Haiti Team - Day 7

Last night in Haiti.

This is long winded blog so I apologize in advance.

First we want to thank each of you that have followed our journey this week in Haiti. Without your support and prayers we would not have been able to perform the Lord's work.

Today was slightly different. Several of us went back to the school and church to do some work. One of the outreach mission programs going on at the church-school compound is building homes for earthquake victims. The homes are about 200 square feet and 2 rooms. The house we painted today is being given to widow lady with 3 children whose husband died during the quake. Once we finished we had a group prayer in the front room of this house that the family would be blessed and thanking God for allowing us to assist in this ministry. Some of the group remained at the compound and did painting, cleaning, and some general work items that were needed. I will get a little out of sequence now but it will make sense later.

After lunch we went to a local beach called wahoo beach. A very beautiful place with lodging, restaurant, fantastic beaches with plenty of amenities. There were probably about 150 other folks there all performing similar work as us in the area. What struck me here was the huge contrast of what only a few miles could bring. This is a place the average Haitian would never enjoy. Such is this island.

On the way back we stopped at a little village church where the plan was to hand out some rice and clothes. It all started orderly but it did not take long for the pushing and shoving to start. While we were never in immediate danger, because of the tension we stopped the handing out of rice and clothes, boarded the bus and returned to our compound. This brought home the real plight of people who are starving. Today was humanitarian and is needed in addition to evangelism.

Now to get bet to the out of order sequence. Scott and Vickie Blackburn along with their daughter have been part of this week's team. For many years they have been sponsoring a Haitian child. A young girl. When they knew they were coming on this trip they began praying and seeking a way to meet this child. It is very difficult to get anything to happen in this country but through prayer and interpreters and more prayer, they were able to meet this beautiful young Haitian girl today and spend time with her and finally have not only a picture-and-letter relationship. But they were able to hold and hug her and be able to tell her in person how much they loved her. They were able to see first hand how God has not only blessed them but has blessed this child.

There have been many highlights this week and in a few hours we will leave this place and in about 24 hours we will be in our nice homes and air conditioning with plenty of running water with our families who we have missed and love dearly and yes we will be thankful for that. But a part of us will remain here forever. Our ongoing prayer is that God will use what seeds we planted and grow up strong christian leaders to give this country the one thing it needs more than houses, clean water, clothes or even food but the gift of life through Jesus Christ. Amen

Jim Clark, Team Leader

Haiti Team - Day 6

We just wrapped up our nightly devotion which was conducted by Billy Finch. Today we wrapped up some painting at the school. The exiting part was the school and church area we have worked all week was have a good old fashioned revival and the classrooms we cleaned and painted were being used by the families that were here for the revival.

We later went to a tent city that had been built following the earthquake by Samaritans Purse. We handed out bags of rice and clothes to the families. These tent cities were to be temporary but they are not and are filled with the most desperate of the Haitian people. We were very humbled by what we saw. Words cannot capture the despair that is everywhere in this country.

Our medical team again today was called in to service when a local had a major motorcycle wreck and he was brought to this compound for treatment. He had head wounds and possible internal injuries. Our team stabilized as best they could and we transported to a hospital in St.Mark. The missionary staying at this compound told us in Haiti you must pay at the hospital in order to be treated and if he could not offer payment he would not be treated. Very harsh and cold but that is how it works here.

Again another fruitful day. We are all exited about coming home Saturday and look forward to being with our families again. Continue to pray for us and the people of this country.

Jim Clark, Team Leader

Haiti, Day 5

Another great day in Haiti. The temperature pushed 100 degrees + high humidity. Today we saw a couple of real life Haitian situations. First, thank God that we have a couple of nurses on the combined team. Vickie Blackburn who is traveling with us and a nurse with the KY team were faced with a medical emergency this morning. A local older Haition lady set her sheets on fire with her lamp during last night. She suffered sever 2nd and 3rd degree burns over her chest and abdomen. As is the custom here when there is a emergency, they call the local pastor. In this case the pastor then contacted the missionary who resides in the compound where we are staying. Long story short as the closest and best medical available on this island happend to be the 2 nurses that were part of this 30 person team. The lady was brought to this compound in the missionaries truck and Vickie and her fellow nurse began what most likely could be life saving service on this lady and began to treat her wounds as only a qualified health care proffessional can. Without this treatment most likely this lady does not make it through the day.

The other instance I want to share is on Sunday I told you of the voodo princess being saved. Well part of what occured was all of her voodo items and her clothes were placed in the street and they were burned in her presence. Today members of our team visited with her and provided her with new clothing. I can't fully explain what we are seeing here but in this ravaged country people are in desparate need of Gods promise and as we work among these proud people we are sowing seeds and touching lives but even more than what we give them God is blessing us daily and I know each of us will return home with a stronger conviction to listen to Gods call and respond in obedience.

Haiti, Day 4

Another great day in Haiti. We headed to our work site where Raymond asked Doug Hurst, Jessica Shaver and me to spend some time with the kids hanging around. We sent the kids to get there friends and prayed about what to share. With our interpreter, Richie, I told the story of Noah and the ark. The children hung on every word! Their faces just lit up. I then used the Evangecube to share the story of salvation. They each claimed to know Jesus as Savior and I pray it's true. These children have so little but God loves them SO much!

"Suffer the little children that they may come unto me."

Amanda Cavin

Haiti Team - Day 3

Another fantastic day. We spent the day at the school painting, picking up rocks, sifting sand, and interacting with Hatian people. Again the children with their bright eyes and wide smiles. They are so attentive to us and are always ready to sit and talk. We have had many oportunities to share the word of God. This entire 30 person team that has come from SC, TN, & KY have jelled as a very cohesive team and all with the same focus - share the gospel. As this day winds down and we prepare for our evening devotional, led by Hadden tonight, we ask you to remember us in your prayers and to pray for these Hatian families. While we would like to provide water, proper housing, clothing, indoor plumbing, and the list goes on and on, we have realized we can't meet all those goals. What we can do is share the word of God and in Gods time the seeds we plant this week will grow into a most amazing harvest. Praise God.

Haiti, Day 2

Here is the report from Sunday.

Well day 2 is winding down. Hard to believe that 48 hours ago our major concern was a broken bus on the side of I85. Amazing what 48 hours can reveal. We started the day with prayer and were blessed attending the church here at the mission home. For 2 hours we heard the word of God spoken in a language we did not understand but we heard the message of Jesus in the most real way. We have in a short amount of time been humbled, broken, and blessed more than we could have imagined. The children are so prescious and grateful for the touch we bring. We did a total team gathering at seaside this afternoon and it was a very special time. Lots of sharing and prayer. God is working here and we know this week is for his glory. The day has ended with a local voodo queen accepting christ. We are seeing first hand the true power of God in a way that we could not imagine 2 days ago. Praise God.

Our team is a part of a larger team that is working in Haiti. The team was joined by 15 others from across the U.S. in reaching the lost there.

Grace and Peace
Jamie

Haiti Team

The Haiti team left Rock Hill on Friday night, June 24. After dealing with a bus breakdown, they finally arrived at their hotel in Atlanta early Saturday morning. Their 8:30 flight from Atlanta to Miami was delayed for almost 2 hours. But they arrived in Miami with plenty of time to spare for the flight to Port au Prince, Haiti. They arrived in Haiti about 4:30 Rock Hill time.

The team leader, Jim Clark, sent me the following email this morning:

End of day one. We have made it to the compound and have been blessed. We stopped on our way out at a mass grave site where 250K unclaimed were buried after the earthquake. It brought home how fragile life is and we must work every moment on doing as God directs us. We have started coming together as a large team. Continue to pray for us and let the prayer be that God will show us how to love these hatians we have come to help. Let us not focus on getting task done but to be open to the direction from God. Take care

Please continue to pray for the team - Rebekah Blackburn, Scott Blackburn, Vickie Blackburn, Amanda Cavin, Jim Clark, Charlotte Elliott, Billy Finch, Hadden Finch, Doug Hurst, Jessica Shaver, David Sloan, Emily Walker, Duane Ward, Doug Westmoreland.

Grace and Peace
Jamie

Cricket

Here is the "Cricket: As explained to a foreigner" banner that Pastor David gave to Garrett and me on our last night in Bromley. While cricket may be difficult to explain, I think that baseball is even more difficult.

Grace and Peace!

Jamie

CRICKET: As explained to a foreigner...

You have two sides, one out in the field and one in.

Each man that's in the side that's in goes out, and when he's out he comes in and the next man goes in until he's out. When they are all out, the side that's out comes in and the side thats been in goes out and tries to get those coming in, out. Sometimes you get men still in and not out.

When they are all out, the side that is out comes in and the side that has been in goes out And tries to get these coming in out

Sometimes you get men still in and not out

When both sides have been in and out, including the not outs,

That’s the end of the game!

… Howzat ?!!

Bromley Mission Team, Day 7

Hi all, it’s Garrett. Right now I am forty thousand feet high in our atmosphere on board our plane home! A quick rundown of yesterday: We had Messy Monkeys again and the football camp, but we got touching goodbyes with both groups. I did “Coaches Corner” at FC—I got to take predetermined questions from the campers. I could relate to them better since they are closer to my age. Tim wanted me to, through the questions, explain why I am a Christian, to show that it isn’t only for the adults. From the feedback I received from the coaches, I did well and it makes me think that that’s why God wanted me to be in London—or maybe one reason.

We receieved gifts from both camps: Messy Monkey mugs from MM, and funny certificates from FC. Also, David (the pastor at Hayes Lane) and his family had going away gifts for us as well. I got a funny poster that is “Cricket, as explained to a foreigner.” It’s hilarious!!!

The only thing about yesterday was this: we got to bed late, and could only sleep until 4:30am. When Dad and I got up, it was only 11:30pm back in Rock Hill, so Mom probably hadn’t even gone to sleep!

This week in London has been one of the most incredible experiences of my life. To my new friends in Bromley, to those who supported us with prayer and finances, and especially to God, I can only say one thing:

“Thank you.”

God bless, Garrett

Ephesians 2:6

Bromley Mission Trip, Day 8

It is 5:00am in London (midnight in Rock Hill) and our team is packed and ready to head to the airport. We have had a fantastic experience in Bromley. We have met new people both at Hayes Lane Baptist Church and in the community. The hospitality of Hayes Lane has been overwhelming. They have fed us, chauffeured us, welcomed us into their homes and their lives.

I would ask you to pray for them. Their pastor is David Hircock and his wife is Kate and son is Joel. Also, pray for their last day of kids camp and soccer camp. Hopefully at a later time, I can share some of the stories of the people that we met. For now, thank you for your prayers while we were away. It has been a rich and rewarding experience for all of our team.

Grace and Peace

Jamie, Marjorie, Faith, Marsha, Marty and Garrett

Bromley Mission Trip, Day 6

It has been a right good week in Bromley, England. It's hard to believe that our last full day of ministry is tomorrow. Today we were back at Hayes Lane for day 2 of Messy Monkeys, a kids camp for children from ages 5-12. We have had about 40 children attending the camp each day with about half of those being from unchurched families.

As the children come in, they have about 15-20 minutes to choose an activity like biscuit icing (decorating a cookie with icing and sprinkles), construction (using cereal boxes, paper towel rolls, cups, etc to build some strange and exotic items - Marty has manned the construction table the last two days and built an impressive replica of the London Eye), and play dough. During the activity time, our job is to meet and talk to the children and their parents.

After the activity time, the children go outside for game time. Today we ran relays with the children in the garden (the back yard). After game time, we head indoors for snack, and a Bible story. Today, Johnny, one of the members of Hayes Lane, shared the story of Zacchaeus. Then it was back to our groups.

Since our theme is for the week is based on 1 Corinthians 3:10, all of the groups are named after famous buildings. My group is the Pyramids. So Marsha, Jen (one of our other Hayes Lane team members) and I met with Ben, Albert, Nathan, and Charlotte to decorate a tree, talk about the Bible story and work on our memory verse - Luke 19:10. By the time we finished up, it was time to go.

After the children left, we cleaned up and had a prayer time. At the prayer time, Marsha shared how she had seen one little boy raise his hand when Johnny had asked who would like to know Jesus. After the group time, she had a chance to share the gospel using a bracelet that Marty had given her before we left Rock Hill. After he left, he ran off and showed some of his friends the bracelet and started telling them what it meant. Pray from Callum and his friends as they hear the gospel, that they will will respond positively to the message.

After Messy Monkeys, we had lunch at the church. Then we changed into our orange football jerseys and got ready for our football camp. I'm not much of a footballer so I ended up working with the 6-8 year olds. I'm still in a little over my head. We spend the first hour and 15 minutes leading drills and playing games. Today's focus was on dribbling. My group is led by Tim Sheehan. Tim is a certified football coach and does a great job working with the children. Dietmar and Tim Gardner also work with my group. After the drills and games, we have a Coaches Corner where we talk about the Bible. Today was my turn to share a little about myself, my story and why Jesus is important to me. The last hour of the camp is spent playing matches with each other. It's called the World Cup and it's the most important time of the camp to the kids. It gives them a chance for them actually play a match and score a goal. After the World Cup matches we hand out our Player of the Day awards. Then the kids head home.

After the football camp and supper, the guys had a chance to play some cricket with the guys from the church. Let's just say I was lost like a ball in the tall grass when we started. I wasn't exactly sure what we were doing. But I hit a few good balls, scored a couple of runs and didn't complete make a fool out of myself. Garrett proved to be much more adept at the game and ended up scoring quite a few runs and making sure his team won. My biggest lesson was that baseball is a hard game to explain. As we were waiting on our turn to bat, I tried to explain some of the rules of baseball. I challenge anyone to try to explain completely how to play a basic game of baseball in a coherent way to someone who knows nothing about the game. Cricket was much easier to explain and play, I think.

While we were playing cricket, the ladies were getting ready for a Southern cooking party that was being held at Hayes Lane. We left before the tasting had begun but the menu included pecan pie, sweet potato casserole, and cheese grits. It looked like a number of women from both the church and community were showing up to taste the treats.

Marty, Garrett, and I headed back to the hotel a little early tonight. It was the first time that we have gotten back before 11:00pm since last Thursday. To say it has been a busy week would be an understatement. We have had plenty of opportunities to share the gospel as well as build bridges.

Til tomorrow!

Grace and Peace

Jamie

Bromley Mission Team, Day 5

A word for the wise: if you want to bond with English Christians with a knack for bowling, go and bowl several games with them in competition. But, that will come later.

Day 5 in London started out with Hayes Lane Baptist Church's "Mess Monkeys." Play, crafts, snack time, Bible reading and stories, fun little songs: that's Messy Monkeys. Sound like anything we know? It's a lot like our VBS, and seems to be a lot of fun for the kids.

Immediately after Messy Monkeys, the guys of the group donned our orange "Hayes Ambassadors" orange football jerseys and got ready for football camp. (This is the English kind, mind you.) Football camp was simple, just like one of ours and with another Bible reading. Dietmar, the second Englishman I met here, did both the MM story and the FC story, about the Wise Man and the Foolish Man. His example was very convincing! The football aspect is coming back to me, and today (Day 6) I filled in in the older kids' (my age and just a little younger) game, I scored three goals (one a fantastic header which I would not bring up if Nigel, one of the Hayes Lane-ers, hadn't kept bringing it up earlier. :P ) I haven't played in seven years, but I've done well so far.

Now we come to English Ten-Pin Bowling. Imagine this: a bowling alley with sparkling games, lanes for bowling, a bar/dining area in one corner, and loads of people bowling and playing. Just like ours, except for the fact that everyone is English!!!!! So we go bowling with nine others, and our ride, Tim, the FS leader, says on the way there, "Oh, I'm not that good." When asked, Dad said, "My best ever was 275." . . . . . . . Did I hear that right? TWO SEVENTY FIVE?????????????? Well, then he says he wouldn't get much. Jamie said he wasn't that good.

We get there and start bowling, and we were doing pretty well. But, either Tim lied or, as he said, he didn't expect to do well, he started knocking 'em down very good. Jamie said that gave him what he needed, and all of a sudden, he gets a strike. Then another. Another. And ANOTHER!!!!!! Four in a row!

Needless to say, he did very well. We all did and had a lot of fun. Jamie, I think, will be getting on in a little bit and typing up a summary of today, Day 6, and about how me and him did at English cricket. ;)

God bless.

Garrett

Bromley Mission Team, Day 4

Hello again! Day 4 in Bromley, England, was our day of worship with Hayes Lane Baptist Church here in the borough of Bromley. Dad and I had a good time singing "Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone), though I don't feel like we connected well with our British audience (pshaw, their loss). Faith had an INCREDIBLE children's message, that had even ME on the edge of my seat listening, waiting, watching. She's an entirely different person with little kids! (Might I add that English kidsm such as Tim Gardiner's Tom and Luke, are so cute!!!!!!!!) Jamie did the sermon, on Galatians 6:7-10.

Then came lunch at the church, filled with chatter with our new British friends, laughs, and good food. To my surprise, a few of the men brought out a football (the American kind) and started tossing it around! I joined, as did Dad and Jamie, and was easily accepted. I was even chatting season predictions with Tim's brother (whose name I forget). Our meeting for the football (the English kind) camp went well, and it sounds well enough.

The evening service brought with it my Dad and I playing "Mighty to Save," though again I don't really think it hit home with them. We really need to send these Brits some real music (though their hymns are beautiful!)!!!!!!!!!! Maybe some Casting Crowns, Chris Tomlin, maybe some Lincoln Brewster. . . . Anyways, David Hircock (their pastor) preached on Joshua 4, and then Marsha shared her stirring testimony. As I write this, she is hopefully sleeping with the prayers of an entire church behind her, as she has slept a grand total of four hours since the plane here. Please by praying with us.

There was some more fellowship afterwards. Then, it was to McDonalds while Tim dropped our ladyfolk off at the hotel. We walked back . . . in the cold. . . . And we ate McDonalds in Bromley, England (somehow, the English Mickey-D's tastes better than its American counterpart--hmm. . . .)

Well, that brings me to sitting here in the Avis Hotel's guest lounge, typing our blog. A few thoughts on today. The music, although not my favorite, was very beautiful and I caught on quick. It was quite an experience in the services today, and we all loved it and the fellowship.

I feel very blessed to be here, and I know my time to actually do something is coming tomorrow. I can't wait to see Faith with the kids, because that is obviously her element. Marsha is stirring hearts (ours, at the very least), and Dad and Jamie are, well, Dad and Jamie--our leaders. Me, I'm just the young guitarist and fill-in. But if that's what God wants me to be here--emotional support and the do-what-we-say-when-we-need-you-to guy--then I will do it gladly for God's glory and not mine.

Bromley Mission Team, Day 3

The afternoon was spent being out and about the neighborhood and market place sharing God’s love by working to dispel the myth that all Christians are pushy, holier-than-thou fanatics. Each of us engaged local people in conversations with the intent to share the love of Christ if God opened a door of opportunity. We constantly pray for the discernment of the Holy Spirit and His empowerment for this great commission. Thank you for your intercession for us. God is honoring the commitment and effort of His People through His guidance and for His glory. While many refuse our offer of the Good News, we continue to offer them a spirit of kindness, grace, and concern. Those that are people of peace and are receptive have received a touch from the LORD. Our rejoicing is great!

Tonight we were guests in the home of Tim and Jen Gardiner. They are active in Hayes Lane Church not only serving in the church but intentionally striving to reach out to their community. They have two precious little boys, Tom is three and Luke is almost two. Jen is blessed to be a work-at-home “mum”. It was such a blessing to be in this full-of-life Godly home. After dinner Tim and Jen shared with us that they feel God might be calling them into full-time Christian service. Please join us in praying for this dear couple to hear, understand, and respond in total obedience to our Father God’s directions.

The team is praying that all who enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise will honor Christ by bringing a thirsty soul with them to the Water that never runs dry.

Blessings,

Faith Webb

Psalm 34

Bromley Mission Team, Day 2

Hello from London/Bromley! I am writing about Day 2, our day for sightseeing in London, here in England; it's about 5:15 here, starting to rain a little on Day 3. As far as I can tell, it is 12:15 back home.

Anyway, Day 2 in London itself. We did as the Londoners here do, and went "up to town" by the Metro train from Bromley South Station to Victoria Station. We did a lot of walking from there, all over the place. The ladies in the group (Faith, Marsha, and Marjorie) wanted to go to Harrod's, so we started there. It was a fascinating store, several stories high and divided into many sections, such as the "Writing Room" and etcetera. Dad and I would have been first back to our meeting place, but we got turned around and it took awhile to get back.

From Harrod's, we walked to Hard Rock Cafe (yes, Americans in London eating American) and had a nice meal. The atmosphere was great, and I bought an awesome "Hard Rock" fedora in their store. We walked through Green Park by Buckingham Palace a few hours after the changing of the guard, and it was a sight to see! The architecture here in London is fantastic! In front of Buckingham was a great statue and fountain with a surrounding road. The decorations around the area were beautiful--flowers and flags and all.

From Buckingham to Big Ben! We walked around St. James Park and to Parliament Square where we got plenty of pictures of Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the Thames River, the Westminster Bridge. We actually stayed in Westminster Abbey for several hours, and even attended their "Evensong" service. The Abbey is an awe-inspiring building, and the service (very Catholic) was beautiful.

We meandered along the Thames and the Westminster Bridge, and took the Underground to the Tower Bridge and the Tower of London (which is really a full on castle!).

We actually got a little lost looking for somewhere to eat. Tired, hungry, and with dark falling, we finally found our destination: "Fryer's Delight," a wonderful little cafe where we ate Fish 'n' Chips. Then we had a scenic drive through London in the top of a double decker bus, and hopped back on the metro train at Victoria. We took a bus to where we could walk back to our hotel, but somehow my Oyster card (like a debit card for the transportation in London: trains, buses, etc.) had less money on it than the others', and we had to fish around for two pound twenty. We did, I was not left behind.

When we got back to the hotel, we all went to sleep. I slept from 11:30 (we got in really late) to 11:15 (in the morning), but one of our team members, Marsha, still hasn't really been able to adjust and didn't sleep well.

Please pray that we all settle down, and that God will send us more opportunities. We have spent some time today talking to people in the market, meandering around Bromley. We're having so much fun, and we're getting much of a taste for Bromley itself. The people here are mainly lost, not many go to church, but we are encouraging them and have had some spectacular encounters so far--many centered around Marsha. On the plain here, she had an incredible discussion with a Scottish lady, and today she was able to speak the same with our Hindu hotel clerk. She is an incredible lady, very kind and generous.

Please pray for us all. Tomorrow we go to church at Hayes Lane Baptist, where we all will have a hand in the services.

God bless.

Garrett

Quote for the week, about our kind, wandering companion: "We have not lost Faith."

Bromley Mission Team, Day 1

Marjorie and I arrived in Bromley on Tuesday and spent a couple of days in London visiting some of the sights. This morning, the rest of the team arrived from the States at Gatwick airport about 8:15am. I rode with two guys from Hayes Lane Baptist Church to pick up the group in a church minibus. The ride from the airport is about 45 minutes. So that our team could get an authentic English breakfast, we stopped at McDonalds for hotcakes and sausage and egg mcmuffins.

After a morning break, we went to lunch at Tom Bell's for fish and chips. It is an authentic fish and chips restaurant just a short walk from the hotel. We got some supplies for the week at Sainsbury's supermarket. Then we spent about two hours with one our IMB connections. He told us a lot about their vision for the Borough Adoption Strategy. We have adopted Bromley Borough - one of 33 identified boroughs in the area. Of those 33, 9 have borough strategists. One of the prayer requests we would make for the London Borough adoption project is for more strategists. A strategist is a church or group of churches in the States who will spend time looking for ways to share the gospel in their particular borough.

After our meeting, we were invited to supper with Phil and Gill. We had another authentic English meal - lasagna. Afterwards, we enjoyed dessert and tea. It was a fantastic time of food and fellowship.

Then it was back to the hotel for an early bedtime. Tomorrow we will be spending time in Central London sightseeing.

Grace and Peace

Jamie