by Alan Gilman, Director
TorahBytes Communications
In his teaching the islands will put their hope.
(Isaiah 42:4)
My eldest daughter has been working at the YWAM (Youth with a
Mission) Base in Saint-Marc, Haiti since before the earthquake over two
years ago. The leadership of the base asked me to speak
at their three-day staff conference. Both my wife and I were there for
about a week. The staff is made up of about 25 people, about half of
which are native Haitians, the rest are mainly Americans, with a few
from other countries.
Saint-Marc is about 100 km (60
miles) north-west of the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince and has a
population of over 160,000.
It was the first time that either of us were in a third-world
country. We really didn't know what to expect even though we had heard
so many stories from our daughter. What we saw was a society that has
failed to grasp many of the basic principles of living that the Western
world has been so blessed by, but is in danger of losing (that's another
story). At the same time, I see that the Haitian people are just like
any other people, made in the image of God, created to glorify his name.
My wife, Robin, and I overlooking Saint-Marc.
I was free to choose the topic for my talks, so I decided that we
would do the whole Bible! Seriously, I felt strongly that an overview of
the Bible would be the most beneficial. I have the impression that too
few of us grasp the story of God and life that the Bible tells. By
giving people a sound overview of God's overall plan in the Bible, we
have an opportunity to see how we can more effectively fit into that
plan.
The story of the Bible is the story of God's dealing with the curse
that he brought upon the whole creation due to our first parents' sin.
His remedy for sin and death was worked out through the calling of
Abraham and the people of Israel, culminating in the coming of the
Messiah of Israel and the sending out of the early Jewish followers of
Yeshua. God promised that he would bless the world through Abraham's
descendants. That blessing is what the Gospel is all about, the Gospel
being the proclamation of the Messiah's coming.
As we toured the main aspects of the outworking of God's plan through
the people of Israel, from time to time I would stop and focus on an
aspect of God and life that is rooted in various portions of Scripture.
I believe that it is when we teach the Bible in its context that its
meaning is best found. Too often we start with our preconceived notions
and then use Bible verses as proof texts.
The culmination of the three days of teaching was when one of the
sons of the YWAM base's director asked me if I would be willing to be
part of a Christian TV show that he does for a local station in Saint-Marc. The interview was to be in English with translation into Haitian
Creole, just as the conference was. The interview focused on my
explaining who the Jewish people are, their place in God's plan, and how
Haiti fits into that plan.
As it turned out, the morning of the interview, the translator had
gathered his family to pray for the Middle East and for Israel and the
Jewish people in particular. He had really caught how God intended for
believers from the nations to return the mercy they have received via
the Jewish people back to them. So, instead of me answering the question
of how Haiti fits into God's plan, I asked if the translator could
answer that question as a Haitian.
You can watch the interview below. Most of it is in English. If you
understand French you should be able to follow what the translator is
saying.
Alan Gilman explains God's plan to
bless the nations through Abraham's descendants on the Haitian TV
program, Bon Fwi (Good Fruit).
On this, the second anniversary of the devastating earthquake in
Haiti, please pray not only for their recovery, but that this beautiful
island would be a blessing to the world and to the Jewish people in
particular.
