A story that put a face to it all...

Yesterday we had the privilege of joining the national director Terry Snow on a trip to Gonaives, a city two hours north of St. Marc. We were here to scout out land and look for the possibilities of setting up communities here for the refugees. On the bumpy, crazy ride up (Terry being a crazier driver than all the Haitians in my opinion.. After all, he is from Texas...) I hear that we are also going up there to meet the YWAM staff who lost his wife in the earth quake and survived with his little four year-old girl. We got to sit down with him and he started to tell us the story of how he lost his wife and him and his daughter's miraculous escape from the rubbles...

Illioney was upstairs on the second floor of their house in Port Au Prince one seemingly normal afternoon together with his daughter, Abigail. They were praising God, singing the song " I'm here to meet with you, come and meet with me" in their home office as his daughter wanted to go to the living room and watch TV with her daddy. His wife was downstairs doing laundry and some other daily chores. Illioney did not want to watch TV with his daughter, but after her pleading him to spend time with her, he sat down to watch TV. After only a few minutes, they realized something was happening as everything around started shaking. Illioney realized very quickly that it was an earth- quake. He acted quickly, picked up his little daughter and that is all he had time for as the walls started caving in just a couple of seconds later. One small pole kept the rubbles from falling on them and with a cut in his head and bug wounds on his feet, he managed to climb out as he realized that his wife was on the first floor. He started shouting for her, getting no answer and no one wanted to help him dig because of the shock and being too scared for aftershocks... Three days later he found his wife dead underneath the rubbles. He managed to buy something looking like a chest and buried her close to their devastated home. Their building is believed to have had nine people in it, Illioney and his daughter being the only survivors...

Abigail kept asking for weeks when her mom would come back and as Illioney would tell his daughter that her mommy is with Jesus, she would say that she also wanted to die so that she could be with her mom and with Jesus...

As I look at and listen to this grieving man, I realize I am unable to comprehend and fathom what he is going through, but that I am able to put a face to what has happened to this nation... Seeing the rubbles is one thing but to hear from one of our own people, as YWAMers does something to you.

Little Abigail is now suffering from pneumonia and in order for Ellioney to get her medical care, he had to sell his car. They are currently living with family up in Gonaives. Please keep them in your prayers and in your hearts!

From Haiti with Hope, Ruthie

                                          (Illioney in the middle with Kent Norell and Carl from YWAM DR)

Haitian Worship!

Yesterday we went to a city-wide worship and prayer gathering here in St. Marc and it completely blew me away... I can tell you that I have never heard thousands of people singing so loud and dancing with so much joy ever. Not  at a rock-concert or Christian music festival or any church service... Thousands of people gathered again for 3 days after last week's nationwide fasting and praying to praise God and lift Him up in this city. To Caribbean beats they all shouted, danced and lifted their hands. There was so much joy there, the true real joy that can only come from the one true God. God is onto something in Haiti, they have all been woken up after this devastating earth-quake and it seems to me that God is turning their mourning into dancing!

We are further along in the process of making tent-communites, we are scouting out land, working on how to arrange the cities in the best, most practical way that will also promote community. These cities will most likely be adopted by various bases and churches around the world. Please pray about your part in this and also pray that all this will come together sooner rather than later.

One cool thing that happened in Port Au Prince: One of the staff from here whom has been helping down there was handed 3 water-filters that makes 5 gallons of fresh water per minute. These usually cost $10 000 each, but as he was given them, they asked him how many more we would need. This is a huge need in Haiti, as only 43% have access to safe drinking water... Now we are able to use these in the future refugee tent- communities! God is providing in so many ways!

Thank you so much for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers! The two of us left, Andrew(my husband) and myself are doing well, we have not been sick yet which is amazing as there has been some gnarly virus going around. Pray that it will stay that way:)

Paint, trash and raindrops...

Tonight, as the rain surprisingly started pouring down, I can't help but thinking about a word my friend had got concerning the people of Haiti. As she was looking around at the dry, parched land God was saying that although the land is dry, people's hearts are ready for  God to pour down His love and grace on them. We also know that rain/ water is vital in any growth process and this is the time for Haiti and the people to grow into what God has for them... A verse that has been highlighted here in YWAM Haiti since the start is Zecharaiah 8:13 which says; "And as you have been a byword of cursing among the nations,( O house of Judah and house of Israel), so I will save you, and you shall be a blessing. Fear not, but let your hands be strong." The blessing is coming to this nation as they are turning to God! And it is raining like crazy two months before the official rainy- season...

Yesterday I had quite the work- day.After assigning people their tasks and ministry opportunities for the day, we went down to the medical clinic to paint. As I started to paint, two Haitian girls that were patients, whom had lost everything and now lived in this hospital came up to me smiling and giggling, wanting to help me paint. I was trying to explain to  them, with my very limited French, that it is oil- based paint and it will not come off easily if they get it on their clothes or skin and said that they did not have to help. They did not want to listen as they practically took the paint-bucket out of my hands ,found a brush and started to paint. We had fun painting together as they were laughing at my broken French and we were trying to get spots of paint off each other's faces... We were working alongside each other with purpose and joy. It was truly good to see that these people want to do something, they want to help building their nation. They just need discipleship in all areas of their lives, a Godly holistic mentality...

The day went on  and we were driving to an elementary school that was hosting refugees in the most impoverished conditions. The facilitators had asked us to come down and clean up the trash so we loaded up a truck with shovels, rakes, gloves and people to clean up... We started the process, it seeming tedious and slow as the sun was burning our necks. We forgot the extra pairs of gloves and as people's gloves were breaking left and right, we figured we were just going to go for it, get "down and dirty"... The people at this place were very shy, so most people looked at us from a distance, curious about these white "blanc" people. Then two 10 year old boys came up to me, pointing at my gloves, asking if they could have some too... I took off my left glove and gave it to one of the boys and the other one found a glove on the ground. They started picking up every little and big thing they could find and together we sweated and worked hard for the rest of the time. These boys truly were hard workers just wanting some purpose and encouragement...

We are noticing that the people of Haiti truly wants their country transformed and we know that transformation starts on the inside.. From the inside out. Haitians need discipleship, they need encouragement and they need to learn that God's word applies to all areas of life. Please pray for this as you are thinking about and praying for Haiti...

It is getting long here, yet again I have trouble expressing myself in short... The team is doing well, Brad had some virus that 2/3 of the people here has had, but is better now. It looks like our team is going to go from 4 to 2 in just 2 days as Wayne and Brad will be going back home to their wives. Pray for safe travels and protection. Pray for our attitudes and that we will work and serve with gladness and love.

Thank you all for your thoughts, support and prayers!

New beginnings. God is on the move and we get to be here for it!

First off, allow me to apologize for not being a faithful enough blogger. It has been some crazy days here. After a "normal" day starting at 6.30 am and the last meeting done at 8 pm, it is hard to sit down by a computer and write something of substance.

But not to worry! With this post I will bring you up to date with what has been happening here at YWAM Haiti. The last few days have been amazing and fruitful, and we have seen and experienced God moving in miraculous ways!

Today is a land-mark in Haiti's history. This whole week-end is officially a national holiday for fasting and prayer (They decided to do this instead of Mardi Gras!!); for the people of Haiti to repent and cry out to God. The earth-quake has truly brought people in a state of desperation but also of hope that God will pour out His mercy on them. All week-end Haitians are in the park here in St Marc to pray and worship the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He truly is moving with His power and love!

Tim and Jesse left on Thursday 4 am after working hard for a week. They were passionately involved in the planning of the tent-cities, arranging for Mission Adventure - teams as well as serving in any capacity they could. But being the responsible, loving husbands and dads the are, they had to go home to their families. They are still involved, working on having YWAM Salem and churches in the area be involved in the re-building of this nation.

The last 3 weeks this base has been registering refugees from the earth-quake every day.  Over 6000 refugees has been registered, who are also able to receive food from here by showing the i.d. card we make them as they register. We have been given MREs (meals ready to eat) as well as packing thousands of bags with beans and rice that we are giving to each family. Andrew, funny as he is, came up with a slogan for this beans and rice process; "You have to RICE (rise) above to BEAN (being) effective":) Today we gave out about 6000 meals for the refugees!
At the moment the refugee registration has been paused for various reasons. Please pray that this will all come together so we can start up again. Some of these people have lost everything and a refugee- card will give them easier access to food as well as possibly making it easier getting a job. Also, pray that food- donations will keep coming.

Yesterday we got to "commission out" an ambulance that came from Mercy Trucks (a YWAM ministry) which has been stuck on a ship here in the dock but finally got released. This ambulance is an answer to prayer and makes it possible for them to open 2 hospitals/clinics which is something that has been carried in some of the staff's hearts for nearly 20 years.

Ok, this is getting quite lengthy, but I hope you are as excited as we are here as we recognize that God is truly moving in the nation of Haiti.

" The enemy has been defeated, death couldn't hold You down. We're gonna lift our voice in victory, we're gonna make our praises loud!"

Keep us and Haiti in your prayers and if you feel led, fast and pray with us this week-end. if you get any words for us or YWAM or Haiti, do not hesitate to contact us!

P.S. We updated our other Haiti- blog with a new supplies list so please take a look at it and find a way to help practically! Here is that address:
ywamhaitioutreach.wordpress.com

Thank You so much for your support and prayers!

- Ruthie (and Wayne, Andrew and Brad)

Quite a different Sunday...

Ruthie and Andrew arrived today, and it was great to see them again.  They both bring lots of joy and laughter to the team.  

Today we were taken into the capital of Port a Prince which is where the brunt of the earthquake was.  We can't put into words the disaster there, and it was overwhelming the needs of the people.  Tent cities are everywhere. We saw many US military units there helping out.  To be honest, we all felt helpless in the situation.   We walked and prayed over the city, and the Lord opened doors for us to lay hands on people and pray.  We need to remind ourselves that prayer is the most effecitve way to reach hurting people, even if it is tough because we may not see the immediate fruit.  We then went to visit a childrens orphange.  It was amazing to see saints reaching out to these kids. Loads of tents were alll over the place, which provided housing for the many volunteers.  One cool thing the Lord spoke to Tim was through a small garden in the orpahnage.   Haiti is dry, barren, and dusty.  Amongst it all, there is this small fertile garden with dark soil and green shoots coming up at that orphange.  Tim felt that God was sepaking that despite the barren situation, there is hope in God.  There is refreshment in His love for the Haitian people.  

This evening we have church. Last night we went out in groups into the city and handed out invitations.  It was extremely difficult to walk around because there is literally no lights lighting the streets. The people were warm and welcoming to our invitations, and we were able to lay hands and pray over people.  Brad has managed to become the 2^nd in command of the kitchen here, pray for him because with all the people coming through that is a HUGE job.  He is doing a great job as always. Wayne has been able to put his skills to work and helped yesterday doing some practical manual help in the YWAM clinic that has been set up.  Jesse and Tim were involved all morning with a think tank strategizing and planning for the future, in particular for the development of the 3 tent cities that YWAM here will be establishing.  We are actually helping to plan and figure out the practical side of things when it comes to choosen the land for the camps.  A little out of our league, but we trust God will give us the wisdom we need.  Amongst all, it seems that the tent cities is the biggest need rite now.  They do not exist yet, but YWAM Haiti wants them put up as soon as they find land.  As you can imagine, there is so much that goes into that type of project.  Pray for us all as we plan out things.  YWAM Haiti has been so open to ask for wisdom and advice from us  and other people.  They are truly humble people. 

Keep Jesse in your prayers as he is feeling a bit sick.  Well, I think that is all for now.  Thank you all for your prayers! 

Day two and the end-stop for some of us...

 

After 10 hours of riding in a bus, 4 of us arrived in St.Marc today.  Ruthie and Andrew had to stay back in the DR to wait for their bags.  We are anxious for their return to the team.  The bus ride was a classic bumpy ride, filled with close calls of head on collisions.  The roads in Haiti definitely need some work. We arrived around 1:30 pm and were greeted by the YWAM- staff here.  The base is literally like a bee hive full of busyness, with people and volunteers from all over helping in so many different ways. In our bukhouse alone we have met people from Texas, Canada, Finland, Pennsylvania, etc...

Today we did some orientation, and had the opportunity to go and pick up bags of rice and beans from the UN post here in St.Marc.  It is encouraging to see how YWAM has a working and trusting relationship with the UN here.  Although we did not drive into the downtown of Port a Prince, we defintely saw much damage that the earthquake has done. It looks like we will be heading into Port a Prince on Sunday.  There are many refugees from Port a Prince who left there homes and are now here on the YWAM base.  YWAM has registered over 5,000 of them so far to try and help them do all the legal steps they need to do to get help. Along with that, the base has a make -shift hospital set up to aid those hurt in the earthquake.  Tomorrow we will be getting our assignments on what areas we will begin to help in more.  We are all doing well, but are very tired from the travel. 

The Haitian people seem so happy despite the difficult times.  We look forward to serving this nation in the upcoming weeks.   Thank you all for your prayers, and you'll hear from us tomorrow.

- Tim

Haiti, here we come! Almost there...

Hello from the YWAM- Base in the Dominican Republic!

As our first blog-post we are pleased to report that after almost 12 hours of traveling we have arrived at our first stop: Youth With A Mission, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Here we were met by a super-friendly and hospitable American girl and after some basic conversing we find that she is from Canby, Oregon!

What a small world we live in... Everything went fairly smooth, maybe with exception of two of our bags that exploded with soap, (Note to self; Always secure anything liquid in a zip-lock bag!) and 4 of our 13 bags missing somewhere in the in-between world of airports.  But these things are minor details and we are so grateful for God's hand of protection on us on this first part of our journey that eventually will end at the YWAM- Base in St Marc, Haiti.

Any of you that are familiar with YWAM might also know that as a YWAMER one has to learn to be flexible. This has also proven itself true today. As of now, because of our luggage missing (and the airport having no clue when it will arrive), Andrew and I (Ruthie) will stay here in the D.R. for a couple of days, while the rest of our team travels onwards in 1 hour (that is, 4am) on a 10- hours bus ride to St Marc. Please pray for safety and that our luggage will get here as soon as possible.

Thank you!

Love,

YWAM Salem Haiti Staff Team:

                                
             From left to right (in matching red t-shirts) : Brad, Andrew, Ruthie, Jesse, Tim and Wayne