Haiti 2009

Just thinking

2009-07-08T10:02:00.002-04:00

Last night I had yet another dream about Haiti. This seems to be the norm for me since I got back. It seems I can't escape Haiti in my dreams. This is good. In this one we were just sitting around in the area where we all hung out everyday before and after we got back from work. Franklin was there, Doodoo and Pastor Lewis were there, along with many other people. Of course I can't make out there faces..... Typical dream! We were all just sitting around laughing, just thinking and talking about all that God has done and will continue to do in us and in Haiti! Visiting Haiti was truly a special gift. My hope and prayer is that God will never allow me to forget..... Rock on Jezi

Haiti pictures and video (take 4)

2009-06-27T16:09:00.066-04:00

2009-06-27T15:52:00.000-04:00

Haiti pictures & video

2009-06-27T15:29:00.005-04:00

It was a blessing to serve the Haitians community with everybody on the team.
Looking forward to go back and continue serving Him.
Gil

Haiti pictures & video

2009-06-27T15:29:00.004-04:00

It was a blessing to serve the Haitians community with everybody on the team.
Looking forward to go back and continue serving Him.
Gil

Haiti pictures and videos

2009-06-27T14:17:00.002-04:00

It was a blessing to serve the Haitians community with everybody on the team.

Looking forward to go back and continue serving Him.

Gil

Mission Adjourned

2009-06-19T22:25:00.002-04:00

Our time in Haiti has come to an end and I am glad to call the members of the team bond servants of Christ. Today we served the orphanage in Cambry which houses 220 orphans. To much of our surprise the children we in relatively good health which is due to the fact that many churches have stepped up and provided financial support necessary to care for the children. The one constant was the amount of teeth extracted. However due to the good health of the Cambry kids, we were able to provide care to the adults, caregivers, staff, nurses, and pastors and their wives.

Through the power of the Holy Spirit working in and through us individually and as a team, we were able to bring a glimmer of heaven on earth to the children and people of Haiti this week. There is no doubt that Christ is showing up big in this country. Let's continue to stand with the pastors who preach the uncompromising message of Jesus Christ. An awakening is happening in this country and how exciting it is to be a conduit of service to the people of Haiti. Lives were blessed, people are being healed both physically and spiritually, and most importantly the church of God continues to expand.

We have seen God do big things but we must not rest upon those laurels, we must pick up the mantle and act on behalf of the needy and oppressed. As we have heard preached from the pulpit we must Arise and Go! Go to those who have no voice, Go to those who are weary and heavy laden, Go to those whom God has called us to serve!

It is circumstances like this that reminds us of our Lord and Savior who embarked on a mission to bring the kingdom of heaven to the poor and needy on earth. Hebrews 12:1-2 reminds us of the great cloud of witnesses who have preceded us and Jesus who was able to endure the cross because of the joy set before him! May God grant us vision, a glimpse of heaven on earth, that in this time we may realize that God has allowed us to be his people, his church to serve him and glorify him in the midst of events such as an economic recession and a church merger. May a divine and God ordained sense of vision and purpose unite us and mobilize us to march we the One who has overcome sin and death, to join Christ as he reigns in heavenly places. Now is the time to seek the city whose builder and maker is God.

Thank you again for your prayers and words of encouragement.

Haiti Team 2009

Day 4 Mourning Into Joy

2009-06-18T22:53:00.003-04:00

Hey CRPC gang,

Hope you guys are having a blessed day saturated in the spirit of the Lord. God is definitely at work here in Haiti. Today was an experience mingled with raw emotion as the dental team extracted potentially lethal abcesses, and doctors continued treating children with scabies, malnutrition, and other health related sicknesses. It was tough observing children in pain. The fear of the uncertainty and unfamiliarity of their situation was expressed through horrific cries of pain in a language we don't understand. Interestingly enough one of the words while they were crying was the word why. Although the pain was a "good" pain, because healing would follow it, it truly was a gut wrenching experience as we walked with the children through the process.

Now the blessing. Once we arrived at the orphanage in Cayes, we were greeted by beautiful singing in our own language followed by the orphans raising their hands in prayer over us. That was not only amazing but truly humbling. We continue to recognize how we are being given to as much as God is using us to give. Some of the milestones reached today were the serving of over 90 children and caretakers at the orphanage in St. Louis, and 130 chilren and caretakers at the orphanage in Cayes. Dr.Gilliam extracted 40 teeth and performed potentially life saving draining of severe infections on a little girl named Monica. Dr. Pete, Phillip, and Gil continued showing Christ love by their compassionate care of the children. The pharmacy department was fluid and precise, the assistants both medical and dental provided top notch care, and we were able to also train locals to piece together glasses through kits provided.

We are so thankful for your prayers CRPC. What a wonderful fact to know that we are loved and covered in prayer, and that God is with us in this place. Haiti is beautiful in every sense of the word, from the majestic landscape to the friendliness of the people, to the beautiful smiles of the children. People are coming to know Jesus here. And that my friends is truly exciting. We look forward to seeing you soon. Thanks for everything.

In His Grace,

Rich B. and Erin M.

A Broken Heart

2009-06-18T22:51:00.007-04:00

This morning we were sitting at the mission house worshiping with song when the Lord struck me with contentment that I haven't felt in years. I leaned over close to Brent and told him "there is no other place on earth I'd rather be than here."

Today has been full of blessings. First of all, we have been struck with the reality of the Lord's blessing our team 'chemistry.' With a group of 30 being thrown together for 7 days, 24 hours a day, in trying conditions, it is inevitable that we would experience some type of 'personality conflicts'. The opposite of this has happened; we have been the perfect compliment for each other lifting each other through our individual weaknesses.

I was especially broken today over one specific orphan. I have held, loved, and prayed over hundreds of children this week and have many times been overwhelmed with compassion for their suffering and needs. This young guy was not the cutest of the group; he was middle aged, was covered in scabie sores, had a bloated stomach from malnutrition, and was just plain bony. I was holding him and feeding him an 'ensure' for some much needed calories while praying over him. I begged the Lord to fill the boy with His Spirit and love him. With Christ's love of the innocence of little children providing motivation; I asked the Lord to take blessing from me and give them to this child that has seemingly had everything deprived of him. He was so young and innocent, yet every suffering known to man had been inflicted on him. I am not innocent, yet the Lord has seen fit to give me every blessing under the sun. 'Lord, fill him with the Spirit that fills me' I prayed. My heart opened and was broken. I was broken over the depth of Christ's love toward me. I was broken over the inequality; over the suffering; over the innocence.

This young man had no parents, lived in a tiny concrete building with 90 other orphans, and had quickly declining health. I have health, family, and more than enough possessions. We have nothing in common. I loved him because the Lord loves him. My heart broke over his suffering because the Lord is broken over him.

As we moved on to our second orphanage for the day, I didn't forget this boy. Why did I love him specifically? What was the Lord doing in me? I welcomed transformation in my heart. In my travels, there have been many times standing in an orphanage looking impoverished kids in the eye empathising with their position but not breaking over them. How often have you read about their suffering in a magazine, seen their pictures on TV and simply sent a check so you feel better? I have done it. I have done my duty. But as Christians, this is not enough. Jesus said the greatest commandment is to Love. Do we love the widows and orphans, the little children, as Christ did? If we do our actions would show it ... our checkbooks would show it. Christ says 'where a man's treasure is, there his heart is also.' A piece of my heart has been left in a nondescript orphanage in Haiti. Where is yours?

In Christ

Timothy Hamilton

Day Three Complete

2009-06-17T19:54:00.002-04:00

"Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this; to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world." James 1:27

Family and friends, greetings from Les Cayes!

"But be doers of the word, and not hearers only..." (James 1:22)

Today we visited 2 orphanages, La Hate and Casa Major. La Hate is the orphanage that the missions team from New City Church helped construct last year. What a blessing to go back to the orphanage and continue to work with the children there!

Now that we are on day three of our trip, we are so thankful for the teamwork that has developed amongst the team members to serve all the children. Thank you so much for your prayers for team unity and servant hearts! During this short time, each member has learned different medical skills and everyone has been ready to step in wherever they are needed :)

We had the opportunity to visit 240 orphans today between the two houses! The dental team continues to do amazing work. Today 54 teeth were extracted by Dr. Mike, Brittany, Chase and our team leader Frank while Liz, Nicole P., Mariana and Mariam cleaned teeth. Our pharmacy team has perfected their medicine application and prescription filling skills :)

We continue to notice that each orphanage tends to have a predominant ailment. Today the medical team (Dr. Gil, Dr. Pete, Dr. Philip along with their assistants) identified many cases of conjunctivitis in La Hate, and Casa Major had children with upper respiratory infections and fevers. As a team, during this time, we are grateful for the opportunity that we have to serve and provide medical treatment to these beautiful children, but we also realize that these orphanages are in need of regular medical visits to follow up. Please join us in prayer as we ask for the Lord to continue to send laborers to Haiti and that as a church family He will give us wisdom and many more opportunities to continue to serve the Great Commission Alliance in their work here.

We are so grateful for your prayers and encouragement. Please know that you all are missed and loved. We are all well and looking forward to the work ahead...tomorrow we will be visiting St. Louis and Cayes orphanages, a total of 210 kids!

Many blessings :)

Jovanna and Nicole S.

Day Two Complete

2009-06-16T22:05:00.006-04:00

Good Evening! This is Kal H, Jon W, and Peter B (Rich B's Brother). We visited Arniquet and Port-Salut Orphanages today.

We had our busiest day yet seeing around 220 kids plus some adults providing continued nutritional support and antibiotics. Liz, Marianna, Nichole P, Nicole S and Mariam provided teeth cleaning for over 100 kids. Mike, Britney and Chase extracted over 30 molars as well. A very productive day! We worked for about 7 hours. We were incredibly blessed with a great lunch (at 3pm... Haitian Time) of fish, lobster, rice and black beans. God blessed us tremendously with a breeze and clouds this afternoon which was very restoring.

What we are finding is that there are very different needs at each orphanage. Some lack water while others lack food. The orphans visited this morning had severe malnutrition, were underweight, and a few had hair that had changed color to light orange because of severe dehydration. There were also several upper respiratory track infections.

The primary issue at the second orphanage was severe scabies with secondary infections. Beth, Erin, Ronnie and Matt had the pleasure of disinfecting their wounds and bandaging the worst ones. Doctor Gil actually had to lance a large abscess on upper arm of a 10 year old. Plenty of antibiotics were provided. Rich and Megan did yet another great job in the pharmacy.

Jon had a totally different experience from the rest of us as he suffered from a certain 'Haitian Sensation' which kept him at the mission house today. After feeling better, Jon walked around the village, discovering the incredible resourcefulness of the Haitians, from cleaning laundry to making food to constructing shelter. Americans generally live indoors, walled-in and isolated; Haitians live outdoors in relational community with family and friends.

What a great privilege it is to allow God to work through us to renew and restore this part of God's creation in doing our best to fix what is broken. These children are precious and the issues they suffer from are simple to address with consistent help from all of us who have more than plenty. Water, food, basic first aid and antibiotics would totally change their life. They are simply dehydrated and malnourished; we complain about what we have to eat and throw food in the garbage every night after dinner.

A tremendous task, but we have no choice but to act as Christians in renewing and restoring what God has made. God is on the move in Haiti and we pray God will be on the move at our home churches as well. Sacrifice over safety and security!

Tomorrow: Casa Major: 240 orphans to serve!

Day one complete

2009-06-15T21:32:00.005-04:00

What a day it was! Brent here, checking in and saying hi. I swore I wouldn't look at a computer, phone, or anything, but today serving our Lord in Haiti was so Amazing I had to drop a line for all you bloggers out there. I served today with not only our entire team, but also alongside Pastor Lewis, our gracious host, and many of our faithful Haitian brothers. Wow! What an experience it was. Being with these people and seeing their hearts and all that they lack in material has made me realize how truly rich they really are. I see now how beautiful the united body of Christ truly is. Let me share with you some of the ways in which God used us and our team to further his kingdom here on earth. Our medical team were fortunate enough to make it through visiting over a 120 orphans and providing them with the proper vitamins and treatments. Dr. Gutierrez was able to reduce a child's hernia. Between him and the other doctors, Dr. Blatz and Dr. Sprunger, many illnesses such as severe scabies, dysentery, ring worm, and parasites were able to be addressed. Dr. Gilliam with and the dental team were able to perform 26 tooth extractions (owwwww!!!) and 4 fillings, (CRAZY). How amazing to see what the Lord can use us to do. Ready for Day Two!! Praise God , thank you so much, keep praying for us! Arniquet and Port-Salut orphanages, Here We Come

Ready to Hit the Field

2009-06-14T17:21:00.003-04:00

God filled the Cambry church this morning and our souls have been replenished. The time of worship and fellowship was amazing.

Mariam and Brent got to share their testimonies with the entire congregation, the music was Spirit filled and the message preached by Pastor Louis was God breathed.

We have spent about 4+ hours unpacking all of the supplies and packaging all the medicines by type so we can hit the ground running tomorrow. It appears that we will be visiting 2 orphanages (between 180-240 orphans and staff) tomorrow to administer medical, dental, and spiritual care.

I am so proud of the team. When you are down here one must be flexible and the group is doing just that, being flexible. The medical and dental teams are working as a group, respectively, on how we anticpate that the clinics should run and the excitement level is high. The bonds that are forming are strong and I have thanked God so much for what he is doing in the lives of the group and in Haiti.

In about two hours we will be headed back to church and then call it a day.

Please pray that God will use us tomorrow in a way that honors Him and brings praise and glory to His name. Pray for the safety of the team as we triage and treat the people and also that the evangelism will be effective. We know that we do not change hearts but that God through us can.

Thank you again for all your prayers and never cease.

The Word

2009-06-14T06:57:00.002-04:00

We got to sleep in late this morning, 5:15 and outside of the howling dogs which kept the majority of us up late we are all rested, by God's grace one of us did not break the Commandment though not kill.

Off to church which starts at 6:30 and we are about to see what it is like to attend a church of 1,500 in Cambry. One thing I know for sure is we are about to witness faith reminiscent of Hebrews 11. May our souls be nourished and our hearts blessed.

"If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. John 8:31

Today may you all walk in the truth and Love of Christ Jesus and your hearts, minds, and should shall be set free.

With Love from Haiti

We have arrived!

2009-06-13T19:18:00.003-04:00

Greetings from Les Cayes.

Thank you all for your prayers. ALL of our medicine and supplies got through customs with ease, not one bag was opened. What a tremendous relief.

We were blessed again right after we got to Port-au-Prince in that the in country flights were waiting for us and this saved us about an hour or two, which we were able to then able give our time to the 300 orphans in Cambry.

The blessings kept pouring in once we got to the guest house in that there were exactly 28 beds available for the 28 trip members.

Our God is so good, he knows exactly what His people need and provides accordingly.

Keep praying!

A Servants Spirit

2009-06-12T06:52:00.000-04:00

This morning I read an article written by Mike Stachura of Operation Mobilization, Seven Principles for Highly Effective Short-Term Missions”. One of the principles is called "A Servants Spirit" and it states:

"Nothing is more damaging to cross-cultural missions, short-term or long-term, than a patronizing, paternalistic attitude. Paul came determined not to present himself, but Jesus Christ and Him crucified. As for Paul, he wanted to be known as Christ's bondservant. A servant's spirit starts in the home church or group with a willingness to do whatever is asked. It is reflected in the team life where all members are willing to take their share of the workload. It means esteeming others, particularly national Christian workers, as better than ourselves."

In the many articles and books in which I have read in reference to short-term missions, the two most common principles is being flexible and being humble. We must go without our own individual agenda and allow God to use us as He sees fit. So as we prepare to Arise and Go, let us humble ourselves and ask God to change our hearts as we meditate on His sacrifice for us".

Team

2009-06-12T06:45:00.000-04:00

Many people have asked for a comprehensive list of the participants going down to Haiti in order to pray for the team individually as well as as a whole.

Beth Hendry
Bobbi Comeaux
Brent Wells
Brittany Mahr
Chase Meacham
Dr. Gil Gutierrez
Dr. Mike Gilliam
Dr. Pete Blatz
Dr. Philip Sprunger
Erin Malenke
Frank Maiorana
Glen Steward
Jennifer Moree
Jon Whitney
Jovanna Aldas
Kal Hendry
Kelsey Geer
Kevin Bean
Liz Duboulay
Mariam Varghese
Mariana Caro
Matt Weissman
Megan Wackes
Nicole Palacios
Nicole Sebastian
Rich Blatz
Ronnie Perry
Sarah Cardenas
Vinnie Ciccone

We thank you in advance for your prayers.

Prayer

2009-06-11T15:59:00.000-04:00

Church, family, and friends,

As we get ready to head off to the magnificent country of Haiti, the team asks that you pray daily and with great fervor as we are gone.

God is working mightily in Haiti but it is a place where the spiritual battle rages on each and every day. The devil hates to see teams such as this one going into Haiti because as the interactions occur hearts are changed, Christ is glorified, and the devil is pushed back.

Please pray for the armor of God to cover us every minute of the day and that the Spirit of God will consume each of us as we go forth proclaiming God's word and demonstrating His love. Pray that we would seek His will on the trip and remember that we are His creatures and His vehicles of blessing to the people of Haiti. Nevertheless, pray that we will also be still and see the many blessings that are being poured out on us through the wonderful people of Haiti.

Saturday morning please pray that the many supplies and medications in which we are bringing down with us make it to our final destination in Les Cayes and that through our efforts we can administer the Gospel medicine to the people.

If electricity and internet connection permits we will update this post daily in order for you to experience the trip with us.

For His Glory and the expansion of His Kingdom.

Blessings,

Matt