God Didn't Give Up On Us

I just got done reading an article about Cholera in Haiti. What it's doing. How many have been effected. The path that it is probably going to take. The way I see it is....it could be much worse but, as I read the comments of some people that posted, I was saddened.

No hope for Haiti, why try to help, they should have stayed a slave nation, all the money in the world could not help Haiti, just give up, it's just a nation full of trash anyway....

Well, that is how some human minds deal with Haiti. That is not how I see it at all. All of us could have been born in Haiti. We didn't have a choice as to where we were born, or how we were raised, but God knew ahead of time. He loves those who live in the U.S. and Haiti just the same. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross to pay the penalty for our (yours, mine, everyone before me, and everyone after me) sin. Sin is sin, no matter how big or how small.

Why do we as humans feel the need to blame someone for the problems of the world? Why do we feel like we can fix all the problems in the world? Why do we feel like, when problems have difficulty being fixed, we should just give up?

Jesus Christ did not give up on me or anyone else in this world. Why do we give up on others? It made me angry to read those comments. Yes, there are problems here in Haiti, but there are problems everywhere. Some are just kept secret better.

What problems do you feel like you have in your own life? Are you perfect? Am I perfect? As I shared with a friend the other day, I often pray, "Lord, help me to be as much like Jesus Christ as a sinner possibly can." I have been saved by the blood of the Lamb. I am an heir to the thrown. God loves me and He love you. He loves me as much today - with all of my filth and unfaithfulness - as He did the day I was conceived, the day I was born, and even before I was conceived. Wow!

Don't give up. Don't give up on your family. Don't give up on your friends. Don't give up on your pastor. Don't give up on your spouse. Don't give up on your church. Just don't give up. He didn't give up on us and He has our best interest at heart. Stop trying to figure it all out - and I am talking to myself here especially - and walk with Him. Close your eyes and just follow His lead. Trust Him enough to let go of the daily and let Jesus Christ lead you through life - all of it, not just the selected parts.

He loves you and I love you.

Back to the Cholera Outbreak...

Cases of Cholera patients are slowing down. Praise the Lord! That doesn't mean we are out of the woods yet, so please, keep praying. We have a friend in for the Thanksgiving weekend. He has volunteered to help out in a Cholera Clinic here in Haiti. What a blessing! Pray that the people's hearts will be willing to  listen to instruction from reliable sources and take precautions as needed to protect themselves and others from this deadly bacteria.

He is able....

Night Shift

Samaritan's Purse (SP) and the Haitian Academy needed a nurse Saturday to pull night shift with the Cholera patients that came from a nearby village.  I was willing. I told Dr. Vlad (the Haitian doctor who came to ask if I would work), I am out of practice on initiating an IV, but I can clean poop and change IV fluids till the cows come home...

That is what I did, cleaned poop (allot of it) and kept an eye on IV fluids and IV sites.  SP made these really cool beds with a hole cut out so, with a bucket underneath the bed, the patients don't have to travel anywhere to potty. Love it. It worked much better than the bed pan thing.

We started with three patients, one went home before 9 p.m. (didn't have cholera - just diarrhea), and another came in about 8:30 a.m. He was so weak it took two men to carry him. By the grace of God we got his IV going on the first try and started his antibiotics soon there after.

It was a blessing to be able to help. I also realized that I missed the night shift (slightly).  I left there about 9:10 a.m. and walked home.  I threw all of my clothes and shoes in the washer with bleach and soap, showered and was off to bed to sleep for a few hours. Fortunately, the sky was cloudy and it wasn't hot in the room, so I slept like a baby. Thanks Lord for the cooler weather.

Jessica's News

As a mom and Christian, I should be beat for not sharing this news sooner...

As many of you know, Jessica is our 11 (almost 12) year old daughter. You may also know that she prayed  in 2004 to accept Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior.  She was five at the time.  After this, it was her desire to be baptized and she followed through with that at New Work Fellowship in Hopkinsville, KY.

Jessi has questioned her salvation for the past months, about three months actually. I asked her to pray about it and that I would be praying with her and for her in this time of uncertainty.

Jessi came home from a youth lock-in in Port-au-Prince last Monday with some new news...

She said she hadn't been sure of her salvation and so she prayed to accept Jesus as her Lord and Savior.  Praise the Lord! I am glad that she has peace about her salvation, finally. She wanted to be sure to accept the free gift of salvation, she wanted to be a Christian, and live for Jesus.

It is my desire as her mom to be a better leader and teacher of the Word for her. It is also my desire to be a better example of a Christian living a life fully devoted to our Lord and Savior. I pray that she is surrounded by Christians who are good examples for her and a good encourager toward her.

Please keep her in your prayers, as well as all of us, as we grow in a right relationship with the Lord.

Tomas Has Passed

Hurricane Tomas has passed by Haiti. Although there have been some deaths reported due to flooding, I praise the Lord that He moved the storm far to the West and so, besides causing the storm to disappear, it moved to the path of least damage for Haiti.  Thank you God!

We had some wind, wind gusts, and some rain, but by the grace of God, there were only a few tree limbs down on Global's property. We enjoyed the cooler weather, although we did it with sweat shirts on. It got down to about mid 70's and it felt pretty chilly.

Before Hurricane Tomas

During Hurricane Tomas

Kevin went for a drive to see how things were in the surrounding areas. TiTanyen, the town where we live, was still having market.

Market during Hurricane Tomas

The sunset was beautiful after the storm passed. Thanks for your prayers and words of encouragement. 

Isn't it Beautiful

Sunset after the Hurricane

I was told by Samaritan's Purse last night that the Haitian Academy, on our same driveway, now has 5 children there that are in pretty bad shape from Cholera. Please pray for this devastating illness to not have a stronghold on Haiti and that God would be glorified through these situations.