Greetings!
I’ll start with good news – we all need some of that!!! Jehu and boys are all alive. The house they are renting collapsed. Only Jehu and Inocin were inside – a miracle they got out alive. David Schmid, Bruce and I made our first trip off the campus yesterday. Jehu’s was our first stop. When I saw the boys all sitting there in the driveway, I lost it. Just a lot of pent-up emotions and I was so thankful to see them alive…especially after all we had just driven through. Their new building on the property outside of the city is still standing. The walls that were going up on the last floor fell, but the rest of the building seems solid. I was able to obtain 2 boxes of some aid food during the day, so we dropped this by for the boys on our way back home. Anyhow, praise God with us for this blessing of safety for Jehu and boys.
Our goal in going off campus was to try and find medical supplies and to make contact with organizations/teams that could give us assistance up here. It was a long and tiring day, but we made some good contacts and did come back with some boxes of medical supplies. All we met said they had not seen any UN or US army troops out at all yet. We know aid has arrived here, but also realize that there is no structure/organization within the Haitian government to help get things mobilized. Today we have heard/seen many helicopters flying over so we believe things have begun to move.
I came home very discouraged. The sites around town were just so devastating. Even though I already knew it, it became even more clear that this will not be an easy fix/repair and that life will become even harder in the days ahead. The stench of death was terrible.
This morning we had a service here on campus in the yards. A time of singing and prayer and then Jacques Louis, a Seminary administrator and professor, brought a message from God’s Word. He challenged us to have the same attitude as David did towards God when he was in the midst of so many trials; to trust in God’s sovereign control and to not take revenge in our own hands; to let God give blessing in place of the hardships we are now facing in His own time. It was good to be together and to be encouraged from God’s Word. An opportunity was given at the end for those who wanted to put their trust in Jesus for salvation to come forward. About 15 boys and young men went forward. Seminary students, professors, and others talked/prayed with them individually after the service. Bruce came up to the house to get a bit of fuel and matches to burn the charms/fetishes of one young man. So, more good news: the addition of these men and boys to the family of God.
Tremors continue – had at least 4 today – the last two I was told were 4.7 and 4.6. So the people continue to be fearful to return to any structure that is left of their home.
We will be receiving a team of 4 men sent by CrossWorld this week. Two of the men are from Crisis Consulting International. They are coming to help us make a plan and to give us some training in what we’re doing here.
We have been so encouraged and ministered to by your emails sharing your prayers of scripture for us, verses to uplift us, your love and concern, and information from there to help us get connected with what’s going on here and some aid. Thank you all.
I know this is long, but there is one more thing I have to share. This morning I received some news – it was a report on a press conference of the President of Senegal. This is a short version of what it said: SENEGAL'S president on Sunday called for Africa to make room for victims of Haiti's earthquake to restart their lives on the continent from where their ancestors were snatched as slaves. His spokesman Mamadou Bamba Ndiaye gave further details of the proposals. 'If it is just a few people, we will offer them a roof and a patch of land; if they come in large numbers, we will give them a whole region.'
Does man every know or understand the plans of God?! What if this is his way to get 100’s of Haitian believers to this country and continent? We want to follow up on this so pray that God will continue to give direction and open doors.
Our love to you all. We continue to need your prayers,
Cindy for Bruce too
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