Pastor Mike's Blog

Haiti Trip Update - Home

Our Haiti team (Pastor Mike, Pastor Dirk, Denise Lancaster, and John Horton) arrived back to Waynesboro Wednesday evening around 11:30 p.m.  We were able to accomplish the goals we had for our trip and are thankful we were able to go, learn, and be a blessing while in Haiti.  Thanks for praying for us.  Your prayers made a difference and God took care of us and helped us throughout our time in Haiti.

Tuesday Haiti Update

Everyone on the Haiti team (Pastor Mike, Pastor Dirk, Denise Lancaster, and John Horton) continue to feel well and are having a good and profitable time in Haiti.  One of our primary goals for coming to Haiti was to get a sense of how God might want us to be involved in the future and determine priorities for our future involvement.  This evening, we spent a great deal of time speaking with Pastor Martinez about this and we believe we have some clear direction both in regard to our involvement and partnership in Haiti as well as a timeline for future involvement.  We look forward to sharing more about this when we return home and have a chance to process it in the next week or so.

 

As you know, the people of Otterbein gave generously toward earthquake relief.  Some of the money given was used to purchase food and water for the people of Haiti in the week that followed the earthquake.  We wanted to have a clear sense of the best way for the rest of the money to be used.  As part of our trip, we gave Pastor Martinez $500 while we were here which will be used to help provide salaries for the teachers of the school at Marbial.  The reason this is important and part of the relief effort is due to the fact that the school was destroyed in the earthquake and since that time, they have been unable to have classes.  As I mentioned yesterday, classes are schedule to resume on Monday, but Pastor Martinez has continued to pay the teachers during the time they had no classes so the teachers would not find jobs at other locations and would be available when the school opened.  It was also important to pay them because they had no income for food for their families.  Once the school reopens, it is also believed that the families of the students will not be able to pay the tuition for the schooling (at least initially) because of the impact of the earthquake and thus there will need to continue to be outside help to make sure the kids can get their education.  After visiting the school ourselves and speaking more with Pastor Martinez, we believe this is an important use of the relief funds and are happy we could provide it to him.

 

We also committed an additional $15,000 of relief funding to be given to him as soon as we are able to transfer it to Haiti.  This money will be used for site clearing for the damage that was done to various buildings that are part of the ministry Pastor Martinez oversees.  The money given will primarily be used to pay the salaries of people who will do the work.  Not only will this help to get the sites cleared for future reconstruction, but it also provides jobs for people (something desperately needed) so they have money to purchase food, water, etc. for their families.  Pastor Martinez identified this as one of the important priorities for him in regard to relief and we are happy to partner with him in this way.  Other organizations are involved in food and water provision as well as the provision of tents and our funding was not necessary for those needs at this time.

 

Throughout the day, we visited downtown Port au Prince and saw even greater damage from the earthquake than we had previously seen.  As I said yesterday, the extent of the damage is almost indescribable.  People are living in tents and makeshift shantys all over the city in every public place and any undeveloped areas like ravines, etc.  Some public port a potties are available, but toilets, etc. are an issue.  Kids are not in school and people wander the streets and hang out together because they do not have homes and work.  Right outside Pastor Martinez’s home, there are about 100 tents which families living in them.  Today, food arrived for about 50 families and we watched as it was distributed.  It was a pretty amazing thing to watch and not everyone was able to receive food today.  With that said, there does seem to be food and water available with some regularity and we know that additional shipments are to arrive later this week for distribution.

 

Tomorrow we are scheduled to travel home around noon.  In the morning, we plan to visit a girl’s orphanage and view some of the other ministry work Pastor Martinez is involved with here in the Port au Prince area.  Thanks for praying for us.  God has been working in some special ways.  I will try to update you tomorrow (Wednesday) if possible once we reach the United States.

Monday Haiti Update

Today, our team (Pastor Mike, Pastor Dirk, Denise Lancaster, and John Horton) traveled to Marbial, Haiti which is a mountain community southwest of Port au Prince.  We left Port au Prince around 6:00 this morning.  Even though Marbial is only about 19 miles as the crow flies, it took 4 1/2  hours to travel by vehicle.  The last hour of the trip was traveled on a river bed with rocks and water.  After spending 4 hours at Marbial, we back to Pastor Martinez's home in Port au Prince where we will spend the night.

The work at Marbial includes a clinic, orphanage, school, and church.  The school was damaged signicantly by the earthquake and the kids have not been able to attend since the earthquake.  They hope to begin having school again on Monday even though they will not be able to meet in the school buildings because of the damage.  They are trying to use tarps, etc. to provide shelter for the classes.  Hopefully, all will go well with the start of school on Sunday.  We were also able to spend time with the 10 boys at the orphanage.  The boys range from 7-10 years old and are loved and care for by their house mom.  They live in the childhood home of Pastor Martinez who grew up in Marbial.

Marbial is primitive and a laid back area.  There is no electric, no sewer or water, no telephone service and in many ways it is like living in the 1800's.  With that said, the people are content and have smiles on their faces.  They were able to laugh and are extremely hospitable and lovely people.  We were able to get a good sense of the needs of the community and we will spend time talking with Pastor Martinez more tomorrow about how we might be able partner with them in the future.

If you would like to see pictures from our trip today, you can CLICK HERE to see the pictures posted in Facebook.

We were able to get a better glimpse of the extent of the earthquake damage.  It is hard to express in words how great the damage is and how hard it will be for the people to overcome the devastation.  People are living under tarps all over the area. While in the US there has been some debate about whether there were actually 200,000 killed, it appears to me very likely that that many and perhaps more were killed.  The destruction really is overwhelming and the needs are very great.  Yet with all the destruction, we couldn't help but to notice today the smiles on many faces.  When we talked about it with Pastor Martinez, he said that those who survived the quake feel blessed to be alive -- even though they have lost so much.  It was a pretty amazing perspective.

We are unsure what we are going to be doing on Tuesday.  There was a hope that two additional shipments of food would come from the Dominican Republic tomorrow for Pastor Martinez.  However, the government of Haiti  is tightening up the restrictions for bringing things into the country and it is beginning to look like it will not happen.  I would like to ask you PRAY SPECIFICALLY that the food somehow is able to get across the Dominican/Haiti border.

Thanks for praying for our team.  We are very weary from the long day and from not getting much sleep the last two evenings.  Other than our tiredness, everyone is doing well.  Hopefully, we will update you again tomorrow and provide a little more information to you.

Haiti Trip Sunday Evening Update

We (Pastor Mike, Pastor Dirk, John Horton, and Denise Lancaster) arrived safely in Haiti this afternoon.  The trip was uneventful and we were thankful that all of the checked bags we brought containing tents, tarps, food, etc. also arrived.  As we prepared to come to Haiti, we had planned to rent a vehicle to use for our travel to the mountainside community of Marbial.  Pastor Martinez had made arrangements for this but as we arrived today, we found that the vehicle we thought we would be renting was not available.  We spent a good bit of time trying to find another vehicle and finally found one that will meet our needs on Monday. It appears that the reason for trouble finding a vehicle is due to the large number of relief workers who are coming to Haiti.  The plan we traveled in to Port au Prince today had several hundred people on it and it appeared that most were here for relief work of some kind.

Pastor Martinez, his wife Emma, and our team will be leaving Port au Prince at 5:00 a.m. and traveling to Marbial on Monday.  We plan to return back to Marbial late Monday evening.  For a number of reasons, it was decided that we would not spend the night on Monday at Marbial as we previously planned.

Our view of the earthquake damage was limited today.  The airport was damaged significantly and it appeared that temporary provisions were made to provide for air transportation.  We also saw homes that were destroyed and the tent cities that have been erected to care for those who have lost their housing.  We did not go downtown today.  There are also many homes that were not destroyed by the earthquake.  Pastor Martinez's home did not have much damage and we are sleeping indoors tonight.  We have electricity (which evidently just came back on in the past couple of days), running water, bathroom facilities, etc. in Port au Prince.  The accomodations for our team is more than adequate for us.

Thanks for praying.  We would ask you to continue to pray for our trip to Marbial on Monday as we seek God's guidance for Otterbein's future involvement in Haiti.  We will try to give an update on Monday evening of our trip.

On Our Way to Haiti

Everything went well this morning as we checked our bags and prepared to fly to Haiti.  Beyond our basic needs, we also took along 6 tents, 10 tarps, 120 lbs of rice, 3 cases of canned meats, and miscellaneous groceries.  Currently, American Airlines is allowing every person to take two checked bags without paying fees, a carryon, and a personal item and so we thought we would load ourselves up with everything we could take with us.

We leave Washington at 8:25 and fly to Miami for a connecting flight 1:30. Thanks for praying for us.  Please continue to pray for a safe trip and one in which we will sense God's leading for our future ministry in Haiti. 

Haiti Trip Preview

As of Saturday evening, everything is on track for our trip to Haiti tomorrow.  I (Pastor Mike), along with Pastor Dirk, John Horton, and Denise Lancaster fly out of Washington, DC on Sunday morning around 8:25.  We will fly into Miami and then to Port Au Prince arriving on Sunday afternoon around 4:00.  We expect to attend church in Port au Prince on Sunday evening and spend the night with Pastor Martinez Jovin and his wife Emma.

On Monday and Tuesday, we plan to travel to Marbial.  Marbial is the mountain community that we had planned to visit to distribute animals that were purchased from our GiftGiver emphasis prior to the earthquake.  We have heard that the school and other buildings at Marbial were destroyed by the earthquake.  We hope to see the extent of the damage and seek God's guidance about Otterbein's possible future involvement in helping the people of Marbial.  Please pray God would help us to sense His leading as we spend time with Pastor Martinez and visit Marbial.  We would also appreciate your prayers for our team as we visit the Marbial area.  Prior to the earthquake, the conditions were somewhat challenging in regard to travel to Marbial and lodging at Marbial.  We are preparing to "camp" over night at Marbial and hopefully visit the local market on Tuesday morning before returning back to Port au Prince.  Pray for safety and that things go smoothly during this part of our visit.

We will return back to the US on Wednesday afternoon and are scheduled to arrive back in Washington around 9:00 Wednesday evening.  I hope to update the blog (and as a result our Facebook Fanpage which is automatically connected to the blog) as much as possible throughout our trip.

Thanks for praying.  We look forward to exploring how we might join God in what He is doing in Haiti. 

Sunday Service Preview - March 7, 2010

On Sunday, March 7, Associate Pastor Lee Reams will be sharing the message "You Are Not Alone."  Life can be challenging at times and often people feel alone during those hard times.  On Sunday, Pastor Lee will look at the life of Elijah and explore a time when Elijah felt alone and the lessons we learn from his experience.  The message will be one of hope and encouragement and we hope you will be able to attend.

The Friendship Company (our children's choir) will share a song in all three worship services.  Dave Beseceker and our music ministry team will lead us in a meaningful time of worship.  We expect it to be a great morning of worship and learning and we encourage you to invite a guest to join you.

We we want to encourage you to pray for the services.  Pray for an outpouring of God's Spirit on everything that happens on our church campus on Sunday morning.  Pray for lives to be filled with hope and encouragement.  Pray for Pastor Lee as he shares.  Pray for everyone who has a part in our ministry program on Sunday (nursery, choir, worship team, greeters, teachers, shepherds, etc.) as they make final preparations and serve on Sunday.

We also want to encouage you to pray for Pastor Mike, Pastor Dirk, John Horton, and Denise Lancaster who fly out early Sunday morning to travel to Haiti.  Pray for their safety and for God to direct every aspect of their trip this week.  Check back on Pastor Mike's blog throughout the week for updates on the trip.

Haiti Trip - Take Two

I thought I would provide a quick update to those interested in where things stand with our Haiti focus.  Next Sunday, March 7, we are planning to go to Haiti for four days to visit with Pastor Martinez Jovin and learn more about how Otterbein might be involved in relief, reconstruction, and ministry in Haiti.  Pastor Dirk, John Horton (one of our Elders), Denise Lancaster (our Director of Communications), and myself will be arriving in Port au Prince on Sunday and then traveling to the mountain village of Marbial (probably Monday and Tuesday).  We are sensing Marbial is the place God would want us to focus our attention on in the months and years ahead.  We will return home late in the day on Wednesday.

Please pray that the final details of our trip will come together and that there will not be any complications or delays.  Pray for wisdom and guidance for the team as we discern what role God would have us to play in helping the people of Haiti and making a difference in Jesus' name. I also encourage you to pray for the people of Haiti as they recover from the devastating effects of the earthquake and prepare for the rainy season which arrives in about one month.  Pray for God's provision of food, water, and shelter and his protection from disease and sickness.

Making Sense of Delay/Disappointments

As I have reflected on our trip to Haiti being cancelled this week, it raises some interesting questions about delays and disappointments that happen in our lives.  Is God trying to tell us we are not supposed to do this?  Is God protecting us from something we don't know about? Is the devil trying to mess with us?  Is this just another obstacle that needs to be overcome and we should reschedule as soon as possible and move ahead without delay? Did Delta airlines royally mess up by not telling us sooner of the possibility that our flight would be cancelled and this whole thing is simply a mess up on their part?  These are just some of the many questions that pop into our minds at times like this.

As I have given thought to the questions above, I was reminded that many of us face delays and disappointments in our lives that raise questions.  Things often happen outside of our control and our human nature is to try to figure out why they happened.  It is easy to blame others and to somehow believe that God or the devil specifically caused what happened to happen. I am not sure that things are quite that simple and the truth is that many things happen in our lives that we simply won't understand why they happened.

BUT HERE IS WHAT WE DO KNOW FOR SURE.  We know that regardless of the reason something happens, God promises to make good result from it and accomplish His perfect will for our lives if we will respond to it the right way and if we are a follower of Jesus (see Romans 8:28-29).  I find that to be extremely comforting and helpful when disappointments and delays happen. 

As I apply this truth back to our trip to Haiti, I am reminded that it really doesn't matter WHY it happened since we can't do anything about it anyway.  What matters is that we choose to trust God to bring good from it and accomplish His perfect will in His timing.  Simply put, instead of focusing on what didn't happen, God wants us to focus on why lies ahead and learn to trust that He can and will work in the lives or everyone involved.  He can and will take care of the people of Haiti and when the timing is right for our trip, it will fall in place.

I don't know what you are facing in your life today, but I want to encourage you to be cautious about trying to figure out the "why" as it relates to the things in the past.  Instead, choose to trust God to make good come from it and look ahead.  God loves you more than you can ever imagine or fully grasp and if you will focus on Him and His promises, it will allow you to have peace, hope, and confidence to face whatever lies ahead. 

Haiti Trip Postponed

Late this morning, Delta Airlines called to inform us that our flight to Haiti tomorrow morning was cancelled due to the fact that the Port au Prince airport was not yet opened to commercial traffic.  To say we were not disappointed by this news would be an understatement in light of the fact that we had hoped to get to Haiti to see firsthand what is going on and how we at Otterbein might be able to be involved in the future.  Because of the late notice by Delta, we were unable to find an affordable alternate plan for travel that would allow us to do the trip within our scheduled time frame.  Prior to the phone call today, we had no indication from Delta that there would be any problems or potentional for cancellation.

We hope to reschedule the trip for a later date.  Tentatively, it looks like it may be several weeks away in light of some previous commitments we have here at the church and challenges with finding transportation to Port au Prince.

Thanks for praying for our trip.  Please continue to pray for God's will to be done in any future plans for travel to Haiti.  God knows our desire to travel to Haiti and be involved in helping the people of Haiti and we are confident when the time and circumstances are right, things will fall into place. Please also pray for the people of Haiti as they continue to struggle with the effects of the earthquake.