“Wisdom is better than weapons of war…” (Part One)

It’s easy to go to war, especially when you have been fighting all your life. But the Bible teaches us that there is one thing better than war… it is called, “WISDOM.”

Ecclesiastes 9:18 says, “Wisdom is better than weapons of war…” It’s easy to get mad and lose our temper; many times, we are really justified in doing that. Someone backs into your car and takes off, or someone gets you in trouble, or you have a neighbor that is driving you crazy! We have all been in these circumstances. We may stay awake all night thinking about how we can “get even.” King David must have gone through this too…

In 1st Samuel 25, we see the story of David and his men running in fear from King Saul. David could have killed King Saul before, but because David said that King Saul was anointed of God, he could not touch God’s anointed. So, this left David and his men running, hiding, and avoiding Saul. They were “renegades” sleeping where they could and eating where someone would give them food. David remembers a man named Nabal. You could say that he was a “good-for-nothing” angry old man. He hated David because Nabal was loyal to Saul. However, David’s men had protected Nabal’s men when they were keeping sheep. The herdsmen robbers came to steal the sheep, but David’s men had chased them off and protected Nabal’s men and sheep.

So, now, David and his men are hungry, and he knows Nabal owes him a favor. David sends his men to ask for food and water; anything he can give them. But when Nabal came out, he yelled at David’s men and humiliated them and said, “Shall I take my bread and water and give it to you? Or my animal meat that I have killed and give it to you for David and his men?” When his men came back and told David, he was furious. David got his men together, put his sword on, and took his 400 men, leaving 200 behind to watch everything! David was headed out to get Nabal with a vengeance! David was on the “warpath!!” David, who slew Goliath with a sling, and killed thousands of Philistines, was now on his horse headed zero to 100, dust flying, and his sword in his hand! He was headed to a foolish man named Nabal, and nothing could save Nabal now. Hundreds of horses were pounding, and dust flew, as David whipped at the horse, and the ground thundered!

But the Bible says that “wisdom is better than weapons of war.” Be sure to read our post tomorrow morning for the “rest of the story!”

Sherry

“For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?”

Listen to these powerful words of Jesus. “Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” Matthew 25: 35 through verse 40

When we feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty, take in a stranger, clothe the naked, visit the sick, and those in prison… we are doing it unto Jesus himself!

Missionary Bobby Burnette

Well, you can see how happy little Jonas is, even when he’s working!! The kids get up early each morning at 4:30 (except Sunday). They go to work, watering the plants and flowers, making beds, sweeping and mopping floors, and “disinfecting” everything for covid! Jonas loves to get everything “squeaky clean!”

Jonas is the precious little boy we rescued from being a “restavek slave.” His mother and father had died and no relatives were around to claim him. He lives so far up in the mountains, that no one would have ever found him. By the grace of God, we were there doing several feeding programs and filming our TV program, when one of our workers noticed this little boy, working hard in the fields with the adults. The little boy was swinging a huge Haitian’s hoe, called, a “wou.” It is so very heavy because it has iron on the bottom to make it heavy, to dig deep into the hard ground. There was Jonas, with the adults in the hot sun. One of our workers went to talk to him and found out he was a “slave child.” He “may” get one meal a day, but many times, nothing. They send him for water, and beat him when he comes back for taking so much time! He explained how he got beatings for just about everything! Right before we got ready to leave, the Lord said, “take him out!” We grabbed him by the hand and put him in our car. The people who owned him were so angry… they kept yelling, “the white people will eat you!” So, Jonas was scared to death!

We took him to Social Services and registered him as a restavek slave child that we would be taking in. Then, he had to have a Birth Certificate. But now, he has adjusted to his big family, his three meals a day, and plenty of love! Jonas is always smiling, and always waiting for a hug!

Because he has never been to school, one of our female workers (a school teacher), has been teaching him each day, the alphabet. It was hard for Jonas to learn how to hold a piece of chalk… after all, the only thing he had ever held, was a “wou,” (that Haitian hoe). Thank you, all of those who sponsor a child! Each life is precious!!! We love Jonas so much, and “Jonas loves hugs!!!!”

Sherry

This precious lady lost her leg when she was in Port-au-Prince during the 2010 earthquake. After that, she moved to the southern coast to Nippes, Haiti. She was there when the second earthquake hit. It is heart-breaking…

We are so thankful to all of you who donated funds for large family tents. So far, we have paid for 1,700 tents. We will be paying for 600 “plus” tents, more. They are coming from the state of Washington. We ordered them direct from the Bass Pro direct factory, (where they make the tents). Hopefully, they will arrive at our office in Florida and then be shipped to Haiti this week. Then, we begin the job of distributing these tents to the worst areas of the earthquake, southern Haiti, and this lady will be receiving one.

Thank you and God bless you, partners, for all your sacrifices!

Bobby and Sherry

“God Gave Him Another Heart.”

How long have you been praying for that loved one? Does it sometimes seem that they are getting “worse,” rather than better? Is it hard for you to see them “as they can be?” Is it hard for you to see them “as the Lord wants them to be?”

My mother was not a Christian when she married my father. He had gone to the service and when he came back, he was “a mean and angry man.” He began drinking and alcohol consumed his life. Later on, my mother became a Christian and was a devout Christian all her life. But, my father was an alcoholic and many times, hard to get along with. Sometimes, when she would take us to church in the winter, he would lock the doors, with snow on the ground. We would often invite my mother and father to go out to lunch, but he would refuse. If we took her out to lunch, he would be pacing up and down the drive, shaking the huge ring of keys he had, ready to “pounce on her,” as soon as we came into the driveway, yelling and cussing because his “dinner was not on the table!”

She prayed for him for years. At one time, he began to go to church, and then, got mad at the deacon board and quit going. But my mother was steadfast in her prayers. She could see him “saved by the Grace by of God!”

My father gave his heart to the Lord, right before he died. He was in his 80’s but “God Gave Him Another Heart.” Never give up! Never quit praying for your son, your daughter, your husband, your wife, your neighbor. Keep on praying! Keep on “seeing them as though they have repented and accepted Jesus!” God will give them “another heart!” Don’t give up! Just keep “praising the Lord” ahead of time!!! Have a blessed day! The answer is on the way!

Sherry

“A Gift in Her Hands.”

It is such a joy to raise a poor child in Haiti and then, see great results. Roselyne is a devout Christian. She gets up “early in the morning,” and begins her day with prayer. She is so helpful, sweet, and kind to everyone. She is now in her second year of Medical College to become a doctor.

When she comes home to Love A Child or has a day off, she is always in the E.R. with Dr. Barthelemy. He is our head doctor. He is the one who encouraged her to become a doctor because she had “that gift” in her hands. We found Roselyne when she was a young girl, in a Mobile Clinic, in Lastik. Her father brought her to us because both her legs were twisted. She had a hard time walking. In addition, she had poor health and was malnourished.

At that time, there was no medical help for her, so we all just prayed. As she grew, her legs became straight! She is now attending a medical college which is in a dangerous area of Haiti, since the gangs have taken over. We pray over her continuously that the Lord will keep His hand on her and our other children, in college.

We ask that you pray for Roselyne and all our Love A Child children, who are attending college in dangerous places in Haiti. God bless you, Sherry