U·ni·ty (n) – the state of being one; oneness; a whole or totality as combining all its parts into one; the state or fact of being united or combined into one, as of the parts of a whole; unification; oneness of mind, feeling, etc., as among a number of persons; concord, harmony, or agreement.

Those are some of the definitions regarding unity that I found on dictionary.com. However, the Bible describes it this way….

John 17:11 – “Holy Father, guard them as they pursue this life that you conferred as a gift through me, so they can be one heart and mind as we are one heart and mind.” (Message)

Imagine if we as a church (The River Church) and as the Church (the universal church) could be as one like the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one? What would that look like?

I think that at The River Church we are really beginning to see the start of that. I know that in the past it has been rocky, but I really believe that we are in a time where we are beginning to see God unify us in some pretty awesome ways!

One way that I have seen this has been with the pastoral search team. From my understanding this is the first time in the church’s history that a search team has had such peace and unity amongst its members. We as a team have seen God do some really cool things and it is all because we came to the table broken and desiring to see God move through us.

Our process as a team has been that we would all receive a copy of the email with the cover letter, resume and picture of the candidates for lead pastor to review on our own. After reviewing it we would come together on Monday as a team and bring the resumes of candidates that we thought would be the best fit for our church. When we received the resume for Brad, who will be coming on June 20th to speak to the congregation and whom the members will vote whether or not to extend an offer to, every member of the team brought his name to the table. This did not happen for any of the other candidates. After sending follow-up questionnaires to a select few candidates we were all once again blown away by the responses by Brad and felt that he still was the top guy. As a team we spent some serious time praying before we decided which three of the six candidates that would be sent onto the elders and Brad received everyone’s number one vote. There was complete unity in this every step of the way.

When we sent the names onto the elders we did not reveal to them the order in which we had placed the top three. We gave them the names in alphabetical order. After each elder received an email with the candidates cover letter, resume, picture, questionnaire and link to a message for them to listen to, they met and all three of the elders had separately chosen Brad as the top candidate. (Bill Gregory did not vote since he was a part of the search team and didn’t want to reveal how we had voted.) Having that unity amongst them and Bill informing them how we as the search team had the same unity, the elders then decided that they would only focus on Brad.

The elders had the opportunity to meet with Brad and his family for dinner as they were passing through town on a Friday to attend his oldest son’s graduation from Taylor University. The elders and some of their wives, who were there, were impressed with how well it went and how there seemed to be a real sense of community there. The next Monday, the elders had an almost 4 hour Skype chat with Brad where they asked him lots of very tough questions and gave Brad the same opportunity to do the same. From what I understand there was a lot of honesty shared back and forth along with a unity about the direction they were headed. However, they decided to spend some more time in prayer to make sure that this was indeed the direction God was leading them.

After that time of prayer all parties decided to continue moving forward and Brad provided names and numbers of people to contact to check work references and accountability partners. The elders spent a considerable amount of time talking with several people and everyone they spoke with highly recommended Brad. Once again, we were seeing unity in all of this.

The decision was made to bring Brad and his wife, Heidi, out to speak with us, share their story, give the church an opportunity to ask questions and then allow the members an opportunity to vote as to whether or not we want to extend an offer to Brad to become the next lead pastor here at The River. Our hope and prayer is that the church will see the unity of the search team and the unity of the elders along with the time and effort put into the process, and that we as a church will have the same type of unity when we meet on June 20th. I know that there have been lots of questions about this feeling rushed, but the process has been anything but rushed. We have taken our time and done our due diligence to completely check this man out and spend considerable amount of time in prayer over this. We trust and hope that you as members and attenders of The River have been doing the same thing and will continue to do so. How else can we have unity unless we draw close to the One who is true unity?

So join us in prayer over this next week to pray for God’s direction and unity. Then come on June 20th with an expectant heart to hear from the Father and to sense the unity that He truly desires for the people at The River.

We went into town and met one of the local pastors, Job, that our church supports and sat with him in his home. Someone from our church had bought him a laptop, web cam and a projector to use so we were delivering it to him. His house was very nice and so was he. He invited us to lunch and so on Friday he is going to come by to pick us up and take us to a Haitian restaurant. I am really looking forward to the opportunity to sample some of the local fare.

Later we went to see the children that two members of our team, Rick & Ann, sponsor and spend some time with their family. Both of them happen to have sponsored kids who are brother and sister. The family was very nice despite their very humble home and even invited us inside to visit with them. The Haitian people are so hospitable.

Our group spent time helping the mission’s pharmacy by counting pills and putting them into little plastic bags for distribution. We have such a good group of people who just want to serve in whatever way that we can. We also had a blast doing it and I think that the vitamin c made us loopy. I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time.

Then Pierre Garcon came with a film crew from CBS News (you can watch the video from their time there by clicking NFL Network that is doing a story to be shown once football season comes back again. Pierre is not only a Haitian-American, but he is also a major supporter of NWHCM. The morning at the mission was filled with the staff scrambling around scrubbing the place down and applying a fresh coat of paint.

I had an opportunity to meet Pierre in the evening and I asked him if he would be wiling to go to the Detroit Lions, so that he could help them out. His publicist said “no!” almost as soon as I got the words out of my mouth and Pierre laughed. I guess she wants to help his career and not hurt it. Later on in the evening I chatted for a long time with his sister. Her heart for Haiti is amazing and I hope that her voice can be heard among the Haitians.

We rode back today to the main mission and it was so hard to say goodbye to Mike and Teresa. They were such gracious hosts and wonderful people.

I think that I may have gotten the “Haitian butt”, because the three hour ride in the tap-tap wasn’t as bad. I also didn’t feel like I had to have a death grip on the seat to keep from feeling like I would fall off. The views in Haiti are so beautiful! I really do love Haiti.

Once we got to the main mission we set up our tents on the roof towards the front of the building, so that we could be near where the church building. It not only offered us a beautiful view of the ocean and Tortuga (you need to keep an eye on those pirates. LOL), but it would also give us the opportunity to hear the granmoun singing in the morning when they have church together.

Later on we went walking around St. Louis du Nord and saw where Lunes, who is one of the Haitians that went with us to Beau Champ, was having some furniture for his house made. The workmanship that they were doing on it was amazing! It was just as good as stuff you would see in a high end furniture shop and it was made with rudimentary tools. The Haitians really do their best with the little that the have.

Before dinner we went down and served the granmoun that live at the mission their dinner then we went into town and brought food to some of the other granmoun that are a part of the missions “meals on heels” program. It was another great day in paradise. I am really loving it here. The people are amazing and the country is beautiful.

What an amazing day! Ti-Frane came out to see me as soon as we arrived and gave me a hug. That made me smile. Then after the ladies took all the young kids over to the church building at the orphanage we got some of the teen boys to come out and play futbol (soccer) with us. It was so much fun and I got a chance to play with Ti-Frane. Then at lunch Ti-Frane gave me a note and that was very cool to read. It is so nice to be able to have that personal connection with him.

After lunch we headed back over to the mission at Beau Champ and did some “honey-do” work for Mike & Teresa. Dan and I worked together to add some conveniences to the bathrooms. Like some hooks and a shelf in the shower stalls, so that you don’t have to put your clothes on the floor or over the shower curtain rod. It was really great to be able to spend some time with Dan and get to know him better. This trip has really given me a great opportunity to know the people at The River more and I am grateful for that.

At night after our evening devos we took some time to honor Mike and Teresa as well as spend some time praying for them. They are such amazing people and I am so blessed to have met them. I look forward to seeing them again, because I know that they are going to be a part of my life.

What an amazing four days we had at Beau Champ. I wish we could have been there for the whole trip. However, tomorrow we head back to St. Louis du Nord and the main mission.

I had the amazing opportunity to do the Bible study for the Easter service, which consisted of me giving a 20 minute teaching and then allowing time for questions afterward. I taught from Deuteronomy 6 and Mark 12 where we learn of the Great Commandment. My goal was to encourage the Haitian people and challenge them in their faith. I got lots of compliments so I am assuming that I did a good job, and the questions I got were really good so I think they got the message. The entire service lasted about 3 hours and just about everyone was in there right at the beginning of service we Americans could learn something about that (just saying…). We started when The River’s first service started and ended after the second service ended. I really enjoyed the service even though I couldn’t understand about 75% of it.

Here is a video of me teaching that is only about 1 minute of my talk.

In the evening we had the opportunity to observe the dedication of the junior church building along with a big Haitian meal. (I LOVE Haitian food. It is so good!) They followed up the service by showing the Jesus film in Creole in the big church building. The entire building was filled with people and I pray that as a result many people would come to know Jesus as their Savior.

It was really neat to be able to serve Mike and Teresa Grant by helping make their day and lives a little easier as they serve the Haitian people. I am really honored and blessed to have met and know them. I look forward to seeing them again.

What a great day! I was able to give Ti-Frane the clothes that my family bought him and he seemed to be very happy to have some new stuff. We bought him some shirts, shorts, pants, button down shirt, nice shoes, socks, underwear and a jar a peanut butter.

We spent most of the day installing the solar panels that we got from SonLight Power on the roof of the orphanage. It was so cool once we finished to realize that had helped them in such a significant and tangible way. When we saw those light bulbs lit up it brought a big smile to all of our faces. I didn’t get as much time to interact with the kids at the orphanage as much as I would have liked, but at least we got them some much needed power that will be free as long as the sun is shining, which it does a lot of there in Haiti.

Now we need to see about getting them some LED bulbs to help the power go further. We can send them down with the team from my church that is going down there in June. This will help make the batteries be more efficient for them. (Dear God, please arrange for a company to donate them. Amen.)

In the morning I was asked by the missionary at Beau Champ if I would be willing to give the Bible study at church on Easter Sunday morning, so most of the day I was thinking about what I was supposed to say. I have no idea what I could say that could relate to the Haitians. I see so much in their lives that I believe we Americans need to learn. Things like community, sharing, hospitality, generosity, faith and contentment. However, I know that God will give me the words to say. I just need to be determined and confident like Joshua was told in Joshua 1:5-9. Thank you for giving me those words when I needed them, God.

Today we took a 4 hour tap-tap ride to go from the main mission in St. Louis du Nord to the orphanage out near Beau Champ. It is only about a 26 mile trip but it takes 4 hours due to the road conditions and the fact that we had to cross through a river. That water in the river came about half way up the side of the truck.

When we got to Beau Champ it was market day and the whole place was filled with people. It was really difficult to pass through town, because off all the booths set up to sell things and the streets were flooded with people. At one point the truck was surrounded by a Rara band and they were waving machetes, blowing a horn, waving machetes, banging a drum, waving machetes, dancing, and did I mention waving machetes. It was a pretty scary moment. However, this Rara band didn’t seem as creepy as the one we encountered the day before.

Eventually we made it through and then we had to traverse down “the hill”, as everyone called it. It was quite a hill and I am pleased to say that we made it. Although coming back from the orphanage and going up “the hill” was fun as well. The truck ties even spun a little bit because it was pretty difficult to keep traction.

It was so much fun at the orphanage! The kids just flocked to us! At one point some of the kids were fighting over me and yelling at each other “My blan!” I had about 6 kids surrounding me as we walked over to the church building at the orphanage. Two were holding my hands and the other four were hanging onto my shorts and/or shirt. It was so funny.

When we got into the church building the kids started entertaining us by singing songs. I tried to get some video of it but as soon as I started doing that some of the kids that were around me started hamming it up for the camera and then wanting to watch themselves. They became more thrilled with the camera then singing the songs. They were so cute and it was a lot of fun just sitting there watching them.

As we were heading back to the orphanage from the church building one of the guys on our team, Paul, was talking with his sponsor child, Junior, who was about the same age as the one I sponsor and asked him if he knew Ti-Frane. The boy said yes and Paul told him that I was his sponsor, so Junior took off running to go get him. He brought him ou to me and it was neat to meet him. Unfortunately, Ti-Frane does not speak very much English so Junior translated for us. He seemed a little shy about meeting me but I told him that we would be back the next day and that I would have some stuff for him. Paul took a picture of the two of us. (I haven’t gotten it from him yet and that is why I don’t have it posted here.)

After that we started talking about our plans for what we were going to do the next day when we would install the solar panels. The ladies were planning on doing some games, face painting, etc. with the kids so that way the guys could get the panels up without the kids hanging all over us. We had our game plan so we started unloading the tap-tap with the bags that carried the solar panels, tools and the stuff to entertain the kids.

We then headed back to the mission at Beau Champ to set up our tents on the roof of the house there. Before laying down to sleep Dan, Rick and myself spent some time looking up at the stars. It was really amazing and reminded me of one of the times when we did that at summer camp in northern Michigan. It was so beautiful! What a great end to a great day.

Here is what I wrote in my journal….

WOW! What an experience! I cannot believe that I am actually here in Haiti. I am amazed that I am in a foreign country for the first time and humbled that it is Haiti that God brought me to. I have already learned that waiting and not expecting anything to happen as planned are the two key things to learn, and if you don’t then you will be quickly and easily frustrated. Stuff happens on “Haiti time”.

I rode in the back of a tap-tap through a part of Port au Prince as we went from the main airport to a smaller airport, so that we could fly up to Port-de-Paix in a plane. This would be what I would come to find out is a luxury tap-tap. We flew via Torug’ Air in a 19 passenger plane. It was a great way to see the country of Haiti, which is very beautiful! I love it. I was amazed as we flew at the beauty of it all.

When we landed in Port-de-Paix we got onto the back of a really big truck to take us to St. Louis du Nord. This once again was a luxury tap-tap.

It was such a fun ride! The 8.5 mile ride only took us about an hour to drive. This was such a neat way to see the lives of the Haitians. They honestly seem very happy despite their very impoverished conditions. That is a lot more than I can say for a majority of Americans who have much more luxuries and yet seem so miserable. I wonder if I could be as happy as them if I had to live like the Haitians do?

We saw a voodoo parade (Rara band) as we drove through one town. (I found out later that not all Rara bands are voodoo, because some of them are just carrying on the tradition of doing these over Easter weekend. Much like many Americans who will go to church on Easter Sunday, because it is the “thing to do”.) They are celebrating the fact that Jesus died on Good Friday, but I pray that the living Jesus would reveal Himself to them.

When we got to Northwest Haiti Christian Mission they were preparing for a mass wedding of 22 Haitians. That was such an amazing experience to witness. All the brides and grooms were dressed up, because people have donated suits and wedding dresses to allow this to happen.

One of the coolest things was hearing all the children “blan”, which means white, as we drove through the streets. It made you feel like you were some kind of a celebrity rolling through town. It was also very cool to go up to the baby orphanage at the main mission and hold some of the babies. They are so cute!

It is day one and I cannot wait until I can come back. Especially if I can come back with Kimmy.

I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit—I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race, the people of Israel.

Paul is saying that we need to have so much love for our neighbors that we wouldn’t care if we were eternally separated from Christ, which is exactly what hell is, as long as they were able to connect with God and have a relationship with Him. Sure we can say that we are trying to love God and love others, but are we willing to take that “loving others” to that kind of an extreme? Do we even ask God to give us the kind of sorrow and unceasing anguish that Paul talks about here?

I love my family very much and I would do anything for them. However, I have to be honest that I don’t know if I would go to the point of saying that I would rather be cut off from Christ for their sake if it was necessary. That is pretty hard core. That is one of those things, as Francis said in his message, that I am not sure if I could ever attain. That is the kind of love that Jesus pretty much had for us. That is intense.

Every time I read that passage lately or even think about it I am pretty much brought to tears. It is such an overwhelming thought and quite honestly it is a place that I would like to find myself moving towards. I think that if the church would grasp that kind of a love for others then we would really see revival happen in this country. However, I can’t worry about what other people are doing. I can only worry about my response to this.