Friday, January 29, 2010

Medicine for the body & soul...

I wish I could bottle up a bit of the praise and worship music that's been filling the HOH these past two nights and send it to you. Things were feeling a bit heavy around here...maybe it was different bits of news we'd received, or the emotional highs and lows taking their toll, or perhaps just the fatigue we've all been experiencing. Whatever it was, we all felt it; our focus was getting off kilter and we started to hear and feel it in the conversations that were flowing between us.

So what do you do when your focus needs a little adjusting? Music is an important part of life here and for the HOH family nothing gets us back to fixing our eyes on Jesus than some concentrated times of worship together. So that's what we've been doing. And it's been beautiful -- the voices singing in harmony, the music from various intruments, the words coming from deep in our hearts, the tears streaming down faces, the promises read from God's Word, the prayers raising before the throne of our Father. Wish you could be here! And it works, like medicine for our soul...our focus turned off the things around us and once again fixed on our Heavenly Father who knows each of us by name, and holds the universe in His hand.

When our focus is fixed on what it shoudl be, we can't help but see that we are so blessed...we've been overwhelmed the past couple of days by how blessed we are. Let me share some of those blessings with you:

  • The medical team lead by Dr. Piepgrass was able to help numerous people with orthopedic injuries. They were a blessing to all of us, and enabled us to have a part in helping those who were suffering in ways we never would have been able to if they hadn't come. God blessed the team by providing a flight for them to return to Cap Haitian, sparing them the body jarring 8 hour return trip overland! Thanks for praying for that.
  • Thursday we received sacks and sacks of dry food, and many cans of meat from our friends at Miami Shores Presbyterian Church (see picture). Talk about a blessing...I love the verse Isaiah 65:24..."Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear." This church and our friend Renel were on the ball. Before we could even think about things like possible food shortages in our area due to the earthquake, they had already gone out, bought food and put it on a boat headed for Haiti. We were blessed to receive it yesterday. We are well stocked for the days ahead, and are blessed to be able to help those around us who are in need.
  • We also received several hundred pounds of medical supplies yesterday. This will help the hospital as they continue to care for those wounded in the quake, and also help us for the ones we have here with us.
  • We are blessed to have so many wonderful supporters like you. The response to our needs has been overwhelming. We thank God for each one of you.
Today we were blessed to add another member to our home. Michka is one of the young ladies who was operated on by the surgeons who were here. Michka is from Jean Rabel, a town quite a distance from us, still on the north coast, but almost on the far western point. She was in PAP during the earthquake, and slowly, painfully made her way north as she was unable to find medical care further south. Michka's foot was badly injured. She had made it to a hospital close to here in PPx, but she hadn't received the care she needed. While visiting that hospital, our visiting medical team saw her, and had her brought out to the hospital here -- she made several trips to the OR this past week.

Several days ago we realized she had nothing to eat, and no money to purchase food. We started sending her food down to the hospital, but today found out she has very little period. She needed clothes, toiletry articles -- pretty much everything. She has a very long hospital stay in front of her, and was having a hard time dealing with everything she's been through. In concert with the doctors at the hospital we decided it was best for her to come stay at the HOH during her recovery. Already Michka has a different look on her face. Linda spent the day today getting her settled in here, talking to her, encouraging her, sharing God's love with her. Tonight she made her way to our school room to particpate in our worship time. She joined her voices with those of our kids...eyes closed, tears on her cheeks...medicine for her body & soul.

Please continue to hold Michka, Judith, Andrine and Suze in prayer as they recover from their injuries. Pray for their emotional and mental healing as well as they have so much to deal with. They as well as our other young people who were in PAP have been dealing with a lot of nightmares lately, pray for God's peace for each them, and for wisdom for us as we seek to help them through these days.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Where do the days go?

Greetings from the HOH! Boy, I can't believe how fast the days are flying by. Things continue to be busy as we help the visiting medical team help as many people as they can. They spent Friday night, all day Saturday, half a day Sunday, and all day yesterday doing various surgeries. Gail Kealy the other CrossWorld missionary here in La Pointe and I have taken turns helping them with translation. It is so nice to see the people they've been able to help, and we look forward to following their recovery over the next little while. I've especially grown fond of the 22 year old young lady who had her leg amputated, and Linda and I hope to be able to encourage her in the days and weeks ahead.

Both Andrine and Judith are recovering very nicely, and the doctors say they can go home whenever they are ready to. They both have a several long weeks of recovery before them, so continue to pray for these two young ladies. We've gotten several phone calls today about receiving more wounded and sick from PAP, and hope that this can be worked out. Transportation is the problem, and we hope to be able to establish a site soon where they can airlift some to us, both for the hospital and for the HOH. I spent time on the phone with a Lieutenant from the US army today coming up with proper coordinates to get a helicopter in here, so pray we'll be able to work that out in the coming days so we can help alleviate the needs of the wounded in the hospitals in PAP.

I have spent quite a bit of time working different angles trying to get medical supplies here to the hospital. So far we've had donations from several different locations including the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, and Duke University. We were able to work together with some other mission groups in the area, and they helped us get some of this stuff here. It's amazing how many people want to help out.

I have been blessed by you all as well, and those of you who have offered to send us the things in the list I posted. I haven't had a chance to answer all of you who have written with questions just yet, but please be patient, I will answer you all! Also, remember if you post a comment on the blog and have questions, I need an e-mail address where I can answer you.

Because all schools are closed, the HOH is once again a very busy place. We are trying to come up with some things to keep all these kids and young people busy and out of trouble. We are hoping to start implemeting some programs and studies for them in the weeks ahead, especially if school doesn't get started up again any time soon.

Everyone here sends their thanks for your encouragement, your prayers and your support. We appreciate you all very much, and ask for your continued prayers as we minister to those around us who have been through so much these past few weeks. Please remember to pray specifically for Marie Ange who will be returning to PAP tonight. She is going to continue her job as a nurse, as she is greatly needed there at this time. Pray for safety for her, and for courage to take opportunities to share the Good News of Jesus with those she ministers to.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Saturdays Off Anyone?

I think somewhere in the world there's gotta be a job that gets Saturdays off! Every now and again we do get to have a relaxing day on the weekend, but today was not that day! And we don't really mind, we are actually feeling good to be able to finally help some of the people that God has sent our way from PAP. While we are working on a very minuscule scale compared to what's happening in PAP, we are glad to be able to do something.

The car got back from PAP at about 10:30 last night. You can just imagine the excitement here at the HOH when the last of our "kids" finally arrived home. We spent the next couple of hours chatting, and listening to them tell their stories. Carl Evens will be here for the foreseeable future until things settle down and he can get back in to University. Marie Ange will still be working in PAP, and will return next week. But she's happy to be able to have a few days here with us to rest and get back up on her feet.

They were able to bring 5 kids back to join their family here in La Pointe, and also a 16 year old girl named Judith. Judith was at school in PAP when the earthquake hit. She ran, but was knocked to the ground and trapped her leg under a cement wall. She lay there for several hours before people were able to free her. Instead of seeking medical treatment right away, they tried to do what they could to dress and take care of the leg. Now 11 days later, the muscles and nerves in her lower left leg are damaged, and she has lost some of the function in moving her foot. With time and healing we'll be able to see how much function she'll have back. The Dr.'s tell me it's called "Compartment Syndrome"....the "Survivor's injury", and it's a common injury that we are seeing a lot of. Anyway, Judith is going to be staying here at the HOH for a while, as she heals and gets back up on her feet. So pray for her, she's in a lot of pain. Pray that this time she's here with us is just a really positive and helpful time as she heals.

The medical team is working away, they saw around 80 orthopedic cases yesterday; were in the OR until late last night, and have spent the day there today as well. They are really doing great, having to substitute or do without a lot of things they are used to having. Please continue to pray for their health and stamina as they put in some long hours. Also, for our Haitian staff that are assisting them. They plan on having the morning off tomorrow, and then back into the OR tomorrow afternoon. Pray that we can get supplies that they need, and also pray that I'll be able to get a flight for them back to Cap Haitian, so we don't have to drive them back. That will give them a whole extra day here, and will be a big help.

Thanks so much for your support. I know many of you have written me with specific questions on my e-mail, and I will answer you, but it might just take a bit of time as I'm really busy helping the medical team. Here's wishing you all a great weekend...

Friday, January 22, 2010

Hectic days!

I didn't get a chance to update yesterday, other than getting the list of things we could use online. Our medical team arrived her safely about 9:30 last night. They are already busy this morning, seeing patients and planning out the rest of their time here with surgeries and such. They had a rough trip in being on the road 8 hours after flying into Cap Haitian. They were able to bring in quite a few medical supplies, and also picked up some things from the Cruise ship docked outside of Cap. The doctors here were extremely glad to see them arrive, and even though we haven't ended up with as many patients as they had initially thought, they are very grateful for the help. Please continue to pray for them that they'd be able to help as many as possible, and that others who are in need of help would be able to get here in order to receive it.

Our vehicle is currently in PAP picking the last of our young people there. Lord willing, by tonight all of our "family" will be back home. We are really looking forward to that. The Bouchers have decided to stay in PAP and then head to the US as soon as they can. While we were happy to have them stay with us, we understand their decision to go there instead. Please pray for the guys and the car in PAP, pray that they get home safely tonight, they have a full load of people to bring back.

Last week this time, we had anticipated a lot more people staying in our home, but that hasn't happened yet. I'm being told by numerous people that our numbers are still going to swell, and we do really long to be able to help some of the children who have been left orphaned after the quake, so we are just praying that God would bring to our home those He desires to be here.

I'm feeling really tired today, and can't think of anything else to write! Thank you again for your prayers on our behalf, and your support.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Shipping things to us...

The boat that usually brings in supplies for us is arriving back in Miami and will be packing up in the next few weeks to bring supplies into Haiti. If you want to help us collect supplies that we can both use to give care to the kids at the HOH and to give to others who are in need at this time, feel free to check out this web page. I've posted it on the website of our new project "Hope Village" so hopefully it doesn't confuse you to much. If you get to the main page, click on the "Our biggest needs" link, If you have any questions feel free to ask... Here's the link: http://hopevillagehaiti.org/HOH_Needs.pdf

One last thing, if you have access to hospital type medical supplies, I didn't put any of that stuff on the list of things we need. Most of that stuff wouldn't be for the HOH but for the hospital located next door. Let me know in an e-mail if you'd rather send that type of stuff, and I'll send you the list...

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

A Belated Christmas

Good evening! I meant to get to this before today, but it was again one of those days where you get up with a list in your head of all you are going to get done, and then you spend the whole day doing everything but what was on that list! So, here's a bit of an update, and then I'm off so I can rock my girls to sleep tonight -- they've been missing that (and so have I).

Some have asked how Andrine is doing, she's in a lot of pain, but is so happy to be back in her home town, in her home hospital...She's really held up like a trooper through all of this. I hear it is a very painful injury. She's really hurting all over because they are making her stay lying on the wooden door that she was carried here on. I don't think she'll need surgery, but I guess we'll know for sure when the Dr.'s come.

When we went through the hospital this morning there wasn't an empty bed anywhere. They aren't overflowing yet, but they are full. Last evening they lost a patient that had traveled all the way here to receive medical treatment. He survived the quake, made his way 150 miles to find medical care, and then he died of an embolism, because they didn't have any blood thinning meds to give him. It really upset the doctors here. They are all working hard, and what makes it harder is that they all have lost someone dear to them...but they just have to keep going to try and save these who are here now. Pray for the doctors and nurses of the Beraca Medical Center.

Plans are still changing with the Boucher family, as their family who live in the US is trying to have them all go there for a while. Since they all have Visa, it shouldn't be too hard to do. So, tomorrow we should know what they've decided to do, and then we'll decide when and how to get Carl Evens back home. We haven't heard from Marie Ange at all today.

We look forward to receiving the medical team tomorrow. They'll be flying into the North of Haiti, and then our fellow CrossWorld missionary will drive them back here. Please pray for safety all along the way.

Well, just so you see that the title of my update actually has something to do with what I wrote...
Last night we finally had "Christmas" at the HOH. The last box of Christmas gifts got delivered to our house on Jan. 12th...so, since we'd had such a heavy week here at the HOH, we decided to go ahead and pass out the gifts so the kids could enjoy themselves a bit. I think this picture of Aubert gives you a clue how everyone felt about the evening. A big thank you to all of our friends who sent us gifts for the kids...

Tomorrow morning, Lord willing (we say that a lot in Haiti...maybe because so often we dont' get to do what we planned on doing!). I'll be posting a list of things that can be sent to us, and instructions on how to send it, so keep an eye out...

A couple of last bits of good news from our area today. A fuel truck got here today, so were able to restock up on diesel fuel. That will be a big help in the days ahead. And I talked to the director of the bank today, and they are planning on opening up tomorrow! That will be a big help to the area as well.

Your prayers, words of encouragement and willingness to help, have blown us away. We are so blessed, thanks for standing together with us. Good Night!

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Praise God for a Virus!!

I got a bad virus on my computer about 3 weeks ago now. It wrecked my computer (and I've had to go back to using my extremely slow old one--which thankfully I had, or else you wouldn't be hearing from me). Because he was here on Christmas vacation Ruben tried to help me fix it. He's one of our boys studying Computer Sciences at a university in PAP. Though we struggled through it together for days on end, we never were successful. So, Ruben leaves to go back to school, and then, just last week, he gets a terrible virus on his computer. He struggled to fix it, and ended up having to miss some classes because he couldn't do the class work.

Last Tuesday he left school to go find a CD that he was told would help him fix the computer so he could back to classes the next day. While preparing to head across town to get the CD the earthquake struck, he hadn't left his house yet. Though shaken around a lot, his house stood strong -- amazing when you see the pictures of destruction all over PAP. The first thing that popped into Ruben's head was his sister, she was at school. He tore out of the house to find total chaos in the streets. He found his school (that had more than 5 stories to it) completely flattened. He is unsure if they ever found any survivors among his classmates who were still inside.

He ran to where his sister's school was and found it collapsed as well. He started screaming for her, and after searching for quite some time they found each other. She had a broken pelvis however, and so their nightmare continued as they searched for medical aid all over the city. They relied on the kindness of others to help carry Andrine from place to place on a door they had managed to find. Early this morning -- at 3:30 to be exact, they finally arrived back home. We were a large and enthusiastic welcoming party as the truck pulled into the hospital gate. How wonderful it was to have them back here with us. We got Andrine settled in the hospital, and Ruben finally got a chance to get some sleep.

Thank you so much to all of you who prayed for their safety yesterday. God really protected them, and we are so thankful for your part in holding them before the throne of our Father in prayer. Toto and Makens arrived here yesterday as well, and so we are left with only Carl Evens and Marie Ange still in PAP. Please pray as they both continue to deal with the traumatic events of this past week.

When the vehicle arrived at the Boucher's house in PAP yesterday, they thought we had sent for them. Apparently the past while since we had been able to talk to them have been very bad. Looting is rampant, and they are receiving cases of young girls and women being raped on the streets. They feel the best thing now is for their family to leave the city, which is home to them, so a very hard thing to do. We of course are very happy with their decision, and will be sending the truck back to get them either tomorrow or Thursday. We will be so happy to have Carl Evens and the Boucher's here. Please pray for safety for them, they no longer feel safe in their area so are going to stay somewhere else until we can get there to get them.

And that just leave Marie Ange. She's been holding up so well, helping out where she can, and returning to work as asked to do (she's a nurse). But yesterday things hit her hard. It was her birthday, she was away from home, without a place to stay, broke, and living out a horror story everywhere she went. We talked on the phone, and told her if she decided to come home we'd support that decision, and worry about another job at a later date. We told her to talk to her boss about letting her come, even if it's for a few days to get some rest and regroup...so we'll see if they let her. She'd appreciate your prayers for her. Pray she'd be able to think clearly about whether or not to leave PAP. Pray for safety as she has to walk to/from work each day. Pray that she'd be a light in the midst of darkness where God has placed her at this moment.

God blessed us, yesterday, working out the details of a medical team to come and help at our hospital . Sometime yesterday morning the hospital Administrator asked me if we could find help, specifically and orthopedic surgeon, and medical supplies which are already running low. The name of a doctor who used to come here regularily popped into my mind, but before I could even try to find his e-mail address I received e-mail from another doctor asking if he could come and bring an orthopedic surgeon! Dr. Piepgrass grew up in Haiti, and spent 6 years working here in La Pointe at our hospital. He's the one who trained our surgeon who is here now...so he knows the ropes around here. What a blessing! They are flying into a Cap Haitian this week, and should be here Thursday to help with surgeries. There are four of them (the two surgeons, and anethetist, and an OR nurse). They are bringing in medical supplies as they are able, and have asked for prayer for safety as they fly in and then drive numerous hours to get to her from there.

Many are asking how to help financially, and a financial gift to CrossWorld is really the best way to do that at this point. To help the HOH specifically, include a note that it is for the HOH; if you'd rather help with their Haiti relief fund, just mark that on the note. Their address is: CrossWorld, 10000 N Oak Trafficway , Kansas City, MO 64155. Or CrossWorld, 1020 Matheson Blvd. E. #11, Mississauga, ON L4W 4J9 for those in Canada. You can also visit their website: www.crossworld.org . I just heard of a new blog set up to post updates of CrossWorld's work in PAP, and their earthquake and recovery updates. If you are interested in keeping up with that the blog is: http://haitiearthquakerecovery.blogspot.com.

Some of you want to collect things and send them. The boats are still running between Miami and Port-de-Paix, so this is a possibility. I'll be preparing a list of needed items, and instructions on how to send it to us if you are interested drop me an e-mail: jenny.reitz@crossworld.org .

Once again, thanks so much for your prayers, your words of encouragement, and your support during this time. We praise God for each of you!

Monday, January 18, 2010

Please Pray Today...

Sorry I didn't get a chance to update you all yesterday. It was a rough day in a lot of ways for us. We had a great church service yesterday morning. Most everyone (at least all the older kids/youth who can understand what's going on) had tears streaming down their faces for much of the service. There were many mixed feelings...overwhelming feelings of gratitude for being spared, and for having our kids and close friends in PAP spared...unbelievable sadness for our friends and family who are grieving...desperate longing to help those we can, and frustration from not being able to. But in the end, the youth who directed our service did a wonderful job of fixing our eyes on our Beloved Creator through the reading of numerous Psalms, and then ended the service with a challenge from Eph. 5:16 "to make the most of every opportunity." And this is what we continue to do...

We spent the afternoon visiting with our grieving neighbors, and then got a call to please go visit another lady. She's in her late 20's I'd guess, and lost her husband and 2 oldest children in the earthquake. She survived with her small 3 month old baby boy Christopher. She, as you can imagine, is just beside herself with grief. She keeps hearing her little girl's voice in her head calling out to help her out from under the collapsed house. We've heard many similar stories, of these survivors not being able to sleep, still hearing the voices of their friends and families crying for them to help but not being able to...It was heartbreaking...we just feel so overwhelmed, and have no idea how to help these people. Please pray for us to have incredible wisdom these days as we seek to comfort and help those around us.

Ronel didn't get back from PAP until late last night. As soon as he got here we started making plans for his trip back today. He is going in our vehicle, and is taking food provisions for the Boucher family, and Carl Evens and Marie Ange who are staying there. Marie Ange called us last night, her place of employment is still standing so they are going to try and open up and keep working. So she will stay indefinitely to help out. While we'd love for everyone to just come on home, we are so proud of them for wanting to stay there help out.

Ronel still hasn't been able to leave PPx yet this morning as our car had some brake problems, and they were working on fixing them before they hit the road. I would like to ask you all to please pray for them today. Pray for safety on the roads, pray that they can reach all the places they need to with provisions. Pray that they will be able to reach Andrine ok, and pray for her as it's going to be a terrible trip over these rough roads with her broken pelvic bone. Pray for Kerby the chauffeur who is driving. Pray for other connections that need to be made, we have other friends (including one who is trying to bring back 4 nieces and nephews who lost their father).

For those of you who write comments on the blog, I do appreciate that, but if you ask me a question, I have no way of answering your questions if you don't include an e-mail address. So, please either include and address, or write me directly at my e-mail: jenny.reitz@crossworld.org.

That's all for now, please pray for the guys on the road today.

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Today's HOH News

I started this update with "not a lot of news today", and then by the time I had finished writing it all had changed with lots of news...So, here goes

A lot of people are starting to make it back up to La Pointe. Numerous ones have been passing through the HOH all day today, telling us their story. We've been helping those we can with clothing, funds and food, as most of them have nothing. So far we haven't had any arrive to stay with us, as they all have family in the area. One boy came by with two of his friends. He had been trapped under his house for 6 hours, and his friends had dug with their hands until they could finally rescue him!

Here's an update on our young adults in PAP:

Toto & Macken (Mme Yvon's 2 boys) were able to meet up with a friend Ernst who came in from the DR. They are going to come back to La Pointe with them, but they need to find Ernst's little sister first. They know she is alive, but they haven't been able to locate in which makeshift camp she is yet. So they are still searching for her. Pray they can find her and all come back here.

Our friend, Ronel Jean, went to PAP today to find his brother Ruben and sister Andrine. He found them, we had been told Andrine had been hit by falling cement, but they had told us she wasn't too bad. Well, that's not the case. It appears that her pelvic bone is broken, she cannot sit, and hasn't been seen by a doctor yet even though she's been taken to three different medical stations. It's a good thing Ronel went down. He's just called and said they can't stay there, there's no care, and nothing they can do about it. He is going to come back here tomorrow, and will likely take one of our vehicles back down to pick her up. She cannot sit, so he needs a vehicle she can lay down in. Pray that we can work out these details, so she can come back and get the care here at our hospital that she needs.

Carl Evens is going to stay with Mme Boucher to help her and the kids out. While their house is unlivable, they still have most of their belongings, so they feel the need to stay there for now. Dr. Boucher is working non-stop helping the wounded, so when he can come home they want to be there for him. He lost both his clinic and the hospital he directed. They seem to be doing ok, and we are so thankful for the 20 minutes we got to talk to them on the phone this evening to catch up on their news. They are managing to find a few things to eat, but not a lot. So we will try to send them provisions with the vehicle going back in. We have offered to take the boys here if it will help them out, so if they feel the need to do that they will. They have not left their neighborhood at all, so while they hear a bit of news every now and again, we hear more about what's going on in PAP around them then they do!

While we haven't heard from her in a couple of days, Marie Ange said she is staying in PAP for a bit. As a nurse she is helping out where she can. She is planning on coming back home as soon as she can.

The hospital we are connected with(CMB) is starting to fill up with wounded that have been able to make it out here. We've sent all our extra medical supplies to them because they will run out quickly (dear friends at Simcoe -- your medical supplies are being put to good use!). Dr. Mozart was exhausted this morning, so you could pray for him and the other Dr.'s and nurses as they treat these wounded. They were told they'd get some extra nurses from the government, but so far we haven't seen them yet.

We also heard that the street kids that some of our missionaries in PAP work with were all found ok today. They can't stay in their house, but they are alive, so we are so thankful to hear that.

In general, we feel better after hearing news from most everyone today. Please keep praying, especially that we can get Andrine up here. And for those who have lost loved ones...everyone has family or close friends who have died, it is so very sad.

Friday, January 15, 2010

Precious Prayer Warriors

We are so blessed to have so many people holding us up in prayer these days. One of our very young prayer warriors prayed this for us today, "Lord Jesus, I pray for Haiti which is falling down and all the people dead. Please make Haiti stand up and stay up forever, Amen!" To which we add a very hearty AMEN!!

Our sleep last night was cut short as people in the area felt some small tremors early this morning. They panicked, and started yelling and scaring everyone. Soon everyone was calling whoever they knew telling them to get out of their houses...It got everyone here worked up, so we ended up sitting outside with the kids and watched the sun come up!

Today was another busy day, trying to connect people with their loved ones. Again some good and some bad endings, but we are glad to be able to help. We communicated with Dr. Boucher, and he sounded much better today. We are still trying to get our kids out of PAP and up here. We have received numerous requests to keep people who have survived and have no place to go. We are happy to do so, and so are waiting for them to start showing up. We imagine our family growing quite a bit over the next few days, and we are happy to be able to help out in this way.

Thank you for your continued prayers, please pray we can successfully get our PAP kids up here. We are going to try and send someone to them (they have no money to pay the bus fees -- the buses are running, they just need the money). So we are trying to work that out. We had a private vehicle all ready to go today, but at the last minute we found out PAP isn't letting private vehicles into the city anymore. So, we are back to square one. But we did find out the buses are running, so we'll try that angle. We have some friends who are still on their way here, but they should get in pretty soon.

So, with our little friends prayer in mind, we say Amen! and Good Night

Thursday, January 14, 2010

"Help me Praise Him!!"

One of you sent me a verse today that was not only very fitting to what we are experiencing, but very encouraging as well...Ps. 46, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will we not fear, though the earth be removed...Be still and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah."

This morning we spent an hour just sitting with our neighbors who have lost their children in the earthquake. Tonight I can say their names, for those of you who know the people here. Emmanuel Francius is the director of our kid's High School. He and his wife lost their daughter and granddaughter. And Dr. Sider and his wife lost a daughter and a son. It was heart wrenching to sit with them, and we all wept as we mourned with them. The are two incredibly strong Christian families, and while they grieved painfully, they made it clear they still trusted God. At one point, one of the grieving parents cried out, "Help me praise Him! I can't do it on my own, pray with me, sing with me. Help me praise Him!"

As I read this verse later this morning that phrase "I will be exalted in the earth" really struck me. If you don't read the first part of the Psalm, it would be difficult to imagine how God could be exalted in the midst of such great tragedy, pain and suffering. But when you stop for a bit, remembering He is God, He is our refuge, and our strength...somehow it becomes possible. It was as Linda sat there and reminded our friend that He is her strength and refuge that she cried out with her request to help her praise Him. I know they have many dark days ahead of them as they grieve their loss, but what a blessing that they have a Heavenly Father who is there with them to be their very "present help in trouble".

Please continue to pray for these two families, and add to them the many others who are finding out little by little which ones of their family members are alive and which ones have passed away. One of our nurses lost a brother, another doctor lost her mother, still others have not yet heard any news of their loved ones.

We heard from Dr. Boucher very late last night. We only got to speak to him for a few seconds. He sounded exhausted from trying to run his hospital with the hundreds of sick piling in. He confirmed that they did lose their house and pretty much everything they owned. We encouraged him to send his wife and kids to the HOH so they could stay here until things clear up. Unfortunately, there just aren't a lot of options to get them out of the neighborhood where they are and up here. We continue to pray that we'd be able to work that out though.

We have not been able to have any contact with them whatsoever today. Different men from La Pointe are talking of trying to get to PAP and find those they can and bring them back here, so we'll see if they are successful or not. From what we see on the news it seems like that might be an impossible task.

One piece of good news we got today was that someone has spoken with Miss Marie Ange, so she was our last young adult in PAP that we hadn't heard from. So all of our kids who live there are alive and accounted for...what a blessing and reason to do some serious praising!!!

So with that thought I leave you all tonight....Help us Praise Him!

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Update

It's been a long day. It was like the world of La Pointe stopped and the only thing important was finding news about friends and family. The kids went to school but within an hour everyone was sent home. Our office was full of people all day begging us for more information and help trying to locate loved ones. We did all we could to help, and in the end some were able to rejoice; some like us were thankful for lives spared, but terribly saddened by the situations our loved ones find themselves in; some are still waiting for news and others are tonight going through intense grief. We all have shed our fair share of tears today; tears of joy and tears of sadness.

We heard from Carl Evens, our boy who lives and studies in PAP with the Boucher family,this afternoon after much trying. We were so relieved, I can't even tell you, we all had tears in our eyes while he talked to us. We also were able to talk to Mme Boucher for a few minutes before the phone cut out. They are fine, but it sounded like they pretty much lost everything; she was sitting out on the road with the kids...with nothing and no place to go...our heart are broken for them, and we know there's nothing we can do to help them right now. She did tell us she lost one niece that she knows of as well.

God really spared Carl Evens, he wasn't at school yesterday as he had finished his exams and had a few days off (he was supposed to come up here today on the bus, go figure). He said his school was ripped in two, and all the students who were there were buried underneath and they've not been able to get any out. It was such a God thing that he was at the Boucher house when the earthquake happened, because he had to rush in to get their middle boy out. He got hit on the shoulder, but saved the boy's life!

Dr. Boucher is also ok, but completely swamped with work. The MSF hospital he directs had to be evacuated after the building became unstable, and he is now trying to deal with more patients than he and his team can handle. So please pray for him during these very difficult days.


On a much sadder note one of our neighbors
lost their daughter and granddaughter in PAP, as well as a niece and nephew (children of another neighbor). They all lived in the same house…just young kids really, it’s terribly sad. The spouse of an employee of the hospital found out throughout the day of 7 different family members who had died. Others are still waiting for any news at all that their loved ones are still alive. Please continue to pray for our friends and neighbors. It's still very hard to get news. The phones only work sporadically.

We’ve heard from Ruben (Ernst’s brother, also studying in PAP) he’s fine. And so are Mme Yvon’s boys. But we haven’t heard from our good friend Miss Marie Ange at all.
So we ask you to pray for her.

Thankfully we still have the internet. And thank you to everyone who has written to let us know of your prayers and support. Many are asking what you can do. Both CrossWorld and Extreme Response have Haiti Relief funds set up if you are interested in helping out financially. At this point we are waiting for things to settle down a bit to know how best to help out.

Pray for wisdom for us to know how to deal with the different situations that come our way. Pray for our co-workers in PAP who have so much more to deal with (we are thankful fhat all of our CrossWorld missionaries in Haiti are accounted for and are ok). Pray that we'd continue to be a light to those around us during this dark time.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

EarthQuake!!!

Just wanting to let you know we are fine. We felt the earthquake up here, it was a bit disconcerting, but we had no idea how bad it was in Port-au-Prince. Please pray with us for our friends and family who are there, we have no way to contact most of them, and are very concerned for them, especially for the Boucher family. Please pray for them, and for all of us in Haiti during this very difficult time. The stories we are getting from Port-au-Prince sound terrible, but all we can do at this point is pray. We know this hasn't surprised our Heavenly Father, and we know we can trust Him completely. Thanks for praying.