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| MCC Haiti Port-au-Prince staff: (from left) Joseph, Eclane, Fania (center), Muriel, Katharine, Rebecca with MCC consultant Josue (in back) hold our prayer for Haiti derived from a portion of the Lord's prayer. |
In following with the Lord’s Prayer, Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, we explored together what that would look like in our own Haitian context.
I had been encouraged lately to look at the Lord’s Prayer and put it into my own words. In addition to repeating the interpreted words of Jesus that we find in Matthew 6 and Luke 11, why don’t we use Jesus' words as a guide, to help us explore what each phrase, each petition means for us this very today?
When we pray Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven, what do we mean? What would it look like for the Kingdom to come here in Haiti?
Doubtless our list could have been much longer, but we started our Prayer for Haiti at the close of our devotional time, as each staff member shared prayer for the Kingdom to come here in Haiti.
Our prayer (English below):
Chè Papa Dye,
Ede moun k ap fè sa ki byen nan peyi a pou yo pa dekouraje,
Fè tout moun ki ap fè peyi a mal vini a la repantans,
Mete lanmou nan kè tout moun ki trouve nan plas kote y ap pran desizyon pou peyi a,
Mete tout moun ansanm pou elimine tout divizyon ant moun, pou yon sèl ak lòt,
Padonen pep Ayisyen e ede nou fè tout sa ki bon, kòm piti Bondye sou la tè,
Kenbe moun an peyi a ki plis frajile e ba yo esperans,
Pou rekonsiliyasyon ant moun ak Bondye, moun ak moun, moun ak anvironman
Mete SHALOM W an Ayiti
Dear God,
Help those who are doing good in Haiti to not become discouraged,
Bring to repentance those who are doing Haiti ill,
Place love in the hearts of those who are in a position to make decisions for the country,
Bring people together, eliminating divisions in society, to make Haitians one,
Forgive the Haitian people and help us do that which is good as Your children,
Sustain those who are most vulnerable and give them hope,
Bring reconciliation between yourself and people, among people, and between people and their environment,
Bring your SHALOM to Haiti.
Bring to repentance those who are doing Haiti ill,
Place love in the hearts of those who are in a position to make decisions for the country,
Bring people together, eliminating divisions in society, to make Haitians one,
Forgive the Haitian people and help us do that which is good as Your children,
Sustain those who are most vulnerable and give them hope,
Bring reconciliation between yourself and people, among people, and between people and their environment,
Bring your SHALOM to Haiti.
Amen.
Amen. and now to exchange the "place" named Haiti in the prayer for the place named Philadelphia... :-) So powerful !
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