THE EYES OF THE LORD

Thus began my Bible verse this morning from Deut.11:12 "the eyes of the Lord your God are always on it, from the beginning of the year to the very end of the year." Perhaps on no other day of the year do so many of us look back and reflect on those things that happened in our lives. Yes we can remember the good and bad things that happened but not one of us can get back a single second to change the events of 2009.

Though the "it" in this verse was in reference to God's eyes being on the promised land of the Israelites "it" could also just as well refer to other things. Each of us could easily substitute such things as our priorities and goals, our relationships and love of others or how about successful or wasted opportunities. Then there is the work and ministries of the Church (that is all of us) not just pastors and missionaries. Reaching out to young and old, the lost and unchurched, the poor, the sick, homeless and orphaned. Just as God's eyes were upon the land they are also upon us.

This past month I had a man come to Haiti looking for ways he might get involved supporting ministry efforts there. As we sat and talked he shared his life story with me ( one of financial success), his love and passion to serve his Lord, the blessings given to him to share with others. He told me of his fear that at the end of his life he would face God and have to account for what was entrusted to him (gifts, talents and resources) he wanted to make the most of those opportunities God gave to him. Shouldn't that be a priority of all of us?

I received an e-mail this week on the passing of Pastor Jim Wallace missionary and founder of Project Help-Haiti in 1967. Though I never had the chance to meet him and his wife I do know some of their story and their pioneering missionary work in Haiti still holds me in amazement. Sometime on Tuesday Jim went to be with his Lord and gave his final accounting on what God entrusted to him. I don't pretend to know how that may have went but by all accounts Jim and Leona Wallace got the mission work of Project Help-Haiti off to a great beginning. Almost forty three years later we now have 30 churches with 6500 members, twenty schools, a discipleship training center, a clinic, a hospital, 2 guesthouses, a metal fabricating shop and block making enterprise. God entrusted the Wallace's with a vision for making a difference in Haiti through making disciples for Christ, the eyes of the Lord were upon (them) "it".

Likewise I also know that God's eyes are upon what He has entrusted to me. On November 1st 2009 I took over as the managing director of Project Help-Haiti the organization they pioneered forty plus years ago. As the year draws to a close I look ahead knowing full well that God just as he did for the Israelites has given (entrusted) me a "promised land". That through my faith and willingness to follow Him that 2010 holds a future of many blessings and opportunities. Deut.11:11 "but the land you cross over to possess is a land of hills and valleys, which drinks water from the rains of heaven, a land for which God your Lord cares ; the eyes of the Lord are always on it. " In God's love may everyone have a blessed New Year, steve

INTERNATIONAL PASTOR'S CONFERENCE

In early November Shirley and I got to be a part of Cross Cultural Ministries first International Pastor's Conference held in Haiti. This first ever event was held at Project Help's Borel Discipleship Training Center which allowed us to host twenty two pastors, doctors and missionaries from seven countries. This event had been a long time in the planning and the hard efforts of so many showed in the successful outcome of the five day event. It was personally gratifying to my wife and I to get to meet some of the many missionaries representing Cross Cultural Ministries our denomination's international mission outreaches. Many of these people had only been names and faces on prayer cards till that evening when they arrived at our compound in Borel, Haiti. As the five days progressed a bond of brotherhood and sisterhood grew among us as we shared the efforts of our labors for the Lord with each other. Though not all the countries that CCM works in was represented we did have the countries of India, Bangladesh, Kenya, Brazil, Venezuela, Haiti and the U.S attending. The next conference is tentatively planned to be hosted in Bangladesh in three years.

BACK HOME

Just a week ago this evening I returned home after six weeks of working in Haiti. I had set several goals for my trip: * Meet with Project Help leadership and staff * Visit some of our 30 churches and pastors * Prepare for upcoming teams * Assess progress of on going projects

* Prioritize maintenance needs and future projects. It was also my hope to get some sort of direction as to where God might be leading as I take over the responsibilities of leading Project Help-Haiti into the next decade. I have been working in Haiti ten years now and much has changed in those ten years. Project Help has been working in Haiti since 1967 much more has changed in those four decades. One thing that hasn't changed is why we are there "to make disciples" . When I started GAP ministry we came up with a slogan on our brochures "People Reaching People" and that is one thing that will always remain in any successes we may attain in building God's kingdom. It depends on people coming to help and be a part of the work, it depends on people praying and lifting us up, it depends on people giving us the resources to sustain the ministries. I had hoped I could share with you through my blogs all that was going on while I was in Haiti but because of computer problems I could barely do e-mails. So in the days ahead I will try and share what happened the last six weeks . In God's love , steve