First day back to work

Today I got to go to the creche. The instant I walked in the door, I was flooded with hugs, as all the children ran to gather around me and smothered me in a huge group hug. One or two of them hung back a bit, perhaps shy, or perhaps wondering if they would be accepted, and I pursued them and didn't let them get away with a big hug. Then it was just like old times. I felt like I had never left.

School went smoothly and we had a great time playing "Race to 100" with the base 10 set that was so generously donated to me right before I left. (Thanks, Becky!!) That was new to them and I think they enjoyed getting to work with a new kind of manipulative.

Right before lunchtime, we had a prayer meeting at the creche. They have begun meeting daily to pray corporately for about half an hour. All the school children and I joined in, and it was the hugest blessing to participate in that. Oh, how they prayed! They prayed for the children and for the creche in many fervent petitions that were beyond my comprehension level of Creole. All the children and adults were praying in unison, lifting up their hearts to God in faith and confidence, addressing Him as if He really were present, and praying as if they were truly communicating with God.

I prayed in English right along with them, particularly asking God for the creche on the basis of the phrase from the Lord's prayer, "Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven." In Ephesians 1:11 it says that God works all things after the counsel of His own will. In heaven, there is no crying, pain, sickness, discord, or suffering. So I asked for a little piece of heaven on earth, that the will of God would be done on earth the way it is already done in heaven. I asked in faith, based on the fact that Jesus has literally commanded us to pray this way. Audacious prayer--but is it possible that "we have not because we ask not?"

After some time of fervent prayer, we broke into song, and how they sang! They sang at the tops of their voices, belting out the hymns of praise to God. Then we had more prayer. We sang again. We prayed again. We sang another hymn. And then one member of the group closed in prayer. Ah! What a blessing and privilege it is that our Haitian staff can lead a prayer meeting that is full of the Spirit of God and power.