God is Gracious

Haiti is digging out of a quagmire of mud as a result of flooding following the narrow miss with Hurricane Tomas. God heard the cries of His people there and spared them a direct hit. Thank you Father. You are gracious. Now please spare them the ravages of a spreading cholera outbreak.


God is also gracious to our family in so many ways. David and I returned from a trip to Africa. He spent six weeks photographing for an evangelist, an adoption agency, a water ministry, a missionary vet and the small medical team I was a part of.


One of our sons has safely returned from Cambodia and Thailand where he served with YWAM on an outreach mission of  three months. He is now focusing on "friend" raising to return to YWAM on staff. His hope is to co-lead teams to Haiti within the coming year.


Our other son, a self-proclaimed "prodigal", has returned to the fold. Our family had a the sweet privilege of participating in his baptism with his small group at Calvary Chapel in his college town. God is so faithful!

For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6

So, what is "home", anyway?

I was just on Facebook reading a comment from a friend who grew up in Canada, now lives in Ethiopia, used to live in Rwanda and who worked with me in Haiti. Phew! Her grown children are in North America, and as a family, they are only occasionally all on the same continent, let alone, home.


Reminds me of the Uttley family this summer. David has been in Haiti again, Dominican Republic,  Vancouver, BC and home. Nate has been in Hawaii, Thailand and Cambodia. Josh has been away at school and work. I have been home and in New York helping my mother-in-law move to Florida.


I am preparing for a mission trip to Uganda in October and one to Haiti in January, with another possible trip or two to Haiti, and possibly one to Ethiopia thrown in there as well. And I haven't mentioned David's schedule of Uganda, Rwanda, Haiti, Haiti, and possibly, Haiti. Oh, and did I mention Bali and Nepal? Well, you get the idea.


When bringing my mom up to date about David's and my itineraries, she cracked a joke about how she could not keep up with all the coming and going. Me neither. 


What a season of transition it has been. A son launched into a life of full-time missions. A long-lost best friend re-entering my life. Local friends downsizing, moving out of the area, short-selling their houses (not so long ago I had never heard of a "short sale"), planning international relocations. A husband who is out of the country more than he is here. It has been challenging to keep my focus on what truly is my "home".


I am so thankful for solid friends who allow me into their worlds, even as those worlds are shifting. I am thankful for a mother who has been a living example to me of  the importance of putting my relationship with my husband above all others, even my own mother. I am thankful for sons who enjoy hanging out with their mom. I adore a life partner who has a heart for others and an eye for capturing their spirit in pictures.


So, what is "home"? For me, it is savoring the moments with loved ones and clearly recognizing that my true home is in the Lord Jesus Christ. The total acceptance and redeeming love He shows me over and over is the best sense of home I have ever, can ever, will ever experience. And sharing this sense of home with loved ones is the best!


Getting back to Haiti, which is what prompted me to start this blog in the first place, you may have noticed the shift in earthquake relief work to the need for transitional housing. This need for a solid roof and walls to call home is very real. At the same time, when asked what they lost in the earthquake, they almost always mention the family members they lost before they mention the loss of their house.


I'm definitely rambling here. I guess I am trying to say that although I have a roof over my own head, the shifting of everyone around me makes me think about what is really important here. It expands my heart and challenges my thinking. 

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