Severe Weather Concern

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti




On Sunday the National Meteorological Center (NJC) issued a Red Alert as Saturday night the strong tropical wave became a tropical storm named Irene.

The path of the system is projected to threaten all the Greater Antilles, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Cuba and Puerto Rico. The NJC found the storm to have a great potential to become a category 1 hurricane before reaching the Dominican Republic and traversing the island into Haiti, in the next 2 days.

A vigilance level of red has been issued by the National Risk Management and Disaster (PNGRD) which warns of a persistent threat of heavy rain, gale force winds, risks of landslides and floods

I'm Just A Kid, What Can I Do In Haiti?

This was my first trip to Haiti. I knew last year after the earthquake that I was supposed to go to Haiti. The very first year my mom went to Haiti God promised her that she would go back one day with me. I have been so excited about this trip, but didn't really know what I would do there. My mom reminded me that if I was willing God would use me. Our first full day in Haiti we got to visit House of Hope. It is an orphanage run by Ms. Alice. My mom, dad, and I went there in the morning to see Ms. Alice and ask if the team could come back later. It was really cool to see my mom get to see her friend again. Ms. Alice hugged my mom hard and kept saying, "My friend, my friend." We went back to House of Hope with the team that afternoon. We took a bunch of crayons and pictures so we could color with the kids. It was so much fun. The kids loved having their picture taken.

I loved playing with the kids everywhere we went. It's kind of like that's what God called me to do, just love on kids and play with them. The team teased me saying everywhere we went the thing they heard the most was my name. I made a lot of friends. They really liked playing with my hair, even the moms did. I also helped my mom and Ms. Kay with VBS. I taught the actions to the songs. It was a lot of fun dancing and praising God. I even helped my mom teach the Bible story one day. I mostly sat with the kids and held the little ones on my lap. When we would come back to a church, the kids would start yelling my name. It was kind of funny.

Our last day in Haiti, we got to visit another orphanage. I loved it there. We sang songs and danced with the kids. We also blew up balloons. The kids would ask my mom if I was her daughter. There was one boy that asked my mom that and then said that she is his mom now too. Guess I have a Haitian brother named Demetri now. I loved holding the little ones. I really want a little sister, especially after playing with all the little girls in Haiti. I am praying extra hard that God will send me a sister soon. It would be ok with me if He sent her from Haiti.

I really learned a lot in Haiti. God took me out of my comfort zone. I even did the team devotion one morning. I taught the team a cheer from day camp. I am blessed…to be a blessing! It was just such an awesome experience. I made some really great friend. I really liked the guys at Joy House. They were so much fun and always watched out for me. I'm so glad I went to Haiti and that God showed me that I'm not too small to do stuff for Him. Even just holding babies and loving on kids is important. Anything we do for God isn't useless.

Written by Abby T.

Mountain Top Experience

It's so hard to just pick one thing that happened in Haiti that left a huge impact on me. This is the 3rd year I've gone to Haiti and this year my 10 year old daughter, Abby, went with us. It was so amazing to see God use her and watch her walk grow, but I think I would have to say my mountain top experience happened on a mountain. This year the team built a house for a young couple that lived on a mountain. The trek up was very difficult for us Americans, especially with supplies. However, when we met the couple, it was well worth it. The young lady was 7 months pregnant and had the sweetest spirit. We were very lucky to have a nurse on our team, Laura, so we checked the young lady's blood pressure, asked how she was feeling, and gave her vitamins and stuff for the baby. (It was kind of like a mini baby shower.) While the guys worked on the house, Laura and I sat and visited with the young lady and some kids. The Holy Spirit prompted me to tell some Bible stories. Even though I had been teaching VBS to the kids during the week, I was not prepared.

I racked my brain for a story and thought of my son, Noah, and his favorite Bible story, so I told them the story of Noah's ark. (I'm sure that surprised you.) The kids were glued and hanging on every word. We talked about the rainbow and how God always keeps His promises. Next we told them the story of when God gave Abraham and Sarah a son. Yet another story of God being a promise keeper. Last we told them the story of David and Goliath. We told them that God uses the willing regardless of size or ability. After we were done telling stories, the young mother-to-be asked if we would name her baby. I have never been so honored. Laura and I talked for a bit and I said that she should name the baby David, so that she would always remember how big our God is. We headed back down the mountain for lunch. I fell twice on the trip down and decided I wouldn't go back up. (To be honest, I was sore and feeling too tired to go up again. I was relying on my strength and not God's.)

The guys went back up the next day to work on the house again. We were going to an orphanage, so most of us didn't go back up the mountain. We went to pick the guys up for lunch, but I stayed at the bottom of the mountain with my daughter and Laura. They came back with a message for me. She thanked me for the stories and said that she missed me. After lunch a small group of guys were headed back up the mountain to finish up the house. I asked if I could go along. When we reached the top, I waited by a tree. Pastor Benito told the young lady that I was back and she came running to meet me. She asked if I had received her message. We sat around and visited. I asked if they would like to hear another story. She was nodding her head excitedly and trying to get the kids to say yes. After they did, she told one to go get me a chair. We sat together and I told them the story of Jesus' birth. We talked about how it was unlike any other birth and how God was willing to humble Himself and be born in a stable for us. I told her that there is nothing special about me, but that God chooses to use me. I encouraged her to tell her baby stories from the Bible.

As we were getting ready to leave for the last time, she promised to have Pastor Benito send me a picture of baby David. I told her that baby David's picture would be hung up in my house when I got it. She told my husband that the baby would be named David even if it's a girl. We prayed for her and her little family and asked God to bless them and let them be a light on the mountain top. I am so thankful to have met her. I will never forget her. She was so thankful for everything we did, even though to us it didn't seem like much. I pray that God will help Baby David to grow strong and do great things for Him in Haiti.
Written by Sarah T

T.S. Emily Causes Little Damage

Tropical Storm Emily thankfully caused very little damage and took only one persons life as it dissipated as it approached the southern shore of Haiti. Port-au-Prince and the surrounding area which were all affected by the January 2010 earthquake were spared the heavy rainfall and high winds which had been predicted. Only minor flooding was reported north of Port-au-Prince.

John R.

Please pray for the people of Haiti as tropical storm Emily makes a bee line toward them. Many people are still living in makeshift shelters and tents which could be devastating.

John R.

Home Again

We have made it home safe and sound. I am sorry that our updates did not post during the week. It seems that there was some trouble with the cell towers in the area of Haiti that we were in. Expect to see an update soon with a trip overview.


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We have arrived safely in Dallas and all bags are present. Waiting for a shuttle bus to take us to our vehicles. Wayne is flying on to Little Rock & the rest of us will be driving back to NWA. It will be a late night and we are already very tired so please pray for safe travels for all of us. We are looking forward to worshiping with you on Sunday.

-Phillip

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Boarding flight to DFW. Everyone doing well but wearing down. Will drive back to AR tonite arriving home approx 1 am.

Back in the USA

We made it through customs and into the right terminal. Found a Chilis and are having some lunch. Kind of disappointed that they don't have beans & rice or goat on the menu but I guess we will make do!





Thank you all so much for your prayers over this past week. God did amazing things in and through us. We still have 1 more flight to Dallas and then a six hour drive home please pray for alertness and safe travel.

- Phillip


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Landed in ft lauderdale. Three hour layover till next flight. Customs, baggage claim, lunch and ice cream!

Safely inside gate area of airport. Everyone tired but doing good. Flight leaves for ft lauderdale in one hour and fifteen minutes. John

Everyone rested well. Sorting supplies and preparing for ministries to begin tomorrow. Hope to visit orphanage near Joy House this afternoon.

Arrived in Haiti with all team members and bags in tact. Just started two plus hour bus ride to Joy House. Will send update once we arrive there. John R.

Destination... Haiti

We have boarded our flight to Port Au Prince after a relaxing overpriced lunch at the airport. Updates from this point forward will be short and may be delayed as they will be submitted via text message. Thank you for your prayers! We are looking forward to what the Lord has in store for us as we minister to the people of Haiti.

- Phillip

Location:Fort Lauderdale International Airport

Arrived in Ft Lauderdale. Three hour layover then off to Haiti. Pray all bags arrive with us. Everyone doing well. John R.

We made it to our first flight after an ordeal with our supplies. Thanks be to God for taking care of the details and getting all our luggage checked. Next stop - Fort Lauderdale!

-Phillip

Location:DFW

Flexibility & airport shuttles

We are enjoying the last comforts of home as we fuel our day with honey buns & donuts. Our shuttle bus was confiscated by a bunch of airline crew members. I guess that might play a pivotal role in getting to Haiti assuming they are for one of our flights. Anyway, God is already giving us the chance to practice flexibility & patience. Thanks again for your prayers!

- Phillip

The team made it safely to Dallas where we will hopefully get a good nights rest. It will be a short night as we are heading to the airport @ 5:30 am. Thank you for your continued prayers as we travel into Haiti tomorrow.

- Phillip

Pray for team as we finish packing and hopefully get a good night of rest. Some are working in the morning and we leave tomorrow afternoon for DFW. John R.

GPC Haiti Team 2011

Please pray for our team as we travel to DFW this Thursday, July 21. We will be flying out of DFW Friday morning and will arrive in Haiti early evening. In addition to the 11 team members in the photo above, Wayne will be joining us Sunday evening. The team will be working with two churches teaching Bible studies, sewing classes, conducting bible school for the kids and going Hut-to-Hut sharing the gospel.

In addition, we will be helping four families by converting their temporary shelters into a more permanent home. Between 500,000 and 750,000 people remain in tent cities following the January 2010 earthquake. The need for permanent housing remains a high priority.

Thank you to our church family for giving generously to the 2010 Christmas offering which is allowing us to meet multiple needs while we're in Haiti. Also, thank you to our friends and family for supporting us with your prayers, finances and encouraging words.

Please check this blog daily as we plan to send updates often. They will be short entries because we will be texting the updates from my phone.

John Rodgers

Life Will Never Be The Same

As we have been making preparations for our trip to Haiti this year, we wanted to take a few moments to share some stories about a great friend who recently went home to be with Jesus. Sara Williams went to Haiti with us in 2005 and 2006 and although it has been a few years since she has been to Haiti, she has been a vital part of our prayer support team for each trip since. Even though she didn't go with us the past few years, she has helped with packing, hygiene kits, and saw us off at the airport (at 4am even!!!) almost every time. But, we wanted to share a little about her time with us in Haiti.

I don't remember Sara ever being afraid to do anything. She might mention being nervous, but never enough to keep her from trying. On her first trip to Haiti, she volunteered to teach the hygiene class to women. As we prepared for the class, she asked me to go first so she could get an idea of what she needed to do. We decided to "tag team" it and by the time she got to her second section of teaching, she was already adding the "Sara" flare. She was searching the room to find anything she could get her hands on to use as a prop to demonstrate what she was teaching. She had all of the women on the edge of their seat waiting to see what she would do next! After that first class…there was no stopping her and her enthusiasm grew with everything she did throughout the rest of the week. Whether it was carrying buckets of cement as we poured the roof on Joy House or hugging & kissing on babies, she poured every ounce of energy into it all!

It was hilarious to watch her with the kids. Speaking no Creole, she would say things to them in English, the kids would in turn mimic what she said. She would then laugh because of it and then they would mimic her laugh…which would cause her to laugh harder and the kids would mimic again…and so on! You never had to wonder where Sara was…you just had to listen for a few minutes and then you would know.

If Sara wasn't laughing or making others laugh, she was encouraging or praying for them, or sharing Jesus with them. In Haiti, her witnessing tool was the salvation bracelet using colors to share the gospel. She was passionate about sharing how much God loves us and wants to have a relationship with us. She shared God's love with boldness and urgency no matter where she was. Galatians 5:6b says "The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love." And that is what Sara was all about.

Life will not be the same without Sara…but life will never be the same because of Sara! We miss her a bunch! Check out more stories about Sara at Sarastories on facebook or the blog at Sarastories.net.

Kay Rodgers

One Year Anniversary

Just one week from today will mark the one year anniversary of the 7.0 magnitude earthquake which struck Haiti leaving death and destruction at levels difficult for the mind to comprehend in the poorest country in the western hemisphere. Over the past year, the people of Haiti have also experienced downpours and winds from several tropical storms along with an outbreak of Cholera which has killed nearly 3,500 people to date. In addition, the results of their Presidential election are still uncertain and the runoff election previously scheduled for January 16 has now been postponed.

One organization which was actively working in Haiti prior to the earthquake and has been there throughout the past year is Samaritan's Purse under the leadership of Billy Graham's son, Franklin Graham. When I arrived in Haiti less than 3 weeks after the earthquake, Samaritan's Purse tarps being used to provide shelter could be seen everywhere. They have since built hundreds of temporary houses, provided food for tens of thousands of people, taught basic hygiene classes, provided water filtration systems, and are now running several medical clinics treating thousands of Cholera patients.

This coming Sunday, January 9, Franklin Graham will be in Haiti and will be proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ at the National Soccer Stadium in Port-au-Prince. The stadium will hold 15,000 people but thousands of people live close enough to the stadium to hear the message clearly. Michael W. Smith along with several other Christian singers will also be taking part in the program.

Beginning at 12:30 central time on Sunday, people around the world will be able to take part in this incredible event via the internet. The website is: WWW. Samaritanspurse.org/Haitilive. I encourage you to be involved by watching this event and praying for the people of Haiti to open their hearts to the call of the Holy Spirit on their lives. Please pray for Franklin Graham, Michael W. Smith and the hundreds of Samaritan's Purse volunteers and employees as they make preparations for this life changing event.

Sincerely,
John Rodgers