4 Of Our Boys Got Baptized!
As some of you may have read on Facebook, Tony, Son Son, Zalex, and Herbison got baptized this past Saturday morning. If you know anything about All Things New, then you know that this is why we exist. In fact, the first line of our Mission Statement is, "All Things New exists to worship Jesus Christ..."
As great as it is that we get to take care of these kids and make sure that they are loved, safe, fed, etc. It is even greater that we get to see them become followers of Christ and know that their eternity will be spent in the presence of GOD.
Part of what I want today's blog to be is a celebration of that. We can get so caught up in temporary things that the much more important idea of eternity is separated from our version of Christianity. How ludicrous is that? The most important thing about this blog is that 4 of the kids that we all love and help take care of are now our brothers in Christ.
I cannot speak for all of Haiti, but in our small area of the country, baptism is a little different. You cannot even start talking or thinking about being baptized until you are at least 13 years old. On top of that, at least in the churches we have been a part of, the pastor has a say in whether or not the person's character/behavior is adequate for baptism.
It is not my point to either agree or disagree with those aspects of baptism in Haiti, only to say that our boys had accepted Christ previously but actually following through with baptism can be difficult there. Every other All Things New kid who has gotten baptized has had to sit down with me and discuss what it means. These 4 boys did not have the opportunity to do that since I have been in and out so often recently, but I am fully confident that they were ready and knew exactly the decision they had made.
Also, with each of these 4 kids, I can absolutely see the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives. To see Herbison's ability to cope with things and to love other people now compared to when he was younger, and to see how grateful he is for everything anyone does for him. To know Zalex is leading services for the kids and attending church and Bible Study whenever possible. To see Son Son continue to grow and to mellow and to place importance on his relationship with Christ. To see the way that Tony has grown and begun to trust and care about other people.
This was a great reminder to me of what is truly important. Do you want to know what can take my thoughts, my heart, and my mind captive when I think about All Things New. Here is just a quick and small list:
- Raising enough money to continue to operate is almost constantly on my mind, especially right now.
- Figuring out what our kids' futures will look like from a financial and employment stand point.
- When our family will be able to get down to Haiti again together.
- Making sure we are running the organization well.
- Talking to Gina about things that need to be improved and how our employees are doing.
I could go on and on. Then I remember the purpose of All Things New. I see 4 of our kids being baptized and telling the world that they love Jesus more than they love anything else. I wonder how I could get back to that place in my own life and the life of ATN.
So those baptisms reminded me of what is important, and I prayed to GOD and I began thinking about how everything hinges on Jesus. I was thinking that the most important thing is for me to follow Him and to teach our kids to follow Him. For about 24 hours, I just cannot wait to see where GOD leads our ministry if I could just set myself aside and let Him lead it.
Then, I start to think about how much school is going to cost this year because not only is the American dollar worth about half what it was a year ago, the school that we send our kids to thought they would go ahead and raise tuition by 33%. Right after that, Gina tells me that one of our House Moms will be taking maternity soon. Then I start to get overwhelmed by how the computer coding is going to work and how many of our kids can work hard and find a job when they graduate.
Here is the point of what I am saying:
The times that I need to trust GOD the most are the very times that I look to myself for answers.
When a pandemic hits. When donations are down. Maybe your family or children are struggling. Your church seems to be heading down the wrong path. When you lose your job. When you lose the person that you are the closest to. When your friend/family turns their back on you.
These 4 boys taught me something that I almost immediately forgot. Their eternity is more important than anything temporal I could give them. Your eternity is more important than anything temporal you could buy. My eternity is more important than whether or not I can find a job for everyone at the orphanage. If GOD can find Son Son, Zalex, Herbison, and Tony and save them from their sins in Haiti and give them the promise that they will live in the presence of a King for eternity, He can do anything else too.
Right now, I need to trust GOD more than anything and certainly more than I need to trust myself. I have no idea why that is so hard and why it took me less than a day to forget, but here I am again reminding myself. I will probably be back here in a few hours and again tomorrow and the next day and the next...
The times that I need to trust GOD the most are the very times that I look to myself for answers.
It is my goal to never have to make that statement again.