Davidson's Prayer

This is Davidson.  Remember him?  He was my translator while I was in Haiti.  He also painted this picture for me which I cherish very, very much.

I've been so blessed to be able to stay in touch with him through email and facebook.  Davidson is a 24 year old student.  He has been unable to finish high school due to lack of funds to buy books and pay the exorbitant school fees.  He is in what should be his last year of high school now.  He is also the pastor of a Baptist church in Jacmel, Haiti.  He inherited this church when his father passed away about two years ago.  

Mostly, I just felt a connection to him on a friendly level.  We could laugh together - he was laughing at me the majority of the time, but I find myself ludicrously funny as well so it worked.  But what amazed me most about him was the maturity he had.  We questioned him a lot about his life in Haiti and the lives of his church members.  He has a wonderful understanding of the English language and was able to give us an idea of the spiritual and cultural aspects of life in Haiti and the greatest needs of the people.  My pastor found out that there were very few church members in his church who owned Bibles so that's been something our church has been able to provide for them since we returned.  He sent us pictures of him handing out Bibles in his church.  He's just a really cool guy.

During my trip to Haiti, I and two friends of mine did a women's Bible study on the book of Esther and how God calls each of us for such a time as this.  I talked mainly about how I had felt God's call on my life as a Mom to Jack.  I talked about Jack's autism and how our life as parents has played out differently than we thought it would.  Davidson was my translator every day while we were in Haiti so he became very informed regarding Jack's difficulties.  During our breaks, we were both able to share a lot about our families, so we really felt that we knew a lot about each other by the end of the week.    

I've said before that I went to Haiti to serve and felt that I was served.  I went to be a blessing and felt that I was blessed.  Davidson was a big part of that.  I get very excited when I get notes from him on facebook letting me know how things are going. I had emailed him after the hurricane hit Haiti a few weeks ago.  It took him a few days to reply, but when he did, he told me that he was fine and had not been effected.  Then he wrote this:

How is Jack?  Is he getting better with his problem?  I pray the Lord to keep him healthy in everything he's doing.  I pray for God to give him skill and knowledge.  For God is good all the time.  Amen  That's my every day prayer for him.

There have been many people that have prayed for Jack.  Some people I know pray for him every day.  People that love the Lord and love Jack.  And I am thankful for each and every prayer and I feel so grateful that God has placed people in our lives every day to love our family in such a wonderful way. 

 But reading this prayer from this man was something more than special to me.  He's still in high school - not because he should be but because he doesn't have the resources to attend most of the time.  He's the pastor of a church full of people with no money and an abundance of needs - most of whom live in tents.  And while he never verbalized it, I know that he doesn't have much food.  I know that because he didn't eat while we were there unless we gave him food.  He was with us from 9:00 a.m to about 8:00 p.m. every day and he wasn't eating unless we gave him food.  His country is in desperate poverty and had just endured a hurricane a few days before.  

Yet, he told me he was praying for my child.  Every day.  My child who has every opportunity available to him and an abundance of resources at his disposal. Davidson is praying for him every day.  And I get to tell Jack that one day.  I get to show him Davidson's picture and tell him that this man who had never met him and was surrounded by tremendous need - not to mention his own - prayed for God to give Jack everything he needed.  That's how big our God is.  

D.L. Moody said, "We are told to let our light shine, and if it does, we won't need to tell anybody it does. Lighthouses don't fire cannons to call attention to their shining- they just shine."  Not at any time while we were there did Davidson talk about his burdens or how difficult life could be for him.  He didn't have to tell us that he was a beacon to a dark world.  His light shined bright enough that everyone could see it.