Back from traveling

It has been over a month since posting something to this blog. David returned from his second trip to Haiti since the earthquake and then the two of us had some much needed time together.
He was asked to photograph the launch of the Turkish "Fire Bible". While there, he also had the opportunity to film 17 testimonies given by Turkish believers which will be posted on their church's website. It took courage for them to be so transparent.
We were able to travel together for three weeks. It was just what we needed to reconnect with each other and clarify the vision God is giving us to encourage believers in other parts of the world. God is on the move and we want to be a part of it.
Speaking of which, Samaritan's Purse posted today part one of five videos featuring David's second trip to Haiti. Hope you enjoy it.
Return to Haiti

What are the Uttley's up to lately?

Michelle Obama and Jill Biden just made a surprise visit to earthquake ravaged Haiti, to draw attention to her plight now that international focus has shifted. Although it's been a long time since I've posted to this blog, our family is still invested in her recovery.
David just returned  a few days ago from a second trip to post-earthquake Haiti. It was not the grueling trip the first one was. From his point of view, sustainable relief efforts are coming together. He filmed and photographed Samaritan's Purse's current transitional housing project. He was also in front of the camera and I look forward to seeing the finished video which will be aired on the Samaritan's Purse website.
Additionally, he traveled around Cayes on Haiti's southern peninsula with childhood friend Dan Shoemaker, president of Reciprocal Ministries Internationa  (RMI). They rode out to the northern coast of Haiti's southern peninsula to explore the possibility of our home church partnering with a church in the coastal town of Pestel. An adventure on motorcycles; not for the faint of heart! Having ridden motorcyles since he was 10 years old many on Haitian roads, David was not stymied by the three flat tires which meant finishing the last leg of the journey in the dark.
He is finishing up video he shot for Homes for Haiti, a ministry of RMI. I strongly encourage you to check out their culturally sensitive approach to giving a hand to the displaced Haitians who need something substantial to get through the next few years as they reclaim and rebuild their lives. http://www.rminet.org/
When the earthquake hit, Nate was stirred to go to Haiti. He was able to accelerate his high school graduation, completing his requirements to finish in March. He applied and was accepted to YWAM's Call2All Discipleship Training School. A week ago, he left for YWAM training at the University of Nations in Kona, Hawaii. He hopes to eventually work with YWAM in Haiti, but for now, his first six months  with them will include an outreach to another location. 
Phew! I have been concentrating on supporting his efforts to follow God's leading.
While David was on this most recent trip to Haiti, I was able to share his photos and speak about Haiti on two separate occasions. Assembling David's photos and setting them to music, was not only a challenge for me, but also very moving.
Now, David and I are regrouping as we consider what the Lord has in store for us as a couple. He leaves again next week for three weeks in Turkey. As of this week, I get to go with him. We will have a chance to work together (I get to hold his microphone!), meet some other missionaries, and explore the area around Ephesus.

Renewal for Haiti

"A Call to Fasting and Prayer"
Haiti was rocked to her knees the day of the earthquake; now she is on her knees praying for God to bless her land.

David is now back in Haiti, working with a media team for Samaritan's Purse. He will also travel with an old childhood friend, Dan Shoemaker with Reciprocal Ministries International. As I receive updates from him, I will relay them through this blog.

I am home with my mom and youngest son who leaves in two weeks today to begin his own adventure with YWAM (Youth With A Mission) in Hawaii, and hopefully on to Haiti.

I continue to search out current and accurate information about relief efforts in Haiti, in preparation for a few presentations and fund-raisers coming up. Also, so my prayers have adequate fuel. And as I hope to go back to Haiti myself, staying informed will help prepare me to be more effective when I do return.

Balthazar

Balthazar. One of the wise men. A son of a pastor, husband to a beautiful wife and father of two precious boys. An intuitive interpreter who loves to share Jesus with patients. A prudent driver on roads not meant for the faint of heart. A man of God.

On day two of our work at the clinic in Cite Soleil, we experienced a tremor that shook plaster off the wall, widened some cracks and drove some patients outside in a panic. A few were laughing hysterically. There was much crying and wailing. The shaking was all too familiar for people who had already lost family, homes, and any hope of making a living.

Out of an exam room came Balthazar. All six feet four inches of him. He stepped outside, raised his arms and asked the Lord of the heavens to calm the people. As he prayed, people were reminded that God is faithful and that they could cling to Jesus for renewed hope and peace.

People like Balthazar are everywhere in Haiti, choosing to trust God rather than blame him. Loving those around them in Jesus' name.

"We won't give up"

Daniel Zeidan, director of the Samaritan's Purse office in Bolivia, spent three weeks in Haiti helping deliver relief supplies to earthquake survivors. He reflected on his time in the country after returning to La Paz.

I’m back from the destruction and chaos that is Haiti. For the first couple of days I was relieved to be out of the stress, the long days and short nights, the images, the heat, the mosquitoes, the exhaustion. Normalcy and her sister, routine, are great antidotes for a man who has just returned from a physical and emotional context of total disorder.

For some strange reason, however, I feel drawn back again and again to the streets of Port-au-Prince.

Pastor Bilda

I wish I had a photo of this man. His bright smile illuminates his dark face. He is an articulate young man who loves God, his  wife, two young children and his country. He pastors a church of 700 people. He sits on the boards of and chairs several national associations of pastors, the Bible society, La Presse Evangelique, and the like. So many I cannot remember them all. 

He is Samaritan's Purse's key contact to identify churches from which to distribute non-food items such as tarps, buckets and hygiene kits.

I met him over dinner one night at the base. I enjoyed our conversation, part in Creole, part in English. He was very gracious to speak with me, a short-term volunteer with deep ties to Haiti. I was encouraged to hear that La Presse is still standing and operating as this is where David was working when we met 24 years ago. 

He is calmly passionate about what God is doing in Haiti. I asked him to describe to me any revival he has witnessed since the earthquake. He stated that he knows many people who called themselves Christians in name are now turning to Christ in truth. Even within his own church, an average of 20 or more people come forward each Sunday to give or rededicate their lives to Christ.

I was teary-eyed as we spoke about the situation in Haiti and a little embarrassed by my emotion. His hand covered mine and he just gently smiled at me. I thank God for men and women like him who are not immobilized by the sadness and magnitude of Haiti's heartbreak, but rather pushing forward, clinging to the Truth of Jesus Christ, to do whatever they can to advance His kingdom, even against overwhelming odds. Odds that bring us to our knees. To bow before the Father and beg for His mercy. 

A good place to be.

  But You, O LORD, are a shield about me,
         My glory, and the One who lifts my head. Psalm 3:3

An aerial view of the epicenter

God smiled on me today. I was invited to tag along on a helicopter ride to transport two people from the Samaritan's Purse main base in TiTanyen to the sub-base in Grand Goave. Knowing I had lived in Leogane, the epicenter of the earthquake, immediately after the revolution on 1986, the pilot made a point to fly over the area with the most devastation.
It is hard to grasp the extent of damage and human suffering even when I see the structural effects of the quake. What really speaks to me is when I see the people adjusting to their meager shelters and limited resources. 
Another thing that moves me is the empathy the Haitians have expressed about the Chileans who are looking for loved ones and have lost their homes as a result of yesterday's massive earthquake. Even though the number of deaths so far is much less than in Haiti, the people here are concerned for the people of Chile.
Several of us fly out today for Florida and I will continue home to Oregon tomorrow. 
Si Bon Die vle, map tounin anko. If  God who is good so wills, I will be back.

Salomon

Salomon. The wise. This man was brought into the clinic today, doubled over in pain, in shock, and convinced that he was dying. With an acute abdomen, he was likely suffering appendicitis. Once stabilized with intravenous solution, he waited for transportation to the hospital.
I was aware of the emergency, but not directly involved. Instead I plugged away at seeing women with various complaints and concerns, some amusing ~ it feels like something is walking around in my ear. Some extremely sad ~ in the earthquake my brother and my favorite auntie died, I was injured and hospitalized, my small business was destroyed, and I haven't eaten for 9 days.
When I had a chance, I helped move some IV solutions from the treatment room where Salomon was resting to the cooler pharmacy. I greeted him and told him I was glad he was feeling better. His response? "Jesus saved me!" This demanded more than "Glad to hear it!" I agreed that it was God who healed him, that if we were of any help it was because our hearts were filled with the compassion God gives us for the Haitian people. That it was God doing the healing here, not us.
He went on to say that Jesus saved him when He died on the cross, and then again today when he brought him back from death. He asked me if he could pray for us! I mutely nodded. His generous prayer moved me to tears which fell on our joined hands. He asked the God who saved him to grant us more knowledge, wisdom, strength and hope to relieve the suffering of the Haitian people. I was so humbled and moved that I apologized for my tears. He said I nothing to apologize for and simply asked God to bless me more.
Wow. What a day! Praise our Heavenly Father and Risen Lord whom we serve.