Heaven Inside These Gates: 4 Reasons for Building the Family Center

A couple years ago, I took a friend to Haiti to visit the Three Angels ministry.  Like most of us who experience Haiti for the first time, his senses were on overdrive as we made our way through the city seeing open sewers overflowing with trash, streets packed with people selling whatever they can, and building after building still demolished from the quake.  By the time we arrived to the mission, a heaviness weighed on my friend.  He grew quiet.

After we drove through the gates, we encountered the people of Three Angels.  Madam Valet, our orphanage manager (who herself has lost family members), comes hustling to our car to greet us and welcome us to Haiti.  Alix, the schoolmaster, helps us with our bags and then provides us a tour of the school.  His enthusiasm contagious, you felt as if you were being given a tour of an elite university, even though the building rests on less than 1/2 an acre.  He talks about the stellar performance of the school children, and the hopes he has to send them on to secondary school.  In the guest house, Sandy welcomes us with a hug and a coca-cola, the prized drink on campus. The kitchen table is full of the jewelry made from the Three Angel artisans, and she is bursting to share how hard they have worked and the new creations they are attempting.  Every teacher, nanny, and worker on the place welcomes us warmly.  I know that for most their day will end with a grueling commute through crowded streets back to unsafe neighborhoods.  But, at the Three Angels’ ministry, all can feel a sense of peace rest on the property.

At the end of our trip, my friend reflected a bit and said, “Pete, when we first drove through the streets of Port-au-Prince, I could not help but think that this was hell. But, when we walked through the gates of Three Angels, it felt like a piece of heaven.”

I’ve thought a lot about his words, and believe that he was more accurate than he realized.  As followers of Jesus, I believe we are called to partner with God to bring Heaven to earth.  Jesus talked more about His kingdom then anything else, and when He taught us to pray, He modeled the words, “...on earth as it is in Heaven.”  Jesus brought the hope that in Him we are empowered to take back the domain of the enemy on earth.  Where there is destruction, Jesus leads us to rebuild.  Where there has been rape and violations, He calls us to redeem and protect.  Where there is desperation, He calls us to bring hope.  Where there are orphans, He calls us to find them a home.  

We have one week left in our campaign to raise funds for the Kenbe Fem Family Center, and I could not be more determined to meet our goal or more excited to see what God has in store.  The construction of the Family Center is crucial to what we feel called to in Haiti.  For years we have dreamt about what it would look like to help families in the midst of their crises so that they never consider giving up their children for adoption.  What would it look like to create a place where they can come and hear that God is for them, loves them, and desires for them to stay together?  How amazing would it be to have a beachhead in the middle of the city where families know they can come to get help, and in so doing meet Jesus through every interaction with our staff, missionaries, and volunteers.

We have the chance to bring Heaven to earth on #91 Del Mas.  I believe there are four reasons why...

1. God wants a place where families can experience His presence.  The family center will be covered with prayer, full of people who love Jesus, and dedicated to introducing people to the good news.
2. Families will have a space to build community with each other, with our team, and with local churches in the area.  There are few places (if any) in our neighborhood, where families can come and simply enjoy a cup of coffee and talk.   Out of this community will come encouragement, strength, and new ideas for tackling the issues families face.
3. It will be a place of learning.  First of all, our team will learn how to listen to the families we serve.  We hope to build relationships built on humility and trust.  Listening will allow us to partner with families to develop strategies to improve their lives and invest in the future of their children.  We will also be able to provide practical trainings in a variety of areas such as health, education, parenting, money management, leadership, etc.  
4. The center will help build bridges.  We have already held a number of events with local churches at Three Angels.  We hope to build off these, and invite churches in the area to engage with families.  We know that the local church is central to God’s plan of redemption, and we want to support them.  Our incoming missions teams will be able to utilize this space as well to support a variety of efforts in the community.

So, let’s see God bring Heaven to earth in Haiti.  Haiti is not doomed to fail.  I believe God wants to show the world that what it has largely written off has tremendous worth to Him, because He loves every single man, woman, and child in this great country.  Thank you Jesus for not giving up on us, and thank you for not giving up on Haiti.  

Adoption Story- Rescued from the Dumpster

Life should never be discarded in a dumpster.  Poverty is often blamed for many horrendous acts.  But, nothing excuses the decision to place a child in plastic bag and bury it amidst plastic wrappers, bottles, and food.  This type of desperation is something few of us in the United States can relate to.  Girls in Haiti are often exploited, abandoned, and before they know it become mothers themselves.  Without any evidence that the life of their child will be any better than the horror they’ve experienced, the trashcan may actually seem like  an act of mercy.

Still, life should never be discarded in a dumpster.  On July 13th, of 2012 we (Three Angels) received a call from the government of Haiti asking if we would take in a girl who had been found in a trashcan.  A police officer had found her as he walked down an alleyway and heard the rustling in a plastic bag.  He pulled the child out and took her to the hospital.  Her sickly body required immediate medical attention, and while in the hospital, she underwent test that proved positive for HIV.  This overwhelmed the officer and the thoughts of possibly caring for her dissipated.  She was left to the fate of the state.  

She arrived at the Three Angels Angel House emotionless and without expression.  The first few months required high interaction, close monitoring, and consistent nurturing.  The nannies at the orphanage cared for her as if she was their own daughter.  She fought illness and infections and struggled to develop.  She was assessed to be at 0-3 month development level even though she was nearly 10 months old.  Our team focused on restoring her ability to attach with ongoing play therapy, massage, and other exercises.  After about a full year of intense love, she began cracking a smile.  The smile turned to frequent laughter and joy.  She is now described as being very affectionate with those close to her and enjoys playing with the other children in the orphanage.

During this time of restoration, God was moving on hearts of a special couple in the U.S.  For years they prayed about adoption. The dad works diligently as an ER doctor and they drawn to Haiti after the earthquakes of 2010.  In 2012 finally made the step to move forward, and were quickly matched with this beautiful little girl.

God’s heart shines through stories of adoption.  This picture of a child being rescued from a dumpster and embraced by new parents is possibly the clearest picture of what God does for each of us who accept His offer of adoption.   In Romans we are told, “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”  The story of this little girl is forever changed.   She did nothing to earn her new place as a child of these parents.  They chose her.  But, she now has a future because of their love.

Stories like this should encourage us to experience God as our adopted Father.  We too were in the dumpster of our sin when He came to save us. William Barkley says, “Once, we were in the absolute control of our own sinful human nature; but God, in his mercy, has brought us into his absolute possession.  The old life has no more rights over us; God has an absolute right.  The past is cancelled and its debts are wiped out; we begin a new life with God and become heirs of all his riches.  If that is so, we become joint heirs with Jesus Christ, God’s own Son.  Whatever Christ inherits, we also inherit.  If Christ had to suffer, we also inherit that suffering; but, if Christ was raised to life and glory, we also inherit that life and glory.” 

I recently preached a sermon that explores this more at Cornerstone of Santa Clarita Valley .  You can listen here.  

To find out more about adopting through Three Angels or how you can sponsor and orphan while he or she waits to go home, visit www.threeangelshaiti.org.  

TACR: Day to Fast & Pray - Devotional #1

​Lord, we pray that you will provide the people and the resources to build a center for reaching Haitian families on this land.

Isaiah 58:6-10 “Is this not the fast that choose to loose the bonds of wickedness to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free and to break every yoke?  Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house, when you see the naked, to cover him, and no to hid yourself from your own flesh?  Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily .... Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer: you shall cry, and he will say, “Here I am.” ... If you poor yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be as noonday.”

In his book, Walking with the Poor, Bryan Myers writes, “Until we embrace our mutual brokenness, our work with low-income people is likely to do far more harm than good.”  The Israelites of Isaiah’s time should have easily been able to identify with the poor and oppressed in their midst.  Their journey as a nation had included slavery, poverty, and long seasons of exile.  But, like most of humanity, whenever they encountered a season of prosperity it became too tempting to embrace pride and a sense of superiority.  The poor and the alien in their midst were despised and looked down upon.  The provisions in God’s law for the Israelites to methodically release their grips on wealth were easily abandoned.  Instead of exercising compassion, they often shamed those on the fringes of society.  But, they chose to look to the portions of the law that promised blessing and prosperity.  Much effort was given to lavish ceremonies and church services with the belief that God would be happy and bless them for their routines.  Instead God was disgusted, and speaking through Isaiah He chastises them for not understanding His heart, for not recognizing that His incredible love for them as a nation extended to all.  They had ceased to see their own brokenness and believed that God owed them something.

Before we are too quick to judge the Israelites of old, I am challenged by the way we often come to God as a church, and how I often come to him in my own life.  I have walked with Jesus for many years, and it is tempting to believe that in some small way He owes me a good life for my service.  My prayers can often be filled with a request for personal blessing with little thought to the oppressed in my city and those that suffer around the world.  This is why the habit of fasting and prayer can be so helpful.  By removing my comforts, I can recognize how much I cling to them.  I can see how much I have, and quickly realize that I am so blessed.  I can understand that although my Heavenly Father desires to give me great gifts (as He so lavishly has) that He has other children, many children.  His heart weeps for these.  He is calling me, he is calling us, to be like the Israelites, the favored few, to pour our hearts out for those children.  As brothers and sisters to the children of our Father, we must recognize our brokenness and dependency on Him.  Then we will be free to give, serve, love, sacrifice for those who need to experience His love.

Today, we begin a monthly ritual of fasting and praying for the orphans, children, and families that we are called to serve in Haiti through Three Angels.  My heart is not that we all simply beg God to provide finances.  He knows what is needed.  My desire is that all of our hearts will be shaped by the calling God has given us as His beloved sons and daughters.  I pray that today will be a day where we experience the abundance of His grace, and in so doing experience the freedom to love and give to those in Haiti.  They are our brothers and sisters, and Jesus loves them just as much as we do.   Over the coming months, I pray we learn to stand strong with them, and watch God respond to our prayers in the manner He called the Israelites to in the time of Isaiah.  

I pray that you experience Jesus in a renewed way today as you fast and pray.  Thank you for joining us!

In Jesus,

Peter