A letter from Pix Mahler, regional liaison for Haiti, in Virginia
March 2012
“I bring you greetings, as well as deep and profound thanks from our brothers and sisters in Haiti—our partners in ministry and mission in Haiti. Greetings and thanks from the many, many children, women and men to whom you have made manifest the love of Jesus Christ with your support during their times of sorrow and joy.… All those souls whom you touch with your prayers and gifts of compassion, in their struggles and their triumphs, I bring you their thanks for your constancy and care, for your love and support.”
These are words that I say with the deepest conviction whenever I have the privilege to stand in front of any gathering of Presbyterians.
When offered the privilege of either the pulpit or a lectern and the requisite 15- to 20-minute time frame, you can’t just sit down after a run-on sentence or two. After giving thanks, I approach the remaining time as a teaching moment, an opportunity to reflect on how the Presbyterian Church embraces a call to mission and ministry in such a challenging country as Haiti. Why is there a missionary whose call is to facilitate partnerships in God’s mission in Haiti? How are Presbyterians called to be in partnership and mission in Haiti?
This is where the mission part gets very specific. It is NOT a Presbyterian mission! It is God’s mission!
Some years ago I came across a document entitled, Presbyterians Do Mission in Partnership. It was an eye-opener for me.
Here is a synopsis: “As heirs to God's grace in Jesus Christ, and joint heirs with all who confess him Lord, we affirm our place as Presbyterians in the whole Body of Christ, the Church. We give visible recognition of our belonging to one another as one denominational family. We give this recognition as Presbyterians through our connectional system of congregations, presbyteries, synods, General Assemblies, and related institutions. The one table around which we gather is God's table and the one mission to which we are called is God's mission.
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) declares that wherever one part is engaged in God's mission, all are engaged.2 Whenever and wherever one engages in that mission, one bears witness to the saving love of God in Jesus Christ. Through this love, empowered by the Holy Spirit, all are made one. This unity is a gift of God's grace that extends across cultural, linguistic, economic and other barriers that divide us within the Body of Christ and across the human family.(Book of Order G-3.0101)
WHAM!
That takes away all the boundaries and “privileges” of mission. Mission is not the act of one person or church or denomination. Mission is not ours—not ours to go and do or inflict upon others—the poor, the injured, the weak or the less fortunate. Mission is a gift to us.
“Ayiti” [Haiti, Haitian Creole] means “mountainous land.” It is a land of mountains of difficulties as well as multitudes of faithful people of God—people who read Scripture, sing songs of praise, and pray fervently for direction in their lives; people who offer prayers of thanksgiving for life itself and the abundance of God’s grace; people of God from whom we have much to learn about faith and constancy in the hardest of times; people for whom relationships and companionship are treasures; gracious, proud people who possess a strong, quiet dignity in the face of mountainous difficulties.
Some of that mountainous land we know as Haiti was thrashed two years ago, killing and maiming thousands, destroying homes and livelihoods.
The need for assistance will be great for quite some time (yes, I suspect …YEARS). I see changes every time I return to Haiti. More rubble has been removed—yet much remains. More businesses have reopened—yet some never will. More tents and tarp dwellings have been folded and put to other use—yet there are still thousands of displaced people. New schools and hospitals are being built—yet still many children are uneducated and in need of medical care. God has been steadfast with us and with God’s help we shall be steadfast with our partners.
This is GOD’S mission. … Not our own. … Jesus listened first to the needs of those who sought him. Let us take time to listen, pray, be present, and work with our partners. Let us also be very attuned to a spirit and mainstay of Haitians that is very often overlooked by the media. Those of you who have been privileged to travel to Haiti know to what I refer: L'espwa—HOPE.
It is HOPE that keeps the People of God moving forward in God’s Mission.
Pix Mahler
The 2012 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 12
Write to Pix Mahler
Give to Pix Mahler's sending and support
