It comes to a close.

As promised, a final blog post (more than a few days later, sorry about that).

This past summer down in Haiti, I experienced God in multiple ways, met a bunch of new people, and all around had a great time.

First of all, as you all know, my main project/goal while I was down in Haiti was to work on construction, mainly a new house being built for Nick and Nikki Stolberg: the field directors for Children of the Promise. When I first arrived down there the main construction on the house had just finished. The cinder block walls had been plastered and the countertops in the kitchen and bathrooms were being built. While I was down there, I helped in painting the walls and ceilings, finishing construction of the countertops and bathtub forms. Nick and I also completed almost all of the electrical work as well as hooking up the toilet mounts and bathtubs to plumbing. In addition to these things, I also helped tile the floors and countertops, the outdoor patio, weld the security bars over the windows, put screening and frames on the windows, cut and varnish trim for the window frames and doorways, and helped hang doors. By the time I left, the house was nearly completed and almost ready for the Stolbergs to move in!

As for how I encountered God…I don’t even know exactly where to start.

As stated in an earlier blog post, I read the book “Safely Home” by Randy Alcorn while I was down there, and it really opened my eyes up to a deeper, fuller and more meaningful view of what it means to have a relationship with God. In my past I have often, whether I realized it or not, used God as a “911” friend or treated my relationship with Him as a buddy-buddy relationship. I didn’t really have to work at it, when I hit a hard time in my life I would put Him on the back burner after it was over, and not really pursue Him again until I hit another rough spot in life, when I would proceed to pursue God with everything I had until it was past. Reading this book opened my eyes to a much deeper and more meaningful, and I believe true picture, of what it means to have a relationship with God. First of all, it is not a “buddy-buddy /911” relationship. God wants all of me, or he wants none of me. When I only come to Him when I have “need” of Him in my life (parenthesis emphasizing that I always do, whether I realize it or not), there is something more important in my life than God, He is not on the throne of my life. Luke 16:13 says we cannot serve two masters. We will love one and hate the other. So, if God is not the most important thing in my life…well I hate Him then. That’s obviously not good. That is the first thing this book helped me learn. God needs to be my everything or my nothing. Another thing I learned from this book is that my relationship to God needs to be more in the aspect of King-Servant or Father-Son than friend to friend. YES, God loves me immensely and as the utmost care for me. YES, He wants His best for me and guides me in every step of life. And, YES, He cries with my pain and laughs with my joy, but He is still my King, and I His servant. I need to obey Him in every step of life and give Him the respect He deserves. It is ok to ask God why, and say you don’t want to, but we need to follow Jesus example and say yet not my will, but Your will be done. If we fully give God everything and pick up our cross daily and follow Him, it will be so much more rewarding and “The peace of God, which transcends all understanding…” (Philippians 4:7) will fill us.

To end this, I want to thank everyone who came along on this journey with me, who loved me, supported me financially and prayerfully, and who kept up with this blog and offered encouragement. And most of all I want to thank the Lord for leading me down to Haiti this summer and for what He showed me there and how He took me a little further down the path He has set me on.

Dear Jesus, help us to spread your fragrance
everywhere we go.
Flood our souls with your spirit and life.
Penetrate and possess our whole being so utterly
that our lives may only be a radiance of yours.
Shine through us and be so in us
that every soul we come in contact with
may feel your presence in our soul.
Let them look up and see no longer us, but only Jesus.
Stay with us and then we shall begin to shine as you shine,
so to shine as to be light to others.
The light, O Jesus, will be all from you.
None of it will be ours.
It will be you shining on others through us.
Let us thus praise you in the way you love best
by shining on those around us.
Let us preach you without preaching,
not by words, but by our example;
by the catching force -
the sympathetic influence of what we do,
the evident fullness of the love our hearts bear to you.
Amen.

(Mother Teresa)

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Farewell for now!
In Christ,
David Vanderhooft

Update and Psalm 125

Totally last track of time and did not realize it had been so long since I wrote a blog update, I have my sister to thank for reminding me!

Anyway, over the past week the house has come a lot nearer to completion! Almost the entire floor is tiled, with just a few spots left and then the trim/baseboard around the entire floor. We then have to cut and put up the trimming around the doors, hang the doors, finish electrical and plumbing work, and it will be ready to go!

The section of the Bible I am going to write about this time is Psalm 125. The whole Chapter is really good and I encourage you to read it, but I will be focusing on verses 1-2.

“Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people both now and forever more.

 I really enjoy the comparison of those who trust in the Lord to a mountain, when I think of mountains, I really cannot comprehend just house much rock and strength there is there. They are huge, their roots reach deep, and they are completely, totally and utterly immovable. God is promising us that if we trust in Him, by his strength we will be like mountains. We will not be moved or shaken, and just as we are like mountains, God surrounds us with a love even stronger than that to protect us. This is a great reminder for anyone who is struggling or being attacked in some way, God will protect and provide you the strength to make it through. So take heart and trust in the Lord!

Update and thoughts on Psalm 91

Over the past week, the house out back finally reached its final stages. I spent Monday varnishing all the trim board for around the doors and windows, and we are now tiling the floors as well! One of the rooms is totally finished, Monday I will be cutting the edge tiles to fit into place for the 2^nd room that is being tiled, and so on until the floors are completely tiled. I also have gone into Cap Haitien a couple times to help with getting the mail, as well as going to the market for supplies.

This past week has been somewhat difficult for me. I have not been sleeping well at all as well as feeling sick, and I have had difficulty focusing on God, and drifted away from the reasons he brought me here. This has resulted in me burning out drastically, and not even wanting to be here anymore. Yesterday I was talking to my mentor, and he said I should read Psalm 91 and meditate and pray over it and see what God said to me. While the entire thing was very encouraging, a couple parts of the passage in particular stood out to me, and really spoke to me:

Psalm 91:1-3, 14-15: He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence.

“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.

I heard the Lord telling me that I needed to rest in Him, and to trust Him. I was calling out to Him, and he would answer. And because I follow His voice and calling, he will deliver and honor me. This was very encouraging too read and a great reminder. Following God isn’t always the easiest thing in the world to do, and it can wear down on us, especially when we forget Him and draw away from Him, which I had done. In these verses God promises us rest and protection, but how can He do that if we turn our backs on Him? I know for a fact that my parents love me to death and growing up in their house I had every need provided for me, but they couldn’t have done this if I ran away or something like that. It is the same with our relationship with God. If you feel He isn’t responding to you, or that He has abandoned you, see if you have really been pursuing God and developing a relationship with Him. If we don’t take the time to get to know God through His word, which is one of the main ways He speaks to us, we won’t know how to look for or listen for his voice when He wants to speak to us.

In Christ,
David

Halfway!

Today was the halfway point of my journey here in Haiti-5 weeks down, 5 to go.

Over the past 5 weeks God has done a lot of work in my life. I came down here worried about what was going to happen, if God was going to abandon me, and how I was going to survive 10 whole weeks down here. God has shown me that He does NOT lead me somewhere only to abandon me, He will be there side by side with me as I experience it. He has also shown me to a deeper level what it truly means to be a Servant of the King, and that to follow Him will mean sacrifice and changing how I live.

Looking ahead to the next 5 weeks, I anticipate growing to even deeper levels in my faith, as well as seeing God’s work even more here at COTP.

Also, today at a Bible study I lead, I used Romans 8, focusing on verses 9-11:

⁹ You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ,he does not belong to Christ. ¹⁰ But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. ¹¹ And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.

I gave part of my testimony along with this, as an example of how God will free you from the bondage of your sins, and you will die to sin if His spirit is in you. So be encouraged: if you are in a rut of sin, God is there with you, and you just need turn to Him and give your burdens to Him, and He will free you from your bondage.

In Christ,
David

June is gone...I must have blinked.

Wow. Already July…where did June go????

Over the past week we finally finished screening the windows, as well as pretty much cleaning out the house. One of the construction workers here did finishing work on the bathroom and kitchen counters, so those look really nice now. Nick also got back from the states today so we will be starting on tiling in the next day or so. He is hoping to move into the house by the end of July. Yesterday (Sunday July 1^st) some of the other volunteers and I went on a walk with a few of the kids, and that was pretty fun as well.

As I was reading my Bible last night, I came to 1^st Peter Chapter 2. I am going to list of a few verses that spoke to me, and what I hear God saying through them

Verse 9, 11-12: But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God…Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us

- When I read this, I was really convicted on whether or not I lived up to this, or even really tried too. When people watch me and my actions, word choices, media choices, and the way I act, can they see God through it? Or do they just see another person who calls himself a Christian, yet is the same as everyone else in the world. Sometimes I think there is a difference, but other times I know there isn’t. And there needs to be, we cannot be strong and true witness to the kingdom of God if when people look at us, they see no difference.

I think one the reasons God brought me on this trip was to see this, the nannies that work here in the baby house are SO on fire for God. Most mornings and evenings, they sing and pray. While they are doing this they are so incredibly passionate for God, and so much fun to watch and join in with, even if I can’t understand what they are singing, I know we are all praising God. One night a couple weeks ago, one of the nannies gave her testimony about her life and what God has done for her. I don’t remember details or specific things, but I do remember that she has a had a very difficult life, a life that we cannot understand with our never ending wealth and such, and yet her trust and faith in God and in seeing how God pulled her through and was with her was amazing. When I listened to her story and saw her passion, I saw a difference.

“Give me all of you!!! I don’t want so much of your time, so much of your talents and money, and so much of your work. I want YOU!!! ALL OF YOU!! I have not come to torment or frustrate the natural man or woman, but to KILL IT! No half measures will do. I don’t want to only prune a branch here and a branch there; rather I want the whole tree out! Hand it over to me, the whole outfit, all of your desires, all of your wants and wishes and dreams. Turn them ALL over to me, give yourself to me and I will make of you a new self---in my image. Give me yourself and in exchange I will give you Myself. My will, shall become your will. My heart, shall become your heart.”
― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

Update and some thoughts

Not terribly much has transpired in the past week, so I will not be doing a day by day update this time. In the house we are almost done framing all the screens in the windows, so the next step will be to clean up all the floors and counters and sweep out the house so that we can tile it all when Nick gets back from the States next week. Other than working on the house I have spent some time with kids, and quite a bit of time reading.

            One of the books I just read is “Safely Home” by Randy Alcorn. For anyone who has not read it, here is the synopsis from the back of the book:

“Is this the day I die?” Quan stiffened at the shout behind him. The voice rang with the authority of the Gong An Ju, the Public Security Bureau. “You meet in the night like the criminals you are. How dare you defy the law? In three minutes,” Scarbrow said matter-of-factly, “we will shoot every man, woman, and child, who does not declare himself loyal to the people ratherthan the gweilos, foreign devils.” “Surely this is the day.”

American business executive Ben Fielding has no idea what his brilliant college roommate in facing in China. But when they’re reunited in China after twenty years, the men are shocked at what they discover about each other. Thrown together in an hour of encroaching darkness, watched by unseen eyes, both must make choices that will determine not only the destinies of two men, but two families, two nations…and two worlds.

As you can see from the synopsis, this book deals with the persecution of Christianity in China specifically, and a little bit with other countries. This book really made me think of how easy we as Christians have it in America, and also if we can really know what it means to be a Christian. We teach our kids that to be Christian is to ask Jesus into our hearts and then have a personal relationship with Him, and that certain sins are taboo, while other ones are lesser and maybe even ok, and if you do good things it is a plus. But is that really what it means to take up our cross and follow Him? 

In Acts 9, Christ says of Paul “I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”

Matthew 5 says:” Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you”

John 17: “I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.”

These few passages among many others (Acts 5, Romans 5, 2 Corinthians 6, and more) speak of how the apostles and followers suffered because of how bold they were of their faith, and yet rejoiced that they were counted worthy of suffering for the name of the Lord. Others speak of how we will but should not be discouraged, but encouraged for this life is short, and we will be rewarded.

Now, I am not going to say I necessarily want to be persecuted and tortured, my point is how can we claim to pick of our crosses and be living sacrifices of Christ, when we don’t even give fully of ourselves. For example, there is the story of the woman in Luke 21 who gives a simple 2 copper coins, which is nothing next to all the rich people who are giving massive amounts of money. Yet Jesus says “Truly I tell you this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” (verses 3 and 4).

I will be the first to admit that I don’t particularly enjoy tithing, I like my toys and money. But I need to remember first of all that what I have all belongs to God, and it is by His blessing that I have it in the first place, so who am I to hang on to it? Also, is it really giving, if we give the bare minimum, and have plenty left over to enjoy? From the example in Luke, God calls us to give till it hurts, give up buying that new gadget, or gizmo or whatever, instead put that money in the offering plate, or to an organization, or sponsor a child and totally change their life! If we really want to follow Christ and serve Him, we need to use the resources He has given us and bless others and spread the Kingdom, instead of enjoying all the luxuries available to us for a “better life.” This life will be 100 years at absolute most for the majority of us, don’t you agree that it would be worth it to give up that short span of time, when we have and eternity in a Heaven we can’t even BEGIN to imagine!

This blog is the abbreviated form of what has been going through my head since reading the book, and is meant to encourage you to think as well, and hopefully pray and act to whatever God leads you to do!

In Christ,

David

Wow. Another week gone by!

Sorry for the delay in update, I have been busy and the internet has been pretty spotty around here in the evenings.

Thursday and Friday were pretty full days of construction. We hooked up the plumbing and for both bathtubs and set them up, as well as building forms and pouring concrete for the toilet mounts. We also have started working on finishing trim for the window sills and building frames to tack screens onto.

Saturday I had the chance to go to the beach again, so I took it. This time though I had snorkeling gear with me and I swam out past the reef to where there is a large drop off. I would never have guessed what a beautiful world there is hidden underneath the waves! Words and pictures just don’t do it justice (that being said, I still wish I had a waterproof camera). The only thing I could think as I swam along and looked at it was God, you are amazing!

That evening a couple families from Willmar arrived, John and Shayla Mellema and Scott and Barb Abrams, and I received a birthday surprise of some food from my parents along with them! Thanks Mom!

Sunday was again a pretty relaxed day, I caught up on some sleep, and read some of Crazy Love by Francis Chan (another book I highly recommend!). John, Scott, and I also fixed a bench that is around a tree. A good portion of it was rotting out so we pulled that would and put in fresh boards.

Sunday evening I also had some pizza made for me as a birthday surprise! That was pretty delicious.

Yesterday we worked some more on the trim for the windows, as well as helping the construction crew tie rebar on the next house that is being built.

Today I woke up not feeling so great, so I have been sleeping and resting most of the day. Prayers that I would feel better would be much appreciated!

Also prayers for endurance on this trip, I have had some bouts with homesickness and missing some friends from school. I need to realize that this summer will go fast and I need to pour into it to Glorify God and His work in and through me, not look ahead to the end and breeze through it.

Blessings to everyone!

The last few days since I updated my blog on Saturday have flown by!

Sunday’s are my day off, and I had it mostly to myself due to the youth group going into Cap for most of the day to a church and another orphanage. I slept in for quite a while, and then listened to a sermon on my Ipod. Then did some Bible reading, and read some of “Don’t Waste Your Life” by John Piper. I would highly recommend reading it! The rest of the day was pretty relaxing as well, hung out with the youth group, and as usual joined them for dinner and Bible study.

Monday morning I went on a 2 mile run with some people here and then at about 7 or 7:30 left to the Dominican Republic with Nick. What an experience that was! Almost as soon as you cross the border, you can see a difference in the quality of life. There isn’t near as much poverty, and the city is much cleaner. We needed to stop at a hardware store to pick up some propane burners for a stove, as well as go to a grocery store to get stuff that you either cannot buy in Haiti, or is simply much cheaper in the DR. We also stopped for lunch at a restaurant and bought chicken fajitas. SOOOOO delicious!

We also gave a man that works for a company called Haiti Serve a ride from Cap to the DR border. On the way we talked a bit about how COTP was doing, and I asked him a bit about what Haiti Serve’s mission/goals are. Basically, they want to help Haiti by working alongside them to help them build their own economic structure and get going as a country, instead of just giving them money and supplies and then leaving. You can check out their website at: www.haitiserve.org

When we got back from the DR I helped out with some basic stuff around the compound, and ended the day with a delicious meal of barbecued goat, freshly cut up and baked fries, and a delicious vegetable dish thing.

Tuesday morning the youth group left, and it suddenly seemed very quiet and empty around here, which I really didn’t like. Nick left early that morning to do some stuff in Cap, so I helped out Wilson and his brother, Emilio, in the back welding windows into place and doing some other small things in the house.

Today Nick and I focused heavily on electrical work for the first part of the day. We pretty much finished wiring the pantry, and have the plan for one of the bathrooms ready.  In the afternoon we built the forms and laid out and tied rebar for the bathroom counters, which we are going to pour tomorrow morning.

Not really anything new for prayer requests, just that I will continue to pursue God with all I have and grow deeper in my relationship with Him, and that He will pour out through me!

In Christ, 

David

So excited to paint!

...maybe not.

finished product

Mural later painted on by the youth group.

aww yeah! Recruiting for Calvin already!

and again!

Definitely looking good with that hat on! 

one of the pictures from the resort I went to on Saturday

the delicious lunch in the Dominican Republic!

Along with a frozen lemonade!

barbecued goat on the right, vegetable dish thingy in the middle, fries on the left.

A great week comes to an end

The last few days have been really great! On Tuesday it was still a pretty relaxed day, I sat down with Nick and went over the projects he would like to see done by the end of the summer, which includes some electrical work in a security shed, building a couple bathrooms areas with showers and toilets by the preschool area. Also ripping out some wooden counters and replacing it with concrete ones, this should help with the cockroach problem in the drawers and cupboards. He would also like redo a reading/relaxation room into an office room, including knocking out part of a wall and adding a door, and taking off the current roof and replacing it with a new metal one. I will also be helping out with construction on and off throughout the summer whenever I am needed.

Wednesday I got started on the electrical work, but needed to quit pretty fast because I ran out of some parts that I needed, so I will finish that either later in the week or next week. I also helped out with digging a trench to lay some electrical line into. And of course spent some time with the kids.

Thursday Nick was sick, so we didn’t work together on some stuff we were hoping to, so I helped out a youth group with painting in the house out in the back, as well as doing quite a bit with kids and other general stuff around the compound.

On Friday we had a group of orphans around high school age come here, and they wanted to play soccer and basketball. We were absolutely destroyed in soccer, but we own both basketball games! 4 v 4 to forty points, we dominated on the first game, during the 2^nd game we fell behind by about 20 but came back and won by 4 points, that was fun!

Today, we went to a resort on the beach near Cap Haitien. It was beautiful! I will upload pictures in the next couple of days, but we went swimming, saw some pretty cool sea creatures, etc. It was a fun day. Except for the sunburn.

The youth group that is here has also invited me and a couple other short term people that are down here to participate in their nightly Bible study which has really been a blessing! We have talked about what it means to really serve Jesus and give your life to Him, and tonight (Thursday) we went around and a few people mentioned how this trip has really opened up their eyes to how we are so blessed and have so much in America, and that this is definitely going to change their life and their perspective. It is pretty awesome to watch how God is working in them, as well as in me. It is a daily struggle for me to let go of myself and thinking about myself and instead let God replace my will with His. I am working daily on letting go and just serving God with everything. Tonight we divided into small groups and discussed what is blocking or veiling us from stepping out in Christ and really living our lives fully for Him. I said comparing myself to others, and materialism. It is really hard to focus on God when I am surrounded with my toys and gizmos and gadgets, and comparing myself to others who have more and wishing I had more as well. God has been working hard in me this past school year, and especially coming down here to Haiti, on realizing I don’t need even close to need everything I have, and especially don’t need more.

A follow up on the last post when I asked for prayer, I am doing WAY better being down here. God definitely has caught me and is with me down here. Thank you VERY much for all the prayer and encouragement!! A new prayer request I have is that I can continue to focus on God and realize I am down here for Him, not for me, and to give my will up for His so that I can do what he brought me here to do, and Honor and Glorify Him through it.

God Bless!

David

It starts

After a full day of travel on Sunday, 3 hours of “sleep” Sunday night in the Fort Lauderdale airport and then waking up at 4 to make my flight to Cap Haitien, I have safely arrived here at Children of the Promise. As far as doing anything, today was pretty low key for me. I was greeted Nick, the field director, and a few other guys here that I know from last year. Thankfully, Nick let me sleep and rest the whole day to catch up on sleep, which was very much appreciated. Unfortunately, my suitcase was shuffled back to coming in on a cargo plane, so I won’t be getting my clothes or anything until tomorrow. Also, it sounds like I will be doing a fair bit with construction at first, but Nick said he has a whole list of projects he wants me to tackle as well, so it is looking like I will be keeping plenty busy!

            On the spiritual side of all this, I have been struggling. After I left home yesterday, I started to feel some serious doubt as to whether or not I was really following God or just doing this on a whim. I need to keep reminding myself that God definitely opened this path up to me and led me here, and is here with me. As a friend reminded me, God didn’t lead me here to abandon me. He guided me here, and He is with me here to work in and through me!

This verse is my prayer right now, remember God’s promise to never leave nor forsake us!

 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Deuteronomy 31:6

The Beginning draws near.

Last summer I had the privilege of going down to an orphanage in Haiti, called Children of the Promise, for 10 days. While down there, I was extremely blessed by the people I worked with, and amazed by their simple lifestyles, and even more by the faith in God! As this past school year progressed, I felt God nudging me more and more towards sacrificing my entire summer and volunteering down there again, but for 10 weeks instead of only 10 days. I finally put my foot down and told God no, I needed money to pay for my college tuition, and that He had guided me to Calvin, so He should want me to pay for it. Over the next few days, God dropped numerous signs right on top of me that He indeed was calling me to Haiti, and that if I followed He would provide. After a few days of this, I spent some alone time with God and told Him ok, I would "Take the Leap" and trust Him to catch me. And He did! Fundraising went amazingly well with God providing even more than the amount I had asked for and needed to make the trip happen. And now, 5 months after I finally decided to go, I am leaving in only 4 days, and I cannot wait!

The way God has guided me and provided for me up to this point is so amazing, my only response is to praise Him all the more! Continued prayer as I fly down on Sunday and Monday would be very much appreciated and welcome!

In Christ.
David Vanderhooft