January 22, 2010

Again, I must confess how negligent I have been in writing regular blogs for our website. It is not that I have not had lots of thoughts about various events in our lives and national and world events. Hopefully, I will be able to get on a regular routine in writing blogs rather than the sporadic schedule that I have been on

Of course the first thing that comes to mind is the earthquake in Haiti, the poorest nation in the western hemisphere. The devastation and loss of life is simply mind boggling. My prayer is that the immediate aid will be able to transcend the bottle necks and get to where it is needed the most and that many wealthier nations will be able to provide aid in the long term rebuilding of the country. I am confident that our Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) who has been in Haiti for over 50 years will continue its important ministry “in the name of Christ.” May we be generous in our support of the work MCC and many others are doing.

I have never been to Haiti but I have heard it compared many times to the Republic of Congo where I have spent a number of years. One thing I found remarkable and inspiring living among very poor people was their flexibility, resilience and amazing ability to “make do” with very little. My guess is that these qualities are also in the Haitian people and will help the survivors get through this crisis. I am not sure we who are used to having everything we need and much more would be able to cope as well. Hopefully we will never find out.

The other thing that comes to mind is that January marks one year since I received the invitation to become pastor here at Grace Mennonite in Pandora. It has been a great year even though we have had major transitions as a family. I look forward to 2010 as a year of stability as we settle in to life here in Pandora. We don’t know what the New Year and the new decade will bring but we can be assured of God’s presence and God’s guidance as we seek to live and work together for God’s Kingdom.