Merry Christmas!!!

Wiebe Quote on Dependance

Katie Davis, missionary to the orphans in Uganda. She was back in the US for a short furlough, and wrote the following:

 “What has been the biggest shock to my system, the huge disconnect, is that I have stepped out of my reliance on God to meet my needs. I “miss” Jesus. He hasn’t disappeared, of course, but I feel so far removed from him because my life is actually functioning without Him. By “functioning”, I mean that if I am sick, I go to the drugstore or to the doctor. If I am hungry, I go to the grocery store. If I need to go somewhere, I get in my car. When I need some advice or guidance, I call my mom or go plop on my roommate’s bed. If I want to feel happy, I get Brad, my little brother, or someone else to make me laugh. I keep forgetting to ask God first to heal me, to fill me, to guide me, to rejoice with me. I have to set aside “time to pray” in the morning and at night instead of being in constant communication with Him. In Uganda, because I was so physically poor I was completely dependent on God, and spiritually… as wealthy as ever.”

Oriani Haiti

Keith Toews is coming to Winton/Ballico CA this week Thursday for talks on Haiti--jlt

Keith Toews

Its 5pm Fri. The sunbeams are streaking pink and blue across the sky because they are reflecting off the ocean unseen yet 5000 ft below us. The clinic is silent and empty except for me sitting in the office at a “desk” made of a half sheet plywood and 4 wobbly cardboard boxes to hold it all up. Another week, come and gone. In reflection I see things that were good and some things that need improvement. We dealt successfully with a trust issue with one of the employees, and I think there was a lesson learned and another step gained in his conscience development. I try to impress upon all here that trust and accountability are imperative. But try to imagine never developing much of a conscience until adulthood. Growing up with the attitude that anything goes unless you get caught. I guess King David had that problem too, and I see a similar follow-up of repentance in our employee’s life too. We need to strengthen the clinic principles and regulations on starting time and a few other minor points, but we will mark that down to address in our next employee meeting on Monday. We also are surviving without Heather our former nurse. She went home Nov 21. We are trusting in God to supply the clinic with its nursing needs now. We hired a Haitian nurse for a month to fill in, but it is not ideal. We would like an American volunteer RN or LPN if possible.

One day last week I made two trips to Port au prince in one day. The second trip was at night and to take two people to hospitals. The one young man had a brother who got mad at him and decided to use a dagger to perforate and vent his brother’s lung. The other one was a child terribly burned in the face who also had parasitical prolapse of the derriere. Not a pretty sight no matter what end you looked at.  Praise God both people survived and are doing ok. I would love to take anyone of you to Hospital General (at night!). It is an experience to remember. HG is being rebuilt, and the service they give is getting better all the time, but I think there was 50 suffering people lying on the floor, in the hallways, outside, by the counters, and everywhere imaginable. We had to step over handcuffed and chained prisoners who were moaning and laying on the floor. Guards with guns out were watching them. Bloody people who had been in accidents and now felt obligated to make the most awful sounding groans, gurgles and noises, just to try to get someone to pay them attention… etc etc.  I again realise why we try to do EVERYTHING possible in the mountain so we don’t need to use these hospitals, but we still do need them for surgeries etc.

We assisted in a “mobile clinic” recently. It was setup and arranged by another American mission group. They invited us to join them which we were happy to do so. Our clinic had talked of doing this kind of thing for a long time, but never had the guts to just shut down our clinic for a day and go do this. Finally we just did it. We loaded up all the staff in the back of the 6 wheel drive ambulance and went back into a far area on a mountain edge. We borrowed a church building that overlooked a valley and lake 5000 ft below, and therein we had 4 consultation stations and a triage setup. A lot of minor coughs and colds, and yet some very needy situations too. That day we saw and treated over 200 patients.

The baby bundles, the hygiene kits, and birthing kits that have been donated to the clinic have been put to good use and we thank you for them. It’s so cool to be able to see a newborn child wrapped up in a clean new sleeper and diaper and given back to an exhausted but happy new mother.

Winter season is here and it is becoming very beautiful, and yet drier and cold. We don’t have frost yet but it has happened twice in that last 3 yrs that some isolated fields have been froze off. I have a crops of potatoes, red beans, and carrots. I am learning how very expensive it is to grow crops here. The chemicals needed to ward off mold and insects, and all the chemical fertilizer we pour on is making me think farming is a rich man’s occupation. I have wanted to use local animal manure etc but they all tell me that it contains and attracts beetles and worms which eat the crops and that it actually does more harm than good. I still want to try a few things like composting manure first etc. But I already struggle with enough time for my family, so when do I have time to do all the neat little experiments and projects I want to do??

Personally we feel invigorated and alive here. We don’t have any sickness or anything that is pulling us down. We see enough sickness and problems all around us, so we are very glad for the protection that God has given our family. Candace and I are working on getting Haitian citizenship. After that we will begin adoption proceedings for Ketli. She is such a little charmer we can’t imagine life without her anymore. Our teacher’s family Doug Minnigers are coming for a visit next week. Pat Kaufman a missionary from another mission closeby was killed recently when his vehicle went off the road and plunged 70 ft into a river. Pray for his wife Cheryl. A neighbour of ours was murdered in Port au Prince recently. The funeral was so beyond description with the wailing and flailing and seizures that I can’t begin to tell you about it here. One of those “gotta be there to believe it” experiences again.

Recently some of us missionaries had a time of fellowship and prayer together that strengthened and brought us closer together. We each cited our needs and took turns praying especially for each other. I felt blessed and felt the nearness of God among us.  If you think of us and need to know what to pray for specifically….

Pray for Francios. A girl who is mentally troubled and possibly is demon possessed. She used to be a Christian sister in our church but went back to her old ways and it seems like it is destroying her.

Pray for Mafi. A very similar girl who maybe isn’t quite as bad off, yet. Pray that she can return to her heavenly father who abundantly pardons and that she can walk in newness of life.

Pray for the clinic in general and also each worker here that we can be strong and can follow God’s leading in all things and show light in a dark world, lifting up the Great Physician to all.

Pray that the coming late-winter-hungry-season won’t be too hard on these dear people.

Pray that the Gospel will spread to more young people around here, and that children who are now growing up in new Christian homes can give their hearts to God.

Thanks for everything, the prayers, the gifts, the clinic donations…. Everything!! I wish you all courage and zeal to work in the place God has put you too.

God bless,

Christian is Killed every 11 Minutes Around the World

Members of the House of Commons were told that the persecution of Christians is increasing, that one Christian is killed around every 11 minutes around the world, and that Christianity is the “most persecuted religion globally”.

see:  http://au.christiantoday.com/article/one-christian-is-killed-every-11-minutes-uk-parliament-told/16583.htm

Wow what a Thanksgiving!

It was a really busy season and holiday for me and now it is almost gone. Besides Thanksgiving there was birthdays, farewells and other engagements all throughout the week. On Thanksgiving Day our congregation gets together at 6:30 am and we start the "Potato Mash". They set up assembly lines in our fellowship hall where people peel potatoes. When those people fill up big mixing bowls with freshly peeled potatoes---those bowls get hauled to the kitchen for washing and touch-up cutting. From there they go to a homemade potato slicer. It is a PVC pipe with a plunger. Young fellows put the potatoes in the top hole while Grandpa runs the plunger. Knives are stuck into the pipe, so the potatoes get diced as they slide through the pipe. Next the pieces are hauled to a table of men who sort and grade the pieces for cooking. Too big a pieces need to be cut so they don't take too long to cook. Small pieces need to be seperated, because they take less time to cook. Outside of the building is a group of brethren with propane cookers boiling water. The potatoes are then cooked. The final process is that they are given to a table of big mixing bowls to be mashed by blenders and put into tinfoil pans. Each portion is weighed before blending. People go back and forth putting in salt, butter and milk as needed. The end result is the mashed potatoes are boxed and ready to go to the veterans hall to be used to feed the homeless in our local city. The other next door congregation does the turkey and wraps up a number of sweet potatoes for the same meal.
We hope in a small way that we can serve Jesus and fulfill the verse:

For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in    Matt 25:35

We as a people are so much in debt to mercy and grace that it is only right to find something to do to show our gratitude. Find a need in your local community and see if your congregation can fill that need. It is interesting to work together on a project like this. They have done it for four to five years instead of our Thanksgiving service. I think it would be advised to have singing and devotions incorporated into your gathering. We finished at around 9:30-10 am. Alot of hands pitching in to help clean-up. By the time the noon meal comes around you have had time to reflect on what Thanksgiving is really all about....Can you Guess?  Kind of like the little girl that was trying to figure how God, who is so big, could fit in her little heart...She guessed that he would just end up sticking out everywhere. The Truth is that is how it should be, he is too big to only stay in our hearts. Enough said--- I just hope I can find the grace not to only think about my selfish wants and needs this Thanksgiving--Christmas Season. JLT