A few pictures

Hello to all,

I thought I'd add a few photos here to let you see what Haiti is now looking like over a month after the storms have passed. It's so sad. These photos were taken by Haitians who went down for two different missions. The people who went were so saddened by what is still unlivable conditions. I'll explain what some of these are....

If you look close at this first picture, you can see the man evidently dug out the dishes for their home. The woman is washing them in that filthy water. Next to him, the dirty ones, next to her, the "clean" ones.
This next photo is amazing. That is a container turned upside down on that wall. That had to be HUGE force to do that!! Also note, the gates are standing, but the wall is about gone.
Now remember this is over a month AFTER the storms had finished with their destruction. This WAS a road...now a river with vehicles piled up.
You can see the path of destruction in this one...nothing left at all.
This WAS the only road to the north...simply gone.
You can see the need to pray is still very evident. The people will be a LONG time trying to rebuild what they lost, if they ever can. We praise God for the help we have received to help those we can. Some in Gonaives, some who are trying to relocate and find a new life.

Today (Sunday) we had a very good service in English Bible Fellowship. Our speaker was Pastor Saint Ange Monestime. He is a dynamic Haitian pastor who shares his heart in his messages. He used 1 Peter 5:5-7. His two points were to develop an attitude of humility and develop an attitude of trust and faith. He expounded on these very clearly and it was a great encouragement for everyone. And through it all, he stressed we can count on a caring God.

One upscale thing that has happened. We checked our empty LP tanks and found one full. I think the Lord must have done that...we didn't have one. But we sure are praising God for it being there. Isn't He Good???

Well, time to shut down the generator and get some rest. You all have a super great week. spend some of it serving the Lord, okay?

Isaiah 49: 16 ""See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands: your walls are ever before me."

Our own flood

Hello to everyone,

Well, what a day it's been. Don left very early this AM to make some deliveries. And I thought it was going to be an easy day and try to catch up on some work here. Abbie sort of keeps the work down to a minimum, but I did do some of the "left behind" work that needed doing. Then this afternoon, our watchman, and yardman came over. I figured the yard man came for his pay, but the watchman I wasn't sure about. They were both very excited and I had a hard time understanding both of them talking at once. Finally, I figured out they were saying they heard water running in the dorm. I grabbed the keys and started running over there. Water was rushing out UNDER the door. I had a hard time getting it open and getting in. I was ankle deep in water and saw a fountain flowing from a pipe under the kitchen sink. It had thrown bottles of cleaner and all sorts of things into the dining room. I yelled for the watchman to run and turn off the water. Then just stood there. The kitchen, living room and dining room were all flooded big time. I made a quick call to Don to get home...he said maybe 2 hours and he'd be here. It ended up being almost 5 hours before he came. I called Vero and had her get one of our girls over to help. Both Toto (our watchman) and Pepe (our yardman) helped use brooms, cardboard boxes, and whatever we could find to push the water out the door. Leah, one of our workers, came right away and started working on it, too. Even Abbie helped, well, sort of. I praise God the water didn't go into the bedrooms, although we couldn't figure out why it didn't. We had a REAL mess to clean up. We ended up tipping up the stove, to get the water out from the inside, moved all the furniture, and kept sweeping for an hour and a half. Then the girls started mopping up what they could from that point on. It is still seeping out from under the cupboards. The living room furniture has wet bottoms. Tomorrow we will put some of the things outside to try and dry them out. Nope, pipe isn't fixed. Don got home too late. But praise God we had a shutoff valve for just the dorm. The yard looks almost as bad as when we had the heavy rains. Even some of the people that come, looked in and decided no way would they get help today. What a fun time!!!

Still waiting on word on the container. Our broker said this AM that he still thinks Monday is a go. We'll see. Keep praying.

I am going to try and figure out how to download some pictures from my phone here. I took a couple at the airport on Tuesday and we laughed and laughed. This was the second time we saw this, and I finally realized I did have the camera on the phone. (I'm not very technically literate, so don't use it). They ran out of fuel for running the things at the airport. Well, they got a 55 gallon drum. With a hose, transferred the fuel to 5 gallon cans. Then, using one of the cones they put around the planes (so you don't get too close), they turned that dirty thing over, put it in the gas tank and poured fuel into the holding tank. The remark, from another missionary, "Well, we're in Haiti!!"

I am going to close and try to accomplish some work yet tonight before power is off.

You all have a super great evening and day tomorrow. Keep Jesus at the front of all things!!

A super article on Haiti

Good morning,

Don came across an article this morning that is so well written and so true, he wanted to share it with anyone who has Internet access. It is much too long to put here, but it is a great article that puts things in the right perspective on Haiti. Please take the time to go there and read it. This gal did a fantastic job.

http://www.californiaaggie.com/article/1392

You may have to copy/paste it to your browser.

Don's been "under the weather" for a few days. Our doctor came in on the plane yesterday with his family. They stopped on the way home to see Don. He has dehydrated, so Steve has him on some re-hydrating drinks, but other than that, he is on the up swing now.

We've seen that fuel is coming in more and more, so we pray that situation is lessening. But propane gas has not made an appearance yet, and that is a very needed item for the mission community. Pray with us that it comes in very soon.

MFI had a good flight in yesterday and brought some needed supplies. They are flying two special flights today and tomorrow with relief supplies for Gonaives. We will also have our regular flight tomorrow. They are really working hard to help the storm victims...keep them in prayer, too.

With some money received yesterday, we were able to help 3 families last night with food. Two of the families are still in Gonaives and one has been displaced here in our area. The needs are so great!!! But God is working out help through some wonderful people. Thanks to all who have sent help!!!

Okay, back to work. Keep our son and daughter-in-law in prayer. There may be a breakthrough in their adoption process. We are praying there is and that it will be very soon.

Till we talk again. Keep your eyes on Jesus.

The container

Hello,

Just a quick note. The container was inspected today. They say we may get the container next Monday. Pray for that, and pray that the cost is reasonable, for Haiti, that is. We are rejoicing that the inspection did take place.

Keep praying....

Monday morning

Good morning,

What a great day. English church yesterday was such an uplift. We always appreciate visiting pastors who are willing to teach. But yesterday was "one of our own" missionaries. Tom has a great sense of humor and a great knowledge of the Bible. I cannot relay word for word what he shared, but I can relate the idea he presented. They had been in north America for a couple of months. When they returned, one of his trusted workers was telling him about a Jackie Chan movie. He said, "Why do we Haitians put such stock in karate and in Jackie Chan? His movies are not true. He has a fight with 200 men and he WINS! This is not true." Well, Tom is not a Jackie Chan/karate fan. But he told this man, let's look at the Bible on this. And he went to 2 Samuel 23:8 - 11, and read the story of David and his 3 companions. In verse 8b, it reads, "Josheb-Basshebeth, a Tahkemonite, was chief of the Three; he raised his spear against eight hundred men, whom he killed in one encounter." Then Tom went on to other incidents in the Bible. One was when David killed Goliath. He took 5 small stones from the river and faced Goliath. An interesting point here, that I had never thought of...if David felt God was with him why did he take 5 stones, not just one? Then Tom showed us, Goliath had 4 brothers, and David did not know if he had to also take them down. But Tom told his Haitian worker, the difference between Jackie Chan/karate and what is in the Bible is GOD. God was on the side of David, and all the other great men who fought for Him. And with God nothing is impossible. Tom then called us all to be great men (women) of God and step out in faith and share what the Lord has done. He did a super job and challenged us to be warriors for the Lord.

I just wanted to share that with you and challenge YOU to be what God wants YOU to be for Him.

Pray for the container...today is the inspection and we are praying it goes quickly and the cost will be reasonable.

Have a great day in the Lord!! Keep smiling and let people see Jesus in YOU.

Sunday Morning...

Good morning,

I sent out an update to our prayer warrior list 2 days ago, but forgot to update on here. Sorry. Not a LOT is happening, but there is a bit. We've seen some trucks that made it through from Port au Prince. They come caravan style to avoid problems on the road with both thieves and those who have nothing and are desperate. We think they were carrying staples, like beans, rice, oil, and those sort of staples. The problem is the prices of these things have gone out of sight. I understand them charging more, since they are taking risks to get them here, but it seems a bit extreme. And the normal Haitian can't afford those prices. There have also been some gas trucks who made it through. Fuel is coming in slowly, more like a trickle. But it's a start. No propane at this point, so we are still praying for that. And we may not be able to get it the first few trucks that come in, either. People are in a panic state for items they can't get. Yet, we know the Lord knows, and is in charge. Although things seem to be starting to calm down, the situation with the displaced people has not changed. They still have nothing and have no where to go. So, please keep praying for them and us, and all who are trying to help them.

Don has been a bit overwhelmed by the school costs. He is still trying to help about 15 kids with their schooling. He has gotten some of them started with the first payments they have to make just to get into school. They have to pay an "inscription" fee, which is a registration fee. Then they have to pay for the first month of school, then pay for uniforms (which are required here), then books and shoes. It's unreal what it takes to get a child in school here. Don has already paid quite a bit for these 15 kids he has helped, but to finish their fees to cover through December, he still needs way over $2,000 US. Then for the rest of the school year, he needs another $670. Parents here would sell their last cow (and their means of livelihood) to put a child in school. They feel educating their child will help them in the future. (The child can graduate, get a job, and help support the family). But most cannot afford to do it for all the years needed to graduate. It's sad that this education is costing so much here.

We have been able to help out more with food since our last update. Many, many have come up here from Gonaives. They have nothing and no where else to go. Helping with food is a first step. From that point on, we really need the Lord to guide and direct us in how, where and who to help. Please keep that in prayer.

The rains have finally stopped. Our ground is starting to recover from that onslaught. But within a day and a half, the roads were back to being a dust bowl. A lot of the roadwork was washed away and our roads are worse than they were before. So, travel take a lot more time. (and you acquire a lot more bruises from bouncing around).

MFI has been in and delivered much needed supplies along with the relief supplies they have been bringing. We are so thankful for them "Standing in the Gap" for everyone here. We have missionary friends who are praying for tents. They have so many displaced people at their compound and need places for them to sleep and eat. They are also praying for food to feed them, but shelter is important. They also have several churches out in the country toward Gonaives, where people have lost everything, even their church. They would like to go in and help out with at least food and shelter for them. Please pray for them.

We are doing okay...it's a struggle for us emotionally, and even spiritually at times, but we do know that God is here and He is with us and with the Haitian people who will call upon Him. Pray for us to be a good witness to all who come, even those we cannot help.

Keep the container in prayer...we've put down a deposit on it now, and Monday we are supposed to go in for inspection. It could take another week after that before we get it. Pray that it is released and the cost is lower than expected. And that we get it quickly. The first step is on the way and we pray for delivery.

Time to get ready for church. It is a joy to see the Haitians rejoicing in the Lord, no matter their circumstances. They love to pray and sing. It's very uplifting.

We know you face struggles, too, and we are praying God will meet your needs as you turn to Him. Have a super great Sunday. Our love to you all!!

A small update

Hi,
Well, we heard some fuel came in yesterday. Many had to wait for a long time to get anything. Some even missed their evening church services because of waiting. We are waiting to hear if more has come in. The first few days will be horrible to get fuel once it does come in. So, we have a bit left, and we'll wait. We just keep praying.

I guess the radio station must have gotten fuel, since they have the generator on this morning. Either that, or they decided to run it in the AM and not this afternoon...we won't even try to figure that out.

I have to keep reminding my self that Abbie is only 3. When we were in the states, I got a book for preschoolers. It's basic letters, and numbers and things like that. Well, it has a CD with it. We put that on one of the older computers for Abbie. She can turn it on, get into her program, and work through all the different areas of the program now. I'm afraid she will pass me in computer knowledge the way she is going. It's amazing how quickly she picked it all up. And yesterday when I was trying to get her ready for church, I had a real time trying to tie her bows in her hair. I finally took them out to start over. She asked what was wrong. I said, I can't tie the bows right. Her response was, "Well then, I guess I can't go to church, huh?" I said why not? She said, "Well, if you can't tie the bows grandma, then I simply can't go to church like this." I got them tied, and she DID go to church, but again, I have to keep reminding myself she is only 3.

I am on the committee for English Bible Fellowship. This month was my turn to lead service. This was not really something I looked forward to. To arrange things, and be responsible for everything is a bit overwhelming, especially for me. I worked and prayed, and prayed some more. There weren't that many the first Sunday, but yesterday we had a lot more. God answered all my desperate prayers and it went fine. And our speaker did great, which helped a lot. It's been a lesson in obedience for me. Following the Lord and our leaders. One more Sunday and then I'm done for a while. So, still need some prayers for that.

Not much other news here right now. Still a lot of refugees coming north and people in desperate situations all over the country. It's hard for us, so I can't even imagine how it is for the nationals going through this. Keep everyone in prayer.

On a lighter note... we keep hearing that we should be careful what we pray for or what we wish for... well, I heard a joke that puts that into perspective. If you don't like jokes, just pass this by....

A man and woman (both 70 years old) were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary at a nice restaurant. They were sitting at the dimly lit table, when all of a sudden a small fairy appeared on their table. She said, "You have both been so good and faithful through your marriage, that I want to grant each of you one wish." After only a short hesitation, the wife said, "OH, I would love to go on a world cruise with my wonderful husband." And poof, she had two tickets for a world cruise in her hand. The fairy turned to the husband. He looked at her and then at his wife. He said, "Well, dear, I do love you so much, but an opportunity like this only comes once in a lifetime." He turned to the fairy and said, "I'd like a woman 20 years younger than me." Shocked, the fairy and his wife looked at him. The fairy shrugged and said, okay. And poof.... the husband was 90 years old.

The person who sent us that said, Remember, fairy's are WOMEN!! But it's also a reminder to think carefully what you wish, or pray for.

Have a great day, and keep the Lord at the center of it all!!!