Thursday, October 28, 2010

Cholera relief supplies delivered successfully

We are praising God that the truck was able to deliver the relief supplies to the 4 areas affected by cholera.  They had no problems and the people were so thankful to receive the supplies. 
Thank you for your prayers.
If you want to see pictures you can check out the BHM BLOG at:baptisthaitimission.blogspot.com
or check them out on the Baptist Haiti Mission page on Facebook.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Kyrk is home and the truck is going out

Kyrk arrived home yesterday, very tired, but glad to be home.  He had a get weekend speaking at churches and sharing about what God is doing here.
He was also able to purchase some soap and bottled water on his way up from the airport.  This is an answer to prayer.  He was not able to find any bleach, so we continue to pray that we will be able to find some to send to our churches in the affected areas.
We are sending a truck today with soap, bottled water, and water purification kits.  Pray for safety as this truck goes out.  Traveling with greatly needed supplies into areas where people are desperate can have it's dangers, so pray for safety as they travel.   Check back in the next couple of days for pictures. Micheal and volunteer here is going along to help with the distribution and to teach the people how to use the purification kits to purify water.  He is hoping to get some pictures of your pastors and churches to share what they are doing to help people in their communities.
Rebekah checking out the soap and other supplies that went out this morning.



Loading the truck

Monday, October 25, 2010

Preparing to help affected churches

Wow, what a weekend it has been.  Kyrk left on Friday morning to travel to Chicago to speak at 2 different churches.  Things are always much more challenging when Kyrk is not around.  I will be so thankful for him to return tomorrow morning.
Through out the weekend we started to hear reports from our pastors in the affected area, of how cholera was affecting their communities. 
Today after meeting with a few pastors and medical staff we decided that we are going to be sending some water purification supplies, soap and bottled water to our churches in the affected areas.  There are 4 districts that are affected and some are pretty bad.
Kyrk is going to be purchasing some of these supplies tomorrow as he comes up from the airport.
Pray with us that he will be able to find all the supplies that we need and that we will be able to safely deliver these supplies to the aritbonite churches on Wednesday. 

Friday, October 22, 2010

Cholera outbreak

Many of you may have heard by now, but today it was announced today that there has been cholera outbreak here in Haiti.  According to one news report it is currently affecting the town of St. Marc which is about 3 hours north of Port-au-Prince.
We are currently not affected by it and we are praying that the spread of it is contained.  Pray especially that cholera does not reach the tent cities.  There is already poor sanitation in tent cities and areas like that, so cholera would spread quickly there.
Pray for wisdom and strength for those treating the sick and caring for them.  Pray also that people would be informed about how cholera is spread and be able to take the necessary precautions to prevent the spread. 

Yahoo article about the Cholera outbreak

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Bible Curriculum update

Praise that Lord that last week we had another Bible curriculum meeting and things are continuing to progress.  It really is amazing to see this project continuing and seeing it happen in God's timing.  It is so encouraging to see who God is bringing in our path to help make this curriculum the best that it can be.  Continue to pray with us, that in God's timing this curriculum will be completed. 
The schools located around the mission campus are going to be using the same curriculum that they used last year in grade 1 and we are trusting that within this school year we will be able to complete the revisions to the grade 1 curriculum and then distribute first grade to all of the BHM affiliated schools next year.
This is such a huge project and it is easy to get discouraged, but we are praying that God continues to lead us and provide the strength and wisdom we need to see this project come to a completion in His timing.

Friday, October 08, 2010

A gift of a pig

Sometimes there are things that happen here that just make you laugh.  Yesterday morning one of our men who oversees some of our construction crews came and said he had a gift for Jonathan.  When we went out to see what it was, we found a small pig. 
I don't think that there are too many kids who can say they were given a pig as a present.  All our kids had fun with the pig and helped to walk it down to it's new home, the pig pen.
So now the kids want to daily check on their new friend "chip."  Thankfully they are already talking about the good meat that they will eat when he is big enough, so they are not getting too attached.


Sunday, October 03, 2010

Week full of Blessings

Atrel Update:
Last Weekend  Kyrk's dad, was able to travel to Atrel to preach at the church's annual thanksgiving service.  He was also able to be present at the baptism service which was held on Saturday.  Praise the Lord that there were 30 young people who were baptized.  It is such an encouragement to us to hear how God is working in that area.  People are being saved and the church is alive and sharing the good news with others.  Hearing this news also caused us to want to move up there even more.  Pray that in God's perfect timing we will be able to move to Atrel.

New homes:
Also during the past two week we had a group here from Florida that was affliated with Missionary Flights International.  They were a great team and really worked hard to complete 4 1/2 houses during the 2 weeks they were here.  Kyrk really enjoyed working with them and also being able to see 5 more families have a new home.  While he was out visiting one home, he began talking with the people who live next to them.  The family was living in a shack that they had put together with what was left of their house that fell during the earthqauke.  The family had 2 boys and the night before Kyrk visited, their third child was born in that home.  The family named the child "Dieubon" which means God is good.  Wow, here is this family who is living is very rough conditions and they are still able to say that God is good.  Their second son was badly injured in the quake and he has a broken spine and can no longer walk.  This makes the family sad, since he was doing very well in school but can no longer attend school, due to the fact that he can't get there. 
Pray for this family, that God would encourage them and also that we may possibly be able to help them with a new home. 


Baby Dieubon

The home Dieubon was born in.
One of the houses the second team from MFI built
The first MFI team along some other volunteers and some people from the community.

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Crazy Storm

Yesterday afternoon it had started raining gently around 2:30 pm.  Around 3:30 the kids and I needed to go and put somethings away and talk to a few people so we ventured outside with umbrellas.  By the time we had walked for about 20 seconds the wind started to blow very strong.    We walked a few more steps and the wind really started to blow hard.  At this point I didn't know if we should turn around or keep going.  We made the quick decision to keep going, but as we were running, a large palm branch fell down in front of us.  My umbrella became useless as it blew back completely.  The kids were screaming, but thankfully Brianne was with me. 
We went to Patti's porch, but by this time that wind was super hard, so we went into her kitchen.  About 20 minutes later it was just gently raining again.
It was such a freak storm.  The MAF pilots said they clocked the wind at 60 mph. 
The news reports are saying that at least 5 people were killed from the storm in Port.  Many tents are damaged and life is even harder for those in the tent cities. 
We have a group of people here right now who are building houses and when the storm hit they had to seek safety along one of the walls they had just built since tin was flying from neighboring buildings.   Things were flying and they were thankful for the safety of a well built wall.  There was not a roof on the house yet, so they got wet but it really gave them an appreciation of what life is like for those with poor shelter right now.
Thankfully it is nice and sunny today and hopefully things dry out that I'm sure are soaked in many shelters.
Pray for those who have lost their temporary shelter and also for those who are living in very wet homes or shelters right now. 


If you want to check out a news report about the storm here is the link.
 http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5h90k2RxxtfWLiWNPKW43im9ChSDA

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Update on Bible Curriculum and House Construction

BIBLE CURRICULUM
Thank you for your prayers regarding the Bible Curriculum.  We are still continuing to work on this but unfortunately our meeting was rescheduled.  Many people were unable to make it and therefore it has been postponed.  It has been so clear to us over the past few years that Satan really doesn't want us to complete this project.  Pray that we would be able to meet in the next week in order to keep this project moving forward. 

HOUSE CONSTRUCTION
Since last Thursday we have had a team of 10 people here helping to build 2 houses.  They have been a wonderful team and have worked very diligently to complete 2 houses in the time that they have been here.  This team leaves on Thursday and another team comes on the same day.  Pray that as they teams come and help build that not only will people have a new home, but Christ's love will be shared through this also.
Having these teams here has kept Kyrk very busy, overseeing all the construction and logistics of them building.  He is currently out checking on the sites for the next 2 houses which will be built by the next team.

Building the walls of the new home.
Learning the art of plastering the inside of the walls from the national workers.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Baptist Haiti Mission Blog

If any one is interested in hearing more about what is happening at the Baptist Haiti Mission check out our BHM blog.

With the help of, Nicole a volunteer here, we are updating that blog on a very regular basis.

Here is the link:
Baptist Haiti Mission Blog

Or you can go to  www.bhm.org and click on the Field Journal icon on the left hand side.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Bible Curriculum Update

As some of you may know, a group of us here at BHM are working on writing a Bible curriculum for primary schools.  Currently there is no standardized curriculum for our schools, each school teaches what they want for Bible class.  Developing this curriculum has been a project which we have been working on for the past 4 years and it is so exciting to see what God is doing and how He is working. 
Last year we had the first grade material in a few local schools to test it and see what the teachers and students thought.  Based on that feedback we are making a few edits and trying to get the material prepared for the rest of the 350 BHM affiliated schools.  God has also brought a very talented person along who is willing to help write and edit our curriculm.  This is a huge answer to prayer!

We, the education committee, are meeting tomorrow to continue to work on this curriculum.  We thank you for your continued prayers for this project. 
Pray that:
God would give wisdom to those who are writing the lessons
there would be unity among the committee
the curriculum would be completed in God's timing
God would provide the funds needed to print the curriculum

It is very obvious to us that it is something that Satan doesn't want us to finish.  There have been many struggles over the past years and I'm sure there will be more, but through the power of prayer we are trusting that God will bring this project to completion and many boys and girls through out Haiti will hear the gospel as a result.

Monday, August 30, 2010

3 families will soon get a new home

Last Monday Kyrk traveled out to visit 3 families who lost their homes in the earthquake.  Once the request for a new home is submitted and approved by the association of churches, the family then has to show land papers, showing that they own the land.  Then Kyrk goes out and checks the building site etc.  This means that about once every 1 or 2 weeks he is going out to visit people.
This man is currently living in this house along with his wife and 6 children.
Inside their home.  Since the entire wall has fallen down this is what you see when you walk by the house.
This lady is 93 years old and has 14 children, 7 of which have died.  Her house was almost completely destroyed and she is so thankful that she will soon have a new home.
This plot of land is where a lady's house used to be.  It was completely destroyed and following the earthquake she allowed the local school to set up a temporary school on the property.  Now that the school is able to be used she is looking forward to having a new home on her property.
Children in the temporary school
The temporary school was built with whatever materials they could find.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

School has begun

Yes, we have officially begun school once again. It has been a long 7 month break and we were all ready to get back into the routine of school. Having not done school since Jan. 12, Naomi and Jonathan were very excited to be able to start back once again.
I am praying that this excitement and enthusiasm for school continues for a long time.
Rebekah is also enjoying doing school related activities and Robert likes to join us, but so far he has spent most of the "school time" in bed. I have found this to be the best method to be able to teach Naomi and Jonathan and keep Robert out of trouble.
Home schooling our children is a challenge, but I'm praying that God will continue to give the patience and wisdom needed.

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Dr. Bernard and Group of Carpenters journey

Thank you for your prayers.

Kyrk's cough seems to be going away and he is feeling much better.

Also, Dr. Bernard made it to the states on Thursday and has already received treatment. We are keeping the BHM blog updated with his progress, so check that out for more details. You can get to it through the BHM website, or by going to baptisthaitimission.blogspot.com

God has done some other great things this week. Early Wednesday morning Kyrk sent a well loaded truck up to the northwest along with our group of carpenters. They were going to put a roof on a school and build the school furniture. All of their supplies were loaded on the truck. Everything was going well for them until they got about 3/4 of the way there and the truck could not go any further. They have been receiving a lot of rain in the northwest recently and since the truck was so heavily loaded it was not going to make it any further. Around 6pm they called Kyrk and asked what they should do. It was decided that they should see if they could find another willing truck which they could hire to carry some of the supplies, lessening the load on our truck, so that everything could arrive at the school. Miraculously by midnight, they had everything safely at the school.
Continue to pray for our group of carpenters that are working at the school. Pray that they will be able to safely complete the work that needs to be done and that they can return safely when they are finished.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Fun Pictures, Kyrk's cough and Dr. Bernard

On Saturday Kyrk spent the day building a model airplane with Jonathan. He loved being able to spend the day with Dad and to learn how to build an airplane.



Anna is growing up so quickly. I was taking a picture of her on Sunday and Rebekah wanted to get in on the action also.


Over the past couple of days Kyrk has been struggling with a very bad cough. It is really making him miserable and he would like to be able to stop coughing. One of our workers gathered the leaves in the picture below and told Kyrk to make a tea with them to help his cold. The tea tasted really good and hopefully it helps his cough. Pray with us that God would heal Kyrk's cough.

We are not sure what the first 2 leaves are, but the third one is orange tree leaves and the fourth is coffee tree leaves.

Thank you for your prayers for Dr. Bernard. He is supposed to be coming home from the hospital today and it is looking promising that he is going to be able to go to the states soon to get the needed treatment. Praise God! I'm sure he and his family would appreciate your continued prayers.

Friday, August 06, 2010

Prayer needed for Dr. Bernard

A few days ago Dr. Bernard was admitted to a hospital in Port-au-Prince with chest pains. For those who don't know Dr. Bernard, he is the head doctor of our Hospital on the mission campus. He has served in the hospital for more then 30 years.

Dr. Bernard is a wonderful servant who has diligently helped so many people over the years. Now he is in need of help.

He is in need of advanced cardiac testing, which can not be done in Haiti. Doctors suspect that he needs stents, but they do not have the equipment here in Haiti to help him further.

He needs to go to the United States, or Canada for further medical help. Pray with us that God would make this happen. He has no medical insurance and no way to cover the medical expenses in the States or Canada alone. Pray with us that God would miraculously provide a willing doctor and hospital so that Dr. Bernard can get the medical attention that he needs.


Dr. Bernard, hard at work in his office

Monday, August 02, 2010

Praying for the flu bug to stop

Thank you so much for the prayers that you have offered in regards to the major flu bug that we are battling here. We are praising God that our family is finally over it completely. There are still a few people sick with the flu, but we are hoping that the worst of it is over. Chris and Kelli returned on Wednesday and some of thier children are now sick and we are praying that Chris and Kelli don't get it. Our 2 large groups leave tomorrow so your prayers for good travel would be appreciated. We are praying that they will all feel great and ready to travel by tomorrow morning. The Dutch group has 3 days of travel ahead of them.
Below is a picture we took Wednesday morning. We had 3 groups here for that day, which is the most people we have ever had here at one time.


These groups have been a huge help. The Dutch group has been rebuilding 3 classrooms at the Griffen school that were damaged in the earthquake. This is a picture of the school they are building.

The other groups were building houses. I should have pictures and stories of those families and thier new homes later this week.

Thank you again for joining us in prayer for healing and for this sickness to stop.

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Saturday evening thoughts

There are so many things that I want to share as I sit here at the computer tonight. God is so faithful and good and He never gives us more then we can handle.
I truly have been amazed by the strength that God has blessed me with over the past few days. As you read in my last post we have been having some sick children. Well it ended up that both Kyrk and I also got the flu. I was in bed all day Thursday and Kyrk has spent the last 24 hours in bed. All of our children have gotten it (except for Anna). Everyone seems to have recovered except for Jonathan. He is still pretty sick tonight.
Continue to pray for healing.
This sickness has also spread to several others here at the mission including a few members of a team from Colorado. Pray for God's healing of their bodies and also that no one else gets this. We are praising God that so far none of the 24 Dutch people visiting have gotten it, so that is a blessing.
As I reflect on the challenges that this past week has brought, I am also amazed by the strength that God gave to face each challenge.
One big encouragement for me this week was to get to see God through a wonderful Christian lady who just started working here, helping out in the kitchen. She has been through some very terrible things in the past few months, but even through it all she is still praising God. It has been such a blessing to interact with her this week and to see Christ through all that she does. She is so grateful for the work that she has found and praising God for the ways that He is providing for her needs as well as her 2 daughters.
Thank you once again for joining us in prayer for our Haitian brothers and sisters. It truly is a blessing for us to be able to live and grow spiritually together along side of them.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Heavy Rains have passed

Thank you so much for your prayers last night and today. Thankfully it seems that the storm system that was giving us very heavy rains has passed. We had some rain today but it was only for a couple of hours this afternoon. We have not heard any reports of severe flooding,so we are thankful for that.

Another prayer request is to pray for our sick children. Rebekah was sick with the flu yesterday and Robert has come down with it tonight. I pray that we can sleep well tonight and that Robert is able to get a good sleep also. Also pray that this doesn't spread to the many visitors that are here right now.
God's timing is always perfect and He never gives us more then we can handle, so I'm continually reminding myself of that and trusting God to provide the strength to handle this extra challenge right now.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Heavy Rains

I'm not sure how many people are reading this tonight, but there are many people in Haiti that could really use prayer right now.
Today we have had very heavy rains and they are still continuing. The National Hurricane Center says that there is a storm system developing which is causing all of our current rain. We have already received over 2 inches since noon today.
Pray for the people in tents. Pray that they will be safe from the heavy rains and be able to stay dry somehow. I can't even begin to imagine what tonight is going to be like for them. Pray for comfort, peace and protection.
Thank you for joining me in prayer!