A Great Depression Giver

Here is an interesting story I read in my Smithsonian Magazine Dec 2010 Issue. I think it fits the Thanksgiving/Easter season very well.  It is by Ted Gup and follow the link to the original article at the bottom. 

The year was 1933 and christmas was just a week away. Deep in the trough of the Great Depression, the people of Canton, Ohio, were down on their luck and hungry. Nearly half the town was out of work. Along the railroad tracks, children in patched coats scavenged for coal spilled from passing trains. The prison and orphanage swelled with the casualties of hard times.

It was then that a mysterious "B. Virdot" took out a tiny ad in the Canton Repository, offering to help the needy before Christmas. All he asked was that they write to him and tell him of their hardships. B. Virdot, he said, was not his real name, and no one would ever know his true identity. He pledged that those who wrote to him would also remain anonymous.

Letters poured into the post office by the hundreds. From every corner of the beleaguered town they came—from the baker, the bellhop, the steeplejack, the millworker, the blacksmith, the janitor, the pipe fitter, the salesman, the fallen executive. All of them told their stories in the hope of receiving a hand. And in the days thereafter, $5 checks went out to 150 families across the town. Today, $5 doesn't sound like much, but back then it was more like $100. For many, it was more money than they had seen in months. So stunning was the offer that it was featured in a front-page story in the newspaper, and word of it spread a hundred miles.

Read more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/A-Yuletide-Gift-of-Kindness.html#ixzz16IVP1azB

Haiti Clinic Update: Motorcycle Accidents and Prayer Meetings

BY KEITH TOEWS

          To show you the mood of the locals and how grateful they are for a little help, and to let you in on our day, I’ll tell you once incident from last Sat. 

          On the way home from Fore’ market we found a young lady on the road who had been involved in a motorcycle accident and had many bad scrapes, pealed burnt skin from the exhaust pipe, and severe bruising. She couldn’t walk, so we picked her up and took her to our house for bandaging. (our clinic is not yet operational).  She (named Manya) was in alot of pain but these people hide some of that so well.  We had no interpreter but it worked. We cleaned and bandaged her, and then loaded her into the back seat and I started out to find how to take her home. On the way she suddenly made me stop as she saw a friend of hers and so the friend jumped in with us. All thru the town and all the way down the long steep trails that went down to her house the friend kept making me stop at different groups beside the road and he would tell them... “look at what these whites are doing for Haiti! They come here to help all us Haitians! These whites are really doing lots of good for us!”  And the people would gather around, and the story was told and retold. Beings we are new here and they don’t know us personally yet they would often ask what church we are in. The friend always told them we were part of brother Anthony’s church and they invariably said emphatically “ahhhhh, yes, they are doing lots of good for us here in Oriani!”. I felt blessed by their gratefulness. It was interesting that when we came to the end of the road, the news had obviously travled ahead of us and her family and friends were waiting with a horse to take her home. Well, there was no way that she could be taken on a horse, so a few of the men had some vigorous discussions and soon they had her in their arms and were carrying her off down the path, the full moon lighting the way. Tonight I heard our little Christina praying for her at bedtime, so I ask  you to join us in prayer for her and these dear people. We pray for their physical well being, but also, or should I say especially, that the good news of Jesus and salvation can be a reality to them too. It truly is amazing to see how becoming spiritually born again changes these people’s lives. They have a sparkle about them which is remarkable. Their eyes and faces light up. They are happy even amid their earthly trials and problems.  Thank You Jesus for how your spiritual touch still changes lives (and destinies)!

Our house is progressing and we hope to be living in it in a couple weeks or so. The rains have kinda quite, the air has a dry cool feel to it, so we might be heading into the dry season which sometimes doesn’t rain for 5 months. Our cisterns are full of water so we are enthused about that. Our nights are cold enough that with the windows all shuttered and two comforters on... I still wear a  t shirt and jogging pants to bed. Sure feels different than the Haiti I knew as a young boy. stinky We lived along a main road at almost sea level in Ganthier and it was hot, dusty, and noisy. Here in Oriani, the nights are silent, and a

the 5500 ft elevation give us cool clear air that makes the full moon so bright we can see colors!

Next day... Sunday was interesting and very touching. Anthony and Darla are still in the DR waiting for test results to see what is wrong with Darla and her fevers etc. Our family and the two girls Carmen and Charlene (Carmen is Anthony’s househelp and Charlene is our schoolteacher) were the only whites in church. Charlene is the only one of us who can fully understand what all is being said and can translate. I understood alot of it as the speakers all seemed to speak clearly this time. But the Haitian’s had the church service and I was totally impressed with the depth of knowledge, and spiritual understanding these new Christians have. Osias (our clinic doctor) had the sermon and preached on Paul and Silas in the jail and how the prison doors were opened and the chains broken. Likened it to how our chains can be broken too. He also encouraged the church to be strong like Paul and Silas, not run away from our troubles. And spoke of how the jailers repented and were converted thru the witness of these apostles. After church Osias organised all the church members together and had a prayer meeting for Darla, where multiple people prayed. First the song “Touch Me Lord Jesus” (same Creole song as what we have in English) was sung and dedicated to Darla, then long passionate prayers were brought to God asking for health and courage for Anthonys and that they could take their place as missionarys here very soon again. After this prayer meeting the whole church walked and walked down the trails till we came to Bro Wilfreds house where his sick wife was. We packed into his two room house till it was standing room only. Again songs and prayers were offered for this lady’s health and courage.   I felt faith and trust in these fine brethren and sisters. I feel like they are indeed part of my family of God. Matthew chapter 9 starts out telling the story of how Jesus healed the man sick with palsy. Take note that Jesus healed him because of the faith of...his FRIENDS! Let’s all continue in faith and trust, making our requests made known unto God, knowing that his desire for us is as a father to his children.

HOAX: Who Lives in a House Like This?

A reader informed me that the e-mail I recieved on this matter was a hoax as the pictures depict a house in LA, United States. Actually it is probably a half truth. Prez. Mugabe is presently building a mansion that is just as grand or possibly exceeds the one depicted. Part of my judgement stems from his cousins real estate depicted in Zim at http://www.newzimbabwe.com/pages/chiyangwa32.12810.html

 Thank-you  reader for the clarification. I will try to screen or investigate a little better next time. Thanks again. For details see
http://www.hoax-slayer.com/robert-mugabe-mansion.shtml

Confidence Health Center: Keith Toews Family Arrive in Haiti

As written by Keith Toews:

I wanted to keep all my updates to a few paragraphs but it is hard. I will try to be more brief next time! J

Its been quite the 3 weeks. We arrived in Port-au-Prince and were greeted by my parents Robert and Sally. We drove up the mountain in the dark and there had been 8 inches of rain in 2 days so things we abit slippery and a few washouts. Anthonys were still in DR with their babe so we just crashed at their house for the night. Next night we moved to our temporary little house. (more on that at the end)

It has rained almost every day, and has been hard to get clothes dried, and get our house ready. Everything is in the sticky mud. But our kids say it is the best life ever, and these are the best days of their lives. J 

The future clinic is coming along nicely and the privacy wall is mostly done and the yard is getting cleaned up and soon we will be ready to start looking at getting it serviceable. Nurse Kim Ratliff from Bonners Ferry, ID, is in Haiti now and is spending some time with a Canadian midwife who is doing some work in Jacmel area. This will give some valuable hands-on experience in the local setting before she moves up here to work in the Oriani center.  

Since we came almost 3 weeks ago, several people have had to be taken down the mountain to hospitals because of serious injury and problems.  We were on our way to a hospital with a man who was the victim of a hit and run motorcycle accident.  After he was hit and knocked out, his friends loaded him on a donkey and brought him to Oriani. Next day after he still hadn’t woken up, they brought him to Anthonys. We then loaded him up in the back of the pickup, laid out on a door and pad, and headed for a hospital.  After about an hour of driving the other passengers alerted us that he had expired. Sure enough, no breathing, no pulse. Then as we sadly turned around to take him back home, the wailing started from the back of the pickup. The wailing,screaming,singing continued all the way back to town. I asked what they were chanting and wailing and Anthony said that they were saying “oh how miserable I am... Only the good Lord knows how terrible this is... etc”.  

We have a 21 yr old guy coming to church that crouches bum on heels all the time. He cant straighten his hips nor his knees. So he WALKS that way! His head is at our waist height and he has learned quite a gait. He “walks” up and down the hills, thru the mud, about 30 minutes to church. The Haitians tend to make fun of guys like him and he has a sorry existence. I found him one day by a fence, alone, and I asked him why he was this way, and for how long. He replied that it was since he was 6 yrs old and that it was because he is a bad person or has a bad spirit.  He was too ashamed to lift his face and look at me so I crouched down at his level and he still wouldn’t look at me. I told him it was a disease (Polio?) that did this to him, and that it was not because of anything else or his fault. I don’t think he was convinced.  I couldn’t keep my tears back. As I looked at him I have never wished so much that Jesus could once again just walk the earth like he did 2000 yrs ago.... touching and healing. That He could just touch a young man like this and say “rise! Stand up and walk!” J. 

I should tell you about our housing plan....

My parents had built a house in Fond Parisian a number of years ago for their use when they often came to Haiti. That house has been completely flooded out and abandoned now. Dad has recently decided to obtain and rebuild a house here in Oriani instead of down in Fond Parisian. This is the house that we will now rent for Confidence Health Center staff housing. The house will be a nice house and the rent is very reasonable, although there is alot of work to do to rebuild it. This arrangement is helpful for us as we won’t have to put out as much capital investment right now. Right now we are living in a 330sq ft building while we finish knocking walls out and get a roof put on the main house. We huddled in this small house during Hurricane Thomas, in the semidarkness, with shutters closed, one lamp burning(we broke the other two), during much of the 48 hours of steady rain. We soooo look forward to moving into the bigger house once we get it ready. It will be awhile yet though as it is mostly bare block walls yet with no roof on.

Pray for us! Pray that we learn the language quickly, and also that Confidence Health Center can get running as quickly as possible. And pray for our health and safety here. 

So long.... Keith, Candace, and family.

Drilling to Hell Story: Researching the Source

How many have you heard the story about the Finnish drilling rig in Siberia whose drill suddenly hit a hollow spot 4 miles down. When they were investigating the problem when they realized there was screaming going on down there. They lowered microphones, etc. I have always wondered about this story and wondered where it's source was. This is the closest link I have found so far. I want readers to be sure that Hell is real. Whether or not this particular story is true or not the Bible is clear on the matter of Hell. It is the final resting place for sin , made for the devil and his angels (Matt 25:41) and all those that reject the Love of God.  Rev. 20: 15, Rev. 21:8

 I have heard this story about the drilling told at different times and I wondered at its source. If you know of a differing source let me know. Here is the link to one article on the matter:

http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/d/drilltohellfacts.htm

A Little Math on the LOVE of God

Some one no doubt could present this better, but in my feeble way I would like to share with you a little about a sermon we heard last night on the LOVE OF GOD. Yes folks that is the answer to your problems. See if you can make any sense out of this.

GOD = LOVE 

JESUS ON THE CROSS= HOLY SPIRIT = LOVE 

 MAN = Made in the Image of God = Since the fall miserable Creature = Wants to be accepted = wants to be loved = GOD loves him and is willing to fill all those needs, but man still rejects this

LOVE= Casts out fear because Man's needs are filled by love

TRUE CHRISTIAN= Has LOVE for Everybody = No Offences towards brethren

1.If you do not have the fruits of the True Christian, Loving Everybody and of no offense ---How can you have the Holy Spirit?

2. Everybody was asked to sit on the front bench as a convert in their hearts and asked, " Do YOU absolutely LOVE everybody?" If not you are not ready for Communion.

3. All your excuses and fables about why you are not more successful in your Christian life are really nothing. The real answer is why you do not accept the Love of God in your life when it is so available.

4. If you were Dirk Willieums running from your enemies and he fell in the ice---would you not think, "Providence for MY escape" or would you go back and make sure he was safe?

I guess we walk around with a head knowledge about these things but they do not enter the heart as a reality. And now I can see where this has affected me as well. Love is so available and needed in the World today and yet why do we avoid it?

 

Texting, Youth, and Chinese Water Torture

In my Church it seems like the concern of excessive cell phonetexting of youth has been a concern. Some tend to brush the concern aside or even roll their eyes at the concern. At the same time most would have a opinion on the matter. I know this might seem like a light hearted title and immaterial article to post, but I think that it is important for the Christian and the Church to have an eye open to the possible snares of the technology world. It seems the devil wants to keep the ball spinning rapidly so that we act before we listen to the still small voice of the Holy Spirit. Just like fast tempo music in a resteraunt causes you to eat faster, etc. Someone sent me an e-mail linking me with this address and I trust it may interest the readership here. I posted the source address below article. 

DRIP DRIP DRIP – Not Internet, but a related safety issue!

 By Steve Ensley on November 11, 2010

"Often I use different articles I have found to discuss a topic or safety issue.  This post will be a little different in that I will be commenting on a trend that has recently hit the news, but is really an issue that has been building for a couple of years.  I’m talking about “teen texting”.  Most parents can tell you (having been teens once themselves), that the teenage years are a time of finding connections and developing one’s identity.  When I was young (about 100 years ago),  most socializing was done at church events and school recesses.  But technology has changed everything!

"Texting is now the “in” thing.  One CNN article is quoted as stating that the average teen sends and receives 3339 text messages per month.  Really?!  Think about it for a moment.  If you do anything more than 3000 times per month it HAS to have a MAJOR impact on your life!

"And by all accounts, texting is having a major impact on the lives of teens.   Another study released in just the last few days indicates that teens who text a lot are more likely to engage in destructive behaviors such as drinking, smoking and pre-marital sex.  Please keep in mind these are secular studies and it seems the evidence is overwhelming.

Now lets place this behavior into a spiritual perspective.  If excessive use of this technology increases risky behavior, then it HAS to be impacting spiritual and moral growth.  Do the words “drip, drip, drip” come to mind.  The Chinese are credited for inventing water torture that was guaranteed to break any soldier or spy with the simple drip drip drip of water.  It slowly breaks down the resistance to the point of insanity.

"The “drip drip drip” of texting is apparently having the same effects on our teens morally!

"I think the biggest mistake we can make as parents is to believe that “my teen” will not be affected.

"This is a moral issue folks.  It is another burden we must carry as parents, another cross if you will, but aren’t our children worth it!

"I am not including any links in this article, but if you search on “teen texting” in any search engine, you will find a ton of articles regarding this object.  Put your spiritual hat on when you read these and see if you reach the same conclusions I did!"

This article of Steve Ensley can be found on http://steveensley.com/2010/11/drip-drip-drip-not-internet-but-a-related-safety-issue/

Follow Up on the Mystic Ship Disaster

If you recall the article on the Mystic ship that went down with Keith Toews' Oriani clinic supplies. Look in Oct.2010  articles. Here is some follow up on a project to help recoup the losses.



Some of you may have heard how on Oct. 8, 2010, a boat carrying two trucks and supplies to the Haitian people, went down near Cay Sal Bank, 60 miles off Miami.    http://www.tradewinds.no/casualties/568324/mystic-cries-mayday  Four Haitian brethren lost approx. $13,000.00 USD invested in cargo on this ship.  Also on this boat were two other shipments that involved Keith Toews from St. Mary’s, ON,  http://keysnews.com/node/27081 and Jean Maxeau Boursiquot from Belleville, PA.  Bro. Keith is starting a medical clinic up in the mountains of Oriani, Haiti.  Bro. Maxeau’s truck was loaded with supplies donated by different ones to be sold in Haiti.  The brethren’s goal has been to help with the many needs in this poverty stricken country.   The total loss of all goods was approx. $48,000.00 USD.  

We are coming to you in behalf of this loss.  If you feel to help in any way please send  monies to Deacon  Alan Schroeder, 6751 S. Locust Grove Rd, Hardinsburg, IN 47125.  Checks should be made out to Church of God in Christ, Menn. with “Lost Cargo” in memo.

We have received an offer to match your gift dollar for dollar up to $15,000.00.  Thanks for your consideration to this request.  Also if you would like a receipt for your donation please let us know and we will send it to you. 

 Sincerely: 

 Mark Stoll,  Hardinsburg, IN

contact:

e-mail  mstoll96@gmail.

Deathbed Experiences

David Nelson, a physician of the nineteenth century, ultimately became a Christian partly because of the experiences he had at the bedside of many of his patients just before the time of their death. He wrote:

First, I have known those--the cases are not unfrequent--who were brave, who had stood unflinching in battle's whirlpool. They had resolved never to disgrace their system of unbelief by a trembling death. They had called to Christians in the tone of resolve, saying, "I can die as coolly as you can." I had seen those die from whom entire firmness might fairly be expected. I had heard groans, even if the teeth were clenched for fear of complaint, such as I never wish to hear again; and I had looked into countenances, such as I hope never to see again.Again, I had seen cowards die. I had seen those depart who were naturally timid, who expected themselves to meet death with fright and alarm. I had heard such, as it were, sing before Jordan was half forded. I had seen faces where, palled as they were, I beheld more celestial triumph than I had ever witnessed anywhere else. In that voice there was a sweetness, and in that eye there was a glory, which I never could have fancied in the death-spasms, if I had not been near.¹

According to Nelson, when about to die, some of his patients would call out, "Catch me, I am sinking; hold me, I am falling," while others would say, "Do you hear that music? Oh, were ever notes so celestial!"²
John Wesley heard what he thought was the music of angels when he was at the bedside of a dying young woman:

I firmly believed that young woman would die in peace; though I did not apprehend it would be so soon. We have had several instances of music heard before or at the death of those that die in the Lord. May we conceive that this is, literally, the music of angels? Can that be heard by ears of flesh and blood?³

Eleven days after John Wesley wrote these things in a letter to his brother Charles, he made some additional comments, apparently in response to a letter from him about it:

I cannot apprehend that such music has any analogy at all to the inward voice of God. I take it to differ from this toto genre, and to be rather the effect of an angel affecting the auditory nerves, as an apparition does the optic nerve, or retina.⁴

Angelic music is only one manifestation of the heavenly bliss that awaits those who die in the Lord. Consider, for example, the following words spoken by John Payson at the time of his death:

"Christ died for me. I am mounting up to the throne of God!" Then breaking forth in rapturous strains of praise, he said: "I know I am dying, but my death-bed is a bed of roses; I have no thorns planted on my dying pillow. Heaven already is begun. I die a safe, easy, happy death. Thou, my God, art present, I know, I feel Thou art. Precious Jesus! Glory to God!"⁵

At the same time, those who die apart from Christ die in anguish. The death of the infidel, Thomas Paine, was as follows:

He would call out during his paroxysms of distress, "O Lord, help me! God, help me! Jesus Christ, help me!" repeating the same expressions without the least variations, in a tone that would alarm the house. "I would give worlds if I had them," he cried, "that The Age of Reason had never been published."⁶

The death of David Hume was similar to Paine's, contrary to popular belief. Robert Haldane had a neighbor, Mr. Abercromby of Lullibody, who, in the autumn, of 1776, was travelling in a stage-coach to Haddington. One of the topics of conversation was the recent death of David Hume. Mr. Abercromby's son-in-law, Colonel Edmonstone of Newton, had been one of Hume's intimate friends, and had said that Hume had died in an atmosphere of buoyant cheerfulness. Alexander Haldane writes:

Whilst the conversation was running on in this strain, a respectable-looking female dressed in black, who made a fourth in the coach, begged permission to offer a remark. "Gentlemen," she said, "I attended Mr. Hume on his deathbed, but I can assure you I hope never again to attend the death-bed of a philosopher." They then cross-examined her as to her meaning, and she told them, that when his friends were with him, Mr. Hume was cheerful even to frivolity, but that when alone he was often overwhelmed with unutterable gloom, and had, in his hours of depression, declared that he had been in search of light all his life, but was now in greater darkness than ever. The anecdote has been told by those who probably had it from some of the other travellers. Mr. Haldane's version is substantially the same, and Mrs. Joass often repeated the circumstances as related by her venerable father.⁷

Similar statements, all contrary to popular belief, have also been made with respect to the death of Voltaire and other well- known infidels.⁸
In his book, Life After Life, Dr. Raymond Moody wrote that, in the experiences of those who were dying, there was never any reference to heaven or to hell. There was always a sense of universal forgiveness, acceptance, ecstasy, and peace. There was never any judgement when the sins of the individual were made manifest. Stephen Board has taken issue with this observation, expressing his belief that the benevolent beam of light described by Dr. Moody reveals an air of moral tolerance and the philosophy of "I'm okay, you're okay."⁹
Maurice S. Rawlings, a cardiologist at the Diagnostic Center in Chattanooga, Tennessee, came to faith in Christ as a result of an experience with a dying patient who kept screaming, "I am in hell!" Rawlings wrote:

The patient began "coming to." But whenever I would reach for instruments or otherwise interrupt my compression of his chest, the patient would again lose consciousness, roll his eyes upward, arch his back in mild convulsion, stop breathing, and die once more.Each time he regained heartbeat and respiration, the patient screamed, "I am in hell!" He was terrified and pleaded with me to help him. I was scared to death. In fact, the episode literally scared the hell out of me! It terrified me enough to write this book. . . .
He said, "Don't you understand? I am in hell. Each time you quit I go back to hell! Don't let me go back to hell! . . .
As a result, I started working feverishly and rapidly. By this time the patient had experienced three or four episodes of complete unconsciousness and clinical death from cessation of both heartbeat and breathing.
After several death episodes he finally asked me, "How do I stay out of hell?" I told him I guessed it was the same principle learned in Sunday school--that I guessed Jesus Christ would be the one whom you would ask to save you.
Then he said, "I don't know how. Pray for me."
Pray for him! What nerve! I told him I was a doctor, not a preacher.
"Pray for me!" he repeated.
I knew I had no choice: It was a dying man's request. So I had him repeat the words after me as we worked--right there on the floor. It was a very simple prayer because I did not know much about praying. It went something like this:

Lord Jesus, I ask you to keep me out of hell. Forgive my sins. I turn my life over to you. If I die, I want to go to heaven. If I live, I'll be "on the hook" forever.

The patient's condition finally stabilized, and he was transported to a hospital. I went home, dusted off the Bible, and started reading it.¹⁰

A few days later, Dr. Rawlings approached his patient with pad and pencil in hand for an interview. When he asked him about his experiences in hell, the patient did not recall these experiences, and could not remember being in hell. However, after he recovered, he became a strong Christian, whereas previously, he had gone to church only occasionally. He did remember the prayer they had said together, then losing consciousness once or twice after that. Although he did not recall the experiences in hell, he did recall standing in the back of the room, watching the medical team working on his body on the floor. He also remembered meeting both his mother and stepmother in one of the death episodes that took place after praying with the doctor. Rawlings wrote:

The meeting place was a gorge full of beautiful colors. He also saw other relatives who had died before. This experience was very pleasurable, occurring in a narrow valley with very lush vegetation and brilliant illumination by a huge beam of light. He "saw" his mother for the first time. She had died at age twenty- one when he was fifteen months old, and his father had soon remarried. This man had never even seen a picture of his real mother, and yet he was able to pick her picture out of several others a few weeks later when his mother's sister, after hearing of his experience, produced some family pictures for identification. There was not mistake. . . . He was astounded and so was his father.¹¹

Rawlings points out that cases of this kind may explain why many researchers only find "good cases" during the course of their research. If patient interviews are delayed, it may allow time for any good experiences to be mentally retained and all bad experiences to be obliterated from recall. To get dependable results, it will be necessary to interview patients immediately after their resuscitation from clinical death, rather than a few days later, as is now normally done by most researchers into such phenomena.

---

1 David Nelson, The Cause and Cure of Infidelity (New York: American Tract Society, 1841), p. 307.
2 Ibid., p. 312.
3 John Wesley to Charles Wesley, London, October 20, 1753.
4 John Wesley to Charles Wesley, London, October 31, 1753.
5 Quoted by Oswald J. Smith, The Battle for Truth, 6th ed. (London: Marshall, Morgan & Scott, 1962), p. 38.
6 Ibid., p. 35.
7 Alexander Haldane, Memoirs of the Lives of Robert Haldane of Airthrey, and of His Brother, James Alexander Haldane (London: Hamilton, Adams, and Co., 1852), p. 581.
8 Oswald J. Smith, pp. 35-38.
9 Stephen Board, "Light at the End of the Tunnel," Eternity, July 1977, pp. 13-17.
10 Maurice Rawlings, Beyond Death's Door (New York: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1978), pp. 18-20.
11 Ibid., pp. 22-23.


Op Noah- I believe this is an old tract which I ran across on the web. Reminds me of a book at an old couples guest bed room nightstand. The two different times I have stayed the night there I would turn over its pages and ponder eternity.

Who Lives in a House Like This? : This E-mail is a Hoax

Imagine, who would have such taste and live in such opulence? 
American  Billionaire ? Saudi Prince - Louis  XIVof France   
Have a good look at these pictures, then scroll  to the bottom of  the page to see who owns this work of Art. 
>  
>
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >      This Mansion is in Harare and belongs  to: 
   The  President of Zimbabwe  - Robert  Mugabe - 
While his people starve, they do not have food, and die because of no medical  help....
And we are asked to help his people over and over  again...
He and his family live like this....... his GREED  kills his people.

 
   

Where does the Aid-money go?

The citizens he supposedly serves?  
 











 "For evil to flourish, all that is needed is for good people to do nothing."
-Edmund Burke 

OP-Noah:
We tend to complain about pork barrel politics, welfare abuses and corruption in the US. Then we insulate ourselves in our cocoon of affairs. Here is a sample of a e-mail my sister sent me about Zimbabwe. I happen to have known people involved in missions there. Once the "bread basket of Africa", the President redistributed the farmland from the large estates to the poor. However his reforms have sent the country in a downward spiral while his own pockets have grown heavier. Judging from these pictures we seem to come to the conclusion that power corrupts and is very real in the world today. My heart goes out to the people, and even their president whom seems to be held captive by greed. 


So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain; 
      It takes away the life of its owners. Proverbs 1:19 NIV


I received this as a email and have not been able to tell its source.

Flat Tire

He almost didn't see the old lady, stranded on the side of the road, but even in the dim light of day, he could see she needed help. So he pulled up in front of her Mercedes and got out. His Pontiac was still sputtering when he approached her.

Even with the smile on his face, she was worried. No one had stopped to help for the last hour or so. Was he going to hurt her? He didn't look safe; he looked poor and hungry.

He could see that she was frightened, standing out there in the cold. He knew how she felt. It was that chill which only fear can put in you.

He said, "I'm here to help you, ma'am. Why don't you wait in the car where it's warm? By the way, my name is Bryan Anderson."

Well, all she had was a flat tire, but for an old lady, that was bad enough. Bryan crawled under the car looking for a place to put the jack, skinning his knuckles a time or two. Soon he was able to change the tire. But he had to get dirty and his hands hurt.

As he was tightening up the lug nuts, she rolled down the window and began to talk to him. She told him that she was from St. Louis and was only just passing through. She couldn't thank him enough for coming to her aid.

Bryan just smiled as he closed her trunk. The lady asked how much she owed him. Any amount would have been all right with her. She already imagined all the awful things that could have happened had he not stopped. Bryan never thought twice about being paid. This was not a job to him. This was helping someone in need, and God knows there were plenty, who had given him a hand in the past. He had lived his whole life that way, and it never occurred to him to act any other way.

He told her that if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time she saw someone who needed help, she could give that person the assistance they needed, and Bryan added, "And think of me."

He waited until she started her car and drove off. It had been a cold and depressing day, but he felt good as he headed for home, disappearing into the twilight.

A few miles down the road the lady saw a small cafe. She went in to grab a bite to eat, and take the chill off before she made the last leg of her trip home. It was a dingy looking restaurant. Outside were two old gas pumps. The whole scene was unfamiliar to her. The waitress came over and brought a clean towel to wipe her wet hair. She had a sweet smile, one that even being on her feet for the whole day couldn't erase. The lady noticed the waitress was nearly eight months pregnant, but she never let the strain and aches change her attitude. The old lady wondered how someone who had so little could be so giving to a stranger. Then she remembered Bryan.

After the lady finished her meal, she paid with a hundred dollar bill. The waitress quickly went to get change for her hundred dollar bill, but the old lady had slipped right out the door. She was gone by the time the waitress came back. The waitress wondered where the lady could be. Then she noticed something written on the napkin.

There were tears in her eyes when she read what the lady wrote: "You don't owe me anything. I have been there too. Somebody once helped me out, the way I'm helping you. If you really want to pay me back, here is what you do: Do not let this chain of love end with you."

Under the napkin were four more $100 bills.

Well, there were tables to clear, sugar bowls to fill, and people to serve, but the waitress made it through another day. That night when she got home from work and climbed into bed, she was thinking about the money and what the lady had written. How could the lady have known how much she and her husband needed it? With the baby due next month, it was going to be hard ....

She knew how worried her husband was, and as he lay sleeping next to her, she gave him a soft kiss and whispered soft and low, "Everything's going to be all right. I love you, Bryan Anderson."

There is an old saying "What goes around comes around."

The next time you see someone who needs help, give that person the assistance they need, and tell them to pass it on. Start a chain of love.

This story apparently has no known source. However it struck a chord with me when I read it. 

Hurricane Tomas Soaks Haiti

Here is a snipet from a Partners in Health e-mail I received today
 on current conditions in Haiti and the potential problems of the future. Sorry I can not provide more info. Partners in Health is the organization started by Dr. Paul Farmer.

Right now, Hurricane Tomas is soaking its way across Haiti. 

Heavy rains have exacerbated the intense misery that Partners In Health has been combating since the earthquake, and indeed for more than 20 years. The rain has raised the specter of a magnified cholera epidemic—while disrupting the vital resources needed to contain the outbreak—and opened the door to diseases like typhoid and malaria. 

We've been anxiously monitoring reports from PIH's sister organization, Zanmi Lasante, and I just received the note below from Dr. Louise Ivers, PIH's Chief of Mission in Haiti. 

As you can see from Dr. Ivers' message, today's storm is yet another test of our resolve. Please donate now to ensure that Zanmi Lasante has the resources needed to respond to this storm, the cholera epidemic, and the fundamental task of building back better in Haiti. 

Ministering to the Sick

I would like to write more on this as I would like to grow in this area of reaching out even to the sick. However time has not permitted me to write personally. Here is a article that has some good points to ponder on this subject. At least it has helped me. Maybe it can help you. It seems Christ had so much compassion on the sick and yet I find myself uneasy or even try to avoid such visitation for the awkwardness of it. So anyway here is some advice I have found on the matter.

Ministering to the terminally ill

By Jewell Johnson

The disease has spread to other organs," the surgeon told Robert and his family. "The outlook is not good. We can try..."

Each day someone hears these words. Perhaps a member of your congregation has been told a disease will eventually end his life.

Persons with terminal illnesses need physical, emotional, and spiritual support. Family members, friends, doctors, and nurses can help. However, the spiritual advisor’s role is unique, for he or she focuses on the spiritual needs of the ill person. These guidelines will help one minister effectively to the terminally ill.

Make frequent visits

Family and friends often bypass people with terminal illnesses. The reasons vary. For example, a daughter made infrequent visits to her cancer-stricken mother. "I can’t bear to see Mom this way," she admitted.

The disease may limit the ill person. While he has been active all his life, now he is out of the mainstream shelved. He may feel isolated and alone.

The spiritual advisor visits on a regular basis. Frequent, short visits are most meaningful. It is important to the ill person to know his spiritual advisor cares and is available for him.

Accept him where he is. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, in her book, Death and Dying, identifies five stages the terminally ill person will experience:

1. Denial–"not me."

2. Anger–"why me?"

3. Bargaining–"yes, me, but....

4. Depression–"oh, me."

5. Acceptance–"yes, me."

These stages may not follow in order. They can overlap. Not every person will reach acceptance.

When Jane was told cancer had spread to her lungs, she said, "I feel fine. I’m sure the doctor is wrong." To help Jane effectively, the spiritual advisor will accept her denial of the disease.

Be a good listener

Pull your chair close. Give the ill person your full attention. Allow him to talk if he wants to. Avoid false cheerfulness–"everything will be all right" attitude. This denies the person the chance to share his fears and anxieties. He may be afraid of pain or frustrated at the thought of dying. One man had this concern, "Who’s going to care for my wife when I’m gone?"

If you can’t answer all questions, admit it. Some questions do not have answers at the time. It is more important for the ill person to verbalize his concerns than to receive answers.

The ill person may share some information in confidence. Don’t make this public. Maintain confidences.

"My need is for a friend," a terminally ill woman said, "someone who is willing to listen and share my struggles and unanswered questions." The pastor can be that friend.

Use God’s resources

The world for the ill person is changing. He may be receiving new treatments and medications. Possibly he is seeing several doctors-some unfamiliar to him. His body is changing. There are decisions to make. In this unsettled climate, God and His Word are constant anchors to hold to. Share a Scripture portion and offer prayer at each visit. What are his prayer concerns? Pray with him about these. When possible, encourage him to pray.

The Lord’s Supper points ahead to a time when illness will be abolished. Give the ill person regular opportunities to participate in this time of renewal.

Nourish hope

Living with a serious illness is discouraging. Pain and weakness often bring despair. The advisor will encourage an attitude of hope-not a false hope that "nothing bad can happen to you" but a confidence in God who loves him and watches over his life.

The ill person may hope for a cure. If the disease progresses, his hope may shift to lesser, more immediate goals. One terminally ill mother wanted to attend the Mother’s Day program in her son’s school. With the support of her doctor and family, she realized this goal.

The spiritual advisor can encourage hope. God’s love is unchanged. Jesus promised, "I will never leave you." A hopeful attitude will bring quality to the ill person’s days no matter how much time he has left.

Know your limitations

Rarely can one person meet all the needs of the ill person. Consider yourself part of the health-care team. Don’t give medical advice. If the sick person has questions about his care, suggest he talk to the doctor or a family member.

Humor helps

Smiles are like medicine. Laughter is wholesome. It breaks down tension and brings a sense of normalcy to life for the ill person. Be sure humor is appropriate for the situation, however, or it can be offensive.

The unconscious person

As body processes shut down during a serious illness, we can’t be sure how much the unresponsive person understands. His hearing often remains sharp although he appears unaware of his surroundings. Identify yourself to this person even if family members say he can’t hear you. It is appropriate to read Scripture and pray with him. You may want to sing a hymn. Familiar words and a voice he recognizes are comforting even if he doesn’t understand all you say.

Terminally ill persons need more than painkillers and comfort measures. They also need spiritual strength to go through life’s deepest valley. Sensitive, caring pastors are part of the team that provides this strength.

Other sources: A Family Guide to Death and Dying, Tyndale, Wheaton, Illinois, 1987, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service Taking Time, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, 1986.