So many

So many faceless and nameless buried without witness. So many left to wonder where their friend, lover, brother, daughter is. So many motherless children seeking safe haven. So many weary, worried and wounded.So many. So. How do I process this? I choose to believe that God notices. 

150,000 Quake Victims Buried, Haiti Says

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122925656&sc=emaf
Earthquake map of Haiti
http://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2010/01/world/google.map.haiti/index.html

Perfect timing ~ One pilot's story

http://www.maf.org/

Will White, pilot with Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) shared this story from January 22.

Here is a flight I did today.  I will try and explain it.  Sorry if this gets long. This morning MAF was to take a team of doctors to Pignon.  The night before someone called and cancelled the flight so we were not expecting to do it and did not go in early. The doctors showed up about 9am and I told them they would have to wait until after a flight that was previously scheduled.
We had arranged for a film crew to fly to the island of Lagonave.  We were dropping off food supplies and picking up a team that was inspecting the Wesleyan hospital for damage from the earthquake.

Joy in the midst of sorrow

"I’m sure you’ve seen the singing and praying of Haiti’s believers. The television news men have not been able to ignore it. When the world is falling down around us, the Holy Spirit is at work in the midst of what to us seems out of control. When we remember that, we are strengthened, we have joy in the midst of sorrow, we give thanks even for the heartache, and God gets the glory." Boxley Boggs, in the sermon he preached today at Town North Bible Church, Texas.

These comments of our friend Boxley pretty much summarize for me the last 12 days; "the Holy Spirit is at work in the midst of what to us seems out of control...we have joy in the midst of sorrow..."

Our son Nate and I saw evidence of that today when we interacted with David, live via internet. I cannot tell you how good it was to see for ourselves that he is well, in fact thriving. "I'm really glad I'm here; it's so good to be with and talking to the Haitian people again....I'm loving it."

Another day at Bolosse

An update from Cindy McMartin, missionary with CrossWorld living on the Bolosse campus (where my David lived for 2 years, and where Samaritan's Purse went with a water purification system yesterday:

^{Where to begin? It’s hard for us all to remember what day it is, let alone what happened during the past few days. David [Scmid] said to me today, “We’re into our 3rd week since the earthquake, right?” I said, “no, it hasn’t even been 2 weeks.” The days run together and there is always so much going on. We go to bed exhausted and usually wake up weary.}

Samaritan's Purse in the News

"What impressed me is Samaritan's Purse's ability to work in so many different arenas once they're on the ground," says Dr. Bill Frist, a former U.S. senator and one of the surgeons working with Febres at the Baptist Haiti Mission hospital last week. "They very aggressively put in surgical teams. And within 72 hours, they had a water-filtration system for the hospital that can produce 10,000 gallons of clean water a day."

"This is far from the agency's first disaster. And Samaritan's Purse, with about 450 employees in Boone and 2,000 around the world, has built a reputation as a lean machine that responds quickly - and with Christian fervor.

"Some have suggested that proselytizing has no place in emergency relief. But Graham, son of Charlotte-born evangelist Billy Graham, is unapologetic about ministering to victims spiritually as well as medically.

"We want to bring God's comfort to them," says Graham. "I'm an ambassador for Jesus Christ and want everybody we meet to know that God loves them."

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/408/story/1200620.html

A glimpse of David's heart

"If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world." —C.S. Lewis

I don't know if our sons remember this, but on road trips when the boys were little, David and I used to sing together, "harmonizing" and singing at the tops of our lungs.


One of our favorites was an old hymn that went something like this:

This world is not my home, I'm just a-passin' through

If heaven's not my home, then Lord what would I do?

The angels beckon me, from heaven's open door,

And I can't feel at home in this world anymore.

David taught me that song. It used to spring to his lips when I sensed a longing in him to be somewhere else. When the boys were little, I was so caught up in their every little step, word, new skill mastered, that I really didn't quite connect with David's longing; another mother would understand that comment.

But now, David has "gone ahead" of me back to the land he was raised in, to the land where we met and where we discovered we are truly kindred spirits. I miss him and long to be there with him. Every waking thought is wrapped around him.

My longing to be with David is not unlike the longing he used to express in song. Hmmmm.

David was at Bolosse today

In the short email he sent me tonight, he mentioned that he was at Bolosse yesterday and today. Samaritan's Purse hopes to put in a water filtration system there to provide safe drinking water for the 2500 people camping on the campus and the surrounding community.

It is so uncanny to me how my posts and David's activities on the field in Haiti are dove-tailing with each other. I guess it shouldn't surprise me that God can draw my heart and thoughts to what he is doing. And even so, we miss each other on the internet....playing tag with our messages. So, again I rest in the knowledge that he is where he is supposed to be.

My thoughts turn to the many hours I spent with David on that campus while we were dating.

Bolosse gets help

An update from CrossWorld just in, with thanks to dear friend Boxley Boggs. Bruce Robinson, the engineer who wrote the letter in the previous blog is mentioned. As are Roger See, Jenny Reitz, Bruce and Cindy McMartin and Dave and Phyllis Schmid, all of whom our family (or extended family) know.

“I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed. I cry out to God Most High, to God, who fulfills his purpose for me. He sends from heaven and saves me, ...God sends his love and his faithfulness.” Ps. 57: 1-3While we wait for a secure infrastructure to handle the monumental problems in Haiti, CrossWorld has the following people on site:

• Roger See, Mark Bradley, & Dave Muchmore, all former residents of Haiti & fluent in Creole, will encourage and aid the missionaries/believers in whatever way possible.
• Dr. Bill Piepgrass (a former Haitian MK) and a team of medical professionals arrived at Beraca Medical Center (a CrossWorld founded hospital) in the north of Haiti. The injured are being transported here by any means possible from Port-au-Prince, over 100 miles away.
• Two men from CA are there to train our personnel, assess the situation, and return with recommendations.
• Bruce Robinson from the north arrived with a dump truck of supplies/food to our seminary campus.

Please pray for wisdom, understanding, strength, patience, healing, comfort, and relief for the many injured.

The STEP (seminary) women have organized some children's classes in the afternoons. Friday they hope to show a film to the children outside. They took a census and we have 600 families - 2500 adults and 1600 children sleeping on the campus at night. Many leave during the day but we pack them in at night. Usually there is singing in the evenings before people turn in for the night. I love to hear so many voices joining together in hymns.

The community leaders are trying to get set up for distribution of food aid when it comes. We have a couple of sources promising to get food to us. Food and water is available in our area but people are putting the prices up of course. We've received medical supplies and also some  doctors have arrived to help on campus. (Phyllis Schmid)

“Your prayers, words of encouragement and willingness to help, have blown us away. We are so blessed, thanks for standing together with us." (Jenny Reitz, House of Hope)

Correction:

• It was reported that two seminary students perished when part of the seminary building collapsed. Upon further investigation they believe only one student was beneath the rubble and perhaps the other student was not on campus that day. The parents of the student who died also lost their daughter and their home on Tuesday. Please pray for this family.

• Susie Day’s arm was injured not broken. She & her three school-age children are in the US while Denny Day remains in Haiti temporarily to help in the recovery efforts.

"SENEGAL'S president on Sunday called for Africa to make room for victims of Haiti's earthquake to restart their lives on the continent from where their ancestors were snatched as slaves. His spokesman gave further details of the proposals. 'If it is just a few people, we will offer them a roof and a patch of land; if they come in large numbers, we will give them a whole region.' Does man ever know or understand the plans of God?! What if this is his way to get hundreds of Haitian believers to this country and continent? Pray that God will continue to give direction and open doors." (Cindy McMartin, Haiti)

"A worship service was held Sunday morning on the campus by seminary students. Several responded at the invitation led by Wawa to trust Christ as Savior. Bruce McMartin had to go to his house to get some diesel fuel and matches at the request of the young man who trusted Christ so they could burn his charms and fetishes. (Dwight Lehman, International Director for the Americas)

Check out David's photos on Samaritan's Purse website; click on the Haiti in Pictures option on bottom of the opening page. Then find the arrow for "More Photos". There are video updates as well as articles which are updated several times daily.

http://www.samaritanspurse.org/

http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/Samaritans_Purse_Today/post/the_scope_of_the_disaster/