JOHN SHIRK – Graciousness is marked by kindness and courtesy. A gracious person is tactful in the way they use words.  They are not intentionally hurtful, but they are intentionally helpful to build up others according to their needs.  Graciousness overflows with mercy and compassion.

Graciousness is found in the person of Jesus Christ.  When we look to Him, He influences us to become gracious people.

Proverbs 22:11 notes that graciousness is the kind of quality that wins over the affection of noble leaders. “He who loves a pure heart and whose speech is gracious will have the king for his friend.”

Here we find a link between the condition of our heart and the choice of our words.  This is where the grace of the Lord Jesus is influential to set our heart free from bitterness and impurity and to guide our speech into gentle, kind, and pleasing words. Graciousness is like a magnet to draw people to the Gospel.

Graciousness is a character quality that enables us to represent Jesus in the world today.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – To have perception is to understand or recognize something.  A believing heart is essential for recognizing Jesus for who He is.

On one occasion, Jesus referred to the prophet Isaiah to expose the blindness of a hardened heart.  “For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.”

With a responsive heart to God’s Word, the Holy Spirit helps us to grow in our understanding of the Scriptures.  He gives us greater perception to go beyond what is happening in the physical realm to also understand what is happening in the spiritual realm.

Faith and understanding are seeds that lead to spiritual growth.  In the parable of the soils, Jesus said that the person who receives the message of God’s Kingdom with hearing and understanding is the one who produces a crop. That is the productive place to be.

Perception is a character quality that enables us to represent Jesus in the world today.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – With a sense of accountability, we accept responsibility for our actions, and we seek a support system to help us to stay true to our commitments. The Bible tells us that each person will give an account of ourselves to God someday.

The church is God’s design of a support system to help believers in Jesus follow Him faithfully.

Accountability involves encouragement:  First Thessalonians 5:11 says, “Encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”

Accountability involves motivation:  Hebrews 10:24 urges us to consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.

And accountability involves transparency.  James 5:16 urges us to confess our sins to each other and to pray for each other so that healing may take place.  Grace and truth are essential ingredients in an atmosphere for accountability to thrive as God intended.

Accountability is a quality that enables us to represent Jesus in the world today.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

FRED MCNAUGHTON -The new studio is great for welcoming guests from the community. This morning Evangelical Seminary in Myerstown was our special guest. Here are a couple shots from this morning’s on air festivities.

FRED MCNAUGHTON – So many listeners want to see the new studio at the Junction Center. We aren’t quite ready for a visit yet. Lisa did have time to take a quick picture of her new view. This is what Lisa sees from her new perch in the new studio. I hope it doesn’t scare you! =]

JOHN SHIRK – One definition of sacrifice is to offer to God something precious. Another definition is the surrender or destruction of something desirable for the sake of something higher.

In the Old Testament of the Bible, it was customary to offer animal sacrifices to God. The animal became a substitute to suffer the wrath or punishment of the sins of a person. However, their sacrifice was not enough to forgive anyone’s sin.  Animal sacrifices were a sign of things to come, when Jesus would lay down His life for the sake of our sins. Speaking of Jesus, Hebrews 7:27 says, “He sacrificed for their sins, once and for all when he offered himself.”

What is our response to this great outpouring of God’s love for us? Romans 12:1 says, “In view of God’s mercy, offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship.”  The picture of the Gospel is a view of God’s people, dying to their sinful natures, and coming alive to God’s purposes.  Various Christians will make sacrifices in different degrees, but all Christians will have some type of cross to carry, surrendering selfish ambitions for the sake of Jesus Christ.

Sacrifice is a character quality that enables us to represent Jesus in the world today.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

STACEY GAGNE – Tomorrow we take the trek back over the mountain and make our way to Port Au Prince and then our team will say goodbye as we make our ways to our homes.  This week we have all had the opportunity to see Haiti in a way that we had not seen it before … both for those who had been here before and those of us who had not.  A lot has changed in Haiti since the earthquake.  There is destruction and rebuilding, frustration and hope, turmoil and joy.   Joy in Hope is in Jacmel Haiti with the desire to be a ripple … to help develop the people here.  They are not here to take over or give them everything they need, but to “teach a man to fish”.   They are impacting the lives of children through the children’s home and  other “strategic projects for the purpose of building mutual love and trust so that we may humbly speak the message of Grace.”   I saw evidence of this with them men we worked with, the diaper distribution program and even their interactions around the community.   I saw the family that is the Haitian Children’s Home.  I got to know Mike and Georgette and saw how they work with the construction team with respect, laughter and accomplishing the goal of beginning construction on the land.

I can’t wait to come back and see the progress on the land.  I am certain that there is a lot that I have learned.  I am confident that people saw the love of Jesus in me and our team.   I know that God loves Haiti, these people, this ministry and His purposes and plans here will be accomplished.

STACEY GAGNE –  It’s hard to believe we only have one full day left here.   Have we really been here almost a week?  This morning our team headed back to the work site.  We’ve gotten used to the routine of getting picked up by Mike after breakfast, heading to the Texaco to pick up water and ice and making our way to to the land.  After yesterday’s full day of work, we were careful to take more breaks.   We realized our stamina is not the same as the Haitians.  At the same time, it was fulfilling to see that we had learned a lot and were able to mix cement without a ton of coaching.   The walls are starting to really come up and by the time we left at lunchtime, the back wall was level and looking great!

One of my high points of the day was the last hour or so on the site when I started using some of the French and a tiny bit of Spanish that I know to communicate with the guys on the land.  I realized that when I really listened that I could pick out a word here and there and I think they were surprised with how much french I could understand.  As the week has gone on I definitely have had a lot come back to me.  After working with these guys all week, it was fun to connect a little even in such a small way of exchanging a few words.  We’re building walls together and in a small way it felt like other “walls” were starting to come down.

This evening Gwenn and Nick and our team went to Cyvadier, a great restaurant just outside of Jacmel with an ocean view.  We really enjoyed our meals (I had lambi thai or thai conch with rice).   Even more-so we really enjoyed hearing stories from Gwenn and Nick and having dinner as a group of friends who feel more like family now.

Tomorrow morning Gwenn is taking Bonnie and I with her to Bwa Vital, one of the newer, cleaner tent camps where we will be doing diaper distribution.  Bwa Vital is a major upgrade for the residents there who have moved from Pinchinat were conditions were very poor.  I’m sure it will be a mixed experience for me as I know there are some children with some severe health issues there.   I’m thankful that in addition to all that Joy in Hope  is doing with the Children’s Home that they are reaching into the community and helping in so many other ways.  We will also be visiting the land and getting the full tour and also having a walking tour in Jacmel.

One more day.  It’s hard to believe.

STACEY GAGNE – Today was the most labor intensive day of the week for us.  We worked a full day mixing cement, filling buckets and helping to pour it into the foundation.  Yes, we became human cement mixers.   While we continued to work on the building there were other locals out in the brush cutting down vines, brush and small trees.    There is also a large area of brush that is being gradually burned out because of thousands of bees and hornets!  We are steering clear of it.   Mike said that they should be able to harvest the honey once the bees move on, though.   Nothing goes to waste!

This evening after we cleaned up and were waiting for dinner, one of the Jacmel Bay artists came by to show us (and sell) some of the jewelry he has made.  Jacmel Bay is a project that my friend Denise has developed to help  hearing impaired artists in Jacmel develop a trade.   They make necklaces, small nativities and other beautiful creations that are in turn sold in the US to help raise funds for missions trips.  (I sold some to help raise funds for my trip.)  I loved making the connection with Jeann Ferissien.  I’m wondering if he made any of the necklaces that I sold!

Please pray for Joy in Hope as they seek to raise funds in the midst of all of the work that they are doing.   This is a growing ministry in Haiti that is making an impact.  There are opportunities to support the ministry that needs base support and there are also missions staff like Mike and Georgette, Directors of Development who are still working towards full sponsorship.

Thanks for praying for our team, too.   God truly put together a group with varied gifts, skills and personalities who can work well together and are now friends!

STACEY GAGNE – Today was a very full, productive and fun day.   Our team spent the morning working (and playing) on the Joy in Hope land.  We continued to work with rebar and other steel making parts that get put together for the base poles and connectors where the concrete will be poured for putting this house together.  It’s amazing to think that all of these little metal square and triangles we are making are going to help hold this building together.

I had brought some hacky sacks along to the land hoping that some neighbors would show up and they did!  I had fun playing with the boys and showing them how to hack.  Some of the other team members got in on the action, too.

A funny (now) story from this afternoon that is a good example of the unpredicable nature of living in Haiti… one of our team members was in the shower after our time at the work site.  The rule of thumb in conserving water is to get wet, turn off the water, lather up, then rinse off.  Well, though there is plenty of water in the cisterns, it’s practically a full time job for the staff here to keep switching between the two, pumping, and keeping up with the whole process of keeping the water going.  Well one of our friends got stuck in the shower for a good 10 minutes all lathered up.  We could laugh about it tonight.  🙂

This afternoon and evening we spent time at Joy In Hopes Haitians Childrens home (aka the Mangine home).  We were able to present them with the bags and bags of formula, cloth diapers, school supplies, clothes and more that we brought.   We also spent time tie  dying t-shirts with the kids and that was a big hit.  Dinner tonight was Haitian spaghetti with picklies (a spicy sort of coleslaw).  YUM.  The spaghetti was a drier version of our spaghetti with tons of spices.  They like to eat it with mayonaise, ketchup and/or hot sauce.   Interesting .

Tonight our team packaged up all the disposable diapers that we brought that will be distributed at the tent camps.  We also spent time debriefing (which we do each night as a team).  We share our highs and lows from the days and have a devotional time.  I love to hear the different perspectives of the team members and re-live the days memories together.

Tomorrow is a full work day.  Stay tuned for more updates!