New Bibles For Prayer Meeting

Every Wednesday at 1:00 available staff at HAFF get together for an all-staff prayer meeting. Different members of the group take on various roles: someone for opening and closing prayer, someone to read the scripture and give a short devotion, someone to choose songs and lead singing.

The group has become more intimate as we have started asking for individual prayer requests and not just prayed for branches of our own ministry, other local ministries, community needs and prayers for Haiti and its government.

Recently 2 churches donated a dozen Bibles to HAFF and 2 of these went to our prayer meeting group. Our employees love to read along while the scripture is read aloud. Several prayer meeting attendees can’t read but we could still use a few more Bibles for the rest to share with each other during prayer meeting.

One other donated Bible went to augment the one at school since we have daily devotions going in two separate rooms, and one went to the clinic where our nurse sometimes counsels patients from the Bible. The other 8 were taken by the members of the Executive Team to use where God led them. A few years ago a gift was provided so we could give a Bible to each family among our staff. People received them joyously. A few staff did not receive them that year and a few have since had them stolen or have lost them (like the one that landed in a bucket of water when a five yr old went to show his friend the family photo album up high on the shelf where the Bible is kept “for safety”).

These staff members have requested more Bibles and all our staff are eagerly hoping that we can provide each family with a copy of Chants d'Esperance, the local hymn book someday, too. It is a great source of consolation in times of hardship, and a little easier to read than the Bible due to the great familiarity of the songs which are sung each week.

One of the favorite songs from Chants d'Esperance is number 28 in the French section (there is also a Creole section and multiple added sections). The first verse and chorus of number 28 go like this (English translation follows)and show how it brings great comfort to the people in their times of hardship.

Mon seul appui, c'est l'Ami Céleste, Jésus seul! Jésus seul!
Les on s'en vont, cet Ami me reste, Jésus seul! Jésus seul!

Cet Ami connait mes alarmes, Son amour guérit ma douleur;
Sa main essuie toutes mes larmes, Doux Sauveur! Doux Sauveur!

My only support, is the Celestial Friend, Jesus alone! Jesus alone!
In this one Friend I remain, Jesus alone! Jesus alone!

This Friend knows my alarms, His love cures my pain;
His hand dries all my tears, Sweet Savior! Sweet Savior!