Rock Pile

Brent Fudge, Director of Back2Back Haiti, has a dream. He dreams of a permanent Back2Back campus in Haiti complete with housing for mission teams, Hope Program students and staff. With his construction background, Brent can already visualize the campus nestled atop a hill overlooking the bay.

“I sketch out my dream plans whenever I have free time,” face beaming as he shares his plans. “I can’t wait to begin the building process someday.”

Up the hill from Grace Emmanuel School and Church, operated by Jesus in Haiti Ministries, lies a plot of land Back2Back Haiti is hoping to purchase for a future permanent campus. Easily accessible by a nearby highway, the land offers panoramic views of the mountains to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east.

B2Bblog_PrayerPile2When visiting teams arrive, a few hours are set aside to tour the prospective land. After arriving to the site and ascending to the top of the hill, the team is met with breathtaking views and a refreshing sea breeze off the bay. While team members walk the land, Brent stoops down, picks up a rock and gathers the team in a circle. Standing near a small rock pile, Brent shares how past teams have walked up the same hill, prayed over the land and placed a rock on the pile, which serves as a tangible reminder of all the prayers offered on behalf of this land and the children who will be served by it.

“Lord, I pray for favor with the land title company.”

“We pray for your provision and wisdom in this process.”

And with that, two more rocks are placed gently on the pile.

B2Bblog_PrayerPileOnly God knows the outcome, but we know He hears the prayers and knows how big that rock pile will be when dreams become reality. In the meantime, Brent will continue to walk up the hill, rock in hand, ready to place another stone upon the prayer pile.

We can learn from Old Testament customs of using rocks to memorialize significant events and God’s provision:
Joshua 4: 5 – 9 (NIV), “Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, 6 to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 7 tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.” 8 So the Israelites did as Joshua commanded them. They took twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, as the LORD had told Joshua; and they carried them over with them to their camp, where they put them down. 9 Joshua set up the twelve stones that had been in the middle of the Jordan at the spot where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant had stood. And they are there to this day.”