Living out Acts 2:46

We are so excited about what God is doing in Gran Savon through Pastor Benito's church. Not only have they been meeting at 5am on Sunday, but they have been having worship services EVERYDAY AT 5AM! He said that they have been gathering each morning and evening for preaching, teaching and singing. They are truly living out Acts 2:46 - Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. Pray for Benito and the other pastors as they are reaching out to the people in the community each day and as they disciple the new Christians there. Pray that they will be encouraged and rely on God's strength. About 25 men from the Gran Savon community met to discuss a plan to go to the UN and let them know that there are many people in their area who desperately need food. They did just that and were able to get much needed food from the UN for their community. Praise the Lord!
Anyone who has been to Joy House knows how big the compound is and the thought of rebuilding 80% of the wall is a huge task. As I have talked to John each day, he would say that they were making great progress on the wall, but I never really asked for details of what that meant. As I talked to him today, he said that they have about a 40 foot section left and the wall will be complete and the compound will be secure. WOW! These guys have been working hard to accomplish something of this magnitude in such a short time. And this isn't just a shortened version of the wall like they initially anticipated doing…THIS IS THE WHOLE WALL! Progress on the house has been coming along also, but not as quickly due to struggles in getting the exact materials needed and the job of repairing a foundation being a little more complicated. Over the past week, several Southern Baptist Disaster Relief workers have been at Joy House assessing the needs in the area and discussing plans for bringing teams in to work at Joy House. Today, four mission pastors from Alabama and Florida arrived at Joy House to determine how their churches will be able to help with disaster relief in Haiti. Pray as they work with Norma, Wayne and John over the next few days to develop a strategy that will bring the most help to the people of Haiti. There are so many needs right now, so pray that God will give them wisdom in planning. John will be returning to Santo Domingo with these pastors on Friday and then fly home to Arkansas on Saturday arriving at 5:15PM. Norma and Wayne will be staying a little longer, so pray for them as they continue the work at Joy House next week.
Kay

See the Marvels of God

God is a safe place to hide, ready to help when we need him. We stand fearless at the cliff-edge of doom, courageous in seastorm and earthquake, Before the rush and roar of oceans, the tremors that shift mountains...God lives here, the streets are safe, God at your service from crack of dawn...Attention, all! See the marvels of God! Psalm 46:1-8 (Message) I know so many people have been praying and all those prayers have been the lifeline of hope in Haiti. We may not be able to physically see what God has been doing, but I hope that these reports are an encouragement to you to keep praying because THESE ARE THE MARVELS OF GOD! Joe, Sherry, Doug and others had a safe trip across Haiti and the Dominican on Friday and then made it back to the states Saturday. Norma, Wayne & John have continued the work at Joy House along with the Joy House staff. They were able to find a bigger and better generator for a little less than they anticipated, so they have been able to make great progress on the wall and the foundation of the building. Wayne was able to run extension cords to their tents, so they could have fans running while they sleep…Although Wayne decided to put one of the big fans in his tent and John said the fan was so big compared to the tent that they were afraid they would find Wayne gliding across the bay by morning. The fans were a big blessing and helped them get a good night's sleep. Jesus Church at Santos met today under the trees outside Joy House with about 70 in attendance. Daniel played his guitar and sang a song and Reginald preached a moving sermon with two women accepting Christ at the end of the service – SEE THE MARVELS OF GOD! One of the women said that God had spared her whole family and because of that she needed to give her life totally to Him. This afternoon they went out to Benito's church and he said that they have been meeting out in an open field because of the fear of being in buildings, and that this morning they met from 5AM – 7AM in order to avoid the heat of the sun. Now that is dedication to have worship service at 5AM! The aftershocks have been fewer today and they were seeing signs of city power being restored in different parts of the area this evening. Keep on praying because we are seeing the marvels of God everyday. 2 Corinthians 1:10-11 (NIV) On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.
Kay

Urgent Prayer Request

Apparently the generator did suffer some significant damage from its tumble down the stairs because it quit working today. They worked on it, but were unable to get it running again. They found another generator that they could borrow, but it is not working anymore either. The generator has been a vital part of the work right now and without it they will not be able to pump water needed not only for personal use for the team, but also for mixing cement for construction. Without the generator they cannot run any of the power tools needed for repairs on the building. They estimate that it could take as much as $5,800 to purchase a new generator. PRAY that God will provide this much needed resource in order to continue the work on the compound. This is a major setback in the rebuilding process, but we know that with all of your prayers, God will provide and take care of this need. The team made a trip out to Christianville today and many of the buildings there are destroyed or heavily damaged. They also went to Gran Savon to see Pastor Benito's church and the church building did have some damage, but can be repaired. So many people are homeless or afraid to go into buildings because of the aftershocks...and they did have several aftershocks today. They were able to take some food out to Gran Savon to distribute because very little food aid has made it to this area. The team was also able to talk to Gerda, the former voodoo priestess who accepted Christ this past summer. She is doing well and was praising God the whole time for His protection over her. Continue praying for everyone, some of the team will be returning to the states this weekend, but Norma, Wayne and John will be staying through the next week. They need our continued prayer because with each day, new and tougher challenges come their way.
Kay

Hard work

The team is doing well and has been working hard on repairs at Joy House. They were able to get the kitchen functioning and Norma cooked their first hot meal yesterday…beans and rice and I think I remember hearing something about spam too. They have made a lot of progress on the wall thanks to a lot of hard work from the Joy House team – they are the best, we couldn't make it without them! Several of them spent the day pulling blocks from the rubble of the church, cleaning them off and getting them ready to reuse in the wall around the compound. The repairs on the foundation of the building are coming along as well. There have been a few aftershocks felt, but nothing major so far. Some of the team went to Alice's orphanage to check on them, and found that the compound had only minor damage…the building looked stable and strong and there were only a few places in their wall that had fallen. Alice and all of the children are doing well; God has definitely had His hand on them. The members of Jesus Church at Santos are continuing strong in their faith. Most of them lost their homes and they have lost their church building, but that has not stopped them from meeting to worship. Sunday, they had their worship service under the trees in front of Joy House. This church has had many homes over the past several years…kind of like GPC…and they are a living example of the fact that a building is not the church, the PEOPLE are the CHURCH. Pray that they will continue strong in their faith.
Kay

Great news...

Great news...Daniel is OK!!!! John said he came walking onto the Joy House compound today and everyone showered him with hugs. He and his family are all ok, but he did lose some very close friends, so be praying God's hand of comfort on him. Today was a busy day and they were able to get a lot done. The well is working and the more water they pump, the clearer it gets - Praise the Lord! The cistern is also in good condition as well as the water tank on top of Joy House. They were able to get water pipes fixed enough to get water to the kitchen and to one bathroom. The generator did take a ride down the stairs during the quake, but it is working fine. They were also able to place some steel braces on parts of the foundation and they hope to get cement support pillars poured soon. So many great things and a lot accomplished in one day...but not without many challenges, so keep praying. Oh, they did get a decent night of sleep last night - the rooster was quiet for at least the first half of the night, or more.
Kay