By Bryan Daniels
Blogger at Chiefoftheleast
I remember Juan.
He was a retired Puerto Rican doctor in his seventies who spent his retirement pouring out his life for the people in the slums of Caguas. His mission house fed the poor a warm
lunch everyday and provided free healthcare to the community. He worked like a young man in his prime when he wielded a machete to clear the land for a new mission down the road. He greeted virtual strangers with a smile, a hug, and maybe even a kiss on the cheek.
When asked how much money he needed for repairs on the mission house, Juan beseeched our group,
“You Americans always send money and think that is the cure. We don’t need money, we need missionaries!”
I remember Peter.
He was a middle aged Romanian man who served the youth in one of the few Protestant churches in Timişoara. We stood on a Romanian hillside overlooking the retreat building our group was staying at for the week. Peter beamed with pride as he testified about the building: twenty years ago this was a Communist schoolhouse built to indoctrinate children in name of Marxism. Now it is a Christian camp center dedicated to love children in the name of Jesus Christ.
At the end of our last service at the camp, our American group decided to wash the feet of the Romanian children and adult workers (John 13). One woman, a kitchen helper and parent of a youth, wept uncontrollably as she had her feet washed. When asked what she was so moved by, she said:
“You being Americans, wash our feet!”
I was touched.
And part of me grieved.
Why would Americans be on a undeserving pedestal in this woman’s mind?
I wondered what influence the “American” gospel had on her. Even third world countries are reached by the satellite tentacles of TBN, Daystar, 700 Club, etc. How is a malnourished Indian kid who eats dirt brownies supposed to process a purple haired lady sitting on a golden throne asking for money?
Editor’s Note: I just met Bryan Daniels today. I literally bumped into his blog and read this post. I thought it was profound and meaningful. I asked Bryan if I could re post it
here on For His Glory. Bryan says he’s “a budding husband, father, teacher, student, coach and friend.” From what I read on his blog, he’s got a sense of humor (I won’t qualify the type of sense of humor yet. I don’t know that much about him.) Check out the picture of his family. You’ll see he’s wearing a cheesy woman’s Christmas sweater. He’s wearing it on purpose. For a good laugh click here to read his account of how the cheesy sweaters for the family’s Christmas photo came about. His post here is serious business, though, and I know you’ll be blessed as you read Bryan sharing his heart with us. Visit his blog at chiefoftheleast for more of Bryan’s insightful writing.
How is a poor Haitian boy who witnessed his parents die after a sudden earthquake supposed to process a rich old white man who says God judged his nation because of its religious history?
Was it even the prosperity gospel the Romanian heard?
Or was it the gospel of American pride/nationalism even some of my Baptist brethren preached?
Our American heritage said we were a city set on hill, their heritage said they were a slumdog languishing in the valley.
What she needed to hear was this: She was a precious child of God, a beloved bride, a chosen saint in a Kingdom without end. Everyone in that room was on equal footing; we were all crippled by our sin until God stooped down to us in Christ and lifted us up.
We weren’t Romanian brethren and American brethren. We were brothers and sisters, period. Blood bought adopted kids with the same Father. We were joined with an unbreakable bond that transcended culture or language.
Though our pasts are diversified, our future will be unified in one glorious end. This will be the utter death of all our pet gospels:
After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. (Revelation 7:9)
For His Glory 
Having lived and worked in Haiti I wish to respectfully respond to the comment about the Haitian child whose father was killed in the earth quake. First, he needs to hear and see demonstrated that Jesus loves him and cares deeply about him. While I do not believe that the earthquake was God’s judgement on Haiti, I do believe it is the direct result of the decision the country made (and recorded in secular history books) to make a pact with the devil in order to overthrow the French rule. They made that pact and Haiti’s history since has been one of poverty and violence, the worst of that between Haitians themselves. Haitian’s deserve to know that their ancestors paid an awful price for “freedom” that has ravaged their country. Voodoo is the national religion of the nation, not Catholicism, and informing Haitians that their problems have spiritual roots which need to be dealt with before any real change occurs is doing them a favor. To not gently tell them the truth is akin to a doctor refusing to tell his patient the nature and cure for their disease because it might offend them. The above position is also held by many Haitians who are much harder on their homeland than I could ever be.
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Fantastic message that we must somehow get into our thick Christian American minds. I see Bryan is about to venture to his own (dot)org site. Thanks for keeping the authentic gospel before us Steven. It’s urgent. Blessings
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Thank you, Mike. Yes, I look forward to reading more of Bryan’s stuff. Have you seen his writing? Here’s a link to his current blog if you’re interested. http://www.chiefoftheleast.com/
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