Saturday, January 30th Update

Yesterday was our last day in Port-au-prince and it was so hard to separate ourselves from the disciples there. Christians and non christians alike were teary eyed as we were getting ready to leave. thank you notes were written to all the team members, an overwhelming sense of gratirude was felt from every one. At night, it was a matter of finding a good piece of cardboard to lay down on after a long day of work, yet we have never felt so content in our lives. Our bathroom was a hole in the ground joyfully shared by 110 people on our site and our shower was simply a piece of cardboard and a sheet, yet everyone was able wash up when they can with no grumbling. The warmth, the unity, the gratitude, the love, all of that brought a piece of heaven in the midst of total cahos. It's amazing how we can get by with very little and be happy. We are so inspired by the disciples in Haiti!

We have arrived to DR late night. We will give direction for the next teanm going down and spend some time with the church here and I will preach here tomorrow. God willing, we'll be home on Monday.

Thursday, January 28th Update

Today was a very productive day. We started out with a devotional in the morning and had some great singing and a time of prayer. Then we headed out to Carrefour where the site the farthest away from the city is. We met with the disciples there, had a devotional while another group of us was setting up for clinic afterwards. The disciples there were very encouraged as we helped them set up their site and simultaneously provided well needed medical assistance to 25 people. Nickie's creole improved considerably as she was the nurse assistant/translator for Doctor Bowen. Then we left for the ocean for the baptism of a woman named Yvrose who had been studying the bible since the earthquake. She was pulled out from under the rubbles where she was trapped and some of our brothers was able to pull her out. She had a broken leg but made it out alive. And her oath from under the rubbles was:" the God, if I made it out alive, I will follow you". Interestingly enough, God sent the brothers to get her out since she lived close to the church building. Her daughter had been a disciple for a while and though she had studied the bible, she never made a decision. By the power of God, the church in Port-au-Prince had 3 baptisms. Two other men were baptized in carrefour also this week though all the disciple are leaving in the street. God does have a way of encouraging the brokenhearted!

Wednesday, January 27 Update

Today was a busy day and very productive. Early in the morning we made the trek to Petion- Ville to get our tickets for the bus ride back to Santo Domingo just to be on the safe side. We then had clinic at another location where about 20 patients were seen by Dr. Bowen. We then rushed
back in time to have our midweek service where most of the disciples who have been contacted met for an electrifying time of fellowship. What a treat to be able to preach to such a faithful group of disciples. The whole team was without a doubt very grateful to be part of the experience. As people gathered to wait for their turn to see the doctor, Seth Drew decided to open the book and preach the word to a group of about 30 people and many discussions took place afterwards with many interested individuals. God is moving in many ways. All praise be to Him.

Tuesday, January 26 Update

We were all on our feet this morning at 4:00 AM this morning as we were awakened by one of these aftershocks. We decided not to go back to sleep or maybe we were just too afraid to. Dr. Ricardo Knight, from the GWL MC, came to our sight at 7:30 AM with another haitian nurse from Boston, bringing medicine and his expertise especially to those who have broken bones. He's been working since Wednesday North of Port-au-Prince at a hospital put together on a farm where dozens of patients have been treated since. From 11AM-3 PM many disciples were seen by Dr. Shawn Bowen at another location in the city. Unfortunately today, I also ran into another cousin whose grand daughter died in the earthquake: she was staying with with her while her mom was in the States.

Photos from Monday

Monday, January 25 Update

Today, my old friend Dr. Shawn Bowen from the New York City Church saw patients for about 7 hours on the church property assisted by the women ministry leader of Port-au-Prince, Junie Claude, a sister studying to become a nurse, Chantal and dominique Cornely. In our meeting today with the leaders, we figured out all that is needed to get the other sites up and running. Seth Drew, out of the West MC, organized a team of brothers and cleared out debris from the fallen church building. Commenting at the end of his day's work, he said, "This is the best thing since Acts 2. I feel both inspired and challenged about my Christianity!"

Arrived and Setting Up

Wilner, Chantal, and Nikki Cornely arrived in Port au Prince Sunday afternoon. They are spending ten days encouraging the disciples and helping out. Their first order of business was unloading goods, putting up tents, and creating a private area for the sisters.

Sunday night, Wilner sent this update:

Hi Dave;

Things are going good so far. Talked to my brothers and saw my son. All is well. Had a strategic meeting with the leaders and now have 5 different sites around the city where disciples are together and supplies distribution will begin tomorrow. See some pictures of the drive into PAP.

Wilner

Let us continue to pray for them.