Our alarm clock changed!

Every morning for the past 5 months our alarm clock has woken us up between 7:15 and 7:30 a.m.  Literally like clock work.  However, the past two mornings our alarm clock has decided 6:45 a.m. is a better time for us to awake.  I'm not so sure about this.

But our alarm clock's name is Selah.  She became our alarm clock when we moved her into a big bed.  And without fail, upon waking, she makes her way downstairs, into our bedroom, and gently wakes mommy and daddy up.   Sweetly she stands there and will ask, "Mommy, can I have some oatmeal?"  Some mornings she walks into our room with an armful of books wanting us to read to her.

Selah, you are a most beautiful, sweet alarm clock.  But please, let's readjust the clock and go back to the alarm going off at 7:15 a.m.  Those extra 30 minutes of sleep are so precious.

Ted's testimony of our compassionate God

 Ted is a friend of ours at church.  He works as an air traffic controller at O'Hare Int'l Airport.   He recently was sent to Haiti to help with air traffic control at the airport.  Here is his testimony:

I received an email at my work, (the Federal Aviation Administration) seeking managers who have either Haiti experience or can speak the Creole language.  The FAA was planning on having a strong presence at the airport in Port-au-Prince as the major recovery and assistance would be staged there as a result of the earthquake of Jan 12th.  I responded with my background as I had been born right in Port-au-Prince while my folks were missionaries, and lived there for the first 9 years or so.  I was fluent in Creole as a child and would be interested in returning if I could be of benefit.  A few days later we’re scrambling to get shots, a flight and communication set up because- I’m going!

Returning after nearly 2 weeks in PAP, here are the comments I made in church on Sun.:

I am asked all the time “was it really as bad as they saw on the news?”.  The answer is yes!  I was even surprised.  I liken it to a Hollywood set shooting a WW II movie.  The buildings were flattened block after block and the ones left standing were unsteady.  People were reluctant to go into the buildings for fear of aftershocks.  The streets are littered with rubble and in some cases impassable.  As bad as it was though, it could have been so much worse.

Had the quake of Jan 12^th taken place at night when all would have been in their homes and response much slower, the death and injury toll could have been double.  Had the quake taken place a few months later when rainy season was at peak, the rescue and recovery effort would be delayed and resulted in more loss.  And here is something you may not have heard on the news.  The quake was centered about 15 mi. s.w. of PAP and ran north right through the capitol city populated by about 3 million people.  It damaged or destroyed everything in its path.  The major pier in the harbor that would handle the load of large container ships was partially destroyed and rendered unusable.  The Palace of the President, a beautiful white building similar to our own White House has collapsed on itself.  The huge Catholic Cathedral has no roof and almost all walls have fallen inward.  Destruction continued all the way to the terminal building of the airport.  It barely stands, scared with deep cracks and the control tower sitting atop is twisted.  The entire facility considered unsafe and unusable. If no ships and no planes, then no aid.  And then…it was as if God himself had stretched out his hand and said “no further”.  You see the airport ramp adjacent to the terminal and runway 500 yards away sustained no damage. How does that happen?  How does a rumbling, heaving earth suddenly stop its motion?  I see the hand of a merciful and compassionate God.

A typical day at PAP airport would see about 50 or so flights.  Two weeks after the quake, more than 400 flights (arrivals and departures) around the clock bringing food, water, medical supplies and medical personnel.  While makeshift tent hospitals and clinics were set up throughout the city, volunteer doctors and nurses began to meet the needs of the injured and dying.  Disease is always stalking in a 3^rd world country like Haiti.  No way around it.  Any open wound is life threatening.  Antibiotics not readily available are cause for amputation.  The line of patients outside the hospitals is long and the doctors and nurses are soon exhausted.  There is no time for rest.

Several thousand military personnel, primarily U.S., have been moving food and water from the cargo planes as fast as they arrive all the while maintaining security at the airport.  Supplies are then loaded on distribution trucks and sent throughout the city and outlying area.  It’s noisy and busy at the airport 24 hours each day and my tent is 200 yards from the runway.  The days are dry and hot but I wake each morning to clear skies and a sunrise that reminds me of a passage in Lamentations 3:21-25:

            But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope.

            The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,

                        His mercies never come to an end;

                        They are new every morning,

 Great is your faithfulness.

            “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,

                        “Therefore I will hope in him”.

            The Lord is good to those who wait on him,

                        To the soul who seeks him.

What is the future of Haiti?  How would I pray for Haiti?

First, that God would raise up men and women of character to rebuild Haiti.  It’s my opinion that the entire city of PAP needs to be rebuilt and only a government that can put the people and country of Haiti first can succeed.

Secondly, that the people of Haiti would recognize that they have been spared despite their difficulty.  That they would turn to the one true God who has not forgotten them.

And third, that God himself would demonstrate again that He is…”gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love to these poor souls.

Ted Anderson

Praying for Bro.

Shortly after the earthquake in Haiti, my brother, Kirk Overstreet, received a phone call from his pastor friend, Val.  Val grew up in Boston but returned to his homeland of Haiti 8 yrs ago to bring the love and hope of Jesus to his people.  Val's phone call to Kirk was one of need.  His flock of 80 people had grown to over 800.  Most of them orphans. 

Kirk, along with his church, Set Free Yucaipa, knew they needed to love on their brother in Christ.  Things were set into motion and Kirk and his wife Tamra were scheduled to leave on Friday, February 12 to head to Haiti for 5 days.

Thursday late evening they received a phone call from their travel agent saying their flight into Port-au-Prince was cancelled.  Kirk and Tamra drove to Ontario airport to speak with a Delta representative.  Due to a snowstorm arriving in Atlanta they needed to leave that night.  In ONE hour to be exact.

They drove home, loaded up their luggage, headed back to Ontario, ran the whole way and made it onto the flight.  There was a slight change in plans.  They would now fly into Santo Domingo, DR, find a way to the border then take a bus to Port-au-Prince where they would meet Pastor Val.  This was doable.  And during their layover in Atlanta, the U.S. Airways representative told them their flight out on February 17 was fine. 

Upon arrival on Friday, God provided a ride for Kirk and Tamra to the border.  It is there that they spent the night, took their last shower, and refreshed before crossing into Haiti.

Saturday Kirk text messaged me to say they had arrived and that things were CRAZY!!! 

That was the last we heard from them until today.  Here is an e-mail message Kirk sent:

We are okay. WE stink and are very tired. We have been sleeping outside with the orphans. We have a rooster we would love to kill that crows from 4am till 6am right by our heads. The orphans are so amazing. They have the greatest smiles and it has been a release for them to have us with them. We had a wedding inside the house and it was the first time they have been in the house. Now they are starting to feel safe and some have slept inside. It was a beautiful wedding.

The sights of destruction is horrifying and the smell is like raw hamburger meat left out for days but it's humans left under the rubble for a month now. The tent citys everywhere have people with smiles and life. The thing that bothered me the most is that we noticed no aid workers or supplies being given out. The people are going into the rubble and building tents out of scraps.

Saturday my wife and I went to the palace and they were having a 3 days of prayer and fasting. They had a big stage with worship and prayers going through the sound systems. I started walking through the crowd and a few people started falling out all around. Few would just start crying out to Jesus with hands raised. Of course I videod.

Preached at a church. The pastor lost his wife and child during the earthquake. His orphanage and school collapsed but all the kids, teachers, and pastor was outside playing soccer during the quake. No one was hurt. The pastor ran to check on his wife and kid to find his 2 story home crushed to the ground.

He was able to dig his wife's body out but couldn't get to his daughter. He showed us the grave of his wife on the property.

We walked 4 miles back to the orphanage we are staying at on Sunday after church. I got my head burned walking in the sun and the humidity was intense. We would gain strength as we would hear worship and preaching every few blocks in yards and tents. Hundreds of people worshipping with their homes they build for years and spent thousands of dollars on.

Pray for us as we meet with a few pastors that want to be a Set Free church. We are going down to Cir Soliel. A notorious slum known to be the most dangerous area of all of Haiti. They are even known for cannibalism. The pastor said the quake has brought so many to Jesus and he has never seen anything like what God is doing in his entire life. We leave in an hour.

Pray we get home. Not sure about our flight.

God is at work!  Join us as we continue to pray for the people of Haiti, the Church, and for Kirk and Tamra.

And please pray for Pastor Val.  The wedding Kirk mentioned was Pastor Val to his fiancee (now wife).  They were to be married this summer in Boston but asked their family to use the money for feeding the people who are living on their church grounds.  Pastor Val and his fiancee, had even sold their rings for food.

Needed: A coal of heavenly fire

Kevin DeYoung shares a penetrating excerpt from a letter by John Newton, who authored Amazing Grace.  Like Newton, but to a much greater degree, I am prone to inconsistency and found wanting in many important areas.  Yet, by His grace, the Lord keeps me and wants to use me for his purposes.  

Yes, Lord, send a chunk of coal from the heavenly fire my way, so that I can worship you as you deserve (Romans 12:1).

Sickness and Un-sweetness

Kev here.

Keri is in California for a few days. The sickness is going around. Keri left for southern California yesterday afternoon not feeling her best. She flew to southern California to help train Cal Baptist students on their short-term mission trips this year. I hope she is quickly recovering from the symptoms she was experiencing.

This morning Sofia woke up with a sore stomach and a high temperature. Poor thing, she misses her mommy, and daddy is doing his best to comfort her. I am trying to convince her that if she "throws up" it will actually help her. (Yeah, that's going about as well as expected.)

Meanwhile, Selah is on an antibiotic for a virus that produced a rash on her arms. She is feeling fine, but according to the doctor she is still contagious.

Please pray that I don't get sick in the next couple of days, and if it is God's will that I do, then please ask that He will give me supernatural strength. My wife will tell you that I do not handle sickness very well. When I do get sick then I like to be treated like... well, every other man. However, my bride will not be here to care for her "poor little bunny".