Trusting in the Hope of Nations…
There has been a lack of true leadership in Haiti for centuries. Her history has been marked by a cycle of leadership rivalries, coups d'état, military juntas and dictatorships. Instead of charting a way forward, each revolution has led to more and deeper experiences of many of the same problems.
Conditions demanding strong leadership, which has been elusive at best, have only served to make matters worse over the years: chronic political turmoil, unfavorable foreign interventions, widespread corruption, extreme poverty and inequality, gang violence and vulnerability to natural disasters, to name a few.
Is Haiti's the fate of a stiff-necked people? Destined to wander through deserts and drought for all of time? We have shared with you many times before the Haitian proverb of “mountains beyond mountains.” It is used to illustrate the seemingly endless challenges to overcome in the troubled nation. Each time one issue is resolved, whether by human ingenuity, compassion, divine intervention, or some combination, another appears and then another…
But as children of God, we don't look at those mountains in the same way others do. We walk in the truth of Psalm 121:1-2: “I look up to the mountains. Does my help come from there? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth!”
And each time we look to Him, He refreshes our lives and restores our souls with the promise of hope we need to keep going.
It shouldn't come as a surprise, then, that a first order of business as we settled into our early days as a reunited family in our temporary rental home this fall was to hold a leadership class with my older children and young adults, most affectionately referred to in the collective as “our young lions.”
The objective of the class was to consider what it takes to be a good leader and why it is important to have good leadership. Lively discussion ensued around the status of Haiti and her lack of leadership. No president, no voice of truth or justice. What happens without good leadership? Corruption, chaos, destruction and death.
My children blew me away as they brainstormed the qualities and characteristics of good leaders. Here are a few from their list of more than 50:
- disciplined
- wise
- respectful/respected
- honest
- compassionate
- responsible
- someone worth following
- forgiving
- grateful
- motivational/inspiring
- a sacrificial servant
- a good listener
- prepared
- strong enough to be gentle
- eager to raise up other leaders
- loves God as his/her only master
- on a quest for holiness… whatever is good, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely… keeping oneself from being polluted by the world
Can I get an ‘Amen!’ on a Wednesday?!?
My older sons and daughters have begun to step up as leaders, reflecting these qualities and characteristics, in a variety of ways in our Eyes Wide Open International Children's Home. They help in the areas of accounting and bookkeeping, childcare for their younger siblings, cooking and cleaning, construction projects, education/tutoring, property management and maintenance, transportation, etc. Many are high school graduates or excelling in high school and/or trade school programs. And to say they help is to say that their contributions are invaluable.
And who can they find to model such ideals, thoughts, behavior as they learn and stretch and grow into their adulthoods and the purposes to which they are being called? Why, Jesus, of course; I was beyond blessed to be included on their list; our Haiti Director, Emmanuel, leads them well in their day-to-day lives; and they all look up to their big brother, Mack.
My dear son, Mack, was the very first orphaned and at-risk child to be rescued by EWOI. He has truly overcome mountains beyond mountains in his own personal life - major health concerns, legal battles, language barriers and more - to stand victorious as a leader in his family, community and beyond. He is a beloved son in two countries, loving well his Grandma and me, along with uncles, aunts and many cousins as part of our large family here in the US; and simultaneously maintaining relationships with birth family members, and all of his EWOI brothers and sisters, supporting them in a number of ways in Haiti. He is a dedicated employee, faithful servant to EWOI and various other ministries and trusted friend to so many who treasure his ready smile and the soft, hard-fought, blood-bought wisdom in his voice. He is now a citizen in both countries, blessed to claim him as her own, a crowning moment on the sonship and leadership he has been walking in with such courage and integrity for years.
What will the future hold for Mack and our other young adult sons and daughters on the rise? Will theirs be the lives that usher in true leadership in the country of Haiti, echoing the thundering roar of the Lion of Judah? Let it be so!
Each time you pray, each time you give your time, each time you send a financial gift in support of this ministry, you are sowing seeds into their very lives and into the hope of a nation, so desperately in need of a Savior, and in need of the caliber of leaders who will bend at their knees and confess with their mouths that Jesus is Lord!
Does it Restore your Hope to think about and pray about such possibilities? It sure does mine! I pray you find ways to join me that bless many lives, including your own, fulfilling the promises of the Hope of Nations Himself, Jesus Christ the Righteous. Let none be left or forsaken in His name!
