Friday

I'm glad I'm taking the time to update things. I have been overwhelmed by the people who have been reading this...humm...maybe I'd better watch what I am saying. People who don't know me may not understand some of my things. But I was told a blog is where you can just let your feelings talk to others. Boy, have you all been getting an ear full, huh? But I do know that so many want to hear about things here, even when we are discouraged, so they can pray. And I thank each and every one of you who are praying, not only for us, but for Haiti. God can use this awful catastrophe to bring people around to Him. I keep going back to scripture and remember God can use ANYTHING for His glory, if we simply LET Him. So my prayer is: God, take this whole situation and turn it around. You can heal hearts and hurts. You can bring peace to hearts where they are in turmoil. You can comfort where there seems no help. Lord, you are the God of the universe and you can take our lives and make them into something great for you. Be with all of our brothers and sisters who are suffering and give them hope. Take those who don't know you, and move their hearts toward you. Let your light shine in their lives. Be with Haiti. Surround Haiti with your love and care and let people see how much you love them. In the Holy and Precious Name of Your Son, Jesus, Amen.

And yes, God IS in control. The horror of the earthquake itself is over, but now the aftermath is setting in. People in Port are desperate and hurting. And these feelings are turning some to violence and lawbreaking. But put yourself in their place. If you or your family were tossed about, your home destroyed, your livelihood gone, everything you owned laying in rubble, your dreams turned to dust and now you have gone days without food or water, and you may be injured...where would YOU be? I don't know...I would pray I could act in a godly way, but when children are involved, I might turn to these things, too. So, prayers need to be going up constantly for this suffering humanity. A lot of help is coming in, but we are dealing with over a MILLION people, and trying to get through to them, when roads are blocked with debris, yes, even bodies, it's REALLY HARD to get help to the people. Then the gangs of thugs, and those in desperate situations stop anything moving to get help or whatever they have. It is chaos. So, not only the people of Haiti, but those trying to help them need a lot of prayers.

We have heard that the hospital here in Cap has a lot of wounded here now. I have NO idea how they got them here, but this hospital is filling up. So, the exodus from Port is in force now.

MFI has been bringing in supplies, under very difficult circumstances, but they have come in, and are taking many of the people desperate to get out back to the states. AGAIN, MFI is "Standing In The Gap" for not only missionaries, but for hurting humanity. Keep MFI in your prayers. And if the Lord leads, help them ship the needed supplies to Haiti. Their site is on the right of this page. You can get more news on what is going on by checking out their site, too.

MFI flew toward Haiti yesterday but could land, so had to overnight on one of the islands. This morning they flew again, but ended up landing in Cap. By the time we got there with the huge truck they needed for those supplies, they were cleared to land in Port, so they went on. Two trips on these roads...whew...a nightmare. But we'd do it again to help them help others.

So many have offered to come and help. Talking to other missionaries, they are getting calls from teams wanting to come and help. Let me share what one missionary wrote. It is very insightful.

From Rodney and Cathy Fitzsimmons....
"We received this note from an international aid organization. 'It would be unwise for anyone but the most skilled first response disaster people with security to enter the impact area.' "

We know people want to come and help, but at times like these, with things so uncertain, it is best to leave things in the hands of the professionals. We are seeing that even here in the north. Those who want to help, but do not have the right training, can cause even more problems for the rescue workers. And now when things are tense and people are so on edge, it's best to simply wait. But EVERYONE can pray. Seeking the Lord and petitioning Him for intercession is what is desperately needed right now.

Not only are we busy with this desperate situation, but we have a team here. They are really troupers. They came to do several things, but the problems have stopped some of them. They did hold the pastors conference. What a blessing to so many pastors. Pastor Codo told me today that those who attended were so inspired and helped in many ways. It all comes back to the fact that they can't teach their people what they have never been taught. And these conferences are giving them the insight and knowledge to do just that. I hope tomorrow I will be able to post some photos of the team's time here so far. I don't have photos of the disaster, but don't need them. You can get them all over the Internet. We needed some light in this darkness, and the team has done that. Life DOES go on, even when some wish it didn't . So we need to prepare the leaders to minister to the hurting souls. Praise God for willing pastors and teachers who are willing to come and share God's wisdom.

Okay, long enough for tonight. Have to get to work on some of the other things now. Work never ceases, and time doesn't stop. Keep praying, and yes, keep praising God for all of the miracles He has performed already in Haiti. And remember, when thinking of the hurting, discouraged souls here, "There but for the Grace of God, go I (and you)."