Justice is blind, or is it? ...

I don't think it is.

I think the concept that most of us have of justice is completely earthly and just plain wrong. This is why you find people asking God so many of the "whys" that they do. This is why it seems that some people escape it. Why it seems that some people are above it. Why it sometimes seems to be disfigured beyond repair by endless loopholes and technicalities. Why those who do evil and hide behind God's forgiveness seem to forever be getting away with it.

Justice. True Justice belongs to God and the Kingdom of God. It is a truth which transcends the confines of this world. What do I mean? I will explain.

We know that as Christians we are forgiven. It is commonly said that "Christians aren't perfect, just forgiven." Well, that is a crude way of expressing a great and wonderful truth. Our righteousness is like filthy rags, but when we are redeemed by the blood of Jesus we take on His righteousness. Ours no longer matters because we are given His, and His is perfect.

This is true for all of mankind. The only requirement is entering in. That means that the worst of all possible sinners has just as much right to be forgiven as the least of all possible sinners. The bible tells us that no one is in hell because of what they did. They are there because of the one thing they did not do, accept the cleansing forgiveness of Jesus Christ.

It also holds true then that the worst of all sinners, if he/she steps into this redemption is forgiven. This means that they will not be kept from entering the Kingdom of Heaven. Once again, no one is in hell because of what they did, but what they did not do. I repeat that because it is a hard truth for some people to grasp.

Why is that hard to grasp? It is hard to grasp because of an earthly sense of Justice. We want to see those who have been truly evil pay for it. We like the idea that bad people would suffer the consequences of burning in hell and everything that the bible says that entails. We want to see punishment. We want to see it because it is in our nature to desire Justice, but we operate under a false concept of what Justice is as I have already said.

You see, Justice is not blind. It is all seeing and all knowing. Everything counts. Your actions, your motives, your imaginations. Just like Jesus said in the Gospels, we can just think it and it is just as if we had done it. What? We are forgiven! Oh Yes, my friends and thank God for that. We have to broaden our understanding on this subject because it limits us and it hinders us and it causes us to question God in debilitating ways. If we are not asking why, then we want to know when because it has to be.

Justice exists not in this world or in Hell. Justice, exists in the Kingdom of Heaven. As well it should, it is a divine principle after all. We are instructed well in the bible about these things, but we tend to miss what is being taught because we are deceived by our mistaken earthly form of Justice. Paul tells so many different ways that we are not to focus on this life. We are to know that this life is merely a vapor, but it is an important vapor because eternity depends upon it. We naturally apply that to life and death, Heaven and Hell, but there is more to it. We are all going to be exposed to Justice in the Kingdom of Heaven. Not what we think, but what it really is. No one will be booted out of the Kingdom once they are there because they are "saved." That means not going to Hell. We are not saved from Justice, however, because no one can be. Justice is who God is. It is more than a principle, although we have to look at it that way to understand it. God is Justice. It is an attribute that makes Him who He is. The devil plays on this all the time. If Jesus had to live and die horribly, shedding His innocent blood for us to be redeemed, then trust me when I tell you there is no way to escape Justice. The price must be paid. That is why he paid the ultimate price for us.

Are you confused. You will only be confused if you are still thinking about Justice in an earthly way. We automatically compute Justice with punishment. Why? Everything else in the Kingdom of Heaven is backwards compared to here. You give to receive, you love to overcome your enemy. Why should Justice be any different. It is not about punishment, but reward. This life is a vapor and eternity does depend on it. We are taught that we should be Heavenly minded because what happens here affects what happens there. That is because we will be judged for what we do here. Judged in the true sense of the principle. We will be rewarded based on the all seeing, all knowing power of Justice. It will matter not only what we did, but what we thought. Just like He told us.

So much changes if you get this. Gone are all the conversations with God about why so and so gets away with so and so. Why do they not pay? Why does he allow these things to happen. When will it all come around and punishment occur? The earthly consequences never seem to be enough. Sometimes they don't even seem to be occurring at all. We tell ourselves they simply can't be blessed when they are/do what they are/do.

The people in the old testament are always crying about injustice. There is no such thing. It may seem like it here, but in the end Justice will be doled out. We will all pay for what we did, but not in a "squished bug" kind of way, but in the "God is Truth" kind of way. It will all be revealed and we will all agree that He is right. No one will be able to hide from who they were or what they did and Justice will prevail.

I intend to do my best here in this life. I intend to move forward and follow the book of instruction that I have been given. This life is a test and I intend to get the best grade I can. I have made mistakes. I am sure I have caused people to ask God why? I am truly sorry for it, but that changes nothing. The scales are perfectly balanced and Justice is my friend. I am forgiven, but I am also accountable. In His endless generosity and kindness I will be judged and I will get what I deserve beyond the one thing that I did not deserve. To get to be there in the first place is the greatest gift I will ever be given. For many, it will be all they have, but they will be grateful nonetheless. No one will question it on the flip side because Justice truly can not and will not be denied.

Justice is a He. The "He." Justice is not blind. The scales are perfectly calibrated. In the end all things will be balanced. It is truly not my concern what anyone else is doing. I have enough to concentrate on in my own life. I pray this helps you. I pray it continues to help me.

If a picture paints a thousand words...

...Then why can't I paint you?

Because words could never show the you I've come to know...

...Photographs and Memories, all the love you gave to me,

somehow it just can't be true it's all I've left of you...

Our time in Haiti is quickly coming to an end and we are sad to say that the time has come to say "Au Revoir" to our beloved new friend. She is beautiful in every way. We will miss her and can only say that she is "Pa Pi Mal" which literally translated means "Not a Little Bit Bad." And she isn't, not even a little. We have learned so much here. We will never be the same again. She will forever be in our hearts and our prayers. As will her wonderful people whom we have grown to love. We have been loved, dispised, appreciated, pushed and tested in all ways. Which is totally Haitian, and no one lives here without paying her price. We consider it well worth it. God Bless Haiti and all those she calls her own.

Hear ye, Hear ye, Hear ye...

Note: If you have not read "Troy don't do no Voodoo." Go and read it before you read this. It is the beginning of this story.


I am proud to announce that God is awesome! You knew this you say? Well let me give you yet another reason why He is.

Mr. Borel's Father, whose name I still have not figured out, is doing great. Troy picked him up from the Hospital today and brought him to Mr. Borel's home so he could finish gaining back his strength and his life. It was only fitting, of course, that Troy picked him up again. This time he didn't have to carry him. He spent 5 days in the hospital, thanks to Judy's benevolence because she is paying the hospital bill. He is now up and walking around on his own now. He is eating solid food and feels much better. He even asked for a coke. The nectar of life in these here parts. He drank it too.

Mr. Borel said his other family members are shamed, and his "brother of little faith" realizes how wrong it was to start making funeral plans when Mr. Borel has the "Christians" in his corner. The real reason is much simpler than that. God loves that little old man.

Troy is probably now the new patron saint of the Deyo, but hopefully things will be explained and people will realize that he is actually almost a mere mortal man. Just a little better is all. He is certainly my Hero.

Well, him and Jesus, but you know what I mean.

P.S. I just found out how to spell and say his name. He is Rosilma Denis, and he is now born again.

How much is the kitty in the window...

Does anybody want a slightly used kitty? She speaks English and Creole. She's a little dusty, but we can work with that. We could send her in a package...

No takers? That is probably a wise choice. She is the reason I am up at 4:30 in the morning writing a blog!

Her name is Mimi, which is Creole for kitty. She is a gigantic pain in the butt. She is a good mouser, though. She is spoiled rotten to the core, and Judy has started calling her Passport Kitty because she says she needs to find a way to get out of the country with her Sugar Daddy, Troy, because her life is going to change drastically when the Elliott's leave town. Well, that and the fact that she is totally prejudiced. She hides from all Haitians, crawling under furniture or running from the room, like they have the plague. Considering that once we leave Judy will be the only white person around her, she is in for a drastic change in lifestyle. I have to admit I have been part of the problem in spoiling her, but she is working my last nerve at the moment.

She has had her entire life rearranged by the construction and her ability to come in and out of the house has been cut off. Now she has to come to the screen door and meow until someone lets her in. Guess who that someone is.

She is very wisely staying away from me at the moment because she is great danger. She woke me up to let her in and she will not stop meowing. Apparently, she doesn't want the animal food I gave her, she wants tuna fish or something more worthy of her. She has been known to wake me up just because she feels it is time to pet her. It isn't even close to time, but you can't tell her anything.

Here is the "Andy Warhol" that her Sugar Daddy did of her. Isn't she fabulous! She thinks this should be blown up real big on the wall.

This is the image I wake up to every morning. Well, it would be if I could see her because it is still dark when she usually starts bellowing until I let her in.

Here she is trying to be cute and cuddly. Don't let her fool you, she is a vicious, mouse killing, self centered little brat and she is still meowing as I write this!

OK. She is sitting on my lap now because she realized that this blog was about her. At least she is not meowing anymore. She makes me sneeze and wakes me up all the time, but she knows how to wear you down. She is a model of patient persistence.

Doesn't anyone want a slightly used kitty? You sure? Oh well. My only salvation will be leaving the country. I promise that will be the first time anyone ever left Haiti to escape ... a kitty.

She works hard for no money...

OK. OK. I am swallowing my pride and exposing some of my less than finer moments for your reading pleasure. Like I need my dignity out here anyway!

I shared lots of what Troy has been up to, and I mentioned that I was going to edit my pictures for beauty's sake. That went over like a lead balloon, and actually inspired Judy to chase me around with MY camera taking all kinds or heinous shots.

So without further ado. Here I am in all my Glory. I am usually wearing pajamas which are the coolest thing I own. I am always sweating, of course, so is everyone else. I have had serious issues with my hair, but you don't care so here it is...

Here I am sorting school supplies from Vacation Bible School items. It is 104 degrees in the shade. I am dripping wet and Troy thinks this will be a great picture. Do I look like I agree?

Here I am working on the computer. We were just so happy to have brought the Internet into the house for Judy that we started using it like this. There is a desk, but we had to move it. We did that as soon as they could get me away from the lap top. I think I was in this exact position for two days solid. Judy just let me do my thing. That was mighty kind of her. Of course, they wanted to memorialize it with a picture.

Here is a shot of Troy and I at the beach. We are standing with three soldiers from the UN. They are from Uruguay. I started talking to them in Spanish while we were swimming, and we became friends. We were able to pray for them because they were about to leave the relative safety of Les Cayes and were being sent to the definite danger of Port-Au-Prince. I also left them with a copy of Kenneth Hagin's booklet, the New Birth. Unfortunately, I only had one.

They promised to all take turns looking at it. At least, I think so. My Spanish was rusty, and it was really being confused by my new found Creole. I spent weeks trying to remember to say "Oui" instead of "Si" and then once I got it, I end up meeting up with some Spanish speakers and kept saying "Oui" to them instead of "Si." Man o man, this language thing is a bugger.

Here are some shots of me teaching English, yet another language that I have not fully mastered. This is at the elementary school that is sponsored by the Haitian Church we attend. The Pastor is Etienne Charles. He was my translator when I needed help communicating with the children because what I wanted to say got beyond my limited Creole. I was in very capable hands, he speaks Creole, French and English. All of them perfectly, I might add. He is an inspiration to any aspiring linguist.

This was the first day so that explains what's on the chalk board in the picture below.

This is another shot of that same day.

Here is a shot of me going up the hill to the school. This was a big deal at the time, but since Troy's little trip to the "Deyo," or countryside as we say in English, (to save Mr. Borel's Father - See "Troy don't do no Voodoo") he scoffs at this hill now. Trust me its no joke. The mountain he climbed must have been brutal.

Here's a shot of me at the top of said hill. There are students making it look easy. I'm just waiting for Mr. CNN to get a shot he is happy with. OK. I might have been catching my breath a little also.

Here's a shot of another day at school. Pastor Etienne is in the foreground just being there if I need him. He was also a very formidable presence in the classroom. Although, I sincerely believe they would have been good without him. They were sooooo into learning English. They hung on every word and wrote down everything I put on the board. They were incredible! It was really a lot of fun, and they were so far ahead of where I thought they would be. I am very grateful that I did not assume they knew nothing and begin at too low a level. They honestly blew me away.

Here is a particularly horrible shot of us doing the dishes in the back yard. That was before it was all torn up. This was between construction project number one and construction project number two. This was a pretty crazy set up, even for us. We were at a loss for where to go with them because the inside of the house was all torn up. Again, I am sweating and wearing pajamas! Judy thinks this is all too funny. There are five shots of this and every one of them is worse than the other. Happy!

Here is a picture that might redeem my mood. This is in the church, where we held the schools annual Christmas party. I am addressing the student body in this shot with my awesome interpreter by my side. I was particularly grateful for this opportunity to speak to them because they had just handed out the report cards for the first half of the year to all of the students. This was done one at time with every one's grade being called out. They had to walk up and get it after it was announced to the whole school. My heart was broken for some of them. They work on the shame factor a great deal here, but this was brutal. Granted, it wasn't difficult for the kids who did well, but these kids are in and out of school based on their parents ability to pay for them to go to school. Failure is not always because they didn't do the work or are not able to. Sometimes it's just been too long since they learned the precursor to what they are working on now. I did my best to encourage them, and let them know how special they are to God. It was a good day, except for the mechanical difficulties when we tried to show them Narnia. It didn't work out. Fortunately, part of my message was in story form so they got some entertainment and we gave them a snack! It was all good.

Here's Judy chasing me around with the camera. I am painting the metal design that was going in her new window. She is hysterical because I am painting while the worker is standing around eating the lunch we gave him and watching me while I work. Actually, I was driving him crazy. Troy had me meticulously coating each weld because this was a protective coating to prevent rust damage, and the welds weren't all that wonderful. You can see in the picture that I am only doing the welds and ignoring the connecting pieces until they are all done. The man got so aggravated with how I was doing it that he tried to take the brush away from me to do it himself. When I wouldn't let him, he grabbed it and tried to show me how to paint it. I was laughing because he works for the electrician. This wasn't even his job to worry about. I explained why I was doing what I was doing, and then Judy gave him food. He was pretty much happy after that.

Here Judy was at it again. Laughing and snapping pictures. All the time saying "This is a blogger moment." Please pray for her.

In these pictures I am helping with the dirt and rock removal. We had two shovels and this guy had been at it all day. What was I supposed to do. Besides this was for Tisienne, and the kids were working so hard.

The guy standing against the pole is Manel. He has worked for us around the house the whole time we have been here. He isn't loafing here. His job was to take the wheel barrel to the front yard, which was no easy task. By the way this is what the backyard looks like now. All that grass we were washing dishes on is gone now.

Here I am wrapping a birthday present for Pastor Etienne's middle daughter Stephanie. She turned six this week. I am laughing in this shot because I have completely given up at this point. I can't do anything without someone coming at me with a camera.

As I was saying, here I am doing laundry. Interesting, isn't it. I have been caught chasing the sun. It was moving over the yard and I was running out of sunny places to hang the clothes. It helps things go faster in the drying process if it's in the sun. By the way that wall behind me is the only thing separating us from two pigs, a cow and countless chickens. It doesn't help with sound or smell, however, but at least we can't see them. You have to be grateful for the little things.

How's this for surrender. I am posing for a picture in the very last clean things I have to wear because I am doing the laundry and have not done it for a while before this. Troy actually says "Smile" to me when he takes this shot. Go figure.

By the way, chasing the sun was all for nothing. It rained. Welcome to the mission field my friends. I hope you have enjoyed this glimpse into my life. Humble as it is. Your blessed, I'm sure, and that's what I'm here for.

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it's off to work they go...

Here are some more pictures of the work going on around here. Troy has been busy trying to finish everything he is working on. Here are some shots of him and various helpers.

This is Wydlinn. (It's pronounced Woodlan.) He is an orphan and a permanent fixture around here. He lives in a Foster home that Judy has arranged for him. He comes here every night for his evening meal. For all those of you with children I have really bad news. Starving children in third world countries are just as picky eating as your kids. I know, I know, this can never get out. What would we do if they found out what we've been telling them about the starving children isn't true. No matter how hungry he was Wydlinn wouldn't eat it either.

Here they are sifting through the dirt to remove rocks so they can use the sand to make cement. Actually, Troy is sifting and Wydlinn is looking in the bucket for no apparent reason. This is pretty much how it is with him. We call him "the waterboy" because he really only excels at anything with water involved. He'll get it all over himself and all over everyone and anything around him, but he has fun. Isn't that what counts?

Here is a shot of another orphan who is a regular here. His name is Steven and he is an exceptional helper. Troy would take him with us if he thought we could. He is shoveling the dirt into the sifter for Troy here. I know they look like they are posing, but they were doing this so well together I had to get the camera and take a picture. He shouldn't have been here this day, and usually isn't here without Wydlinn, but He was sent home from school because he is behind on tuition. His schooling is paid for by the family he lives with. They have a house full of orphans and no children of their own. They are a little behind right now. Wydlinn isn't here this day because his tuition was paid in full by Judy so he was in school. She has an entire motley crew of children she supports through tuition payments. These children would not have the luxury of learning to read and write without her help. She helps Ti Jean, Steven's caretaker, with financial assistance whenever she can. The needs are many and the resources are limited. That is the story of Haiti, my friends. Steven will be back in school when Ti Jean is able to get caught up. He is a good student so he will catch right up once he is back. It is an unfortunate circumstance, but it is what it is.

The bicycle above belongs to one of the construction workers, working on the house. This is his mode of transportation to and from work. It reminds me of a story Judy told me about a Haitian friend of hers who applied for a Visa to visit the United States. He went in for his interview and explained that he was going to the U.S. to visit friends in Florida, New York and Chicago. The interviewer asked him how he planned to get from place to place. He said that was no problem, he was going to ride his bicycle. He was applying to go in the winter. Needless to say, he was not granted his visa. Thank you, come again. He had no idea what the problem was. He travels all over Haiti on his bicycle, it was a good answer he thought. It is what it is.

Here is the project that Troy and Steven were working on. He is building a new layer on a rock wall that is supporting an entire level of the front yard. The previous wall was breaking down. Troy has simply built the new section in front of it and filled it up between them. He has already finished this. It follows along and blends right into the existing wall. He is so awesome!

Here are some more shots. This is the army of children who were sent home from school with Steven. They are from all over the neighborhood, and believe it or not they were having a blast carrying rocks from the back yard to the front yard. It's amazing what passes for fun when there is no Nintendo. Any given trip into town you will see a child pushing a tire rim with a stick. Running behind it as it rolls. It's great fun. There's something that you can tell your kids that is true!

I know it looks like there are child labor issues here, but we could not stop them if we tried. Actually, we did try. They just kept going, so we made sure they were not loading their pales to heavy. We also fed them a good lunch. This went on for three days and they had a great meal every day. It was for a good cause as well. This dirt and rock is going to be used for the building of a house for a Widow and her family. She is being asked to leave her current place of residence, which is nothing more than a tarped enclosure. The original house she rented fell down in a hurricane and her rent had already been paid for the year (by Judy). The landlord couldn't give back the money so he put up the temporary structure for her and her family to live in until her year was up. Here is a picture of them and their current home. Her sister has moved in with her because she had no place to go herself. Her Mother was already living with her, so here they all are. Tisienne is the one in the green outfit. She actually changed her clothes for this picture, she wanted to have on her best outfit.



Judy managed to get a benevolent soul from the U.S. to send money for a new house on the property that belongs to her family, which till now was a field of banana trees. The church we attend here has offered to take on the project of doing the construction for free. The money being sent will pay for the supplies. I am just sorry that we will not be here to help with it or see it accomplished.


While I'm at it here is a picture of Ti Jean, his wife and the children that live with them. Well, not all of the children a few of them were not home from school yet. Ti Jean is in the hat and his wife is the one with the curlers in her hair. Judy is the one on the end.




Here are the others. We took their picture when they got home from school. Do you recognize anyone in this picture? Picture her with rocks in her hands. Picture the third one from the left with a pale on his head and a smile on his face. Picture the little guy in red with a shovel in his hands. See the pictures above if I have stumped you. I gave them the lolly pops, so I take credit for ruining the picture. Only one of them is in Uniform. This picture was taken at the very start of the school year, and it was during the grace period for uniforms to be purchased.






And this is Ti Jean's home, which he and his wife have opened to all these children.

In psalm 127 verse 3 it says "Behold children are a heritage from the Lord." In verse 5 it says "Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them." Ti Jean is truly a happy man, how much more is he blessed when he's filled his quiver with orphans and raised a house full of children that are not his own. These are incredible people. As Judy always says "Haitians know how to help Haitians." Thank God for that, but they can all use a little help from those of us who can and are willing.