Hey Everyone,
Physical intervention is crucial, but true transformation is always holistic. You cannot separate a person’s physical needs from the spiritual battles they are fighting. Today, I want to share a story about what it looks like to break decades of profound darkness, simply because one person decided to step into the gap and do the work.
1 Story of Impact
In 2016, our team traveled to Sylvain to capture the story of a woman named Louisa. We had known her for a year; she had brought her frail, nine-month-old grandson, Jerry, into our First 1,000 Days program after he was orphaned. Jerry was practically lifeless, racked with asthma-like symptoms, and struggling to hit developmental milestones.
When our three-man camera crew arrived to interview Louisa in front of her dilapidated house, the spiritual heaviness was palpable. A voodoo cross stood menacingly behind her. My cameraman grabbed a large stone to sit on while setting up the shot, but I had to stop him immediately—the “stone” he was about to sit on was a human skull. Louisa explained that her husband had retrieved it from the graveyard. He was a practicing boko (witch doctor) who took multiple wives and lived much of his life in a dark trance. Though Louisa did not actively participate in the rituals, she was trapped living in the shadow of profound spiritual and physical bondage.
Over the years, because of the Many Hands community, everything began to shift. Jerry has transformed into a thriving, energetic boy with a contagious laugh, now enrolled at the School of Light. Louisa moved out of her disease-infested home into a safe, cement-block house. She even joined the Many Hands staff, working full circle in the very program that saved her grandson.
Yet, the most profound shift happened because of a coworker. Last year, another Many Hands staff member, Yranna, made a quiet yet bold commitment: she would share Christ with one person each week. She set her sights on Louisa. They began studying the Word together, doing life side by side. Neither of them owned a Bible, so our missionary, Mark Kauk, used program funds to buy each of them one. The joy that erupted from that simple gift was undeniable. Yranna became the bridge—showing Louisa the heart of God, exactly where her feet were planted.
This past week, the ultimate breakthrough arrived. At age 68, Louisa gave her life to Jesus, and at age 69, she walked into the Bouyara river to be baptized. Our staff member, Christi Gabhart, stood on the banks as the local pastor preached about repentance.
Louisa has formally severed ties with the darkness. Her boko husband has packed up his voodoo items and left her yard. When Christi asked Louisa why she was getting baptized, Louisa cheekily replied that she wanted a “beautiful funeral.” Christi gently corrected her—it isn’t about a funeral; it is about an eternal home where she will never know hunger or pain again.
Whenever I see Louisa in Haiti, she comes running over with a massive smile and gives me a big kiss on the cheek. To know that she is finally free of bondage and has chosen Jesus as her Lord and Savior is the greatest news I could ever receive.
3 Points to Ponder
- The Proximity of Darkness. When our cameraman almost sat on a human skull, it was a stark reminder of the invisible realities around us. We are often sitting right next to profound spiritual brokenness in our workplaces, communities, and families without even realizing it. Where in your life or leadership do you need to pay closer attention to the battles happening right next to you?
- The Ministry of a Coworker. Yranna didn’t need a pulpit, a microphone, or a theology degree to change a life. She just needed a Bible and a willingness to stand with someone in the trenches. Where can you use a simple tool (like offering a listening ear or an invitation to coffee) to step into the gap for someone else this week?
- The Radical Severing. Louisa couldn’t step into the river without stepping away from the voodoo in her yard. True freedom requires severing ties with the things that keep us in the dark, no matter how long they have been there. What old habit, toxic relationship, or limiting mindset do you need to formally sever ties with to step fully into your calling?
2 Quotes to Share
“There is no pit so deep that God’s love is not deeper still.” — Corrie ten Boom
“Plonje ak peche. Ou leve san peche.” (Plunge with sin. You rise without sin.) — The Pastor at Legliz Jerusalem, moments before baptizing Louisa
Louisa lived in the shadows for nearly seven decades, but it took a coworker stepping into the gap and deciding to share the Gospel to finally bring her to the river.
Who in your daily life is waiting for you to put Love in Action and share the hope that you have?
Hit reply and tell me about the person you are stepping into the gap for this week. I read every single response.
Live with impact,
Tim
