When asked if I would write an article on the theme “testify boldly” I quickly replied “yes”. After having agreed to do it, I asked myself two questions:
“What does it mean to testify boldly?” and,
“What does testifying boldly look like?”
There are many ways to testify boldly – not only with words but with deeds.
James
2:17 reads: “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”
One example that comes to mind is Father Bruno whose ministry St. Andrew’s supports in northeastern Haiti. If you’ve never met this man, well, you’re in for a real blessing. Father Bruno has been quietly making a huge difference in the lives of whole communities in northeastern Haiti for 30 years.
This relationship began about 30 years ago when St. Andrew’s chose to give a 10th of its capital building campaign to Father Bruno to build his first of six schools. That amounted to $50,000 that helped complete a vocational school in Cap-Haitien. Some of the graduates of the vocational school are now in leadership positions of the Haitian government and leaders in their local communities.
Over the years, Father Bruno has experienced various hurdles yet his faith and patience never waivered. While many of his family members moved to the U.S., he has remained faithful to
his calling to help the poor in Haiti.
After the vocational School in Cap-Haitien, Father Bruno established Montessori schools in Cap-Haitien, Limonade, Trou du Nord, and the latest school in Terrier Rouge. St. Andrew’s alone is sponsoring 124 scholarships.
Father Bruno’s dream has evolved into a holistic plan for the entire Terrier Rouge community that includes:
● A K-8 Montessori school and an adult literacy program
● A biomass energy project to produce charcoal more efficiently from sustainable plant growth that will also enhance the local economy, and
● A health clinic for the community
Father Bruno is truly a person that, in his unique and quiet way, testifies boldly the vision that God has given him. He remains steadfast and faithful to God and in doing so inspires others. A source of daily inspiration for me the past few years has been Oswald Chamber’s My Utmost for His Highest. An excerpt from the devotional for April 16th reads:
“If in a prayer meeting God has shown you something to do, don’t say—“I’ll do it”; … do it! Take yourself by the scruff of the neck and shake off your incarnate laziness. Laziness is always seen in cravings for the high hour; we talk about working up to a time on the mount. We have to learn to live in the grey day according to what we saw on the mount. We must bring our commonplace life up to the standard revealed in the high hour.”
“Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. The man who walks in the dark does not know where he is going. Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become sons of light." - John 12:35-36
May we rejoice in God’s great gift of his son, Jesus, who came to show us how we are to live.
If you are interested in information on sponsoring a child or wish to renew your sponsorship for another year, please email Janet Wheeler.
