Rice and Beans

Rice pudding. Fried rice. Rice balls. Spanish rice. Rice milk. Rice meal.

Cathy awoke Monday with her mind on ways she can cook rice next week. Most likely she is turning her creativity to beans next. No doubt people the world over find great ways to cook those two staples. Why? Because it's all they have! I read recently that the world's poorest 1.1 billion people live on less than $1.00 a day. 700,000,000 of them live in Asia and spend up to 40% of their daily income on rice, the majority of their caloric intake. You and I would spend a dollar on a candy bar without even blinking.

It's time we shocked ourselves into reality. For that reason, Stone Ridge Church is going on a 3-day diet the Monday-Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Rice and beans! We will distribute your food to you at worship services this weekend. The culmination of this restricted diet will be what we are calling our 1:17 Offering. 1:17? What's that? I'm glad you asked!

Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows. Isaiah 1:17 (NLT)

You and I may want to do good, but it often takes more than wanting; it takes learning. Subsisting on rice and beans can help us learn. Then we can do more. We can help the oppressed. We can genuinely do something to care for orphans and widows. We can give. We can help those locally, regionally and internationally who are broken and hungry. 1:17! We will start receiving that offering on Thanksgiving weekend. Then we will give it ALL away to where the needs are.

You can choose to distance yourself from this reality or you can embrace it and ask God to speak to you. I hope to see you this weekend at Stone Ridge! It just might be your greatest adventure yet!

The Ultimate Skycam

Stifling hot. There is no other way to describe it. This is my 26th summer in one of the hottest places in the United States and I still dread such days. We had been told the daytime high might reach 120 degrees (yes, you read that correctly). Cathy and I were committed to join a group from our church to cross the border into Mexico in the heat of the afternoon so we could attend the graduation of a church planting school conducted by our Dominican pastor/partner, Manolo.

We had a stop to make before we reached the border, where we would climb aboard the small bus with our fellow adventurers. I noticed the high, thin clouds overhead and was pleased when our car thermometer read "only" 105 degrees. It was about 3:00 p.m., the heat of the afternoon. Errand completed, we entered the Interstate and headed west. Every one of the approximately ten miles seemed a degree hotter than the mile before. 107...108...109... As we exited the freeway, the outside temp jumped to 112. As we turned off the car next to the Mexican border, we were only one mile from the Interstate, but the temp had reached 117.

We climbed aboard the bus (thankful for the air conditioning) and proceeded south across the border and about ten more miles on to a town called Morelos. The graduation was being held in the town's community center, which also has air conditioning. People began to pack in for the joyous celebration, during which the 35 or so graduates wore black caps and gowns. I need to explain here that the outside temps were so hot that it was impossible to truly keep this building cool inside. With the AC working overtime, I would guess the temp inside the room was 90 degrees. The graduation lasted about 2 hours!

The torrid heat that day is but an asterisk to the purpose of this post. Something happened during that graduation ceremony that reminded me again of how differently God sees our world.

The ceremony opened with the Mexican National Anthem. I suppose that had something to do with us meeting in a government building. Whatever the purpose, I was moved as I looked around to see Mexican brothers and sisters in Christ sing their equivalent of our Star Spangled Banner. One older man showed obvious emotion as he sang the song of his country, a line of which says (in English), "For in heaven your eternal destiny has been written by the hand of God."

You see, most of the people who attended that gathering are from that valley and have lived their lives there. As the crow flies, Morelos is less than five miles from the U.S. Border, yet the people born there live in a different world than we do. Our abundance and privilege often leaves us blind to their poverty and struggle. However, it was James (Jesus' half-brother), who wrote, "Hasn't God chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith?" (James 2:5 New Living Translation) I'm not sure how many of my American friends would have inconvenienced themselves to sit for two hours in sweltering heat to watch 35 church planters graduate. But the people of Morelos came; they packed the place.

More important, the scene was witnessed in heaven. God's thoughts are above our thoughts. He doesn't look down from the Ultimate Skycam and see national borders. He just sees people. And those 35 graduates are going to help shake their nation.

Haiti: Learning From "Their" Experiences

I have been cautious about writing too much regarding the plight of ten American missionaries who are currently being held in Haiti under charges of kidnapping and abduction. My caution stems from two factors. First, the media is swimming with reports about the situation and those reports have frequently been speculative at best. The last thing I needed to do was to add my own speculations.

Second, my previously stated relationship with three of the missionaries has made this more than a casual observation for me. Members of our family have been emotionally shaken by this event in the same way that the 7.0 started it all. We have prayed endlessly. We have carried on literally hundreds of conversations in verbal and written form since it began. (Our daughter has written some excellent blog posts here.) The raw emotion of it has served to make me even more cautious about publicly committing my ruminations to print.

As we continue to wait and pray, I think it's time for me to talk about a few "take aways" which can be gleaned from the situation. Perhaps this can help someone else avoid the same predicament and subsequent pain.

We Americans are frequently the quickest to jump into the world's problems. This can be a good thing, like the rapidity with which some mercy organizations made it possible to text a certain number on our mobile phones and instantly donate $10 to the relief fund. It can be a bad thing, like the times we have stormed into countries where we were definitely unwelcome and been seen more as conquerors rather than as caregivers.

The Christians in my country are not immune to these passionate acts; in fact we are often instigating them. On many occasions, our quick action leads to saving lives and offering hope which otherwise might have been lost. Isaiah (chapter 6), when he "saw the Lord high and lifted up", quickly responded with "Here am I; send me!" If nothing else, our unrestrained activity is heartfelt.

Conversely, our passion can, at times be driven more by human emotion than by genuine encounters with God's Spirit. We are quick to quote the Great Commission ("Go ye therefore into all the world..."), but we fail to remember that what Jesus said in the original language was not so emphatic. What He really said was, "As you are going..." There's a huge difference. Jesus never put the command to go above the wisdom of whether it is the right time, place, and way to go. I once heard someone say that we should make sure what we are perceiving is truly the unction of God's Spirit and not just indigestion.

I am not questioning the missionary call to go places where people have not heard and which are inherent with danger. The Gospel has traveled from generation to generation for two thousand years. Every culture that has been touched by it was once hearing it for the first time. On the other hand, short-term missionaries (we number in the tens of thousands, just from the U.S.) are remiss if they don't take into account the work of those who went before them. The incarcerated missionaries in Haiti had scant, if any, contact with established mission organizations which were doing significant work in the region long before the quake happened. No doubt, those organizations could have used both the financial help and the labor of a group willing to work.

A pastor friend of mine spoke to me recently about the experience his church had following the 2004 tsunami. They rapidly deployed a team to the scene. They caught the attention of the local press and people outside their church gave generously to assist them. The original team sat on the ground with nothing to do...for five days! Then, with no real work accomplished, all but two of the team members had to come home to their regular jobs. How many thousands of dollars were wasted because their passion got ahead of their wisdom?

In Haiti, even more is at stake. First is the emotional toll being endured by the missionaries, their families, loved ones and churches. Second, there's the financial cost of their defense. Third, this is a distraction from the ongoing relief efforts. Finally, it is being used as an argument that we Christians need to keep our Gospel to ourselves.

The Truth? In Haiti

"What is truth?"

The query of Pontius Pilate to Jesus could just as easily be asked today. Truth seems to flitter and fluctuate like the "guaranteed lowest price" at the marketplace in the little Mexican town across the border from us. Indeed, the art of shaping "truth" is, in some places, not unlike the remolding of soft clay. If it doesn't produce the desired result, just ball it up and reshape it into something different.

David, the king of ancient Israel, was pondering the spiritual heart condition necessary to fully enjoy intimacy with God. His short list of requirements included "He swears to his own hurt and does not change." (Psalm 15:4 New American Standard Bible)

It strikes me that the Americans detained in Haiti today are consistently telling their story. Two elements of it have been repeated multiple times: "We were just trying to help," and "We now know that we didn't file the appropriate papers in Haiti."

They have "sworn" to their own hurt that they made a mistake. But were they attempting to traffic children or set up adoptions for sale? Their statements about that haven't changed.

For the three men I know, they won't. Such activity would be entirely inconsistent with the way they live their lives.

Locked Up In Haiti

I suppose it's inevitable that, in certain circumstances, right actions lead to painful consequences. According to Acts, chapter 21, it was certainly that way two millennia ago in the Roman-occupied city of Jerusalem. Paul, the man whose letters make up about half the New Testament, had traveled to Jerusalem on a mercy mission. He discovered that accusers there were trying to destroy his reputation among the Jews.

In an attempt to restore confidence in his integrity and gain hearers for his message, Paul joined some others in the observance and completion of a religious vow. His very presence in the Temple, it seems, caused such a stir that Paul was grabbed by an angry mob seeking to kill him. Paul's arrest led him ultimately to Rome, where he defended his actions (and shared about Jesus Christ) all along the way.

This weekend, as the world has brought aid to a tiny Caribbean nation, the actions of a group of modern-day Christ-followers have led to their own painful consequences. This group, comprised of church people from Idaho (along with one from Kansas and another from Texas) stepped into the chaos following a massive earthquake in Haiti. Their mission was to assist Haitian orphans by transporting them across the border to the Dominican Republic. There they would receive care, food, education and such acts of love that leaders could provide.

This ministry to orphans was actually conceived before the earthquake. The noble purpose was to help the children from this "poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere." Using the groundwork that had already been laid and seeing the emergency need of a Haitian pastor-leader who explained that his orphanage had been destroyed by the quake, the Christians flew into action.

Their first few days were to prepare the location in the DR for the arrival of children. They then set out into Haiti to attempt bringing the children across. They persevered through various challenges of culture and language to finally arrive at the border crossing on Friday night. With them on their small bus were 33 Haitian children. Upon discovering a paperwork difficulty on the Haiti side of the border, they stayed for the night with a group of soldiers who were assigned there. The plan was to go back into Port Au Prince on early Saturday, acquire the needed documentation and cross over. They already had their Dominican papers.

After a few hours at the border, the group was accused by officials of trying to smuggle the children across. They were detained and the children were removed to other aid workers.

In hindsight, it seems that this concerned group was unaware of a general alarm that has been sounded inside Haiti regarding the very issue of taking orphans from the country. The Haitian government has a growing fear that Haitian children who have been separated from their families by the disaster may be taken too quickly out of the country, then discover later that their family -- previously thought dead -- turn out to be alive. If this concern existed as has been expressed, the actions of these Christians provided the flashpoint to bring it to the world's attention.

I have been cautious in writing this post. First, I don't know all the facts. Some things I am writing, I can only glean from various sources. But there is another reason. My wife's oldest sister, Teri, was a wonderful Christian lady who went to be with Christ in 1997. She was just 47. The ten (five women and five men) Americans who have been detained include her son, her son-in-law and her grandson.

Our whole family are grateful for your prayers as they go before a Haitian judge on Monday.

Base Camps In Port Au Prince

I just received an update from missionary Sonia Burnett in Santiago, DR. Sonia's husband Barry is helping establish centers of operations inside Haiti. Here is an idea of the work as seen from up close...

Thanks for continuing to remember us in prayer. This last week has been busy with Barry coming and going from Haiti and good things are happening. The Dominican Baptist Convention has now assessed the needs and developed a plan of ministry much of which has already been put into action!

The goal is to provide for the immediate needs of the people as well as plan for the long-term reconstruction of the Baptist churches and people. Phase 1 of the plan is to use local Haitian Baptist churches as the centers for food kitchens and water distribution as well as providing tarps for shelter. (Sadly, the food that has been shipped by many organizations is still not being distributed effectively. I read in the news today that many of the larger organizations have divided up the city to make the distribution more organized and effective but until now food is scarce.) The Convention is providing stoves, generators, cooking utensils and food as well as water storage tanks to use to store and drinkable water. The local church members are involved in the cooking and distribution. Currently two churches are being set up with these supplies but tomorrow will be the second meeting with other church leaders to expand to other churches as soon as possible.

Phase 2 is to begin the process of rebuilding. The convention is going to provide sledge hammers and other materials needed for demolition that needs to be done prior to reconstruction. The goal is to enable the Haitian people to do as much as they can for themselves and those around them by providing them with the materials they need to do the work. Determining the best method of reconstruction that will be affordable, as well as hurricane and earthquake proof is also a priority.

Phase 3 is to develop bases in local Baptist churches where work teams can stay and work from as a center for ministry. The goal is to have either a Dominican national team or an international team on site each week for the next few months. The Convention has selected one coordinator to organize the scheduling.

It has been fun to work with the national convention and to see how they have really jumped in to help their neighbors during this time. The Dominican Baptist Churches alone have raised over $500,000.00 pesos for disaster relief.

On a personal note, Barry is going and coming every 3-5 days and right now is busy securing the buildings for safety and getting them ready for teams. He and the pastors with him have a tent, sleeping bags, and are staying in the back yard of Concorde church in Port Au Prince. This world we live in is amazing as cell phones from the DR still are not working but Vonage and internet are! He called me from the local Texaco station whose owner has Vonage!

Facing The Pain In Haiti

Sunday morning I looked into the eyes of a man who recently lost his dad. The man with whom I spoke is single and his dad was, in many ways, his best friend. He blinked back his tears as he spoke of facing life now.

Sunday afternoon I noticed two Facebook updates from Missionary Barry Burnett. First, he said "...back in Santiago after a few more days in Haiti... Things in Haiti are still critical, but stable. The food is getting to the people now, but water is scarce. Our Dominican brethren move in tomorrow with equipment to set up at Eglise Baptiste Siloe and Concord. These churches are the starting points."

After that bit of news, Barry added, "...waylaid in Santiago for a few days because of car problems. Please keep praying. The pastor of Siloe was killed in the earthquake, but his widow and the associate pastor are going strong in helping their community. The pastor of Concord is very organized and has also found four other Baptist churches and pastors with great needs."

The pain my friend here at home echoes the cries of tens of thousands Haitians tonight. Among them are a pastor's widow who labors on in the aftermath of disaster.

Please pray and ask God to open doors for the Gospel. Ask Him to comfort the injured and minister to the broken-hearted. Pray for the Dominican teams as they establish ministry points with Haitian brothers and sisters.

Finally, please pray for a little group from here in the U.S. who are in the Dominican preparing to cross into Haiti. They have permission to relocate a group of Haitians orphans into what once was a hotel in Cabarete, DR. That group of Americans includes our nephews Paul and Drew, as well as Paul's son, Silas.

Haiti: Shifting Gears

It seems that the ministry to Haiti is beginning to shift gears. The Dominican Baptist Convention has taken the lead to put "boots on the ground" and develop ongoing ministry to help with recovery and rebuilding. They are working through one or two churches in the Port Au Prince area. I'm sure that they will develop more partnerships in the days to come.

As they begin to take action, we have the privilege of continued prayer and giving support. It's very possible that the Stone Ridge spring mission trip will be diverted -- at least in part -- to help with the Haiti efforts. In the meantime, we hear of others who are giving and going. One of our (Cathy's and my) nephews left this morning to help with work through and orphanage down there. Paul is a pastor in Idaho and we appreciate your prayers for their team as they go.

I videoed a message this morning to Caveland Baptist Church in Kentucky. One of our Dominican partner churches, they are receiving an offering this week for the work. Other churches have already been giving. An RV Park here in Yuma has winter services and took up a generous offering last Sunday.

Last night I received two requests which I have passed on to the DR, hoping to find help. One was for the Grandfather of a student whom my daughter in Massachusetts teaches. The man has kidney failure and can't get dialysis because of the quake. He survived the earthquake but may not survive without dialysis. Another request was for translation of a Gospel tract into Creole -- it will be used by a team that is going. Please pray for these two needs.

I was praying with some men the other night and one of them admitted, "Lord, I confess that I grew tired of hearing about Haiti on the news. Please forgive and help me remember that this need is great." Perhaps his words echo your heart.

The people of Haiti don't have the privilege of saying, "Let's move on to something else."

Dominican Teams Take Action

Yesterday, the Dominican Baptist Convention established an action plan. This morning, Sonia Burnett wrote the following communique from the DR...

Barry is on his way to Haiti with 2 members of Germantown Baptist Church and a Dominican leadership group. He will be there at least until Monday but probably longer. The Dominican Baptist Convention is working on getting a “base” established in 1 church that was not damaged so teams can stay there starting next week. He also will be working on getting the water purification system going and the distribution set up. A truck is on its way from Pto. Rico and the mom of a friend of Gaby’s is donating huge tanks that have faucets at the bottom that can be used to distribute the water.

The rest of us that planned to go had to postpone our trip due to lack of lodging…

Thanks again for your prayers for protection and provision. God has been faithful. Some people did feel the aftershock here but we did not… We asked for vehicles to distribute the water, etc. and God is providing as we speak, we asked for tanks to store the water, He is providing, we asked for doctors to help with surgeries, almost 100 have come and gone since then, we asked for antibiotics, 1000 came in last night, we asked for funding, people are giving generously….Our God is a great God!

One or two things she mentions have changed since last evening. More may have changed today. We continue to pray.

For you Stone Ridgers who are considering going, our spring mission trip looks like it will stay scheduled from March 24-April 1. Most likely the focus of the trip will shift to rebuilding in Haiti. If you are interested and want more info, please contact Mark Flint. His address is mark[at]flintframe[dot]com.

Light In Haiti's Darkness

Just over one week ago, we started this communication journey as we turned our hearts toward Haiti. Here is what I wrote in that first post...

Would you pray tonight for Haiti? I am drawn to the following verses…
16 The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light. And for those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow, a light has shined."
17 From then on Jesus began to preach, "Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near."
Matthew 4:16-17 (New Living Translation)

This morning I received a message from Edward Veloz, a pastor friend of mine from Santo Domingo, DR. Here is what he wrote...

Hey brother.. check the post from a Pastor from Haiti... just talked with Pastor Vijonet from Haiti on the phone and he asked me to share this: "if anyone is sad about Haiti - tell them God is in control and now there is a spiritual movement... people are crying, worshipping, and praising God! There is hope, spiritually!"

Pastors To Haiti In North

I just received word from Jose that Pastors Wilme and Patricio from a Haitian village called Munoz (in the DR) have been able to cross the border at Dajabon.

These two brothers are tireless workers, pastoring several churches and leading what may be the first Christian School for Haitians in the DR. They just crossed and have requested prayer. They will try to locate family members of people in Munoz, including the family of Patricio's wife.

I am the personal and regular recipient of the prayers of these pastors and it is one of the greatest honors of my life.

Would you join me in praying for them?

Situation Inside Haiti

On Sunday, Barry Burnett and a small team traveled from Jimani, DR into Port Au Prince for the second straight day. They met with a Port Au Prince pastor who has worked to find out the status of everyone in their church. Sadly, sixteen of their church family were killed.

The Dominican worshiped, gathered information and drove back to Jimani. They discovered that many people have been fleeing the capital because, at least for the moment, more food and water are available in the rural areas.

A growing concern is that many people were wounded in the quake and quickly received bandages for the wounds, but medical supplies were exhausted. This means that they have been untreated for many days, greatly increasing the risk of infection.

In Jimani on Saturday night, Barry's pastor (who is also an M.D.), was preparing to do amputations for people who had been evacuated there by helicopter. Though exhausted, he prepared to do whatever was necessary. Late in the day, four small buses arrived at the hospital carrying a large medical team from Puerto Rico. One bus contained only medical supplies. The team had traveled to another place and discovered it was not equipped to handle them. Someone told them about this hospital in Jimani and they arrived, fresh and ready to work, just in time. Barry's pastor took some much needed rest!

Recalling the above incident, Barry mentioned how much they are seeing the results of prayer. Please, keep praying!

On a personal note, the father of Barry's sister-in-law (Claudia) passed away last night in Brazil. The Burnett family had known this man for many years. Barry's relationship with him was such that Barry called him "Uncle." They have requested prayer for Bret and Claudia and all their family.

The Planning Begins

Tonight, this came in from Sonia Burnett...

Barry and team are on their way home...now comes the planning. Thanks for all your prayers and support. Barry said he did not feel like he was in danger at any time so praise God for that. Our sermon in church today was on Ps. 71 - A timely message for the Dominican community who are both scared and impacted by what happened in Haiti.

This morning, I was both encouraged and broken-hearted. The encouragement came when we were able to work with Sonia and seek a way to help a Haitian orphanage get drinking water for their kids.

The discouragement came from news reports of literal chaos as supplies were distributed. Our teams in the DR have visited Haitian villages there and brought candy for the kids. Just candy can almost start a riot. I understood what it must be like for relief workers to bring food and water to people who have gone without for days.

I was struck by the following thought...

Q: What do you do when you are facing a literal ocean of need?

A: Grab the biggest bucket you can get and start bailing!

The ocean is overwhelming right now and our buckets seem small. Please pray and give.

I closed my day with the receipt of the following email from a young lady in our church...

I have really been struggling with the disaster in Haiti. I have donated and prayed as much as I can but I can't help but feel there is more that I can do. Today in your sermon you mentioned that the church might send a team down soon and I was hoping that I might be able to join that team. I know you don't have much information on what will be needed or when everyone would be able to go, but as soon as you get more information I would love to be informed.

I am currently in nursing school. I know I'm not a nurse yet or a doctor but I do feel that I could help medically in Haiti if I had the chance. If I am not able to go, I would love to still help send some medical supplies down that I know would be needed.

God has opened my heart so much to all of the people and families in Haiti and I would just love to help however I can. I will keep praying and donating what I can.

She wants to take one more step. She is praying. She is giving. She wants to GO!

We are awaiting word and will make those decisions as we hear from Barry Burnett and Pastor Manolo. Does God want you to go, too?

Surgeries Through The Night

This came in from Sonia Burnett a couple hours ago...

Tonight they are staying in Jimani at the Good Samaritan Hospital complex but they will not be sleeping. There will be 25 amputations tonight on people just flown in today. Our pastor, Pedro Juan, who is with Barry is a doctor and will be busy throughout the night. Barry is going to help organize their central supply tonight.

The desperate need is money for meds. These people have had exposed fractures for 4 days and no antibiotics so that is one of the main expenses. Barry will come back tomorrow but probably go back on Tuesday for several days to help with the administration of the center. There is only one man there right now and he is exhausted.

From the North...

Our friend, Pastor Patricio has been unable to get across the border in Dajabon. He will try again on Monday. His wife's family is in Port Au Prince and they haven't heard from any of them. Please pray.

From Pastor Manolo...

The Dominican Baptist leadership will meet again on Wednesday morning. At that time, they hope to have adequate information to let us know what kinds of help they need and how to deploy.

Please keep praying.

Please give! If your church wants to give through the Dominican Baptist Convention, they can send it through Stone Ridge Church. We have been in a partnership with them for several years and their integrity has been impeccable.

Update From Haiti

This just came in from missionary Sonia Burnett, Barry's wife...

Barry just called and is back in Jimani. They made it to Port Au Prince. He said it is very sad and they didn't even make it to the worst part of the city. They found a church that has some building left where stuff can be stored for distribution so things are progressing. They will go back over tomorrow and then come on home tomorrow night.

Please keep praying and give to help the relief efforts.

The Haitian Border

This morning the team of missions leaders arrived in the Dominican city of Jimani on the border with Haiti. They discovered that helicopters are shuttling the injured out of Haiti and into hospitals on the DR side of the border. The two hospitals in Jimani are full and have been unable to perform surgeries because they don't have anesthesiologists.

A Dominican pastor in Santiago is also an M.D. He got the call and has gone to the University in Santiago to recruit qualified anesthesiologists who can rush there to help with surgeries. If he can get them, it will be at least a six hour drive unless someone provides air transport. Please pray.

The DR is also becoming a staging area for aircraft with supplies to prepare for the flight into Port Au Prince. They can be refueled there and the flight into Haiti is very short from there.

Barry Burnett and the former Haitian missionary are traveling with Barry's pastor from Santiago and with a Lutheran pastor and a Lutheran leader from Santiago. They are about to cross the border and have asked that we pray.

Gasoline in Haiti is $4.00 per liter. That's almost $16.00 per gallon. Stations with gas are under armed guard to thwart attempts to steal it.

They have asked that we keep praying!

Second Dominican Team To Haiti

I have just received another update from the DR. The churches in the North (our basic partnership is in Puerto Plata, in the North) are sending a small team to the northern border crossing into Haiti. They, like the team in the South, will attempt to cross and assess the best ways to help. Here are their prayer requests...

1. God's favor to be able to cross.

2. God's protection for them. They have received word that a missionary from Brazil was robbed and killed inside Haiti.

3. God's wisdom as they go. They must take everything they need with them. There is no food, water or lodging available.

The Red Cross in the DR is warning all those who attempt to cross that NOTHING is available inside Haiti. All must be carried in.

Pastor Manolo is being inundated by calls from the U.S. with requests to stage missions teams who want to help. He said, "If a team of fifty goes in for a week, they must take all their food, water, and other necessities with them."

You can imagine the task. Please continue to pray!

Dominican Missionaries Travel To Haiti

I have just received an update from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. This morning's meeting of leaders from the Dominican Baptist Convention has resulted in a plan for five of their missionaries to travel to the border of Haiti southwest of Santo Domingo. Our Yuma missionary, Barry Burnett, will serve as the driver. He will be accompanied by an International Mission Board missionary who served in Haiti for seventeen years and was recently relocated to the DR. Three others will also travel with them when they depart on Saturday.

Their first objective will be to find out if they are allowed across the border. There is still some doubt about this. Then, they will survey the situation on the Haitian side of the border. Their information is that many Haitians have fled to the border seeking aid. It is possible that they will establish an aid station just inside the Haitian border.

The next objective will be to travel toward Port Au Prince. They will attempt to find the pastors who have been serving and with whom our missionaries have a relationship. Some of their churches have been destroyed, we are told. The team will check the feasibility of using those church locations as aid stations.

They will also determine if we can get construction teams in to rebuild those churches. We have a trip already scheduled into the DR in late March. The situation is fluid right now, and we may redirect our efforts in that trip to assist with the effort in Haiti.

How can you help?

1. The leaders in the DR have asked for prayer. Pray that God will open the door for them to enter Haiti and establish a beachhead to help the hurting there.

2. Give. Former President Clinton has said that is the best way for most Americans to help right now. If you want to give through a church, Vertical Church, Oasis Church and Stone Ridge Church, all of Yuma, are receiving offerings along this line. Just mark the gift for Haiti. We have a proven network that we have verified is high integrity. The churches in the DR are giving this Sunday, also.

3. Consider going. If the doors open to enter Haiti and help rebuild, we will have lots of work to do!

Message From Stone Ridge MemberTammy Pal

January 14 at 7:59pm

Hi Sam,

I talked with Caleb again today. He is traveling to the DR with a group of doctors from Huntsville who are part of "Doctors Without Borders". They will be working at a clinic in the DR that is close to the Haitian border. Apparently last night there were 1800 people waiting in line at the clinic. He is traveling with one large satellite system and they have shipped 4 others down for him to set up, with which to provide communications and computer networks for the doctors and staff.

It's a start. When the border opens they will probably be inundated.

We are praying that the Holy Spirit will sweep over that island, that the occultic strongholds will be vanquished and that the hopeless will find salvation in Jesus. Tonight on the news they showed a group of Haitians singing and even though we couldn't tell what the words were, the tune was, "You are my all in all". YES!!!!!

Thanks for relaying the information. We are praying for our brothers and sisters in the DR who are on the front lines.

blessings,
tammy

Haiti: When The Doors Open...

On the way to the office this morning, I was listening to the news on NPR. A Red Cross spokesperson was clarifying the difficulty of fully deploying necessary resources into Haiti until the situation is adequately assessed. One problem, according to the report, was the usability of the roads into Port Au Prince from across the border in the Dominican Republic.

That report just verified what we were hearing from Pastor Manolo, the Executive Secretary of the Dominican Baptist Convention and Missionary Barry Burnett. Manolo was en route to Santo Domingo, the DR capital to meet with their national Baptist leaders tomorrow. He requested prayer for that meeting.

Manolo explained to us today that the border between the nations has remained sealed -- at least as far as travel from Haiti into the DR. In addition to the recently heated relations they have experienced, the Dominican has been concerned about a massive flight of Haitian refugees across the border. That concern led to a total closure when it was discovered that the prison in Port Au Prince has collapsed and the inmates have fled. It will be most natural for them to attempt to hide in the DR.

At least two of our DR Haitian pastors -- dear friends named Wilmer and Patricio -- have the full papers to travel back and forth. They are waiting for the border to open so they can cross into Haiti and assess how to best help the churches and ministries there. They asked today that we keep them in prayer. They also said, "Tranquilo!" In other words, be at peace and wait for God to open it up.

One caveat: we really don't know that much about the needs of the poor, at least not from experience. With gasoline in the DR at over $5 (U.S.) per gallon, Wilmer and Patricio didn't know where they could get the $100 this trip will cost them. They pastor churches, working very hard and riding motor scooters. But they don't have $100.

I know it's outlandish. But the average cost for a family of four to attend a Dallas Cowboys game in their new stadium this season was $750.