The Wisest Man

It is said that King Solomon was the wisest man in the world. As described in 1 Kings, God granted him the gift of wisdom, after appearing to Solomon in a dream. Later in life, Solomon penned the wisdom-ladened book Proverbs, impacting the world forever with nuggets of truth to be learned by generations to come. Perhaps the best known story of his wisdom comes from the judgment of Solomon. It starts with two women coming to him, both claiming to be the child’s mother. Solomon resolved the dispute by ordering the baby to be cut in half and shared between the two. One woman promptly renounced her claim, proving she was the rightful mother with her compassion to give up the child rather than see it killed. With Solomon’s wisdom, many feats were accomplished by Israel to bring honor and glory to Yahweh. Every great culture and organization has men and women with God-given gifts of wisdom leading to meet challenges of the day. Just as Solomon led the Kingdom of Israel in 900 BC, Many Hands is led by a similar man of wisdom, Lumanès Auguste.
“Lumanès is one of the wisest, most practical, and logical men I’ve ever met.“
One of the most surprising and awe-inspiring moments for me is God connecting the MH4H ministry with Lumanès. I was first introduced to Lumanès when he was a Many Hands board member, bravely stepping forward to help guide us in 2014. After examining Lumanès’s heart and his desire to bring Good News to people, he became our first Many Hands Chaplain, going house-to-house to talk to people about life, family, and Jesus. As our Western bias often does, many people think Haitians aren’t intelligent because of their lack of resources and educational opportunities. I can tell you in truth, this is far from the reality I’ve seen first-hand. Lumanès is one of the wisest, most practical, and logical men I’ve ever met. And he is ALWAYS smiling, as he is an ambassador for Christ everywhere he goes. He is warm and welcoming, no matter if it is someone of importance from the government or a poor widow on a dirt floor in a rundown home.
Early on, we noticed Lumanès had such a practical approach in how he would share the Good News with people. Many times, he would speak in parables or stories relatable to the people he was trying to encourage, reprimand, or open a different level of thinking on a matter. After making many visits, Christi complimented him on the way he talked to people. He responded that he liked to use a way of presenting something a person can see and comprehend to help the person understand the things they can’t see or comprehend.

Lumanès explaining what it means to follow Christ
Another time, we were discouraged by all the persecution we were experiencing from a multitude of angles. Rather than using scripture, Lumanès used a Haitian Proverb to help us understand a greater reality at play. The proverb has its origin from the practice many young boys use during mango season. If it is mango season and you are hungry, you may throw a rock at a mango tree to knock a mango to the ground, fresh and ripe for the eating! Lumanès, upon hearing of the persecution we were troubled with, said, “Boys won’t throw rocks at trees that don’t bear fruit.” He went on to explain that the persecution was a sign from God that we were doing good, growing the Kingdom of God. We were bearing fruit and those who were hungry for the fruit, with little work of actually growing it, would throw rocks at us! These are priceless reminders from God through a sixty-year-old man grounded in his Father’s wisdom.

Lumanès during a home visit
Just recently, Lumanès brought an issue up to our senior leadership, as he saw a potential problem down the road for Many Hands with a particular practice. This practice was outside his area of responsibility, but because he loves the organization and the people within it, he felt he needed to share. He started with saying in scripture, as long as the person approaches another person with truth and honesty to share a corrective remark in a loving way, that is all the person making the statement is responsible for. It is not the responsibility of the one giving the correction or advice for the other party to obey or follow said advice. He was doing his duty according to scripture to say the potential problem. He ended

Lumanès leading in prayer
God gave us a gift when He called Lumanès to work for Many Hands. We are a much stronger, much wiser organization because of the knowledge shared by Lumanès. As it states in Romans 12, we are all given spiritual gifts to use in the body of Christ. Lumanès has the spiritual gift of wisdom and uses it for God’s glory each and every day. When he preaches in church, he does so with such enthusiasm, one can’t help but pay attention. Even those from the U.S., who attend church and can’t understand a word of Creole, come away feeling a touch of the Father. What a blessing to share with the world!

Many Hands for Haiti stands on the shoulders of Lumanès Auguste, who humbly blesses the world with God-given wisdom, grounded in truth, grace, and love. I recently talked to Christi about Lumanès and asked her thoughts on this subject. She said, “You always feel important and special when being addressed by Lumanès.” Lumanès helps people walk a little taller, run a little farther, and love a little deeper because he touches them in a special way. We are forever changed in a God-way by his presence in our organization. For this, we praise God, as we truly are better together!


I’m With You
Many Hands stands on the shoulders of Tim and Lucia Van Maanen, whose sacrificial “I’m with you” spirit forever set our organization on God’s path.
Angel Among Us
Many Hands for Haiti stands on the shoulders of Pastor Francois Romelus, who is our angel on earth, gently guiding us with wisdom, courage, and love.
Love Them With the Love of Jesus
Many Hands for Haiti stands on the shoulders of Karmen Brown, who shows us how to love others with the love of Jesus.

BRING FAMILIES OUT OF POVERTY
