Thursday, March 4, 2010
Larger Than Life
Hi from Haiti,
Thursday morning.
I do apologize for being out of touch past week or so. I have been so busy I have not had time to even have a cigarette. (That is for those of you who think I am losing my sense of humor.)
We are in a phase of going from 5am to midnight and very, very busy. Part of that going though INCLUDES family and the needs they have and the time they need. We also have had a couple of large groups here helping so much. Currently, we have friends from Seattle. Yesterday they sorted several thousand pounds of food that we had donated to us.
Today my board of directors arrives. They were originally scheduled to come two days after the quake but rescheduled for today. Because of the air mess, they are coming in 5 different flights at 5 different times so we will be doing some running. Add working with the group here, having a family and making a rice run for 100 boxes of rice...it will be quite a day.
Last night, a dear pastor friend of ours, Pastor Victor Honorat was taken to his Heavenly home. Pastor Victor is the pastor of the church that our church, Victory Bible church rented for 4 years. Pastor was a bear, over 400 pounds, 5' 9" but a very powerful man of God. I have not met many better in my life. He pastored the Wesylan Church, has 10 children, runs a school and....................was Jesus every day. I can't tell you how many times I would "catch" him in Cabaret, preaching and loving on the homeless people, when nobody was watching.
The Quake destroyed his church and so they held worship on the front steps every Sunday from 6-9 a.m. Every Sunday, as I would drive by on the way to our church, he would be there preaching and always would wave to me, while preaching. Then at 10 a.m. he would lumber down and come to our church. This morning, the villages are shedding large tears for a large man who did a large work for a large God. Pastor Victor's reward will be large. (My one prayer is they have coke in Heaven.)
We will be trying to help his family is some small way-- we are already reaching out to his church to see what we can do. They are only a half mile from our church. Pray for a very hurting family, a very distraught congregation, and a village in mourning.
Now some better news. This past Monday we started, are you ready for this, might need a drum roll..... We started our permanent feeding program at the New Roads Garbage dump. We have been feeding them when possible off and on but now, as of this past Monday, 80-some people will eat 7 days a week, until Jesus comes, if God wills.
A young man named Alex from Seattle Washington, had a dream to make this happen. He started a fund raiser called "Simply Haiti" where he challenged people to eat only rice for one week, then save the money to feed the folks at the dump. What he didn't know when he planned this fund raiser last year for the week of January 11th, was that the next day an earthquake would hit, putting his fund raiser on the front page. He hoped to raise $5,000. In a month, this project raised $30,000 with every penny going to feed these people, every day, for a very, very long time.
This week I have been to the dump every day. Tears were hard to fight back as, FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THEIR LIFE, they knew they would eat every day. Their whole attitudes have changed so positively. Life has just handed them the golden goose: they get to eat. What a joy to be a part of this. We went from providing 10% of their daily needs, to 100% concerning food and water. We have already been bringing a truck load of water in weekly. Thank you Alex, thank you Seattle, thank you God for loving these folks and allowing us to be Jesus to them.
I wish I could go on and on for what God is doing. Because so much has changed, this weekend the board and I will be planning the next couple years out. The one thing we know has not changed and that will not change now or in the future is what we were doing on January 11th: Giving hope to the hopeless! Preaching the Gospel, making disciples of Jesus, and teaching them to do the same. Some of the rules changed, the game is the same.
Someone said to me we have to make sure we are on top of our game because all the new donors of relief will expect this and that and.................I simply said, we have always done it right, we have always been good stewards, we need to change nothing. Just keep being Jesus to these folks. Only difference may be, instead of feeding 500 with our fish and loaves, we may now be feeding 5,000.
Please don't stop praying, don't stop helping our relief fund, don't forget our general fund. We are rolling and have everything at top speed. We can't afford to slow down a bit, especially because of a lack of funds that God has already placed in our pockets for this.
I am off (no not mentally) physically I am off to get rice then airport runs then meetings tonight from 6-9 and then driving and then maybe some sleep. Pray for this weekend and the next few days. This will be an exciting time for all of us. Tuesday, I promise to take a day off, maybe even Wednesday.
Love you guys, and do me a favor will ya? E-mail me and tell me about your "Anderson" that God has used you to reach out to this week, or last.
tominhaiti
Thursday morning.
I do apologize for being out of touch past week or so. I have been so busy I have not had time to even have a cigarette. (That is for those of you who think I am losing my sense of humor.)
We are in a phase of going from 5am to midnight and very, very busy. Part of that going though INCLUDES family and the needs they have and the time they need. We also have had a couple of large groups here helping so much. Currently, we have friends from Seattle. Yesterday they sorted several thousand pounds of food that we had donated to us.
Today my board of directors arrives. They were originally scheduled to come two days after the quake but rescheduled for today. Because of the air mess, they are coming in 5 different flights at 5 different times so we will be doing some running. Add working with the group here, having a family and making a rice run for 100 boxes of rice...it will be quite a day.
Last night, a dear pastor friend of ours, Pastor Victor Honorat was taken to his Heavenly home. Pastor Victor is the pastor of the church that our church, Victory Bible church rented for 4 years. Pastor was a bear, over 400 pounds, 5' 9" but a very powerful man of God. I have not met many better in my life. He pastored the Wesylan Church, has 10 children, runs a school and....................was Jesus every day. I can't tell you how many times I would "catch" him in Cabaret, preaching and loving on the homeless people, when nobody was watching.
The Quake destroyed his church and so they held worship on the front steps every Sunday from 6-9 a.m. Every Sunday, as I would drive by on the way to our church, he would be there preaching and always would wave to me, while preaching. Then at 10 a.m. he would lumber down and come to our church. This morning, the villages are shedding large tears for a large man who did a large work for a large God. Pastor Victor's reward will be large. (My one prayer is they have coke in Heaven.)
We will be trying to help his family is some small way-- we are already reaching out to his church to see what we can do. They are only a half mile from our church. Pray for a very hurting family, a very distraught congregation, and a village in mourning.
Now some better news. This past Monday we started, are you ready for this, might need a drum roll..... We started our permanent feeding program at the New Roads Garbage dump. We have been feeding them when possible off and on but now, as of this past Monday, 80-some people will eat 7 days a week, until Jesus comes, if God wills.
A young man named Alex from Seattle Washington, had a dream to make this happen. He started a fund raiser called "Simply Haiti" where he challenged people to eat only rice for one week, then save the money to feed the folks at the dump. What he didn't know when he planned this fund raiser last year for the week of January 11th, was that the next day an earthquake would hit, putting his fund raiser on the front page. He hoped to raise $5,000. In a month, this project raised $30,000 with every penny going to feed these people, every day, for a very, very long time.
This week I have been to the dump every day. Tears were hard to fight back as, FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THEIR LIFE, they knew they would eat every day. Their whole attitudes have changed so positively. Life has just handed them the golden goose: they get to eat. What a joy to be a part of this. We went from providing 10% of their daily needs, to 100% concerning food and water. We have already been bringing a truck load of water in weekly. Thank you Alex, thank you Seattle, thank you God for loving these folks and allowing us to be Jesus to them.
I wish I could go on and on for what God is doing. Because so much has changed, this weekend the board and I will be planning the next couple years out. The one thing we know has not changed and that will not change now or in the future is what we were doing on January 11th: Giving hope to the hopeless! Preaching the Gospel, making disciples of Jesus, and teaching them to do the same. Some of the rules changed, the game is the same.
Someone said to me we have to make sure we are on top of our game because all the new donors of relief will expect this and that and.................I simply said, we have always done it right, we have always been good stewards, we need to change nothing. Just keep being Jesus to these folks. Only difference may be, instead of feeding 500 with our fish and loaves, we may now be feeding 5,000.
Please don't stop praying, don't stop helping our relief fund, don't forget our general fund. We are rolling and have everything at top speed. We can't afford to slow down a bit, especially because of a lack of funds that God has already placed in our pockets for this.
I am off (no not mentally) physically I am off to get rice then airport runs then meetings tonight from 6-9 and then driving and then maybe some sleep. Pray for this weekend and the next few days. This will be an exciting time for all of us. Tuesday, I promise to take a day off, maybe even Wednesday.
Love you guys, and do me a favor will ya? E-mail me and tell me about your "Anderson" that God has used you to reach out to this week, or last.
tominhaiti
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Anderson, The Man, Not The City
Let me tell you about Anderson. Anderson is a young man who graduated high school. He went to college and got a degree in computer science and accounting. He was hired at a spaghetti factory. He got married and had a beautiful baby.
In other words, he has done it right, every step of the way. He is also a devoted follower of Jesus. I spoke at his mother's funeral 7 years ago. Anderson is 31 years old. He calls me poppy.
The earthquake ended his job and for 44 days he has been looking for work, with no luck. He has been living under a piece of plastic with his wife and baby, for 44 nights. Today he stopped by to check on "his poppy." What I saw was a look of defeat, a look of hopelessness, a man who has done it right, but now sitting with nothing, not even a bed for his family.
My heart broke and I knew right then, right there what I needed to do, what I had to do. I asked him if he would come to work for us. He looked up with shock and said "what, are you serious?" I said yes, could he start tomorrow morning at 9am. I then gave him some MRE's (meals ready to eat) a small advance of pay and off he went.
I went in my room and wept very hard. I thought of a man, who has done it right, sitting on a tap tap, with some money in his pocket, food in his hand, and a job. The first thing I said is "this is one of the reasons I am in Haiti."
Some might say, is that normal business, giving jobs because you feel sorry for someone? No, it is called giving hope to someone who deserves a break, and can fill a hole in this puzzle.
I already have a job description for him. It will involve a couple different hats. He will set up some computer files on our relief efforts recording food distributions. He will work with my board member Dan Neal helping with the website from Haiti. He will do ordering for our church and home for supplies and such. He will be contacting and working with some organizations that may have supplies for us and...............much more.
Anderson, a man of God, doing it right, part of our team. tominhaiti
In other words, he has done it right, every step of the way. He is also a devoted follower of Jesus. I spoke at his mother's funeral 7 years ago. Anderson is 31 years old. He calls me poppy.
The earthquake ended his job and for 44 days he has been looking for work, with no luck. He has been living under a piece of plastic with his wife and baby, for 44 nights. Today he stopped by to check on "his poppy." What I saw was a look of defeat, a look of hopelessness, a man who has done it right, but now sitting with nothing, not even a bed for his family.
My heart broke and I knew right then, right there what I needed to do, what I had to do. I asked him if he would come to work for us. He looked up with shock and said "what, are you serious?" I said yes, could he start tomorrow morning at 9am. I then gave him some MRE's (meals ready to eat) a small advance of pay and off he went.
I went in my room and wept very hard. I thought of a man, who has done it right, sitting on a tap tap, with some money in his pocket, food in his hand, and a job. The first thing I said is "this is one of the reasons I am in Haiti."
Some might say, is that normal business, giving jobs because you feel sorry for someone? No, it is called giving hope to someone who deserves a break, and can fill a hole in this puzzle.
I already have a job description for him. It will involve a couple different hats. He will set up some computer files on our relief efforts recording food distributions. He will work with my board member Dan Neal helping with the website from Haiti. He will do ordering for our church and home for supplies and such. He will be contacting and working with some organizations that may have supplies for us and...............much more.
Anderson, a man of God, doing it right, part of our team. tominhaiti
Anderson, the man, not the city
Let me tell you about Anderson. Anderson is a young man who graduated high school. He went to college and got a degree in computer science and accounting. He was hired at a spaghetti factory. He got married and had a beautiful baby.
In other words, he has done it right, every step of the way. He is also a devoted follower of Jesus. I spoke at his mother's funeral 7 years ago. Anderson is 31 years old. He calls me poppy.
The earthquake ended his job and for 44 days he has been looking for work, with no luck. He has been living under a piece of plastic with his wife and baby, for 44 nights. Today he stopped by to check on "his poppy." What I saw was a look of defeat, a look of hopelessness, a man who has done it right, but now sitting with nothing, not even a bed for his family.
My heart broke and I knew right then, right there what I needed to do, what I had to do. I asked him if he would come to work for us. He looked up with shock and said "what, are you serious?" I said yes, could he start tomorrow morning at 9am. I then gave him some MRE's (meals ready to eat) a small advance of pay and off he went.
I went in my room and wept very hard. I thought of a man, who has done it right, sitting on a tap tap, with some money in his pocket, food in his hand, and a job. The first thing I said is "this is one of the reasons I am in Haiti."
Some might say, is that normal business, giving jobs because you feel sorry for someone? No, it is called giving hope to someone who deserves a break, and can fill a hole in this puzzle.
I already have a job description for him. It will involve a couple different hats. He will set up some computer files on our relief efforts recording food distributions. He will work with my board member Dan Neal helping with the website from Haiti. He will do ordering for our church and home for supplies and such. He will be contacting and working with some organizations that may have supplies for us and...............much more.
Anderson, a man of God, doing it right, part of our team. tominhaiti
In other words, he has done it right, every step of the way. He is also a devoted follower of Jesus. I spoke at his mother's funeral 7 years ago. Anderson is 31 years old. He calls me poppy.
The earthquake ended his job and for 44 days he has been looking for work, with no luck. He has been living under a piece of plastic with his wife and baby, for 44 nights. Today he stopped by to check on "his poppy." What I saw was a look of defeat, a look of hopelessness, a man who has done it right, but now sitting with nothing, not even a bed for his family.
My heart broke and I knew right then, right there what I needed to do, what I had to do. I asked him if he would come to work for us. He looked up with shock and said "what, are you serious?" I said yes, could he start tomorrow morning at 9am. I then gave him some MRE's (meals ready to eat) a small advance of pay and off he went.
I went in my room and wept very hard. I thought of a man, who has done it right, sitting on a tap tap, with some money in his pocket, food in his hand, and a job. The first thing I said is "this is one of the reasons I am in Haiti."
Some might say, is that normal business, giving jobs because you feel sorry for someone? No, it is called giving hope to someone who deserves a break, and can fill a hole in this puzzle.
I already have a job description for him. It will involve a couple different hats. He will set up some computer files on our relief efforts recording food distributions. He will work with my board member Dan Neal helping with the website from Haiti. He will do ordering for our church and home for supplies and such. He will be contacting and working with some organizations that may have supplies for us and...............much more.
Anderson, a man of God, doing it right, part of our team. tominhaiti
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Is Matthew 25?
hi,
Thursday afternoon, somewhere in the bermuda triangle
This morning we sadly dropped off 13 friends from Minnesota who have been with us this past week. What a great group of dedicated, loving people.
Here are some goings on for the past few days:
New Tent: Monday we put our NEW white tent up and yesterday we had our first church service, from 3-6 pm, with over 300 people in attendance. It was a wonderful time of dedication and praise.
Earlier yesterday, starting at 8 a.m. we had our first clinic at our mission. A group of doctors and volunteers from Cincinnati, Ohio, with the organization Matthew 25, spent 6 hours treating over 200 people, all who needed medical care. It was a wonderful day but we were very tired when we arrived home about 6:30 p.m. last night.
Tents: We are working hard on finding tents to ship to Haiti. We are looking to buy 350 tents for our families. Please pray we can work this out and get these folks in a tent before the rains start, in the next few weeks.
Speaking of Tents: Just outside our suburb of Bon Repos, on the way to our ministry area, a new Port au Prince is springing up. Daily probably 50 "houses" are springing up. When I say houses, I mean sheets tied to sticks or cardboard walls.
Last week every time I drove by the new city, I prayed to God. I knew I had the right motive for wanting to visit these families, but I didn't have a reason. What I mean by that is I didn't feel good about walking into the middle of all these people, not knowing anyone. People would think we were there to pass something out or from the UN and we might draw a big crowd, more than we wanted.
I kept praying and Tuesday I found out that several of our leaders from Merjay have built these little "houses." I was thrilled. This weekend we are going in to visit our friends, make new friends and begin to be Jesus in this new tent city. I am ready to call it our 6th point of light but my board may have some questions first. Please pray that we will be accepted and be able to be the hands and feet of Jesus to these precious people.
A special thanks to a young man in Seattle, named Alex, who did a fund raiser to make the dream of having a feeding center at the dump become a reality. Thanks to all my Apple state friends who were part of this.
Power: After 43 days without any city power, yesterday it came back on. And today we have had it most of the day. Praise God for this!
The beat goes on: After a couple days of rest, Sunday is church followed by a team from Seattle coming to visit for a week and do ministry. We are very excited about Pastor Jason and his wife bringing another team. Three days after this our board of directors comes so I will be hopping for a couple weeks. Just the way I like it.
Generally speaking: Our general fund was about $2,000 short for January and February with so much focus on earthquake relief. Our general fund suffered and we need to pray this in quickly. Disclaimer: There are 3 days left in February so maybe, just maybe it will come in and we won't be short. Remember, we had a full slate of ministry and expenses before the earthquake and all that still continues.
Thanks: Thanks for all you are doing for God through this ministry, thanks to our Minnesota friends, thanks so much to Matthew 25 and................to God for allowing me and my team to be Jesus in Haiti, tominhaiti
Thursday afternoon, somewhere in the bermuda triangle
This morning we sadly dropped off 13 friends from Minnesota who have been with us this past week. What a great group of dedicated, loving people.
Here are some goings on for the past few days:
New Tent: Monday we put our NEW white tent up and yesterday we had our first church service, from 3-6 pm, with over 300 people in attendance. It was a wonderful time of dedication and praise.
Earlier yesterday, starting at 8 a.m. we had our first clinic at our mission. A group of doctors and volunteers from Cincinnati, Ohio, with the organization Matthew 25, spent 6 hours treating over 200 people, all who needed medical care. It was a wonderful day but we were very tired when we arrived home about 6:30 p.m. last night.
Tents: We are working hard on finding tents to ship to Haiti. We are looking to buy 350 tents for our families. Please pray we can work this out and get these folks in a tent before the rains start, in the next few weeks.
Speaking of Tents: Just outside our suburb of Bon Repos, on the way to our ministry area, a new Port au Prince is springing up. Daily probably 50 "houses" are springing up. When I say houses, I mean sheets tied to sticks or cardboard walls.
Last week every time I drove by the new city, I prayed to God. I knew I had the right motive for wanting to visit these families, but I didn't have a reason. What I mean by that is I didn't feel good about walking into the middle of all these people, not knowing anyone. People would think we were there to pass something out or from the UN and we might draw a big crowd, more than we wanted.
I kept praying and Tuesday I found out that several of our leaders from Merjay have built these little "houses." I was thrilled. This weekend we are going in to visit our friends, make new friends and begin to be Jesus in this new tent city. I am ready to call it our 6th point of light but my board may have some questions first. Please pray that we will be accepted and be able to be the hands and feet of Jesus to these precious people.
A special thanks to a young man in Seattle, named Alex, who did a fund raiser to make the dream of having a feeding center at the dump become a reality. Thanks to all my Apple state friends who were part of this.
Power: After 43 days without any city power, yesterday it came back on. And today we have had it most of the day. Praise God for this!
The beat goes on: After a couple days of rest, Sunday is church followed by a team from Seattle coming to visit for a week and do ministry. We are very excited about Pastor Jason and his wife bringing another team. Three days after this our board of directors comes so I will be hopping for a couple weeks. Just the way I like it.
Generally speaking: Our general fund was about $2,000 short for January and February with so much focus on earthquake relief. Our general fund suffered and we need to pray this in quickly. Disclaimer: There are 3 days left in February so maybe, just maybe it will come in and we won't be short. Remember, we had a full slate of ministry and expenses before the earthquake and all that still continues.
Thanks: Thanks for all you are doing for God through this ministry, thanks to our Minnesota friends, thanks so much to Matthew 25 and................to God for allowing me and my team to be Jesus in Haiti, tominhaiti
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Will It Ever End?
It is 2am and we just experienced 2 pretty nice size shakers. Yesterday one hit also. I am sitting in my room with a couple young ones, scared out of their wits. The rest of the families, including most of our 15 guests from Minnesota have taken their cots outside in the yard.
Tonight they were 5 minutes apart, the first one being one of our bigger ones, top 5 probably. Seems odd, we have a big family talk about the quake, then have 3 shakers since then and the kids are scared out of their wits, again. It will end someday, right? Just when I think things are getting back to normal, it happens again.
Monday morning we got our tent up. It is big and it is beautiful. One of our visitors said "I did what I always wanted to do, I built a church." We had our visitors and about 35 of our men working and it was a great morning. We then moved the pews from the old tent into new tent and didn't even fill half the church. We have 33 pews, 10 ordered for this week and get this; we need about 35 more to fill the tent. Do the math, 35 x 70, well, too late and too tired for me to figure but, if you want to help, we won't turn you down. I believe with 80 pews, with 15 or so in a pew, we will have them all full. We may have to put both tents together at some point. All for the Glory of God, to know Him, and to make Him known.
I have to tell you I was touched emotionally today. The ladies from our Minnesota group met with our Esther girls for a few hours. They talked and shared their quake experience. Tonight during our time of reflections, the ladies told me that our girls at the mission all basically said the same thing, "the quake hit, we did this, and then......Tom came."
What a thrill to be able to be the one who went. Thank you for allowing me to be here, being Jesus for these folks. I can't put into words what God is doing and what is happening on a spiritual level. I can't help thinking of those great words "for such a time as this." I do believe that God has prepared our ministry; our teams back home (you) our board, my staff, our church and my family, for such a time as this.
We are ready, whether the earth shakes or not, we are not going anywhere. I gotta go. I have a sermon idea I gotta work on entitled: "I got a home just over the hilltop that will never shake."
As I write this, millions of Haitians are awake, standing around, wrapped in sheets and blankets, wondering the same as me, will this ever end? Take care, tominhaiti
Tonight they were 5 minutes apart, the first one being one of our bigger ones, top 5 probably. Seems odd, we have a big family talk about the quake, then have 3 shakers since then and the kids are scared out of their wits, again. It will end someday, right? Just when I think things are getting back to normal, it happens again.
Monday morning we got our tent up. It is big and it is beautiful. One of our visitors said "I did what I always wanted to do, I built a church." We had our visitors and about 35 of our men working and it was a great morning. We then moved the pews from the old tent into new tent and didn't even fill half the church. We have 33 pews, 10 ordered for this week and get this; we need about 35 more to fill the tent. Do the math, 35 x 70, well, too late and too tired for me to figure but, if you want to help, we won't turn you down. I believe with 80 pews, with 15 or so in a pew, we will have them all full. We may have to put both tents together at some point. All for the Glory of God, to know Him, and to make Him known.
I have to tell you I was touched emotionally today. The ladies from our Minnesota group met with our Esther girls for a few hours. They talked and shared their quake experience. Tonight during our time of reflections, the ladies told me that our girls at the mission all basically said the same thing, "the quake hit, we did this, and then......Tom came."
What a thrill to be able to be the one who went. Thank you for allowing me to be here, being Jesus for these folks. I can't put into words what God is doing and what is happening on a spiritual level. I can't help thinking of those great words "for such a time as this." I do believe that God has prepared our ministry; our teams back home (you) our board, my staff, our church and my family, for such a time as this.
We are ready, whether the earth shakes or not, we are not going anywhere. I gotta go. I have a sermon idea I gotta work on entitled: "I got a home just over the hilltop that will never shake."
As I write this, millions of Haitians are awake, standing around, wrapped in sheets and blankets, wondering the same as me, will this ever end? Take care, tominhaiti
Monday, February 22, 2010
Weekend at Bernie's
Dearest Friends,
Monday early
There is so much going on in my world, I can hardly hang on, I can hardly hang on.
Last night for the first time we sat the 20 older boys down and let them share their experience, when the quake hit, their feelings afterward and much more. It was an amazing couple hours to listen to them share from their hearts what they felt.
For a dad, tears came a few times but especially when several of them said "the house started to rock, we ran outside and all we thought about was poppy was gone by himself. Then we saw the truck pull up and we said thank you Jesus."
Amazing insight was gained listening to them. Matthew said "I know you won't like what I am about to say but, the earthquake was a good thing for me, I became a man, and I learned to appreciate what we have and what we need to do."
Roger said "just sitting here tonight made me realize why God spared our family and we had shelter and enough food. God needed us strong to help everyone else."
For the record: At 5 a.m. this morning another aftershock, the first in a week or so.
Victory Bible Church: Yesterday the bus we rent broke down so we had no transportation. We still had nearly 600 people, having to walk a great distance. It was a great service. God was glorified and the body was made stronger.
The NEW Victory Bible church: As you know, we had been trying to start construction on our 2 story church building. We could not figure out why we had so many obstacles. Then the quake hit and everything made sense. Yesterday, we drove to Missionary Flights International hangar and picked up a 2200 pound tent, our new church. We have the wheels in motion to set it up this morning, with the help of our visiting team from Minnesota.
This tent is much larger than our current tent. We will use the current tent for junior church and school, and the new larger tent just for church. We are so excited over this!
Matthew 25: This organization named after this great Bible passage, will be here with a medical team Wednesday, doing a clinic, on our property. My staff today is passing out 200 tickets to sick people who need medical attention. Pray for these 24 doctors as they minister.
Weekend at Bernie's: The day after the earthquake I was walking the village, I saw a man who was not part of our church but I went out of my way to go see him. I introduced myself and asked his name. He told me it was Bernie. I then listened as he shared his story about the quake and then showed me his broken down house. I never said where I was from, I never invited him to church, and I never mentioned the name of God to my knowledge. The following week Bernie came to church, he accepted Christ a few weeks later and now his whole family sits in the 2nd row, every Sunday. Bernie wants to be baptized and become a member of our church.
I say that for this reason, I didn't have to invite Bernie to church, didn't have to preach to or at him, didn't have to even mention God's name. I just had to care. I didn't have to mention God, he saw God. Maybe there are people in your life that you are so busy inviting to church and telling about God that you are forgetting to show God. Just saying...
So much more going on but gotta head out to the mission, we've got to get a church up. tominhaiti
For Contributions
Jesus in Haiti Ministries, Inc. Suite 155 10214 Chestnut Plaza Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46814
Monday early
There is so much going on in my world, I can hardly hang on, I can hardly hang on.
Last night for the first time we sat the 20 older boys down and let them share their experience, when the quake hit, their feelings afterward and much more. It was an amazing couple hours to listen to them share from their hearts what they felt.
For a dad, tears came a few times but especially when several of them said "the house started to rock, we ran outside and all we thought about was poppy was gone by himself. Then we saw the truck pull up and we said thank you Jesus."
Amazing insight was gained listening to them. Matthew said "I know you won't like what I am about to say but, the earthquake was a good thing for me, I became a man, and I learned to appreciate what we have and what we need to do."
Roger said "just sitting here tonight made me realize why God spared our family and we had shelter and enough food. God needed us strong to help everyone else."
For the record: At 5 a.m. this morning another aftershock, the first in a week or so.
Victory Bible Church: Yesterday the bus we rent broke down so we had no transportation. We still had nearly 600 people, having to walk a great distance. It was a great service. God was glorified and the body was made stronger.
The NEW Victory Bible church: As you know, we had been trying to start construction on our 2 story church building. We could not figure out why we had so many obstacles. Then the quake hit and everything made sense. Yesterday, we drove to Missionary Flights International hangar and picked up a 2200 pound tent, our new church. We have the wheels in motion to set it up this morning, with the help of our visiting team from Minnesota.
This tent is much larger than our current tent. We will use the current tent for junior church and school, and the new larger tent just for church. We are so excited over this!
Matthew 25: This organization named after this great Bible passage, will be here with a medical team Wednesday, doing a clinic, on our property. My staff today is passing out 200 tickets to sick people who need medical attention. Pray for these 24 doctors as they minister.
Weekend at Bernie's: The day after the earthquake I was walking the village, I saw a man who was not part of our church but I went out of my way to go see him. I introduced myself and asked his name. He told me it was Bernie. I then listened as he shared his story about the quake and then showed me his broken down house. I never said where I was from, I never invited him to church, and I never mentioned the name of God to my knowledge. The following week Bernie came to church, he accepted Christ a few weeks later and now his whole family sits in the 2nd row, every Sunday. Bernie wants to be baptized and become a member of our church.
I say that for this reason, I didn't have to invite Bernie to church, didn't have to preach to or at him, didn't have to even mention God's name. I just had to care. I didn't have to mention God, he saw God. Maybe there are people in your life that you are so busy inviting to church and telling about God that you are forgetting to show God. Just saying...
So much more going on but gotta head out to the mission, we've got to get a church up. tominhaiti
For Contributions
Jesus in Haiti Ministries, Inc. Suite 155 10214 Chestnut Plaza Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46814
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Another story from Haiti.....To help you know how to pray
Hi from Haiti,
I received this in an e-mail today and wanted to share it with you. All I can say is wow. How did our Roger and our Jony get in this man's story? As I read this, it brought tears to my eyes. I hope it touches you as it did me. tominhaiti
Steve Spellman is a missionary with Reachglobal to Brazil.
STEVE---FROM HAITI
Day 12-"So, where were you when...?"
There is no need to finish that question...no need at all. Unlike some TV or world event that effects many, if
not most- this was a moment, some 40 seconds, that every single person in Port au Prince remembers, and
will remember, for the rest of their lives. Today, I'd like to share some of their stories. We can get caught up
in the food distribution and relief efforts and teams that are coming and.... and...and it would be wrong to
gloss over what was experienced and what was felt personally by each person. For those of you who come
down in the future could I challenge you to remember this simple question? These personal stories are incredible
in their power, unforgettable for their victims, and will forever mark the lives of those who just happened
to be here at around 5 p.m. on January 12, 2010.
~~~~~~~
Ed is the head of a Mission organization with a school, orphanage and church. He has served here with his
wife for many years and at 5 p.m. on that day, he was standing outside when the earth buckled and threw him
to the ground. His first thought? "My wife, no-no-no, my wife's in the house!" He tried to run but was thrown
to the ground 3 times before he could make it to his house. He arrived bruised and a bit bloodied, but his
house was (mostly) still standing-his wife uninjured. 3 weeks have now passed and they refuse to sleep inside...
~~~~~~~
Less than a quarter mile away Mary and her husband Jim were upstairs in their living room when the house
began to shake and the entire second floor "pancaked" (that's the most common word here for the affects of
the quake) on top of the first floor (in other words, the first floor was no more) and as Mary ran to where the
indoor stairs used to be, that wall collapsed, with only one wall of the second story still standing. Her husband
yelled to her to run for the outside stairway. When they reached that wall they ran out, literally running
from the second floor onto the ground (again, there was no more first floor). As Mary recounted this story,
she said that it was a miracle the second story door was opened, which allowed them to run out. Jim corrected
her by saying "Mary, we didn't run out the door, we ran out the wall!" Theirs is a miracle story of coming
out unhurt, from a two story house with only one wall remaining.
~~~~~~~
Augustine was outside, chatting with friends when the shaking started. His friend started to run for the house,
running "to" shelter. Augustine tackled him...and within seconds the house was flattened. Were it not for the
tackle, this friend would have perished.
~~~~~~~
At 5 p.m., Leunard was cooking dinner outside over an open fire while 8 relatives chatted
inside. Her cooking pots were thrown to the ground and her entire house collapsed. 7
miraculously survived ....but her sister did not. As she recounted "her story" she spoke
without feeling, devoid of emotion-almost what you'd call "numb".
~~~~~~~
Olrich was ending play practice at church with a time of prayer. With Haitian passion and emotion- many in
the group were stomping their feet and calling on the Lord to rain down His power. They felt the ground begin
to shake and ran outside. For a split second they thought they were experiencing an answer to prayer, when
suddenly they knew the truth and ran-ran as fast as they could to their homes.
Day 12-"So, where were you when..."
And then there was Roger's story.
Roger had taken a TapTap (Haitian form of a bus/taxi/van/rickshaw) the 10 kilometers to afternoon classes
at seminary that day, and he was downstairs studying theology. Upstairs were about 40 students with another
30 or so in his classroom on the first floor. At 5 p.m. there was some initial movement, most realized
what was happening, but before anyone could react an entire wall fell on the class, killing several. He
wanted to run but fell before he could stand. Rocks were hitting his head, he couldn't see amidst the cloud
of concrete dust filling the classroom. The girl next to him was screaming and he held out his hand to her,
willing her to run with him to cover. At that moment he looked up and saw the professor, a local pastor,
crushed by a second wall coming down. With tears in his eyes, Roger told how he felt "led" through the
dust and rubble outside, but not before having a hand grasp his leg from a fallen student pleading for help.
He led the first girl outside, and yelled for others to help go back in and save those perishing. A friend told
him that he was crazy, and in the next instant the whole building pancaked before his very eyes...none of
the students in class on the second floor survived...not a one.
Everywhere there were screams and panic, houses and walls and buildings continuing to fall. When the
shock of the moment passed, he too thought of his family. With no transportation available he walked, ran
and walked for over 3 hours to get home. He was bruised and bloodied but all he could think about was
"my family...my family". He could barely speak as he told of running by buildings still falling, devastation
everywhere. In his words: "that day I saw death...I saw death come to me."
Late that night he arrived home to find his entire family safe and sound.
He couldn't sleep that night...but then who could? And he, like many, still finds
it difficult. He went on to tell us how he senses the ground shaking every day,
even when he knows it isn't.
He's a pastor...a theology student and he can't get over the question "Why?"
Why was he spared? Why were the others not? Why did this happen at all?
But he knows there are no answers. He spends a good part of every day just
listening, listening in the village, listening on the hill, listening to the kids at the
orphanage as they tell their stories. For they all have one, and they all need to
be heard.
"But Roger" we asked "What do you tell the people when they ask why?" He responded "I tell them I don't
know ... I tell them I don't know" but then he paused for a moment and added these words: "But I also tell
them to not give up."
And somehow, on this afternoon we see a people who haven't given up. Roger is out listening to others,
Jony just got back from the hills distributing food and money. While walking through a slum, Jony saw a
young girl all alone and totally dejected. After visiting one last family he walked up to this girl, told her to
not give up, prayed for her and then gave her enough money for rice and beans for the week. As he walked
away the girl screamed out "Thank you, Thank you-I had nothing...nothing to eat. You've allowed me to
eat today." No, she won't-she won't give up...not today.
And incredibly, there is one comment shared by not just a few of my new Haitian friends. Roger said
it...Augustine said it....Charles said it...Jony said it as well. The words vary slightly, but allow me to use
Jony's words to end this letter:
~~~~~~~
"I believe this is the beginning of a new Haiti. Pray for us. Pray for us for this to be true."
For Contributions
Jesus in Haiti Ministries, Inc. Suite 155 10214 Chestnut Plaza Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46814
I received this in an e-mail today and wanted to share it with you. All I can say is wow. How did our Roger and our Jony get in this man's story? As I read this, it brought tears to my eyes. I hope it touches you as it did me. tominhaiti
Steve Spellman is a missionary with Reachglobal to Brazil.
STEVE---FROM HAITI
Day 12-"So, where were you when...?"
There is no need to finish that question...no need at all. Unlike some TV or world event that effects many, if
not most- this was a moment, some 40 seconds, that every single person in Port au Prince remembers, and
will remember, for the rest of their lives. Today, I'd like to share some of their stories. We can get caught up
in the food distribution and relief efforts and teams that are coming and.... and...and it would be wrong to
gloss over what was experienced and what was felt personally by each person. For those of you who come
down in the future could I challenge you to remember this simple question? These personal stories are incredible
in their power, unforgettable for their victims, and will forever mark the lives of those who just happened
to be here at around 5 p.m. on January 12, 2010.
~~~~~~~
Ed is the head of a Mission organization with a school, orphanage and church. He has served here with his
wife for many years and at 5 p.m. on that day, he was standing outside when the earth buckled and threw him
to the ground. His first thought? "My wife, no-no-no, my wife's in the house!" He tried to run but was thrown
to the ground 3 times before he could make it to his house. He arrived bruised and a bit bloodied, but his
house was (mostly) still standing-his wife uninjured. 3 weeks have now passed and they refuse to sleep inside...
~~~~~~~
Less than a quarter mile away Mary and her husband Jim were upstairs in their living room when the house
began to shake and the entire second floor "pancaked" (that's the most common word here for the affects of
the quake) on top of the first floor (in other words, the first floor was no more) and as Mary ran to where the
indoor stairs used to be, that wall collapsed, with only one wall of the second story still standing. Her husband
yelled to her to run for the outside stairway. When they reached that wall they ran out, literally running
from the second floor onto the ground (again, there was no more first floor). As Mary recounted this story,
she said that it was a miracle the second story door was opened, which allowed them to run out. Jim corrected
her by saying "Mary, we didn't run out the door, we ran out the wall!" Theirs is a miracle story of coming
out unhurt, from a two story house with only one wall remaining.
~~~~~~~
Augustine was outside, chatting with friends when the shaking started. His friend started to run for the house,
running "to" shelter. Augustine tackled him...and within seconds the house was flattened. Were it not for the
tackle, this friend would have perished.
~~~~~~~
At 5 p.m., Leunard was cooking dinner outside over an open fire while 8 relatives chatted
inside. Her cooking pots were thrown to the ground and her entire house collapsed. 7
miraculously survived ....but her sister did not. As she recounted "her story" she spoke
without feeling, devoid of emotion-almost what you'd call "numb".
~~~~~~~
Olrich was ending play practice at church with a time of prayer. With Haitian passion and emotion- many in
the group were stomping their feet and calling on the Lord to rain down His power. They felt the ground begin
to shake and ran outside. For a split second they thought they were experiencing an answer to prayer, when
suddenly they knew the truth and ran-ran as fast as they could to their homes.
Day 12-"So, where were you when..."
And then there was Roger's story.
Roger had taken a TapTap (Haitian form of a bus/taxi/van/rickshaw) the 10 kilometers to afternoon classes
at seminary that day, and he was downstairs studying theology. Upstairs were about 40 students with another
30 or so in his classroom on the first floor. At 5 p.m. there was some initial movement, most realized
what was happening, but before anyone could react an entire wall fell on the class, killing several. He
wanted to run but fell before he could stand. Rocks were hitting his head, he couldn't see amidst the cloud
of concrete dust filling the classroom. The girl next to him was screaming and he held out his hand to her,
willing her to run with him to cover. At that moment he looked up and saw the professor, a local pastor,
crushed by a second wall coming down. With tears in his eyes, Roger told how he felt "led" through the
dust and rubble outside, but not before having a hand grasp his leg from a fallen student pleading for help.
He led the first girl outside, and yelled for others to help go back in and save those perishing. A friend told
him that he was crazy, and in the next instant the whole building pancaked before his very eyes...none of
the students in class on the second floor survived...not a one.
Everywhere there were screams and panic, houses and walls and buildings continuing to fall. When the
shock of the moment passed, he too thought of his family. With no transportation available he walked, ran
and walked for over 3 hours to get home. He was bruised and bloodied but all he could think about was
"my family...my family". He could barely speak as he told of running by buildings still falling, devastation
everywhere. In his words: "that day I saw death...I saw death come to me."
Late that night he arrived home to find his entire family safe and sound.
He couldn't sleep that night...but then who could? And he, like many, still finds
it difficult. He went on to tell us how he senses the ground shaking every day,
even when he knows it isn't.
He's a pastor...a theology student and he can't get over the question "Why?"
Why was he spared? Why were the others not? Why did this happen at all?
But he knows there are no answers. He spends a good part of every day just
listening, listening in the village, listening on the hill, listening to the kids at the
orphanage as they tell their stories. For they all have one, and they all need to
be heard.
"But Roger" we asked "What do you tell the people when they ask why?" He responded "I tell them I don't
know ... I tell them I don't know" but then he paused for a moment and added these words: "But I also tell
them to not give up."
And somehow, on this afternoon we see a people who haven't given up. Roger is out listening to others,
Jony just got back from the hills distributing food and money. While walking through a slum, Jony saw a
young girl all alone and totally dejected. After visiting one last family he walked up to this girl, told her to
not give up, prayed for her and then gave her enough money for rice and beans for the week. As he walked
away the girl screamed out "Thank you, Thank you-I had nothing...nothing to eat. You've allowed me to
eat today." No, she won't-she won't give up...not today.
And incredibly, there is one comment shared by not just a few of my new Haitian friends. Roger said
it...Augustine said it....Charles said it...Jony said it as well. The words vary slightly, but allow me to use
Jony's words to end this letter:
~~~~~~~
"I believe this is the beginning of a new Haiti. Pray for us. Pray for us for this to be true."
For Contributions
Jesus in Haiti Ministries, Inc. Suite 155 10214 Chestnut Plaza Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46814
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]
