figure out how to use the local transportation, begin learning some Creole, and start making contacts in country.

Please continue to pray that my time will be spent wisely and that God will open the doors to meeting people I can learn from or partner with before moving up to Kenscoff.

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The Tangible Kingdom

Posted on March 6, 2012 | 2 Comments


As I have been slowly working through the book of Matthew in my devotion time, there are certain themes that seem to recur again and again in the ministry of Jesus and the disciples – things like “the Kingdom of Heaven,” the testimony of things  seen, and the idea of bearing fruit.

Very early on, in Matthew 4:14, after he had been tempted in the wilderness, the scriptures tell us that “from that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17).

Now, this message sounds very familiar to the message preached by John the Baptist, except that in Jesus’ preaching ministry, the Kingdom of Heaven was never preached as a concept but as something tangible. It was demonstrated to the people through acts of divine mercy such as healings and deliverance from the demonic.

In fact, after John the Baptist had been arrested, he was hearing what was going on with Jesus and decided to find out about this man for himself:

“Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?’ And Jesus answered them, ‘Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.’” (Matthew 11:1-6)

John is sincerely asking the question, “Are you the coming Messiah” and Jesus response is, “What do you see me doing?”

Now, I am adamant that Christians must know and love the scriptures as the foundation for life and ministry, but my sincere fear is that too many Christians believe that preaching the Bible is the only validation needed for a ministry to be fruitful, and that when preaching from the Bible, people, including non-believers, should simply take them at their word that their teaching has authority.

While I agree that the Bible has authority and that our ministry will be held accountable to the scriptures, what we see is that Jesus didn’t send John a message highlighting all of the Old Testament passages that validated Him. Instead, His answer was to point to His many, on-earth manifestations of the Kingdom of God as His apologetic.

He even later tells his disciples, “ blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it” (Matthew 13:16-17). The thing that the prophets of old longed to see and hear was the proclamation and the signs that the Kingdom of God had come to earth.

Jesus’ entire ministry on earth was filled with example after example of this message: “the Kingdom of God is in your midst,” and then he showed them this reality in the restoration of lives, both body and soul.

And it didn’t stop with Jesus!

Jesus’ teachings to the disciples through the parables in Matthew many times consisted of analogies in which the Kingdom of God is like a tree or plant that once it has matured will be judged by the fruit it bore. Wheat is separated from the weeds by bearing good seed (Matt. 13:24-30). A good tree will always bear good fruit, and a Child of the Kingdom will bring forth Kingdom fruit (Matt 12:35).

If the Kingdom of God has come to a person through faith in Christ, then they will begin to bear fruit demonstrating that they are no longer on the same playing field  as the world.

This is why when Jesus taught the discipels how to pray, the first request made was, “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10).

Jesus was telling His disciples that to have a heart like His, their desires must be to see the reality of God’s Kingdom manifested in the world, so that the world “may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

This became practical when Jesus “called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction” (Matthew 10:1). And they did!

And it didn’t stop with the Apostles!

The Bible tells us that this same authority is carried by all believers if we will only have the faith to see God’s Kingdom come. Jesus said so Himself:

And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” (Mark 16:15-18 ESV)

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. (John 14:12-14 ESV)

I know that many people, including many who read my blog, fall into a cessationist category that believes these gifts were only for the Apostles to perform to testify to the validity of their ministry as Christianity was being birthed. However, in the world today there are too many people who still doubt our God, and His goal is still to capture their hearts.

Scripture continually testifies that the same ministry passed to the apostles has been passed to us today, and that the Holy Spirit is here to empower us to accomplish the work.

As those sent on mission with Him to reach the lost and dying world, I believe all of us need to really consider our Kingdom theology. Do we believe that is is just a concept to be embraced in our heads, or is the Kingdom something we really do believe can become tangible “on earth as it is in heaven?”

At the bare minimum, it does no harm to believe God still does the miraculous and touches people with the reality of His Kingdom today, just like He did in the book of Acts. So then, why don’t we pray for that? And just imagine for a moment the revival that might happen around us if and when He does?

The guarantee that we have is this: “this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations” (Matthew 24:14). I don’t know about you, but I want to have a part in that.

Lord, do it again! Amen.

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Ministry Update – February 2012

Posted on February 23, 2012 | Leave a comment

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD AND PRINT THIS UPDATE LETTER

The Flight is Booked. I’m On my way!

Officially, I will be flying from Florida to Port-au-Prince, Haiti on March 1st to begin my 4 months of work there.

What has changed, however, is that I will not immediately begin working with the Heart of God – Haiti orphanage upon arrival, as we are still waiting on the government inspection that is required for the certification. The inspection should be scheduled early next week, and if all goes according to plan there will be no problems and the paperwork will move into the government bureaucracy for final approval.

As my presence at the orphanage prior to final certification could pose problems for the staff, I will in the mean time be dedicating myself to learning the basic navigation of the culture. This will include things like figuring out public transportation, learning how to exchange money, getting a local cell phone, buying food, and other basic skills necessary for daily life.

Upon arrival I will be meeting with other orphanages in the area to observe their day-to-day operations to get an idea of how we can run our program with excellence as God’s stewards, and I will also be making contact with some local non-profits involved in food distribution and healthcare, in order to build partnerships that will benefit our children.

Your prayers are greatly appreciated as the first week in a new place is always the hardest.

In addition to this monthly update, when possible I will also be posting weekly updates of the work being done on this blog and at www.heartofgodhaiti.org.

All of the departure delays the last couple of months have been somewhat of a blessing in disguise. They have given me the chance to do some fundraising, work on my spiritual preparation without the drain of working long hours in a truck, and also to minister personally to some friends in their time of need.

This month, I was invited to be a part of the mission conference at Friendswood Baptist Church in Friendswood, TX, and also to share my ministry with some local brothers and sisters at Odessa Bible Church in Odessa, TX.

Last week I also had the opportunity to preach my first funeral after the death of a dear friend, Helen Bond, who was like a second mother to me for a large part of my life.

And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” (Matthew 21:22)

  • Pray that I can make the most of these last few days of preparation here in the U.S.
  • Pray for the orphanage inspection to be passed, and a swift approval process.
  • Pray for my move to Haiti to be a smooth transition, and that my time alone there will be fruitful in making contacts and learning my way around the culture.

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Salvation Leads to Salvation

Posted on February 21, 2012 | Leave a comment

The other day, I started reading the book of Matthew, and as I typically do while reading, I had some thoughts come to mind that I wrote down to come back to and think on later. And it didn’t take long in Matthew for one of these thoughts to come to me.

The book of Matthew starts with the genealogy of Christ, and the situation surrounding His birth. Upon finding out that his fiancé, Mary, was pregnant before marriage, a man named Joseph, is trying to decide how to handle the situation.

“But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).”  – Matthew 1:20-23

To Israel, long before the time of Joseph and Mary, the prophecy had been given that a Messiah would come who would be both a King in the line of David and a Prophet like Moses. And even in Isaiah 7:14 we find the passage the angel quoted about His name being ‘Immanuel’ signifying that this Messiah would somehow be God in the flesh. The Jews knew all of that, and it is why they had many expectations of what Jesus was supposed to be like and how He would live. But the thing that sticks out to me here, though, is that the angel doesn’t come and tell Joseph that this Son would be the King of the Jews or a great prophet.

Instead, the angel tells Joseph to name the child Jesus, which translates as “Jehovah is Salvation,” because the life mission of this child is that “He will save His people from their sins.”

Now, of course anyone familiar with the Christian story knows that Jesus came to be the Savior of the world. Even those who barely know anything about Christianity have probably heard John 3:16 at some point. Have you ever considered this, though, that even Jesus name – His born identity – is wrapped up in this one mission.

What interests me about this, however, is not that Jesus identity is wrapped up in the mission of saving people from their sins. It is that as believers, our identity is wrapped up in His identity, which was wrapped up in the mission. Meaning that our identity, too, is wrapped up in the salvation of the world.

What I mean by this is that when we are born again by grace through faith in Christ, the Bible makes it clear that we are being transformed into the image of Christ – the image of the Savior. This means that since Christ’s mission in life, above all else, was to save people from sin, then our new-found mission now that we are in Christ is the same as His. We are, above all, to be heralds of the Gospel — the ‘Good News’ that Jesus made a way for humanity to be saved.

Another way to say this is that our own salvation cannot be separated from the salvation of the world. They are inextricably linked. Let me give you some biblical evidence of this:

  • “He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.” –1 John 2:2
  • “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”    –Ephesians 2:10
  • “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation” –2 Corinthians 5:18

In each one of these scriptures, the writers jump straight from our salvation to the salvation of others. We are saved and then we help others find salvation. That is the biblical pattern.

Here’s what that means: your job, school, hobbies, friends, family, etc., etc., are given to you by God to be stewarded for the salvation of the lost world. Your God-given identity is found in Christ and because of that your life is to be “the aroma of Christ” to the world, and it is now a part of who we are that, “as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.” (2 Corinthians 2:15-17) That means in word and deed, it’s our mission.

We live Christ in the world, and we speak Christ to the world. Salvation leads to salvation, and the mission that Christ set in motion continues on.

So let me ask you this. When was the last time you let someone else know that God has come (“Immanuel”) to save His people from their sins (“Jesus”), and that they too can find freedom in Him?

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Pixelated – Taking a Closer Look at Our Lives

Posted on February 14, 2012 | Leave a comment

I have a graphic design friend who is a genius at his job. Watching him work photoshop is like watching a master pianist quickly playing his keyboard to create something beautiful. Out of sheer inspiration after seeing him work his magic, I decided that I need to learn to do what he does. Unfortunately, as with most things, it is harder than it looks.

I have come to understand some of the basics of using programs like photoshop – working in layers, and using the different tools – yet it is usually the picture I am trying to create or manipulate that gives me the most problems.

In the digital age, colors are no longer blended together like mixing paint. Instead, everything you see on your computer screen is made up of extremely small squares called pixels that are each made to look a certain color, and as your eyes see the transitions from pixel to pixel, it appears that the colors are blended together to create the beautiful graphic you are looking at…

That is, unless you are looking at a graphic that I designed. Then, although it may be difficult to figure out exactly why, there usually seems to be something that is wrong.

My problem in using photoshop is that I cannot get the pixels to blend or run together to create the specific shapes that I am needing to make. Now, you can look at some of my little creations and they look ok, but then some, there is just something off-putting about them. It isn’t that they look bad, or that you can’t tell what it is supposed to be at all, it is just that at the pixel level, something is going wrong.

I think our lives are very similar to digital artwork.

When we look at our lives, it can be like we are seeing the picture on a computer screen. When asked how our life is going, we tend to say that things are going well or that their not, talking about the whole picture.

We also tend to break down our lives’ “whole picture” into different categories such as work, family, school, hobbies, friends, etc. These categories, then, would be like the colors that blend together to make our life what it is.

Now, this breakdown of our lives is usually as far as most of us go. Especially in casual conversation. We may get the whole life question, “How are things going?” But then at other times, we get the smaller color-specific questions, “How’s the family,” or “How’s work going?”

If that’s as deep as we look, though, then what about those times in our lives when everything is going good, yet something still seems to be completely be out of sorts and we can’t quite put our finger on the problem? Work is great, home life is great, and we have some free time to pursue our hobbies, yet for some reason, and we just can’t figure out why, there seems to be something wrong somewhere. These are the times that many of us tend to shut down and stress out. I think the problem lies in that most of us are not trained to do the pixel work in our lives.

You don’t have to look to the pixel level of the picture to see the separation of colors. Pixels are what you have to look at when you must begin to blend those colors together. This is the area where your family life and business life must overlap. This is where we can say things are going well at work, and things are good at home, but there is something in that transition that just isn’t right.

Before I stretch out the analogy too far, let me state my point as simply as I can.

As Americans we tend to look at our lives either as one big general picture, or categorically as the array of colors, but to take a digital pallet of colors and form them into a masterpiece, you can’t ignore the pixel level. The shades of colors must match up and blend together smoothly.

What if your life, no matter how good things seem to be going in each area of it, doesn’t match up? Let me give an example: Let’s say your home life is that of a solid Christian family that serves their local church, is involved in community service and wants to be a force for good in the world. Your work life, on the other hand, is that of a shrewd businessman who uses underhanded business tactics to build your business and keep customers. Although both of those things may be working great for you within their own realm, whenever you try to keep those things lined up with one another, you can’t blend the pixels together to make it work. They don’t match up.

So what do we do?

I think the place to start is to sit down and look at your God-given purpose and calling in every area of your life. If God is the Lord over your life, then He will work things to make you the person He wants you to be in each category of life and the whole picture will be beautiful and glorifying to Him.

If, however, you decide to determine your own life purpose and direction, then each area of your life will become very self-serving and ultimately disjointed. You may end up with a complete picture, but it will be obvious that something is wrong.

Where to start?

Try this. Sit down for an hour or two and make a list of every category of your life and then spend some time in prayer asking God what type of person He wants you to be and how He wants you to lead and serve in that area.

As He begins to give you that direction, if you will walk in obedience as His Spirit leads you, I promise that the pixels of your life will start to smooth themselves out. In following Him, your life will become the beautiful picture it was intended to be.

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Have you had a chance to check out the new website for Heart of God International? Here it is. Let us know what you think. 

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An Open Letter to Sasha Laxton

Posted on January 24, 2012 | Leave a comment

If you have not yet read any of the recent news articles about Sasha Laxton, the child whose parents are raising him as “gender-neutral,” you can do so here.

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Dear Sasha,

I know that you are too young to understand what I want to tell you right now. I also know that you will probably never read this letter, but still my hope is that one day this beautiful truth will find it’s way to you one way or another.

What you may already know is that your parents are kind of crazy. Not crazy because they are trying to raise you as a gender-neutral kid, but crazy because all parents are crazy to one degree or another. Also, though, they are crazy over you. Everything they are doing as parents is because they love you and although they are misguided, deep down they really do want to do what is best for you. I hope you remember that when you get older. It’s a blessing that many children do not have.

However, what I want you to know is that no matter what your parent’s intentions are, there is no such thing as a gender neutral person. You see, having decided that equality between humans means that differences must be abolished, our society is going to great lengths to ignore reality. The truth is that you are a boy and we can’t ignore that. Physically, you have certain body parts unique to little boys, and you also have DNA and hormones that will one day grow you into a man emotionally as well. Sure, you can find doctors who can change a lot of those things, but to do so is to mutilate who you are meant to be.

I know that phrases like “meant to be” will be foreign to you at this point in life, and I’m sure you will hear the opposite of that plenty from people near you. Nevertheless, it is true. You do exist with a purpose, and being a boy is part of that.

See, the reality that people like your family want to ignore is that men and women were created equal, yet different, by a God who doesn’t make mistakes. The Bible says that God created humanity as male and female, and then stepped back and said that it was “very good.”

Later on in the Bible a great King named David sang this as part of a song to this God:

“For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.”
(Psalm 139:13-16 ESV)

My favorite part of that song is when he says, “I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” It was true of King David, and it is true of you, Sasha.

God made you to be who you are, and that includes the fact that you are a boy. That doesn’t mean that you cannot grow up to be sensitive, like things that our culture doesn’t consider masculine, or refuse to be a macho “alpha male.” What it does mean, though, is to deny what God has wonderfully created you to be is a slap in the face to a Heavenly Father who loves you infinitely more than your parents here on earth are able to.

He sees you in His perfect love, and wants you to grow up to be a mighty man of God, who follows in the example of His firstborn Son, Jesus Christ.

See, Jesus got a bad reputation, too, because although He was the epitome of what it means to be a man, He didn’t fit into the box of what His culture thought He should be. However, He didn’t bow to meet anyone’s expectations, either. Instead, He lived His life committed to following the path God laid out for Him, even though that path carried with it a lot of pain.

Sasha, I know your life will be confusing, and that you are going to have a lot to deal with one day as you begin making real life decisions about who you are, and who you want to be. Just know, that no matter what pressures you feel from outside, and no matter what it is your desires are going to lead you to become, God loves you, and wants you to follow Him. He has the best plan for your life if you are willing to follow Him.

If the life of Jesus-follower is the one you decide, I hope your parents will still be as open-minded about the decision you make. Maybe through your journey they could meet this Jesus, too. Know this, though, there are many of us out here who you will never meet, but we are praying for you all the same.

I hope you find your way to accept who you are, even in the face of those who want to deny it.

May God bless you and keep you,

Sincerely,

Scott Ingram

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Ministry Update – January 2012

Posted on January 20, 2012 | Leave a comment

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