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