Here's a link to a New York Times article on the election situation:
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Basketball Clinic at Petionville Club Refugee Camp
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On Wednesday the day before Thanksgiving, we had scheduled a coaching clinic with 6 Christian Schools in Port-au-Prince so that our visitor Kevin Belmont could use his basketball skills in ministry.
I had also invited Art McMahon, the basketball coach of Quisqueya Christian School, the youth Pastor and Pastor of Quisqueya Chapel, Marc Williams and Bobby Boyer, and Ronald William the administrator of AIS Haiti to help out.
We all arrived a little late at the school, but then we ended up waiting and waiting until we realized that nobody was going to show up except the assistant coach of the school where we were holding the clinic.
So we prayed and God gave me the idea of going to a refugee camp close by and doing a clinic with the kids there. So I called my contact there and he gathered about 30 children. By the time we ended, there were at least 100 kids!
We split up into six "stations" - dribbling, defense, shooting, passing, etc. and divided the kids up.
Thankfully, I had brought a portable basketball hoop which Kevin carried on his back to the middle of the camp.
Of course the conditions were not ideal with the "court" being made of uneven hard-packed mud, but the children had a great time and were all smiles. Kevin overcame the language barrier by demonstrating the moves with great animation and the help of a Haitian coach working with him.
After the clinic I had the opportunity to share the story of how I got shot and share the Gospel with these precious young men. They listened in spite of all the noise and activity all around them. I left enough evangelical books for the camp recreation leader to give one for each participant. Only God knows how the message I spoke will affect the lives of those who heard it, but we are praying that we will be able to follow up with many in the days ahead!
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
He never earned more than $5,000 US a year, he lived in what we would call poverty all his life, his job was boring and mundane – a gate guard for the UEBH mission in Bolosse for as long as I can remember (over 10 years). In the world’s eyes he was not a man of importance and had very little in the way of material goods. But in the eyes of his wife and children, and I believe in the eyes of God, he was a man worthy of honor and many tears were shed at his passing. He wasn’t perfect, but he was loved by those most important in his life. He died in peace, surrounded by those who loved him – he died a rich man!
Frere Levy (Brother Levy) was a wonderful Christian husband and parent. He and his wife, whom we have known for many years, raised 5 children and instilled in them a love for God, for learning and for each other. He was a gentle man and a beautiful Christian example of praising the Lord in spite of difficulties.
Last week I was upset because I had an appointment to get a check, but the person who had to sign it had forgotten about it. I now had four hours to spend until he would come. God directed me to spend two of those hours with Frere Levy and his family, and now I am so glad I listened to the small, still voice of God.
When I got to the house I was greeted by Naomi and her newborn daughter: Frere Levy's only grandchild. I peaked in on Frere Levy to see if he was awake, but he was sleeping. So I took some time to hold the baby and talk to Naomi and her Mother. Their house had been damaged during the earthquake and thanks to the generous gifts of our supporters, we had been able to help them reinforce the house and enlarge it. So they took pride in showing me all the work that was done.
But Madame Levy was honest about how hard it was to care for her dying husband. She said he would sleep during the day and moan and be awake most of the night in extreme pain. He could do nothing for himself. This had gone on for over 3 months as each day he became weaker and weaker. There are no “Hospices” in Haiti that I know of. No “Nursing Homes”. Frere Levy spent a month in the public hospital in Port-au-Prince, but when there was nothing more they could do for him, he went back to his house, and it is there that he died.
During my visit the other day, four out of his five children appeared one by one. Joshua had come the farthest. He was studying Spanish in the Dominican Republic in the hopes of attending University there next year. He would like to become a Doctor. Then David and Moise came in from the local High School they attend where they are in their last year. Elysee, the oldest son, was not there, but has been with his father a lot. I had just seen him recently so I knew how he was struggling with his Father’s illness.
We all went into Frere Levy's room where he lay on a simple cot. No rich bedding, lizards running though the rafters, a bare cement floor, but it could have been the bedroom of a King as the love and respect his children and his wife had for him was palpable. We started singing hymns in Creole and French and his eyes fluttered open and he started to wave his hands. He was too weak to really move or sit up, but he recognized me during a break in the singing and then we prayed with him.
I will never forget the sight: His loving wife of many years on one end. Naomi holding the baby in the middle, three of his sons beside her, and an extra cousin and a young neighbor boy for added measure. They were all there showing their love and respect for this man who had provided for them and taught them so much about God and life. I realized that this is how I wanted to go.
Sadly, Frere Levy died of Prostate Cancer which in the US would might have been found early and have been treated. Unfortunately, by the time it was detected they had to operate right away and did not get all of it, so it spread rapidly throughout his body and he was literally a skeleton when he died. He suffered much over the past few months, but still kept his faith and would even try and sing along when we sang hymns for him.
But “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints”, and Frere Levy had shown his love for the Lord by being a diligent student of the Bible. Even though he had nothing more than a High School Education, he knew the Bible very well and had won a number of “Bible knowledge” competitions at his church of over 1,000 members. He had also been the President of the parents committee of the Lemuel Football Club that three of his sons were involved in. He encouraged the parents on his committee to visit the Moms and Dads of all the players and talk to them about Christ. In this way many parents of our players trusted in Christ.
So, farewell, Frere Levy. You will always be a great example to me of a man with spiritual riches, put poor materially. Rich in family love, who left a wonderful Christian legacy for his family, friends and church.
Frere Levy (Brother Levy) was a wonderful Christian husband and parent. He and his wife, whom we have known for many years, raised 5 children and instilled in them a love for God, for learning and for each other. He was a gentle man and a beautiful Christian example of praising the Lord in spite of difficulties.
Last week I was upset because I had an appointment to get a check, but the person who had to sign it had forgotten about it. I now had four hours to spend until he would come. God directed me to spend two of those hours with Frere Levy and his family, and now I am so glad I listened to the small, still voice of God.
When I got to the house I was greeted by Naomi and her newborn daughter: Frere Levy's only grandchild. I peaked in on Frere Levy to see if he was awake, but he was sleeping. So I took some time to hold the baby and talk to Naomi and her Mother. Their house had been damaged during the earthquake and thanks to the generous gifts of our supporters, we had been able to help them reinforce the house and enlarge it. So they took pride in showing me all the work that was done.
But Madame Levy was honest about how hard it was to care for her dying husband. She said he would sleep during the day and moan and be awake most of the night in extreme pain. He could do nothing for himself. This had gone on for over 3 months as each day he became weaker and weaker. There are no “Hospices” in Haiti that I know of. No “Nursing Homes”. Frere Levy spent a month in the public hospital in Port-au-Prince, but when there was nothing more they could do for him, he went back to his house, and it is there that he died.
During my visit the other day, four out of his five children appeared one by one. Joshua had come the farthest. He was studying Spanish in the Dominican Republic in the hopes of attending University there next year. He would like to become a Doctor. Then David and Moise came in from the local High School they attend where they are in their last year. Elysee, the oldest son, was not there, but has been with his father a lot. I had just seen him recently so I knew how he was struggling with his Father’s illness.
We all went into Frere Levy's room where he lay on a simple cot. No rich bedding, lizards running though the rafters, a bare cement floor, but it could have been the bedroom of a King as the love and respect his children and his wife had for him was palpable. We started singing hymns in Creole and French and his eyes fluttered open and he started to wave his hands. He was too weak to really move or sit up, but he recognized me during a break in the singing and then we prayed with him.
I will never forget the sight: His loving wife of many years on one end. Naomi holding the baby in the middle, three of his sons beside her, and an extra cousin and a young neighbor boy for added measure. They were all there showing their love and respect for this man who had provided for them and taught them so much about God and life. I realized that this is how I wanted to go.
Sadly, Frere Levy died of Prostate Cancer which in the US would might have been found early and have been treated. Unfortunately, by the time it was detected they had to operate right away and did not get all of it, so it spread rapidly throughout his body and he was literally a skeleton when he died. He suffered much over the past few months, but still kept his faith and would even try and sing along when we sang hymns for him.
But “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints”, and Frere Levy had shown his love for the Lord by being a diligent student of the Bible. Even though he had nothing more than a High School Education, he knew the Bible very well and had won a number of “Bible knowledge” competitions at his church of over 1,000 members. He had also been the President of the parents committee of the Lemuel Football Club that three of his sons were involved in. He encouraged the parents on his committee to visit the Moms and Dads of all the players and talk to them about Christ. In this way many parents of our players trusted in Christ.
So, farewell, Frere Levy. You will always be a great example to me of a man with spiritual riches, put poor materially. Rich in family love, who left a wonderful Christian legacy for his family, friends and church.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Denver Post publishes Photo essay of Amputee Soccer Team
Wow, these are great photos of the Amputee Soccer team taken by the talented Leah Mills. See the comments below for how they have affected those who have viewed them.
http://blogs.denverpost.com/captured/2010/10/27/haitian-amputee-football/2519/
These photos are will worth your time!
http://blogs.denverpost.com/captured/2010/10/27/haitian-amputee-football/2519/
These photos are will worth your time!
2 Exciting Things and 1 Scary Thing
Today is Ronald William's wedding day. Ronald has been a key leader in AIS-Haiti for a few years now. Hopefully tomorrow we'll post some pictures. Pray for him and Marie-France--for their future. Marie-France doesn't have a job and Ronald could use a second parttime job. Pray that Marie-France will support Ronald in his work with AIS-Haiti and that they will encourage each other to be closer to the Lord.
The second exciting thing is that the foundation for Francoise's house is being built today. Construction on the house is supposed to start Monday or soon after that. Pray that the process goes well and that she and her children can be under a roof soon. Since we have visitors coming from France and right after that a friend from Crossing Community, they will be back in the tent in our courtyard again. Pray for no rain at night and no hard rain on her tent while they're in it! (They can come into the living room if it rains, but that can be a pain in the middle of the night :) ).
The scary thing is the cholera epidemic. At this point 800 people have died, 12,000 hospitalized and we don't know how many have had it. The worst aspects of it are: people not being treated because health workers are afraid to get (this isn't happening everywhere, but we've heard that it happens); people not getting to the hospital because the driver of the "taxi" (tap-tap) is afraid to get the disease; and people comparing this epidemic to one in Peru where 230,000 people died before it ended (if it gets much bigger the health centers won't have room for all those who need hospitalization and maybe there would not enough antibiotics in the country for it--however the government has said they have enough to treat about that many people). We pray several times a day about it. Please pray with us. We pray that no one else would die from it--it's treatable. Pray for people to have clean water and food, for them to follow the good advice given on the radio and for people to be able to get what they need quickly enough to get better. Cholera creates diarrhea that expels so much water, that a person can die within hours if not treated (according to Dr. Sanjay Gupta's blog).
thanks
The second exciting thing is that the foundation for Francoise's house is being built today. Construction on the house is supposed to start Monday or soon after that. Pray that the process goes well and that she and her children can be under a roof soon. Since we have visitors coming from France and right after that a friend from Crossing Community, they will be back in the tent in our courtyard again. Pray for no rain at night and no hard rain on her tent while they're in it! (They can come into the living room if it rains, but that can be a pain in the middle of the night :) ).
The scary thing is the cholera epidemic. At this point 800 people have died, 12,000 hospitalized and we don't know how many have had it. The worst aspects of it are: people not being treated because health workers are afraid to get (this isn't happening everywhere, but we've heard that it happens); people not getting to the hospital because the driver of the "taxi" (tap-tap) is afraid to get the disease; and people comparing this epidemic to one in Peru where 230,000 people died before it ended (if it gets much bigger the health centers won't have room for all those who need hospitalization and maybe there would not enough antibiotics in the country for it--however the government has said they have enough to treat about that many people). We pray several times a day about it. Please pray with us. We pray that no one else would die from it--it's treatable. Pray for people to have clean water and food, for them to follow the good advice given on the radio and for people to be able to get what they need quickly enough to get better. Cholera creates diarrhea that expels so much water, that a person can die within hours if not treated (according to Dr. Sanjay Gupta's blog).
thanks
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Hurricane Tomas
Everyone's trying to prepare for Hurricane Tomas. Richard has been securing things around the yard and house, buying water, gas for the generator, etc. The Haitian government called off school for today and tomorrow. At QCS we still had school today and although it was gloomy and we had a little rain, it didn't really get started until this evening.
Although the government has called for evacuations of the tent camps, they are just asking people to go to the homes of friends and family. There are no places people are being evacuated TO.
Please pray for the people of Haiti. The storm's center is passing just west of us between tonight and tomorrow.
Although the government has called for evacuations of the tent camps, they are just asking people to go to the homes of friends and family. There are no places people are being evacuated TO.
Please pray for the people of Haiti. The storm's center is passing just west of us between tonight and tomorrow.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Time video about Amputee Soccer Team!
This is a video put together by Time Magazine about the Haitian National Amputee Soccer team. After watching it perhaps you will appreciate how far the players came from just to get to the World Cup in Argentina and compete.
Below is the original URL if you want to view it on the Time website:
http://www.time.com/time/video/player/0,32068,645210272001_2027113,00.html
Discipleship Group
Tomorrow at QCS (where I teach) we are starting discipleship groups. I'm excited to start my group with 5 or 6 high school girls, but I'm a little nervous too because I really want this to make a difference in their lives. Pray that God will use me...work in spite of me, bless them through me, etc. And pray for me to grow along with them. Thanks,
Carol
Carol
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Amputee World Cup - and the winner is.....
Here is a description of the Amputee World Cup final game:
Uzbekistan Repeats! Beats Argentina 3-1 for 2nd Amputee Soccer World Cup
by Fancisco Rodriguez in Crespo
Uzbekistan confirmed its supremacy in the sport of amputee football by defeating Argentina 3-1 in the final match of the 2010 World Cup. More than 10,000 fans packed the arena for a second straight night to watch a superior Uzbekistani team repeat as World Champions. Uzbekistan also won the World Cup in 2007.
Speed and accuracy were the keys to this young Uzbek team led by its fast front line of Haydarali, Kudrat and complimented by prennial star Azziz leading against a tough Argentine defense. Argentina performed well, but the depth and shooting attacks by Uzbekistan made the outcome a foregone conclusion.
The champions began with a steady pace, he gradually took charge of the match with a game based on skillful ball handling, sharp passing skills, and keeping the ball moving from sideline to sideline.
The Argentina defensive was forced to work increasingly harder, with three defenders close to the goalkeeper Miguel Lemos.
Turahujaef Kudrat, the Uzbenistani keeper, tossed aside all shots against him.
The second half started with a quick goal from Haydarali, then Azziz scored again for the Uzbeks remaining focused on the ball and driving his shot home after a series of blocked shots and rebounds.
Argentina got on tbe board thanks to a drive from midfielder Travagliante Montans which was picked up and slipped into the net by Argentine Captain Hugo Hereñú. A wildly cheering crowd urged its team to gain another goal to make the match even.
But Argentina's hopes were dashed by a great move by Haydarali on the left wing, resulting in his second gol of the night, and a 3-1 lead for Uzbekistan.
The final whistle of the Turkish Referee Huseyin Elberb started a wild celebration by Uzbekistan, which ended the tournament undefeated with 4 wins and 2 draws.
Uzbekistan Repeats! Beats Argentina 3-1 for 2nd Amputee Soccer World Cup
by Fancisco Rodriguez in Crespo
Uzbekistan confirmed its supremacy in the sport of amputee football by defeating Argentina 3-1 in the final match of the 2010 World Cup. More than 10,000 fans packed the arena for a second straight night to watch a superior Uzbekistani team repeat as World Champions. Uzbekistan also won the World Cup in 2007.
Speed and accuracy were the keys to this young Uzbek team led by its fast front line of Haydarali, Kudrat and complimented by prennial star Azziz leading against a tough Argentine defense. Argentina performed well, but the depth and shooting attacks by Uzbekistan made the outcome a foregone conclusion.
The champions began with a steady pace, he gradually took charge of the match with a game based on skillful ball handling, sharp passing skills, and keeping the ball moving from sideline to sideline.
The Argentina defensive was forced to work increasingly harder, with three defenders close to the goalkeeper Miguel Lemos.
Turahujaef Kudrat, the Uzbenistani keeper, tossed aside all shots against him.
The second half started with a quick goal from Haydarali, then Azziz scored again for the Uzbeks remaining focused on the ball and driving his shot home after a series of blocked shots and rebounds.
Argentina got on tbe board thanks to a drive from midfielder Travagliante Montans which was picked up and slipped into the net by Argentine Captain Hugo Hereñú. A wildly cheering crowd urged its team to gain another goal to make the match even.
But Argentina's hopes were dashed by a great move by Haydarali on the left wing, resulting in his second gol of the night, and a 3-1 lead for Uzbekistan.
The final whistle of the Turkish Referee Huseyin Elberb started a wild celebration by Uzbekistan, which ended the tournament undefeated with 4 wins and 2 draws.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Amputee World Cup Scores
Here is a summary of all the games Haiti has played so far from the iisport.org website. You can also see the standings of the entire tournament at: www.worldamputeefootball.com
Wed, Oct. 21
The Haiti team played their first match of the consolation round against Iran at Viale Foot Ball Club in Viale, Argentina in front of a pro-Haitian crowd of almost 4000.
Haiti played a hard fought match but couldn't overcome their lack of experience as they lost 3-0.
The teams double arm amputee goalkeeper, Cesar, made his World Cup debut in the 2nd half and played solidly, despite a defensive breakdown that caused a goal.
After the match, the team spent a lot of time with the fans, especially the children, who have embraced this team as their own.
Oct. 19:
Haiti fell tonight to the experienced and skillful Russian squad this evening 7-0 in Viale, Argentina. The Russians displayed a total game, with skilled precision passing, ball control, and a very capable attack that the young Haiti team just couldn't contain.
The first half the Haitians tried to play a more defensive game, but the Russians broke the defense as the score at half was 3-0.
After half, with wholesale player substitutions, the Haiti team attempted to open up the match with a little more offensive mindset, however, this allowed the Russians more space and they definitely took advantage of it.
The pro-Haiti crowd at C.A. Arsenal Stadium was solidly behind the Haitian squad despite the final score.
Rick Hofmann, General Secretary of the World Amputee Football Association had this to say when he heard the score, "Your rookies held Russia to 7 !!?? That's a phenomenal performance!" He went on to say, "Being together as short as time as you have, and this being your first real competition, you have no idea of how impressive a performance that is. Holding Russia to 7 in your first international competition. That's truly remarkable! They are, after all, three time World Cup Champions."
Oct 18:
In the second game in two days Haiti did not play well. The men are still learning to adapt to this high-pace world and the emotional ups and downs of competition, and we had to reassure that even the best teams in the world can lose 2-0 under these conditions. Considering that this was only their second game ever and that they have been playing for less than two months, we are proud of their performance.
Oct 17
The Haitian Amputee World Cup soccer team played its first-ever game against the powerful team of England at Arsenal Stadium in Viale, Argentina.
When the final whistle sounded, Haiti lost a hard fought battle vs Eng 2-1. The Haitians overcame early nerves & ended the half 0-0. Eng scored a goal early in the 2nd, and Haiti equalized on what the Argentines call a Golazo. Eng scored the winner about midway in the 2nd. The team played with heart, grit, & determination, …and they all “got stuck in”! After the 1st match, Haiti is 3rd in their group on goal differential.
The lone Haitian goal was scored by Gustave Denis, and even though he let in 2 goals, Emmanuel Ladouceur was great in goal. Considering this was the first competitive match that they have EVER played, and the first time that this team was all together on the pitch was on Aug 14th, their first match was an overwhelming success.
Wed, Oct. 21
The Haiti team played their first match of the consolation round against Iran at Viale Foot Ball Club in Viale, Argentina in front of a pro-Haitian crowd of almost 4000.
Haiti played a hard fought match but couldn't overcome their lack of experience as they lost 3-0.
The teams double arm amputee goalkeeper, Cesar, made his World Cup debut in the 2nd half and played solidly, despite a defensive breakdown that caused a goal.
After the match, the team spent a lot of time with the fans, especially the children, who have embraced this team as their own.
Oct. 19:
Haiti fell tonight to the experienced and skillful Russian squad this evening 7-0 in Viale, Argentina. The Russians displayed a total game, with skilled precision passing, ball control, and a very capable attack that the young Haiti team just couldn't contain.
The first half the Haitians tried to play a more defensive game, but the Russians broke the defense as the score at half was 3-0.
After half, with wholesale player substitutions, the Haiti team attempted to open up the match with a little more offensive mindset, however, this allowed the Russians more space and they definitely took advantage of it.
The pro-Haiti crowd at C.A. Arsenal Stadium was solidly behind the Haitian squad despite the final score.
Rick Hofmann, General Secretary of the World Amputee Football Association had this to say when he heard the score, "Your rookies held Russia to 7 !!?? That's a phenomenal performance!" He went on to say, "Being together as short as time as you have, and this being your first real competition, you have no idea of how impressive a performance that is. Holding Russia to 7 in your first international competition. That's truly remarkable! They are, after all, three time World Cup Champions."
Oct 18:
In the second game in two days Haiti did not play well. The men are still learning to adapt to this high-pace world and the emotional ups and downs of competition, and we had to reassure that even the best teams in the world can lose 2-0 under these conditions. Considering that this was only their second game ever and that they have been playing for less than two months, we are proud of their performance.
Oct 17
The Haitian Amputee World Cup soccer team played its first-ever game against the powerful team of England at Arsenal Stadium in Viale, Argentina.
When the final whistle sounded, Haiti lost a hard fought battle vs Eng 2-1. The Haitians overcame early nerves & ended the half 0-0. Eng scored a goal early in the 2nd, and Haiti equalized on what the Argentines call a Golazo. Eng scored the winner about midway in the 2nd. The team played with heart, grit, & determination, …and they all “got stuck in”! After the 1st match, Haiti is 3rd in their group on goal differential.
The lone Haitian goal was scored by Gustave Denis, and even though he let in 2 goals, Emmanuel Ladouceur was great in goal. Considering this was the first competitive match that they have EVER played, and the first time that this team was all together on the pitch was on Aug 14th, their first match was an overwhelming success.
Quisqueya Students help prepare uniforms for distribution
Medical kits being prepared
Uniforms being separated
This week QCS students earned community service hours by helping AIS Haiti group uniforms of the same size into bags of 18. We were given tons of “t-shirt style” uniforms by a town soccer league near Boston. These uniforms will be a great blessing to many teams during this coming year!
In addition, thanks to a generous gift of medical equipment by the Ciotti family at Crossing Community Church we were able to make up 40 first aid kits to distribute to teams far from medical help.
Police receive World Cup Evangelistic Booklets
The month of October is the end of the fiscal year for the Haitian government so this is the month when all of our official documents and car registration have to be renewed. As I was waiting at a police station to get my driver’s license, I saw a young boy who apparently had stolen something with two adults on either side of him, presumably his mother and the one who had been wronged. They were arguing with the policeman behind a desk. This helped me to realize that the Haitian police force needs the Gospel and God’s wisdom in making decisions just like anyone else. So when I had to go back the following day to pick up my paperwork, I took several cases of the World Cup evangelistic booklets I have been distributing as well as some cases of “25 Bible Stories for children” for those policemen/women who have children. When one of the police leaders saw the booklets, he thanked me and said that the whole police force needed the Word of God. I asked him how many police there were at his station and he said 350! So I gave him enough for everyone. Please pray that God’s Word would help the police govern justly and without corruption and that many will put their trust in Christ.
Training weekend in Jacmel
Rich training in JacmelOn Oct. 16th Ronald, Rich and Jean Paul went to Jacmel to train about 30 volunteers how to start evangelistic soccer teams at 7 schools in the area. This was a follow up training to the work Ronald, Jean Paul and Sylvain did this past summer with the Unchartered Waters Sports Ministry team.
Each school sent a person to be trained as a coach, chaplain and team administrator. After the training, each person was given a certificate and enough soccer equipment to get the team started. In addition, each school received evangelistic booklets with a World Cup theme as well as Bible story booklets in Creole. We also gave each school 18 student workbooks for the “Young Peacemaker” curriculum that we have been training chaplains how to use for the past year.
Cholera Epidemic
This is a report from our fellow missionaries in St. Marc:
We’d like to call people to prayer for our city (St. Marc) and the countryside surrounding it. There seems to be an outbreak of some kind of a water borne disease where people who contract it come down with severe diarrhea resulting in death within 24-48 hours. We do not have concrete numbers of how many have actually died to date, only scattered reports from Haitian Messagers seek aid and purified water saying; “Many Many Many people are dead or sick!”. The hospital in St Marc is filling up with cases and our clinic down the road has been made ready for overflow. hospital ward.
Symptoms point to Cholera: With Cholera the problem isn’t medicine, they claim they have the cure, but getting it to the people in time. We are focused on three things, distribution of purified water, transportation of the sick and education on sanitation. The disease seems to have originate in the countryside (known as the 5th section) where the river has flooded several times over the last few weeks. The minister of health for our area is hot on the case and we are in good partnership and communication with him. We have made our Clinic in Balague (5th Section in the heart of the problem) available as needed, Nouveau Depart Health Center in St. Marc City available as needed and our Mercy Truck Ambulance has already been mobilized transport the most serious cases.
We are taking precautions at our campuses and outreach post, be prayerful for Lubin 4 where we have the Bosseutte family who have been leading a new church and school.
Prayer points at a glance:
* Pray for protection to all health workers and volunteers in the area.
* Pray for a quick diagnosis so that correct treatment can be administered immediately.
* Pray for those who have already lost loved ones.
* Pray for peace in the countryside and for protection for those who live in the high risk areas that may not have access to clean water.
We’d like to call people to prayer for our city (St. Marc) and the countryside surrounding it. There seems to be an outbreak of some kind of a water borne disease where people who contract it come down with severe diarrhea resulting in death within 24-48 hours. We do not have concrete numbers of how many have actually died to date, only scattered reports from Haitian Messagers seek aid and purified water saying; “Many Many Many people are dead or sick!”. The hospital in St Marc is filling up with cases and our clinic down the road has been made ready for overflow. hospital ward.
Symptoms point to Cholera: With Cholera the problem isn’t medicine, they claim they have the cure, but getting it to the people in time. We are focused on three things, distribution of purified water, transportation of the sick and education on sanitation. The disease seems to have originate in the countryside (known as the 5th section) where the river has flooded several times over the last few weeks. The minister of health for our area is hot on the case and we are in good partnership and communication with him. We have made our Clinic in Balague (5th Section in the heart of the problem) available as needed, Nouveau Depart Health Center in St. Marc City available as needed and our Mercy Truck Ambulance has already been mobilized transport the most serious cases.
We are taking precautions at our campuses and outreach post, be prayerful for Lubin 4 where we have the Bosseutte family who have been leading a new church and school.
Prayer points at a glance:
* Pray for protection to all health workers and volunteers in the area.
* Pray for a quick diagnosis so that correct treatment can be administered immediately.
* Pray for those who have already lost loved ones.
* Pray for peace in the countryside and for protection for those who live in the high risk areas that may not have access to clean water.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Please pray for Micah and for Francoise
Please pray for Micah of Vapor Ministries who is sick. I haven't been able to get news about him today, but yesterday he had a fever that needed to come down. And pray for his wife, too.
Richard has been meeting with Vapor Ministries people who are planning on starting a center in Haiti. They were at our house for dinner and a presentation of their ministry to some UEBH leaders. They are inspiring people.
Also, Francoise and her three children, who have been living in our house with us really need a place to live. She is a hard worker, but housing prices have gone up since so many buildings were destroyed in Port-au-Prince. Please pray for her to find something safe and suitable by November 1st since we have visitors coming then.
Richard has been meeting with Vapor Ministries people who are planning on starting a center in Haiti. They were at our house for dinner and a presentation of their ministry to some UEBH leaders. They are inspiring people.
Also, Francoise and her three children, who have been living in our house with us really need a place to live. She is a hard worker, but housing prices have gone up since so many buildings were destroyed in Port-au-Prince. Please pray for her to find something safe and suitable by November 1st since we have visitors coming then.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Haiti Amputee Team Practicing in Dallas
Here's a link to an article in the Dallas Morning News about the Amputee Team:
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/city/collin/frisco/stories/101410dnmetamputees.2544f44.html
Praise God, enough money was raised for them to buy the tickets for Argentina.
We'll try to keep you all updated.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/city/collin/frisco/stories/101410dnmetamputees.2544f44.html
Praise God, enough money was raised for them to buy the tickets for Argentina.
We'll try to keep you all updated.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Yee Haw - Team arrives in Texas!
Inspite of the team's reservations not being finalized on Friday with the airline, they still let them on the plane and they arrived safely in Miama on Friday afternoon before changing planes and flying to San Antonion, TX where they arrived late at night.
This morning the whole team received a standing ovation in a large church in Texas.
They are staying in a nice hotel, thanks to the generosity of several donors and sponsors.
However, Dr. Fred Sorrells tells me that they still need financial support to buy the plane tickets to Argentina. If you would like to donate, you can do so through iisport.org.
Thanks for your continued prayers as they prepard for the World Cup that starts in just 6 days!
This morning the whole team received a standing ovation in a large church in Texas.
They are staying in a nice hotel, thanks to the generosity of several donors and sponsors.
However, Dr. Fred Sorrells tells me that they still need financial support to buy the plane tickets to Argentina. If you would like to donate, you can do so through iisport.org.
Thanks for your continued prayers as they prepard for the World Cup that starts in just 6 days!
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Party and Press Conference
In anticipation of the team getting their Visas yesterday, we planned a send-off party for the player's relatives and a press conference.
About 20 of the player's relatives showed up and we celebrated God's goodness to the team and thanked them for all the sacrifices their families made for them to participate in the World Cup.
Later a local television station showed up and filmed the team getting ready to go.
This was a great ending to a great day for the team!
Lea Mills, Freelance photographer
Thanks to Lea Mills, a Freelance photographer that has been documenting the team, we have some excellent pictures of the team's preparation for the World Cup of Amputee soccer in Haiti. If you would like to see her pictures and contact her, you can do so at leahmillis@gmail.com. You can also see more of her photos at:
http://leahmillis.sites.livebooks.com/
For more about the team, and to donate online, you can visit iisport.org
Friday, October 8, 2010
On Route to Argentina via San Antonio TX!!
The team in front of the US Embassy in Port-au-Prince
What a great miracle God did for us today!!
We were able to get all the Visas done in one day! Unheard of in a country like Haiti. This was only possible because we had the full cooperation of the US Embassy because Dr. Fred Sorrells had contacted the former US Ambassador to Haiti as well as his local congressmen.
It was a long process! Earlier this week we spend 10 hours filling in the applications on line, and then last night we spent another 4 hours filling out another form.
But it was worth it all as now the team is "on route to Argentina". They leave tomorrow morning at 10:30 AM.
Their first stop will be San Antonio, TX where they have been invited to train on the fields of Dallas' professional MLS team.
Then they will head to Argentina around Oct. 16th.
We will keep you posted on their progress in the World Cup Tournament.
Please check out iisport.org for some great photos and more news about the team!
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