Let My Voice Be Heard

My pearls cast before swine seeking to soil my soul
Breaking up headstones of my ancestors
Sowing seeds of discord and deceit,
Disillusioned youth sit idly by as right and wrong fade into obscurity
As rights
Fade into obscurity

Unaware of the cost
Hard fought and wrenching tears of my great-grandmother
Taking a long walk home instead of a back seat
So we could dine inside
Making the front doors and seats of this nation ours

Hours pass as we wait words of comfort
For mothers whose only induction in this movement
Come through injustice and loss

And justice is loss
Out of reach for those who can't pay
But haven't we paid enough
This nation's soil soaked with the blood of slaves
Never offered an option on a middle passage that tore them from home and country
Language and identity

How can we be anything but American? When we never had a say
And now I say
Rise up and take the land that your fathers toiled
Change has come 
Cooke's prophesy,
Martin's dream,
Malcolm's zeal
Poured out on this people
Our people
Your people

We hold these truths to be self evident that ALL men
Never meant me
My sons, my daughter
So I refuse to stay silent
Til equality rings loud as wisdom in His word
In a nation desperate for change
Let my voice be heard
Let my vote be counted

E. Glover, 2016

Dreams

Longing whispers deep into dark spaces of my mind
Secluded and void of contact
they wither
Like fruit left out on a summer's day
The sweetest honey becomes grapes sour enough to pucker
lips left unkissed
Hands unheld grow cold
Touch a fading memory
Like Polaroid cameras and cds
Outdated and useless
Is love without sacrifice
Committed only to selfish ambition
Dreams crushed under the weight
The wait
Too long
I long
Til my dream's nothing more than an apparition
Til resentment is all I have left

Midnight ramblings

Ever find yourself mindlessly roaming social media at the wee hours of the morning. Well maybe that's just me...checking up the happenings with old friends and acquaintances I'm always promising to keep in touch with but never seem to...smiling at the funny videos they post or commiserating with them over some twice removed calamity. Then it starts to creep up on me...you know it. That familiar feeling that everyone else seems to be moving forward in life yet you feel like a hamster on the wheel going nowhere fast. Jealousy creeps in at the sight of engagements and weddings or the new homes and fancy vacations those less encumbered are enjoying, meanwhile you stretch out your work day to take care of home and barely squeeze in an hour (particularly this LATE hour) to unwind. So what do you do at that point, what do I do? Does the desire to covet lead me to destruction...it certainly can. I've learned from others mistakes a quite of few of my own that just because it looks good doesn't mean it's beneficial.

So what I do is this...first sip a warm cup of tea (always puts me to sleep), then offer all of this up to God with the acknowledgement that he is the ULTIMATE authority. If I had taken the road "frequently traveled" I would never have the opportunity to enjoy the scenery, to bask in the light of God's glory lighting my path, his voice leading me onward when its all I have left. He knows what I need when I need it...I've gotta trust him. Be blessed and encouraged.


"The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it." -1 Thessalonians 5:24

Words On A Page (Poem)

Words on a page

Why is it always so hard to love?

Hard to hope

Hard to believe

Hard to bear and endure

Why couldn’t life be like a movie script?

Written and directed by us

Starring the greatest moments of our existence

And missing all those memories we wish we could edit away

Our first crush, there                                                   

Our first kiss, there

Our first heartbreak, gone

Love in itself is a mystery

To care more for others than self is beyond our sinful nature

But it is through receiving God’s love

That we learn to give it away

You must first learn to love yourself

As you are

As God made you to be

And then most importantly to love him

Above All things

To be content with Him alone

For He IS love

To believe that he will withhold no good thing from us

We must willingly lose what we have

To gain all that he has for us

For his plan is flawless

See He decides the when, where and how

We just decide to follow

To obey Him even when it hurts

Even when we don’t want to let go

To choose walk alone with God is no easy task

To trust that he will guide you in His perfect will

Sounds simple

But these growing pains, they’re real

Lord you’ re stretching much more than my faith

Developing in me perseverance, character and hope

Still at times I feel like I’m walking through a desert with only a mirage ahead of me

And the sandstorm I left on my heels

Time after time I’ve prayed that you would send someone to complete me

To lift me when I’m feeling low

To hold me when I’m too weak to walk this road

To hear my pleas and console my fears

To dry my tears

To love me, deeply

Without condition

Imperfect as I am

It’s at those times that your answer is

I already have

Your word declares that I need not be afraid

Because you live with me

You are my savior

You delight in me with gladness

With your love, you calm all my fears

And when I find myself like Paul

Begging you to remove this thorn in my flesh

You gently whisper to me

That your grace is all I need

That your power works best in my weakness

So I look not at the troubles I see before me

But fix my eyes upon the things I cannot

For these trouble are passing

Much like this life

But the promise I have in you is for all eternity.

©2008 Elaine Glover

Counting down...

Counting down the days until these humbled feet touch down on Haitian soil.
Counting down the hours until these grateful hands can serve the Haitian people.
Counting down the minutes until these opened eyes can capture the beauty of the land that you've created and the people that you lived, died and rose again to life for.
Counting down the seconds until this heart is so overwhelmed by you that I cannot imagine that you have chosen me to reach this precious land, these people that you treasure...Lord let me not take lightly one moment, not miss one opportunity to show your love...feels like I'm coming home...

Ayiti jan m 'renmen ou. Ayiti ki jan mwen te rate ou 
(Haiti how I love you, Haiti how I've missed you)

Fundraising updates!

I hope all is well and want to start off by thanking everyone for their continued support and prayer for the missions trip. I've learned that I'm almost halfway towards reaching my goal of $1,520.00 and with just a little more than a month left to fundraise (May 25th is the deadline) I'm certain that God will provide. When I first learned of this opportunity I joyfully proclaimed "I'm going." As a parent of three it's easier said than done, but God has made the way before to allow me to minister abroad. This time of preparation has allowed me to grow closer to God and the teammates I will serve with in Cap-Haitien, Haiti through our team meetings, fundraising events and fellowship. I'm so thankful for all of the love and support God has surrounded me with. I'm also thankful for the leadership in place that challenges us to go deeper in our walk with God and the understanding of task ahead of us. I pray that God will continue to bind us together as we get closer to our trip date.

I also pray that you would prayerfully consider supporting myself and our teams efforts either through donating items to be sold at our upcoming flea market at Harvest Fields Community Church (May 3rd & 4th) or stopping by those two days to peruse our flea market or donating directly towards this effort to Harvest Fields Community Church , 2626 East Tremont Avenue Bronx, NY 10475. If you would like your fundraising to go directly towards meeting my personal goal please be sure to include my name in the notation or Haiti Missions Trip to support the team as a whole.

Finally, as we enter into this weekend and reflect upon the sacrifice that Jesus Christ gave for us on Calvary I cannot help but be overwhelmed by his willingness to give us everything so that we can receive the miracle of salvation and reconciliation.  I'm humbled that He would come down from  heaven, live and suffer for my sake, die for my sin and raise to life just so that I can be raised to new life alongside with Him. It is His love that calls me onward...that drives me to continue running this race. He still reigns in my heart, mind and soul...He reigns!

Peace and blessings,

Elaine G.

From My Heart to Yours...Haiti

6 “No, this is the kind of fasting I want:

Free those who are wrongly imprisoned;

lighten the burden of those who work for you.

Let the oppressed go free,

and remove the chains that bind people.

7 Share your food with the hungry,

and give shelter to the homeless.

Give clothes to those who need them,

and do not hide from relatives who need your help.

8 “Then your salvation will come like the dawn,

and your wounds will quickly heal.

Your godliness will lead you forward,

and the glory of the LORD will protect you from behind.

9 Then when you call, the LORD will answer.

‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply.” –Isaiah 58:6-9

When the cameras have gone and the troves of relief dissipate to just a few committed groups of people focused on Haiti’s renewal, I will still be there. My heart is buried deep beneath the untouched rubble found in parts of Port-Au-Prince. Four years have passed yet the slightest sight or mention of the devastation experienced in Haiti is a constant reminder of the need for action. Action that removes the chains that bind people. Action that removes the chains that have bound a people. Yes, Haiti has long since won its independence, yet it remains imprisoned to poverty. Shackled to disease. And so, my heart still breaks…because His heart still breaks. It breaks for His people, His chosen, redeemed and beloved. So as I prepare to once again venture into the nation of Haiti that I so love and cherish, it is my prayer that God will prepare me, prepare the team of 12 from HFCC to embody the call to fast for Haiti.

For some this may mean abstaining from food, social media or a favorite TV show. For me it’s committing to not eating out on my lunch hour and instead eating homemade food or fasting altogether until I have met my fundraising goal. It means dedicating that time to doing his will whether it is reading his word, writing a blog like this, researching ideas for this mission’s trip or just listening in silence for His voice. I’m sharing this because I want all of you to hold me accountable. I believe that whatever it is we fast it ought to be a sacrifice, reminding me of when King David built an altar to the Lord to stop the destruction of Israel on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite and his words “…I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” (2 Sam. 24)We are called to sacrifice to fulfill his plan. No it’s not easy to leave behind your family, to go to a foreign place and submit to doing whatever God has for you to do. It is faith that must keep you even as you wait upon God to see how He will meet your fundraising goals. It is the sacrifice that he is looking for…fasting, prayer and faith that will break chains, bind up wounds, heal, feed and clothe the hungry. For some it may be easy to just write the check and go on a mission’s trip, for me that is not an option…even if I could. Because God will supply all my needs. In His richness of glory, He already has. And how could I not offer him everything when he has given me everything. My family, my job, my dreams, my goals…all laid down upon that altar for Him. Let our sacrifice pleasing to Him; let us humbly accept this call to go forward in His name.

If you would like to help my meet my goal for this trip here are some ways to support me:

1. Prayer!!
2. Donations can be sent on my behalf to HFCC at: (Please include Haiti Missions - Elaine Glover in the notation)

           Harvest Fields Community Church

           2626 East Tremont Avenue

           Bronx, NY 10475

3. More Prayer!!

 Blessings,

Elaine G.