Mission Emanuel

Haiti Relief Updates

As a major earthquake has devastated the country of Haiti, Mission Emanuel is uniquely positioned to assist our Haitian friends who are in desperate need at this time. We are accepting donations as we will be transporting water, food and medical supplies via trucks into Haiti. Please contribute and/or pray for our Haitian brothers and sisters in this time of great need and despair.

- post by Anna Bolton on haitiancareteam.blogspot.com

When we are open to seeing how God makes connections and uses our experiences, we allow ourselves to be blessed, and even delighted. This week’s delight came on Tuesday when the Haitian children in our feeding and literacy program opened the gifts they had received from children in the US. Eager faces burst with delight as each child, clutching a photo of a North Carolina pen pal, opened a package with his or her name on it. Inside was an outfit of clothing selected for that child along with a Spanish language beginner level reading book. Yokasta just couldn’t wait and had to put the lime green dress on right over her school uniform!

Because Mission Emanuel has so many generous supporters in the US this scenario hardly seems worth mentioning, except that in this case the donors are Latino families who have immigrated to Winston-Salem NC and are members of the El Buen Pastor mission church there. These are families who have been hit hard by the economic downturn in the US, families who struggle to feed their children and send money back home to parents in Mexico, El Salvador, or Puerto Rico. These are families who understand what it is to be in a strange land in desperate circumstances, and they are families who understand God’s economy. Immediately after the Haitian earthquake these folks began asking their pastor how they could help, and they responded with enthusiasm to Anna’s request for pen pals and clothing for the Haitian immigrants in Bayona. Their generosity was only limited by the airline’s weight limit, as the mamis packed two suitcases full for Anna’s parents, Jon and Mary Bolton, to bring us. Mary is the Director of El Buen Pastor Latino Community Services, and Anna is well-known by the families there – the result of many hours of tutoring, teaching Sunday school, and hanging out there during her time in Winston-Salem.

As Mary and Jon return to North Carolina with cards of thanks and photos of the children here receiving their gifts, we are left with our hearts warmed by the generous out-pouring from one immigrant group to another, knowing that the givers shared not only from their limited material resources, but also from their wealth of hope…the hope that their children will have a positive and secure future. Isn’t God’s economy beautiful?

2 Corinthians 9:10-15: Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

- post by Emmanuel on haitiancareteam.blogspot.com

Almost a month has gone by, and God has continued working and we know that he will continue to with the knowledge that we have that his faithfulness is forever.

Two weeks ago, when we went to the feeding program at the Haitian church, we saw a young Haitian man sitting at the entrance hall with crutches behind his chair as if he was waiting for something. In greeting him, we saw that his face wasn’t a happy one – he had an expression that reflected a trace of sadness. It was evident that he did not speak Spanish or English, so we continued on to set up for the feeding program. The following day, we got there at the same time and the same man was in the same chair, in the same spot, with the same expression. As we were leaving, one of the church leaders aside and explained to us this man’s situation — after the earthquake, he had been brought in an ambulance from Port-au-Prince to a Santo Domingo hospital. This week he had been discharged. We talked to him for a moment as one of the church members translated from Creole to Spanish.

The thing is, to be finally discharged from the hospital should be great news for someone who has been there for almost a month. But the situation that this man found himself in was not an easy one. All he had were a couple bags and a prosthetic attached to his left leg. This was interesting … we noticed that he had a prosthetic and only 3 or 4 weeks had gone by since the earthquake. We didn’t say anything, but we know that it takes much longer for a wound to heal before it is ready for a prosthetic. We responded that we needed to talk with our directors to see how we were able to help him …. it was then that he told us all he wanted was to return to his country. We thank God that the church had taken this man in. But his only concern was returning to his home.

That night Anna told some of our staff about this young man, and they questioned the validity of the story when they heard about the prosthetic, because so little time had passed since the earthquake.
If we stop and think, we know that in all of our lives, there have been moments when it has been difficult to trust a person, and the hard part is to help someone when we are not sure if the person in really needs help or is taking advantage of us, but ….. what does God ask of us? I can only think of Micah 6:8. “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” What is most powerful to me is “love mercy”– it’s something that we often forget. But it’s never too late to start over again and to humble ourselves in God’s presence.

We decided to take him to a bus station that travels to Haiti and buy his ticket for him. The day after the meeting, we returned to talk with the man and began to call different bus companies to confirm the fee and schedule. We were very worried when we were told that to travel he needed a passport because we know that many Haitians are here illegally and enter the Dominican Republic without proper documents. When we returned to speak with him, we told him that we wanted to help but he would need a passport. His saddened face changed like a darkened room when the light is switched on.

It is impossible to explain in words the expression on his face — imagine a shining face reflecting happiness, joy and hope of returning home … a mix of all these emotions in one single expression. He quickly looked in the plastic shopping bag that he had and he took something out as he came closer to us speaking rapidly in Creole as if we could understand what he was trying to tell us. When he realized that we didn’t understand he quickly began to mix Creole, Spanish and English saying: “Oui!! I HAVE PASAPORTE!”

At 8:00 the following morning, Emmanuel met up with the young man in front of the Haitian church. In his hands he held a small suitcase that some Hatian church members had bought to replace the shopping bag. We left for the bus station, and I must say that I was still restless to know about the prosthetic, so with the small amount of Spanish that he knew, he began to tell me about his experience in the earthquake. This was my great surprise — he had lost his leg in a motorcycle accident over a year ago — he already had the prosthetic when the earthquake hit. He told me that he was at his house with some friends, and just a minute after telling them goodbye, as he was leaving the house, part of a wall fell on his right leg, making it impossible for him to walk or even support his own weight with the prosthetic. Because of this, he was brought to the emergency room in Santo Domingo, where they wanted to amputate his good leg. Thanks be to God and His care, that the doctors decided it was not necessary and that he would stay in the facility while his injured leg healed.

Finally, we arrived to the bus station and it was great to see his behavior in the waiting room. He sat down as if he was at home – of course there were many other Haitians there who were also returning to their country, and since the Port-au-Prince airport is still not running at full capacity, the only way to arrive to Haiti is on land. There were Haitians who had come from different parts of the USA and different Dominican cities – all of them talking about what had happened in their country and our friend did not lose time in joining in the conversation. I left with peacefulness in my heart and excited about the hope that this man never lost.

Matthew 25:31-40
31″When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

34″Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37″Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40″The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

There is always someone who we can help, there is always something that we can do, there is always a way that we can serve.

It‘s been a great blessing to be part of this program because of all the wonderful things that God has taught us along the way and because of what God has been doing in the Haitian community through the people who have been part of the Haitian Care Team in one form or another; donating, supporting, being a part of the short-terms groups and the most important thing… praying.

Another week has gone by and it is amazing to listen to the prayers of these kids. Every day before they eat lunch they have a moment of prayer, one of them prays and the others repeat out loud. There are three things these kids always ask God for:

1. God, help us to learn how to read
2. God, help us to learn how to write
3. God, bless these people and this lunch

This is something they normally do, pray before classes start. We will always remember the first prayer that we heard. Samy, a little boy around 7 or 8 years old stood up to pray and this was his prayer: “Lord Jesus, thank you because you allow us to be here. God, bless these people who have brought this food. God, help us to learn how to read. God, help us to learn how to write. Lord give us wisdom. In the sweet name of Jesus… Amen!

Now we think to ourselves… What were we asking for when we were that age?? For a new bicycle? Or probably for a new toy that we really wanted?? This kid is asking for WISDOM! Even at this age… What do we ask God for as adults, as young people, as teenagers? I know that God has a plan with these kids and God does wonderful things with those who seek him. The Bible says in James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” And it also says in James 3:17, “But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” Our God who is in heaven will give generously if we believe and do not doubt.

-written by Emmanuel Corsino

We went to the Haitian church on Sunday after their service with a few other Mission Emanuel workers and volunteers to distribute the bags that we packed earlier in the week with the Winston-Salem team. As they were exiting the church, the head of each household passed by the truck we had everything loaded in. We gave one bag of food to each family who was in attendance — 71 in total. We have been distributing the remaining bags to other Haitians in the area.

Everyone was very grateful and had beautiful smiles on their faces — we heard a countless number of “Mesi,” “Gracias,” and “Thank you.” This is just a temporary assistance …. these families will have food for the next few days, but we can’t help but ask, what happens when that runs out? These people, just like people who are still in Haiti, continue to need support and assistance as they are trying to meet their basic needs and those of their families.

This week, a group of All-Star men from Winston-Salem, NC came down to the Dominican Republic to volunteer at a hospital in Jimani. They worked almost non stop serving food, transporting patients, taking X-rays (thanks to Chris the much-needed X-ray tech that came down with the group!), organizing meds and supplies, and doing carpentry. They worked hard in Jimanie, but they spent a couple days with us in Santo Domingo so we put them to work here too. On Weds, they helped us cook and serve hamburgers at the children’s feeding program. We knew that serving 32 kids was a task they could accomplish with ease after serving several hundred patients daily while in Jimani.

The kids were beyond excited when they saw that we brought some friends from the United States, but they still stood patiently in line for their lunch.

On Thursday evening, the men’s group went to the Haitian church service … the entire service was in Creole, but we all agreed that we could feel a strong presence of God in the room. After a few beautiful worship songs, we had time for prayer. We prayed by turning around and kneeling, facing our chair behind us. It was a humbling way to pray – on our knees, surrounded by others praying in a foreign tongue – but an amazing demonstration of how Great our God is and how powerfully He reigns over His kingdom of so many nations. The only thing that I understood was repeated numerous times through out the service. “Mesi Bondye. Mesi Jezi.” “Thank you God. Thank you Jesus.”
The man who preached – Joseph – told us earlier that day that he was in Port-au-Prince when the earthquake hit … he was with his wife, and they ran to each other crying out that they didn’t want to die alone. A young Haitian man translated the sermon for us, and Joseph delivered a message of hope to the suffering congregation – many of whom fled to Santo Domingo after they lost everything in the earthquake. That God had a plan for Israel, God had a plan for Egypt, God has a plan for Haiti. We must continue to trust in Him. These people have almost nothing. All they have is faith. And they continue to repeat “Mesi Jezi.”

The following day, we recruited the men to help pack 100 bags of dry food to distribute to Haitian families in the church who have arrived to the country since the earthquake.

Starting on Monday, we began a feeding program in our Haitian learning center in Nazaret. Anna Bolton, Winston-Salem native living in the DR, and Emmanuel Corsino, a Dominican staff member, have begun work as our Haitian Care Team working in Cielo and Nazaret. They are partnering with leaders of the local Haitian church to assess the needs of the immigrant community. A lunch program for the children was an immediate need, so this week we have been serving lunch before their classes start in the afternoon. Since Suni is in Jimani, the kids are having “American” lunch instead of rice and beans! For more updates, check out their blog.

At 4am today, our third Haitian Care Team headed out to Jimani. They will spend the next three days feeding thousands of patients and doctors at the Good Samaritan Hospital. Yesterday, the team loaded a water truck with Provision del Cielo bottles having sent 60,000 already. Please continue to pray for the endless work in the DR and Haiti.

Tomorrow, we will be showing the video in all 3 church services. After the 11am services, we will have an info session in the fellowship hall including:

- the team who arrived home yesterday from the Haitian border to share their stories
- t-shirts for sale for $15, $5 from each purchase will buy water to send to Haiti
- information on the Summer and Fall Family trips
- pictures from the last few weeks of projects including the Women’s Trip and Haiti relief

Another incredible “Divine Appointment”. We decided to visit the Association Dominicana de Rehabilitation, Inc., the biggest rehab non-profit in the DR with clinics all over the Country. We got to meet with Director Executivo Nacional; Arturo Pérez Gaviño. It seems our God has arranged another partnership for Mission Emanuel to help the amputees and disabled from Haiti and Dominicans living west of Santo Domingo with closer access to our Medical Center.

Our new bottling machine enabling us to bottle thousands of bottles per hour to meet the needs of our new customers, relief organizations: Southern Baptist Conference and Operation Mobilization to provide water to Haiti and their own sponsored short-term mission projects in the DR and Haiti.

We’ve been meeting many leaders of other Christian ministries. Pictured are Ray and Chuck with Operation Mobilization. They are headed into Port-au-Prince for an extended stay of relief work.

Also, you will see a memorial held for Spencer Meyer, a beloved friend who passed away last week. The rocks around the tree are from Jimani. We will miss you, Spencer. Meyer family, you are in our hearts and prayers.

Thank you so much to our Winston-Salem team for your work last week in Jimani. We are glad you are home safely with your families. Team #2, we look forward to seeing you tomorrow!

“Is this not the fast that I have chosen (for you): to loose the bonds if wickedness, to undo the bands of their yoke, and to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke? Is it not to give bread to the hungry, and that you bring the poor that are cast out into your house? when you see the naked, cover him…” Isaiah 58: 6-7

Pictured you will see a patient being transported to the helicopter covered with a sheet to protect her wounds from the dust. Our team along with a relief worker from Spain are there to carry her. Our Ministries Director, Elliott Drake, is helping to direct traffic along with a US Army armed guard. More food distribution as well as patient transport continued in our last day. You can see a tent city made of cardboard and bed sheets. The patients do not want to stay in concrete buildings since the earthquake.

Our Haitian Pastor, Jean, and friends Ettiene and Raphael have been working with Anna Bolton to coordinate efforts to help the hundreds of Haitian refugees who have been moving into Cielo and Nazaret. The last two Sundays, their church service has been full to capacity (100+) both morning and night. We are working on ways to help provide housing, food, and clothing.

The Winston team is hard at work. Some of the guys moved the supply of donated food underneath a tent. It was two tractor-trailer loads worth! The others were busy carting 25-30 patients back and forth from x-ray, some with injuries that were very hard to see. They served lunch and dinner to more than 700 patients and some family members. Also, they were able to hand out the beanie babies that were donated by so many. Thanks to those who cleaned out their closets. Something so small can bring a smile in a difficult time.

We do have a need for anyone who is a radiologist and/or tech to come down. Apparently, there are many docs, but we need someone who knows how to use the machine. Please contact holly (at) missionemanuel.org if you are interested.

A new team of 12 men from Winston-Salem, NC arrived Sunday. We packed up and left for Jimani @ 4 am Monday, Feb 1, 2010. We arrived to a totally different scene – no more crisis mode, but maintenance and aftercare mode which will go on indefinitely with all the amputees. A Navy HC53 helicopter replaced the the two Army Blackhawks and is literally twice the size. We were instructed to hide behind cover and park our vehicles far away so when this thing lands and especially takes off it can hurl rocks the size of softballs at you. What an awesome experience – it was loud and like a dust storm.

The man in the picture, Luke, was complimenting the nurse thankful for the care he was receiving.

Updates from the Winston team:
-Arrived in Jimani around 7:30am this morning after a 3.5 hour trip.
-1st assignment was to pack food bags with canned food supplied by the United Arab Emirates
-Then they stocked food in the hospital
-Grabbed empty stretchers from helicopter to be taken into the hospital
-25 patients were soon to be brought in by helicopter
-another relief group is in the area constructing a tent city for the patients to recover in
-Our guys were going to an orphanage this afternoon to take beanie babies
-The border is 1 mile away – they can see Haiti
-They carried patients on stretchers to x-ray and surgery

Here is a link to a news blurb about Joe Budd and his trips carrying supplies to the DR/Haiti.

Our team from Winston-Salem just arrived in Santo Domingo. Please pray for their time this week. More updates to come.

We just finished up an amazing week with our team from Orlando and Columbus. We served food to thousands of people (patients, hospital staff, relief workers) and will continue to do so over the next few weeks. God is working in the midst of tragedy. He has given us at M.E. great opportunity to be used in service to so many. We are grateful for the new partnerships He is building between ministries and organizations. On Friday, we met with a partner working for the International Mission Board (Southern Baptist Convention). She is helping to arrange the Blackhawk transport of patients across the border. This will help us as we set up to provide prostheses for the large numbers of amputees.

Pictured you will see a couple just out of surgery on the man’s chin. He has a barcode ID taped to his forehead. We have thousands of water bottles being prepared and ready for shipment. We will take them out on Monday with our new team from Winston-Salem.

In the pictures, you see what is at the center of the refugee camp, hospital, and orphanage. A constant reminder of who guides our hearts, hands, and feet. Recovering patients are fortunate to get a mattress in the shade under a tent, bed sheet or under balconies like this mother and child, exposed to sun, wind and helicopter dirt. The man in the picture had a hip operation. He asked for a newspaper but after searching for an hour, we could not find one.

Yesterday, Jack was able to meet with the CEO of Contreras Hospital (Santo Domingo’s primary trauma center) along with Dr. Ward from Winston-Salem, NC. The two doctors and Jack were able to forge a new partnership between hospital, Mission Emanuel and Dr. Ward’s staff in the US to implement a rehab center for Haitian children. We will be adding onto our medical center to treat patients who need prostheses and therapy to recover from their injuries. Dr. Ward will be able to create an internship program providing students from the US to work in the center.

To all who are interested in Haitian adoption: there are still many unknowns as to how Haitian adoption proceedings will unfold. We do not have enough information at this time to help though we encourage you to contact your local adoption agencies for more up-to-date info.

Today’s divine appointment: Through various contacts, the group was able to get FREE food from the Dominican government. They served 1200+ meals today. We have free food from now on and twice as much! Today we received the second shipment of medical supplies from Winston-Salem, NC. Thanks to Myra and all those who have worked so hard to gather many donations.

Here are just a few pictures from yesterday’s work in Jimani. The US Army is bringing patients in Blackhawks from Port-au-Prince into Jimani to be treated. Also, you can see a tent city made up of mostly bedsheets. Please continue to pray. There is still much to be done.

The team fed 950+ today at the hospital in Jimani. It was a very successful day caring for hospital staff, volunteers, and patients.

The first planeload of medicines and first aid supplies arrived and were distributed.  Thanks to those in Winston-Salem for getting things together so quickly!  We will be receiving shipments twice weekly until the donations run out.  So, if you are in or around Winston-Salem, contact First Presbyterian Church for more information.  We still need over-the-counter medications, especially children’s and adult pain relievers.

Yesterday, a partner working with the International Mission Board was sitting with an 8-year-old girl who had lost both arms in the earthquake.  Scott’s daughter had given him one of her stuffed animals to give to a child in Haiti.  As he handed the small toy to the girl, her face lit up with a huge smile.  The doctor told Scott that was the first he had seen her smile in several days.

Tomorrow leaving at 4am, we have 17 people from Orlando, FL and Columbus, OH headed to Jimani, a city on the Haitian border.  They will be setting up a food tent at Good Samaritan Hospital and serving ~700-1000 patients, hospital staff, relief workers, and anyone who needs it.  They will be in Jimani until Wednesday, then flying home on Thursday.  Please pray for our team that they will minister in many ways.  Our next team from North Carolina will arrive next Sunday.

Our friend and partner, David Rankin, traveled to Haiti with a team of 7 others to deliver aid. This is what they saw:

Today’s updates (1/18): we received approval for a large container full of medications to be filled and sent to us. The Embassy in Spain has asked the Fiesta hotel to donate H2O to Haiti using their supplier…Provision del Cielo! At the Haitian church service on Sunday, there were 6 refugees who had already come from PaP. More are on their way.