There is Power in the Name of Jesus to Break Every Chain and Move Every Mountain

Hi there, this is Chris Mason.

Our last night in Haiti was one that I will never forget. There was heartache and suffering but at the end of the day my heart felt rejuvenated with all of the joy and peace I felt. God’s spirit was present. He was working in each and every one of us. Giving us the opportunity to walk through the door He had opened. And we did. With this being my third trip to Haiti, I wasn’t sure what to expect. But just like every other trip I have been on, I made the decision to go in with no expectations except for the fact that God would be present and do way more than I could ever imagine.

We made our way back to General Hospital for a second time this week. At General Hospital, we experienced young children fighting for their lives. Some of them had parents some of them did not. One of the hardest parts for me, was not knowing what was going to happen to them. But to see my team love on these kids while a few of us played music over them and prayed for them, gave me the small ounce of hope that I needed.

As we left the children, we made are way to an area where adults were staying. The conditions were tragic. People using fabrics as thin as paper for mattresses and people crying out in desperation because they were in so much pain. People were struggling, but God opened up the door to serve and comfort these people. And so we did. As we played music, our team overcame all fears and discomfort and just massaged the people with lotion. To give you some perspective, these are people who are never visited. They lay on this concrete floor every day in pain and agony with no one to comfort or love them. People are encouraged to not even touch those who are in this room. But we walked through the door and we did it. The people loved it. They were overcome with joy that we would humble ourselves enough to touch them and serve them. Jesus did it, why shouldn’t we? When we love as radically as Jesus did, lives our changed. As we played music, those who were able, were clapping and yelling with joy. It was beautiful to worship them. And as we left, we left with discomfort and sadness not knowing what was going to happen to these people. But even with that, we knew they were in God’s hands and we were so thankful to walk through the door and serve them. Even if it was just for an hour, those people were loved. I left with a sense of hope.

As we came to our last night in Haiti, we had the opportunity to do a little worship service at Grace Church on Sunday night and we got to play with the Grace Church band. We worshipped, people from the community performed and we had the opportunity to hear an amazing message that led people to Christ and then we worshipped some more.  It was unreal!

During worship our drummer Mike got to play drums, our guitar player Zack played cajon and tambourine, I played acoustic and our vocalists sang along side some wonderful people that sing at Grace Church each week. The rest of the band was filled with musicians from Grace. The electric guitarists were shredding all night long! It was a party.

It was so great to just sit back and experience the way that they do things all of time. We were able to just step in and support them. It didn’t matter that I didn’t have a mic. It didn’t matter that Zack didn’t get to play guitar, it didn’t matter that Mike didn’t know some of the songs. What mattered is that we were all there for one purpose, to worship Jesus. We allowed the Holy Spirit to work in us that evening and that changed everything.

 By playing with their band we were able to come together and play as a collective. Worshipping one God in both Creole and English.

To see hundreds of Haitians and Americans worshipping together just overwhelmed my soul. As I looked out, there were many different people in the crowd. U.S. missionaries, Healing Haiti workers, elderly who have no family left, orphans and young women who were once in slavery but now are free and alive. Even though every one of those people had difficult circumstances in their lives, they did not allow those circumstances to dictate the strength of their relationship with God.

We sang words like,” Savior, He can move the mountains. My God is mighty to Save, He is Mighty to save” or “Take me as you find me ALL of my fears and failures. Fill my life again” What if we believed in every season of life that our God could move the mountains that are in front of us? Because I truly believe that even though the people of Haiti have been through so much, they believe that Jesus can move the mountains that are in front of them. They continue to worship God no matter what is going on around them because they know that there is a greater reward in heaven. And when we have a perspective like that, it changes everything.

Josue, who works for Healing Haiti, led the worship service and he asked everyone, “ What is that mountain that is in front of you today? Because there is hope in Jesus Christ and He can move that mountain that is front of you today. For there is power in the name of Jesus, to break every chain and move every mountain.” I am pretty sure God longs for us to believe that He can move every mountain.

As we ended the night, the band ended with one last song. “Go Jesus, Go Jesus, Go!” (Think ninja turtles, go ninja, go ninja, go) Everyone in the place went crazy, jumping around and dancing. I left the stage and joined in on the fun with a group of young Haitian boys. As I jumped around, singing and dancing, I couldn’t help but smile. This was a small glimpse of what Heaven would be like, A big party where people from all nations come together, dance, jump and scream at the top of their lungs, “Go Jesus, Go Jesus, Go!”  Because at the end of the day that is what it’s all about. Jesus. It was a moment I will never forget as we just jumped and celebrated who God was.

So as we prepare to leave, I am leaving with a rejuvenated spirit. I am heading home with a fresh new perspective on what it means to allow the Holy Spirit to work in us. I am leaving thankful to know the people I have met here in Haiti. I am leaving knowing that there is power in the name of Jesus that can break EVERY chain and move EVERY mountain. God opened the door, I walked through it and it changed everything.