Well, it’s official! After a crazy road trip, an early morning, adventures with the TSA, and a smooth plane ride, WE ARE FINALLY HERE IN PORT AU PRINCE, HAITI!!! God is currently blowing my mind with the beauty of His creation. This trip has only just begun and yet God has already revealed so much to me about His glory and creation.
Experiencing other cultures has always been a joy to me. Stepping into a completely new environment, one that is totally different from my own in aesthetics, climate, and customs, is awe-inspiring. When we attend church tomorrow morning (at 6 AM!!!), I’m sure the style of worship will be different, I’m sure the entire service as a whole won’t be exactly what any of us are used to…but to know that the very same Holy Spirit who fills us while we worship in America will be very real and present in tomorrow’s service truly brings a sense of peace to my heart and, at the same time, BLOWS MY MIND. Being here, I realize that the subject of omniscience is something I have always taken for granted. Of course God had always been everywhere I went! I had never been anywhere that didn’t feel out of the ordinary or uncomfortable. To be in a place that is completely foreign to me and to still feel the very same presence I have always felt back in the states shows me that I really CAN go ANYWHERE and my God will always be right behind me. Once again, I do realize that this is a fact that is well-known to many Christians, but wait until you actually EXPERIENCE it in real life. It is a feeling unlike any other. Never again will I ever hesitate to go anywhere or do anything that my Father tells me to do.
In the past, most of what has kept me from acting on a word from the Lord, or even an unction in my own Spirit to go forth and do something for my God has been fear. The only ultimate reason for any fear I could ever have is my thought that God wouldn’t truly be there behind me like He said He would. There has always been at least a little, and at times a HUGE, lack of trust in God for my life. Feeling His presence here shows me that I could go ANYWHERE and do ANYTHING and He will always be with me. There is nowhere I can go and nothing I can do where His Spirit won’t be ever-present. That simple fact makes living a life of openness to serve God so much easier. Philippians 4:4 states to Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS, no matter the circumstances! To live by that mantra; to resign to the fact that God could call me anywhere to do anything and that in all I’d be doing, He would be in complete control of it all. It’s the most freeing and wonderful way to live. In Jon Foreman’s song entitled “You’re Love is a Song” there is a lyric that says “Why should I worry? Why do I freak out? God knows what I need”. And it’s true! He does! I get to live my life free from worry because my life is dedicated to serving the Most High Creator of the Universe. My Father. God, Himself. The fear has been expunged. Death has lost its sting. My life is a life of FREEDOM and JOY in the Father.
As we begin our adventures in Haiti tomorrow, I pray that the glory of God will shine wherever my team may go. I cannot thank God enough for the opportunity He has given me to traverse this foreign land with some amazing people. I love them all. Proverbs 18:24 says that some friendships do not last, but some friends are more loyal than brothers. That is exactly how I see this team. The worries are the world are far from me so long as I have the blessings of the Lord on my side, and He has given me more than enough in the form of great friends.
“…in the day of Christ I may have cause to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain.” ~Philippians 2:16
~ Caleb Elgut
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