Visiting the community of Grande Savane

On Tuesday Kyrk had an opportunity to go out and visit a community that has been badly affected from the earthquake.  He predicted that at least 75% of the homes in the community are destroyed.  Most people are living in tents or in huts that they built from the salvaged tin from the roof of thier damaged home.
It is always humbling to visit people like this. They have so little and are so grateful to have people come and talk with them and listen to them.  As Kyrk was visiting one lady, she gave him some bananas as a gift.  The people in this community have very little, yet she was so grateful that he came and visited her and that we are going to try and build her a new house.  She shared what she could as a thank you.
Some of these people, who Kyrk visited, are not saved and we are praying that as we are able to share Christ's love with them in hopefully building them a new home, seeds of the gospel will also be planted and hopefully some will come to know Christ personally.

Things are much better today

Wow, God is at work and things have been very peaceful for the past 4 days.  Yesterday we were able to send a driver into Port-au-Prince to buy some supplies.  We are so thankful that they were able to find some needed things.  We are trying to stock up, in case things get bad again.
On Sunday and Monday we received a lot of rain.  This is making it difficult to send the rest of the food to the schools.  We were going to try today, but we are not sure we can make it to the schools now.

As of yesterday we had 10 patients in our cholera clinic.  Sadly one young child died yesterday in the clinic.  Pray for the family of this child.  The parents are very upset.  Since their child died of cholera they are unable to take the body.  This is very hard on the family.  Pray that God would comfort this family and draw them closer to Him through this difficult time.

Kyrk and Anna seem to be doing better.   Kyrk had a lot more range of movement in his arm yesterday and I was able to move Anna's foot without her crying.  So they are on the mend.

Thank you so much for your prayers.  We know that God is answering them and it is a huge encouragement to us to know that so many people are joining us in prayer.

Praising God for another peaceful day

Today has been another very peaceful day.  Church was full this morning and I'm sure it was an encouragement to the people to be able to gather together for worship following the events of this past week.
Pastor Baker had a very successful trip yesterday and when he returned he said that if you didn't see the black ashes and wires from all the burnt tires, you wouldn't know that anything had happened.  People were back out selling things on the street and the streets were full of people walking from place to place.

We are so grateful for these couple days of peace.  We are praying that this continues.  It is really unknown what this coming week will be like.  We continue to pray for peace and for God's will to be done.

Kyrk's arm is still very painful.  The deep cut on his elbow seems to be healing well, so we are very grateful for that.  Yesterday afternoon I discovered that Anna wasn't moving her right leg very much.  It looks like she may have injured her ankle, since when I touch it she cries.  We are probably going to have it x-rayed if it is still painful tomorrow. 
Thank you for your prayers for both Kyrk and Anna as they heal from this fall.

Much more peaceful today

From the reports that we are hearing, things are a little better today.  People are saying that they are taking a break from the protesting for today and tomorrow and then they will start back up on Monday.

Pastor Baker (Kyrk's Dad) left this morning to go visit one of our churches on the other side of Port-au-Prince.  He has not returned yet, so we are assuming that all is well and that he is able to make the trip.

The Master's class finshed well with the students that were staying here.  Since it is calmer today they are able to travel home.  We are praying that those who had to miss Wednesday through Friday's classes will be able to get up to the mission on Monday and Tuesday to make up those classes.

Yesterday there are also some school coordinators that were able to come to the mission, so the Education department was able to do some training with those who came.

This morning we were able to send out some building materials to some of the sites that we are building houses.  We are so thankful that we can once again travel around a little bit and deliver supplies like this so that the rebuilding of people's homes can continue.

In other news...... Kyrk fell on the steps in front of our house last night and he has a deep cut on his elbow.  He was carrying Anna at the time and thankfully she seems to be okay.  Kyrk is in a lot of pain today and is not able to move his arm much.  Pray that this would heal quickly.

Friday and things are looking a little better

We are hearing reports that a few stores are starting to open once again.  We sent one of our drivers out this morning to see if they could find places open to get some needed supplies, but they returned empty handed.  They couldn't find any place open.
We have also not been able to send food out to schools.  Hopefully things will clear up a little more next week, so we can get this food out.

Thankfully we are not hearing any protests or seeing burning tires around this area today.   We are very thankful for this.

We currently have a couple here who was supposed to fly home today.  The airport has been closed since Wednesday and they are definitely closed until Sunday and on Monday they will reevaluate to see if they will open.   Pray that the airport would open once again and that they would be able to get home.

Some pictures from yesterday

Yesterday we sent a camera with a man who lives right by the mission.  He walked down the road to take pictures of what was happening.

Just down the road.

Blocking the road with rocks

Blocking the road with tree branches

Protests have begun again

It is now noon and the rain has mostly stopped.  The people are back out on the streets protesting and rioting.  Just a few minutes ago they were burning tires just below the lower gate of the mission. 
We did send a few guys out to try and find some needed supplies, but they could not find any store open and once the rains slowed down they found some road blocks, so decided to come back.  When they were almost to the mission, they had to turn around and go back down the mountain since the road was blocked by burning tires.  Thankfully they were able to come up the back rough mountain road and have arrived safely back at the mission.

We are still all fine here at the mission and enjoying our days at home.  These days have been quieter and many people have been able to catch up on needed work since many people are not able to come to the mission.

Thanks for your continued prayers.

Another day

As I lay in bed this morning and listened to the rain fall I was truly amazed.  We have not had rain in over 3 weeks and we are currently in dry season.  Typically in dry season we may get the random evening rain, but to have rain during the day is very rare.
I truly think that this is a miracle, that it is raining this morning.
God is answering prayers and sending rain to stop the violence.  When it is raining, road blocks don't burn and people don't like to be outside. 
We are continuing to pray that today is a little more peaceful.

Yesterday almost 1/2 of the Master's students were unable to attend the class and some of our medical staff and other workers were unable to get here. 
Kyrk is hoping to be able to send some food out to schools today if the road up the mountain is cleared and may try to send people out to purchase some much needed plumbing supplies for our conference center.  We have people here right now who are wanting to help put the plumbing and electrical in, but we need the supplies for them to do their job. 
Pray that as we try to send these men out, that they would remain safe and that things would be more peaceful today.
We know that God is in control and we thank Him for things like the rain this morning.  It really is an encouragement.
Let's keep praying that the leaders of this country would have wisdom to know how to handle this situation and that God's will would be done.

Riots and Protests as a result of the election results

This morning we woke up to see black smoke from burning tires.  Many people are upset with the election results and they have taken to the streets protesting.
We here at the mission are all safe and enjoying a relatively "normal" day.  The kids and I have had fun exploring outside and doing our typical Wednesday school.
Because of the riots and protests, we were unable to send any trucks out to deliver food.  All school are closed today and most roads are blocked, even the ones up the mountain.
We would really like to get this food out to the schools in the next couple of days since the schools have been without food for awhile.
Thank you for your continued prayers for peace and that God's will would be done in terms of the elections.

Election results

The results of last Sunday's election were given tonight.  They are a little bit of a surprise and as a result it is expected that tomorrow will be a challenging day as the supporters of various candiates protest.
Continue to keep Haiti in your prayers.

Cholera, Bible Curriculum and Conference Center

Cholera Update:
This morning as we were walking to Sunday School we saw people carrying a young girl, around the age of 10, down to the cholera clinic.  She looked very weak and it was a reminder of how imporant a treatment center in this area is for the mountain people.
Pray that God would heal this young girl and the others that are in the clinic now.  We are praising God that there have only been about 5 people in the clinic at a time.  The numbers are slowly increasing, but it is still very small.

Bible Curriculum:
This past week we had 2 Bible curriculum meetings and things are slowly progressing, but it seems like poeple are getting discouraged with this project.  Please continue to pray that all those involved in this huge project would have the strength and encouragement that they need to keep working and that with God's strength and wisdom we would create the very best curriculum for the schools.

Conference Center:
We have been blessed to have had a great team here for the past couple of weeks.  They were able to get the roof on the newly rebuilt conference center and they also started to put the electrical wiring in.  This was a huge help and we are so thankful that people are willing to come down and help out in ways like this.  We are praying that we are able to have the conference center finished by March so that we can have sufficient accommodations for all the pastors and preachers that we will coming for National Conference. 

I thought I would include a few fun pictures of our kids.

Jonathan and Naomi really enjoy their little sister.

Anna is "playing" with her daddy's Snickers.

Rebekah really enjoys playing with Jabez.

And yet another "Robert holding Anna" picture.  He just loves to hold his little sister and have his picture taken.

2 more Cholera patients

As of tonight there are 2 more patients in our cholera clinic.  These people are both from the community just up the road from us, so it is looking like it is spreading up the mountain. 
We are continuing to pray that is does not get real bad here.

Elections, Cholera and Nicole

Yesterday was a mostly normal day around here.  There was less people in church due to the elections, but it was still a great service.
The elections took place, but based on the news reports that we are hearing, there is much controversy over how they took place and there are many people upset.  Voting took place at one of the BHM affiliated schools beside the mission campus and we were told that things were not very well organized in the morning and by late afternoon people were chanting "Don't vote" protesting the elections. 
Pray that things would remian peaceful here and that God's will would be done and the people that He wants, would be elected.  The results won't be announced for a least a week.

We are so thankful that the one patient that we had in the cholera clinic has been released and sent home.  There has not been any other patients admitted and only a few people have come needing rehydration.  This is an answer to prayer.  We are really praying that it doesn't affect this area badly.

Today Nicole left to return to the states.  She came shortly after the earthquake and served in the hospital as a nurse for many months.  When there wasn't a huge need for her nursing skills in the hospital she began serving where ever she could around the mission.  She really because a great friend to me and she will be greatly missed.

Nicole and I

First Cholera patient

Today we had our first confirmed cholera patient.  In the past few days there have been some suspected cases, and they were given oral rehydration and sent home.  The person that came today had to enter the special cholera clinic and be hospitalized.
We are so thankful that there is a great organization here who is helping to oversee the cholera clinic and they are doing everything they can to prevent the spread of cholera to others here.  Anyone who enters the cholera clinic area has their shoes sprayed with bleach water when they enter and leave and also they have to wash their hands when they enter and leave. 
Thank you for joining with us as we pray that the spread of cholera would be contained and that those who get it would be treated quickly and recover fully.
For more information on our cholera clinic check out the BHM BLOG.

Long overdue update

The past few days have been very eventful around here.
We are praising God that most of Haiti was spared severe damage from Hurricane Tomas.  God answered prayers and kept the storm from making landfall.
Cholera continues to spread and it has entered Port-au-Prince.  We are hearing reports of many sick in Port-au-Prince but thankfully it has not spread to our area.
During the past couple of weeks, in partnership with other organizations, we have set up a cholera clinic which is separate from the hospital.  It opened yesterday and thankfully they didn't have any one come who showed signs of cholera.
This clinic is set up in a closed off area of the mission campus and people are cleaned with bleach water as they enter and leave.  We are praising God that this diseace is not as bad as we had first thought.  It is very easily treated and with proper sanitation it is not spread super easy.
Pray that the parents of the preschool, which is located close to the cholera clinic would understand that their children are not in any danger from the clinic.  We had some parents upset this week, so we are praying that things stay peaceful.
This past week was a super special one for us.  My mom and 2 nieces came to visit.  Our children loved having thier cousins here and sharing Haiti with them.
Next Sunday is election day.  Pray for peaceful elections and that the people that God wants in leadership are elected.

Going for a ride to visit a home that was being built.

Kyrk checking out the almost finished house.

Talking with some of the men who were helping the team build the house.

Grandma and her grandchildren.

A Long Night

Kyrk wrote this sharing about his night last night.

Last night as I lay in bed I heard a strange sound.  It was water running, a sound that normally I wouldn’t hear.  It was 1: 48 in the morning and I decided I needed to go check what it was. I got up put on my shorts and T-shirt slipped on my crocs and went outside, down the steps into the pond area behind our house.  Stepping in a puddle, soaking my feet, I find the cause.  It’s a drain pipe from the yard above pouring into a  puddle creating the noise that rudely awoke me.  Seeing as it’s not raining I decide I needed to check out why there’s water running here. As I start back up the steps out of the pond, light rain begins to fall.  I decide I needed an umbrella and go back to the house.
     As I leave I take a quick check of the rain gauge, 1 1/2 inches.  As I make my way to the upper yard where the water was coming from, my feet getting wetter  with every step I take, the rain starts to fall harder.  After wading through what seemed to be knee-deep water, actually only a couple of inches, I realize there are no pipes broken and were not losing water out of a  cistern.  It’s just the water from the rain draining out of  the zoo yard that was keeping me awake.
     Safely back at my house I quickly grab a towel to dry off my feet and head back to bed. The rain continues to fall growing steadily harder by the minute.  As I lay there in bed I begin to think about all the people living in tents. My mind races back to early childhood memory camping.  I can remember having an annoying little drip that would make the corner of my sleeping bag a little damp. What an irritation that was. I can remember thinking boy I wish we were back in the house, I hate camping in the rain. I quickly confess for complaining about wet feet when I had a towel to dry them off with a warm bed to crawl back into.
     The rain seemed to be falling harder now like thousands of little fists pounding their way down to the ground.  Once there, they join together forming a little stream then a river and finally a torrent ripping down the mountain. I have seen these torrents pushing boulders larger than a bowling ball at rapid speeds down the mountain. I asked God to protect those in tent cities who have no shelter like I’m in now. The rain robs me of sleep.  It is now 3:40  a.m and I decided to check the rain gauge again. 2 1/4 inches.
    What have I done to deserve God’s grace? Why am I privileged to have a roof over my head and a warm dry place to sleep?  What about the millions of people living in  tents?  What did they do to deserve what they’re going through right now? I pray for God to have mercy on them and stop this rain.
    4:38 a.m. the rain is still falling it hasn’t eased up any.  I ask God again where’s your mercy?  Then God speaks to me.  My first question: what have I done to deserve God’s grace? Answer: Nothing, this sin sick shriveled up soul has done nothing deserving of God’s love.  My second question: why am I privileged? Answer: God’s amazing grace. God has shown me mercy and now asks that I do the same for others.  It’s a difficult lesson to learn.  Again I pray for God’s protection for those who are less fortunate than I am and that I would be obedient.

The pipe is the white pvc coming out of the wall at the top and the puddled is much smaller this morning then it was last night.

Storm and Cholera

STORM
As I sit to write this, it is very overcast and starting to rain.  We are preparing for the worst, but praying that God miraculously spares this country from further troubles.  Over the next 24 hours we are expecting a lot of rain and some wind.
All schools have been canceled for today and tomorrow as people prepare for the storm. 

CHOLERA
We are praising God that the cholera epidemic seems to be mostly contained.  We have not had any confirmed cases in this area and as people are being educated on the prevention and treatment of cholera there are very few deaths now. 
We are continuing to send out aid to the affected areas.  A truck load of supplies went out today.  We are praying that they are able to safely deliver the supplies.  Thankfully we were able to purchase these supplies and deliver them before the storm hits.

We know that God is in control and we pray that through all of these difficulties God would continue to draw people to Him.

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.

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

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.