Psalm 34:8 "Taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the man who trust in Him."
This was the text for our sermon yesterday in church. I must say I needed that sermon. We had a big fun day with over 300 kids on Saturday - games, singing, and a nice lunch with meat! The Discipleship Team (the group of 6 dynamic Swazi's who do the children's ministry at the Care Points) planned the whole day. It was amazing and when I get home I will try to get some video up of all the kids singing.
But the night before the fun day every member of the Discipleship Team (D-Team) were at overnight vigils for funerals. One member - Dheli - had her sister die last week. The sister was 29 and left behind a few children. The youngest is 4 months old. The dying wish was for Dheli to take care of the child. Dheli is young and single and as she told us when we talked with her, "I am a mother now."
The funerals here start of a Friday night, go into an all night vigil, then people are buried at the homestead at sunrise. It amazes me that even though there is a funeral to go to almost every weekend, people just keep on with their Saturday schedules. The whole D-Team was up all night and then led the program for 300 children for several hours Saturday morning and afternoon. How they do it I have no idea.
In the sermon Pastor Walter talked about how you cannot taste the goodness of God unless you go through the trials of life. The people in church were praising and thanking Him at the top of their voices - for they have indeed tasted and seen the Lord is good - and they trust in Him.
Just a few minutes here to give an brief update from Swaziland.
Marcia and I have been leading a group of men these past few days and it has been an great experience. To see 12 men giving of themselves in this country is rare. Among these men are three NFL players who are very large - bigger humans than the Swazi's have ever seen. The response is amazing. The players have hearts of gold and we are having a good time together. Wish there was time for a picture or two!
Today was not as easy day. We started at a care point that serves 261 children. These kids come from very rough backgrounds a live across the street from the city dump. The teacher told me that when a garbage truck comes to the dump the kids leave the care point to run across the street to pick through the new trash. One little one around 4 years old was chewing on a chicken wing and the teacher said he got if from the dump.
Then we went to visit the homestead where a mother of 5 died last week. She left behind 2 children in grade school and two teenage/20 year old daughters who each have their own babies - one only 3 weeks old. They live in two mud houses and have nothing. 7 more orphans in Swaziland now. The guys prayed and shared and we stood in a circle to surround the women to pray over them - a group of men protecting Swazi women and standing in the gap for them. We saw the crops around their house were failing from drought and prayed for rain. It started raining just a few minutes ago - now 7 hours later.
The we went to the homestead of an 8 year old girl who drowned yesterday in a pond. We sat and prayed and cried with the grandmother and father and some other family members. Very sad and tragic.
In each place we bring some food. In the first home one daughter who is 19 has 2 years of high school left. She has no money to pay the school fees. The guys dug into their pockets and paid the year school fees - $250. Amazing.
We have seen highs and lows in our first week here - and more often than not the internet has not worked to even try to update you all! please pray for us as we travel tomorrow to Nsoko - the hardest hit area of Swaziland. We have another group coming in so the logistics and overall work will double for Marcia and I. We are already a little tired - although as I type this Marcia is visiting at the hospital. I don't know how she has the emotional or physical energy to do it.
I want to testify to
the goodness of God in providing for His people. What a humble position
for our team to be in- carrying the monetary support of our own friends and
family and churches to such a desparate place.
We brought all of our "loaves and fishes" to the Lord just like they
did when Jesus said, "Bring them to Me." We all know how
He then multiplied them to feed his people. We have experienced this very
same power. Every night when we came home and counted our funds we always
had the same amount of money left for the next day. We bought hundreds of
dollars worth of food and supplies, large cooking pots, blankets, clothes and
shoes. On the way back at night we all dipped in our pockets only to find
as many bills as we started with. Over and over we bought food and supplies and
drove them to the Haitian border for pastor Prophete, Then we made a new
list for the morning supply run and shopped some more and guess what? At
the end of the day we still had more than enough money in our wallets. We began
to just laugh and laugh every time we counted the money. We couldn't
believe our eyes at all that was continually left over. Even tonight as I write
we have recounted our funds and laughed at God's goodness and are able to
provide an abundace for the Haitians who are now flocking to another border
near us in San Juan. What an amazing God who is faithful in His provision and
who will not leave or forsake His people. He has truly multiplied the miney but
also our time, our efforts, our compassion, and our love.
I got a call from Marcia. The past few days they have been visiting and supplying Pastor Prophete and his wife Betty, along with a Dr. Patrick. Prophete has been a pastor in Haiti since 1974. Beyond the church his ministry has a school and small hospital including a birthing center.
This morning they met 7 pastors who have nothing- don't even have shoes. The team took in a giant truck-load of supplies for the churches and communities these pastors serve.
This afternoon and evening they are in San Juan to encourage the AIM missionaries who live there, Miguel and Kristen Shaul.
Monday they head back to Santo Domingo to head home.
I am sure Marcia will post some pictures once she gets settled back home over the next few days.
Thanks to all who prayed and gave – the response has been overwhelming and the aid brought to Haiti has been significant in the lives of those the team has touched!
I am heartbroken for
the Haitians. We have talked and prayed with many. Last night spent time in the
hospital. Most people have something amputated. It is a pitiful sight.
Difficult to share with them because they mostly speak Creol and French. Every
age group, both genders, just fill the place up with casts and stumps, dressings
and pain. They look lost and devasted. They are homeless and still don´t know
where their family members are. There are many children here on the street with
one small bag of their life´s belongings and an aunt or neighbor or friend or
brother or sister, etc. When you ask about their family they immediately say,
¨My father died,¨or ¨My mother died,¨ and on and on. Their stories are
horrific of grabbing the children and running for the door when they felt the
¨shake.¨ Some made it and some didn´t. This morning we see the same family that
we met with last night, sitting on the corner.
We have been giving out diapers and wipes and pedialyte to the moms with babies
on the street. We can buy those things here. We have been giving Michael´s
stuffed animals to the little ones. They accept them quickly and draw them in
to their chest and hold them in a hug. It is a small and beautiful
comfort. We have also been buying mels and handing them out on the
street. These are refugees for a time. Most all of them are looking to escape
Haiti and want money for a ride into Santo Domingo, which is not possible.
One girl we helped last nioght was crying out in pain and holding her
stomach. She was just sitting on the sidewaalk outside of the hospital
along with her sister and some family. It seemed to get worse as we talked and
became unbearable for her. She had told us that her father had died in the
quake and that she hadn´t eaten or drank all day. We ended up carrying her into
the hospital and staying with her for a bit. She became scared in there and
refused the pain shot. She went back to the sidewalk because she did not want
to miss the ride to Santo Domingo that she thought she was getting.
Anyway we gave her some pedialyte and she was still hurting. We believe
the stress was too uch to bear for her last night. So much grief and
loss.
That is one short story of millions of course. We have seen alot of AID and the
atmosphere is in many ways a wonderful thing. The compassion of people of of
many countries is all in this place. People stop to help and to talk and
share stories, info. Taiwan had a great group with medicine. Lots of
helicopters and military everywhere. Red Cross, World Vision, Compassion,
USAID, UN, NYPD and NYFire Fighters were at the gas station with us this
morning. I talked with them. They were driving into Haiti this morning.
1:30pm Eastern Time January 21st:
Marcia and Sam and crew are in Jimani (border town DR/Haiti). All are safe and healthy.
This morning they arrived in Jimani not knowing what to expect. Last week our DR staff member Miguel Shaul has made contact with a pastor in Port-au-Prince who needed medical supplies and food. Since then we've been unable to contact him due to communication lines being down. They prayed. The team met up with Miguel in Jimani and were praying and discussing options when Miguel jumped from the car saying, "There is the pastor!"
The pastor was at a gas station, dropping off a wounded person, and headed back to Haiti. Marcia and Sam and team were able to immediately hand over ALL the supplies they had gathered in Gainesville - $2200 worth – and put it in the back of the pastor's truck. The plan is tomorrow the pastor will return and the team will meet him with a load of food stuffs they can buy on the DR side.
They say the hospital is full, but the streets are "normal." There are lots of aid workers there. They have been talking with two young mothers with young children who were from Port-au-Prince, had fled after the earthquake and were just sitting exhausted on the sidewalk. They seemed traumatized – every time a car went by they felt as if another earthquake was coming.
Depending on how things go they may go into a small town near another border that has gone from its normal population of 3000 to more than 20,000 – people are leaving Port-au-Prince in drives going wherever they can for help.
Please keep praying as they follow the Lord's leading.
Just off the phone with Sam and Marcia.They made it fine but had some problems with
the rental van.But, being the DR and Sam
they were able to find other transport to rent.Because of this they were delayed but they are on their way to Jimani
now.
Marcia said almost the whole plane was filled with Red Cross
and World Vision and other aid workers!
Thanks for all the support of the little group – they are
small but mighty and so very thankful for the support of family, friends, and
community!
For the past few days I have been up to my eyeballs in Haiti relief. I have been in constant contact with AIM missionary on the ground Miguel Shaul who courageously hitch hiked into Port-au-Prince the past few days. More people are coming on line within AIM to coordinate the organization efforts which are mounting every moment!
Our personal family response to the tragedy is to send Sam and Marcia from the coming Wednesday through the next Monday. Sam speaks fluent Spanish as well as some French and Creol, has made yearly trips to the DR and Haiti for 10 years, and dearly loves the people. Marcia will be able to use her nursing and spiritual insights to heal and encourage. Two other friends from Sam and Jill's small group at church are also going.
Please take a look at Marcia's blog here and keep up with it as we will update as possible for the next 10 days.
Also note Miguel and Kristen Shaul's blog here to get more updates.
Anyone who wants to contribute to Sam and Marcia's trip (we are funding the travel ourselves - just looking for donations for supplies on the ground) you can through the "Support Me" button on the left.
If you want to contribute to the AIM organizational efforts you can do so here.
We covet your prayers for the whole situation and especially for Marcia and Sam as they travel and minister.
