Lutheran Women's Missionary League Zone President visits Haiti

BARB COPELAND-BELANSKI
NID LWML Zone 25 President
shares her experience this last spring.

I have some friends from Christ, Orland Park,IL who visited Haiti a few years ago…….when I heard they were planning another trip in 2010 I could feel God nudging me to join the team. The March 2010 mission trip would be serving Pastor Isaac in Jeremie by hosting eyeglass clinics and VBS activities for the children attending Pastor Isaac’s Lutheran schools……..then the earthquake hit on January 12th.


At first, our trip was in peril……..everyone was eager to go and help. By mid February, we were told airplanes were allowed to land in Port Au Prince…….so we made haste to complete our plans by adding a medical component to our team.

On March 11, our team of fifteen including a doctor and two Pastors began our journey.


After a day and a half of traveling, we finally arrived in Jeremie into the welcome arms of Pastor Isaac. He was so happy to see us……..he presides over several Lutheran churches and schools in Jeremie as well as cares for 24 orphans in his home and knows personally the needs of his people…….the children need to learn about Jesus and scores of individuals have medical and vision concerns. Jeremie escaped earthquake damage but was the recipient of over 30,000 refugees……people were everywhere.


In all, we visited seven schools, two orphanages and held five eyeglass and medical clinics. We traveled for hours every day over bumpy and dusty roads to reach Pastor Isaac’s churches. Everywhere we went, people young and old were waiting for our team……some were waiting for hours and some had walked many miles to meet us. By the end of the week, we had fitted 300 people with eyeglasses and provided medical care for over 500 patients……..and so many children learned about God’s mercy toward Jonah!


We returned home on March 20……..a tired lot but oh so fulfilled. We had witnessed the goodness of God and saw His face shining in so many of the people. God’s church is growing in Haiti and we couldn’t help but feel that through the Holy Spirit and the efforts of our team, church membership will see even more growth.

And another trip is already being planned for March of 2011!!


Barb Copeland-Belanski
NID LWML Zone 25 President

For more information about our
organization, please contact us at...

Lutheran Women's Missionary League
P.O. Box 411993
St. Louis, MO 63141-1993
Phone: 1-800-252-5965
Fax: 1-314-268-1532
e-mail: lwml@lwml.org

June 2010 LWML Newsletter - Reprinted with permission

DON'T FORGET TO LOOK UP

March,15 - MARFRANC, HAITI

Read the following communique' from Jeremie team
and tell me that every dollar, every hour, every frustration, wasn't worth it!



________________________________________

Arrived in Marc Franc - half of the town came out and greeted us and followed us to church. We had an overwhelming attendance for the medical and eyeglass clinics. Over 150 children showed up for VBS. So all we did was tell the story and sing songs. We did not have enough items with us. Very tired. The weather is hot in the 90's.

Tomorrow Moron (Tuesday) we will be able to see the school and teachers we support.

Blessings,
Jan
_______________________________________

And then this one from TIM :



Today I got up at 3:30AM to leave for Port au Prince Airport to fly into Jeremie. We flew out of a small airport (should say smaller airport than Port-au-Prince which is also small) to fly a small twin engine plane for the hour ride up to Jeremie. We were greeted by Pastor Isaac at the airport who took us to meet up with the rest of the group doing eye clinics, medical clinics, and VBS and spiritual care. We all (15 of us and several pastors and three interpreters) piled into two vehicles with all the supplies we could fit and still get everyone in. Nothing like driving for an hour on a gravel bumpy road on the back of a Toyota pickup truck to get to the remote country village where we set up the clinics in our Lutheran Church there.


It was an incredible day. People were lined up outside the church and sitting in the church in small hot rooms waiting. We had to set up outside and behind the church because of the number of people. Many more than we expected. Some of the people still had untreated injuries from the earthquake on January 11th.


We witnessed miracles of God working and bringing healing. One small boy was brought and he was unresponsive. Mother carried him there and we first thought that he was dead. Dr. Busse looked into his eyes and they were not responsive. I was there witnessing this and took pictures. She said we must get this boy to a hospital if he is going to live. Dr. Busse proceeded to try and hook up an IV to the boy who was still unresponsive. Someone prayed over the boy (we still do not know who - we just know it happened but do not know who) and when Dr. Busse hooked up the IV the boy started crying and shedding tears - which was a good thing considering the shape the boy was in when he came.

You do with this what your theology allows - all I know is the boy and mother left happy and healed!

The Eye Clinic - To see someone who has never had glasses and has had bad eye sight all their adult life (and they are in the 80's) and now are fitted with a pair of glasses and they can see - well, I cannot describe the excitement they have. Pastor Paul prayed with each of the people receiving glasses as well as others. Pastor Ray also worked with the others and prayed with them.


The sad part of the day was that we were not physically able to help everyone there. There were so MANY needy people needing medical attention. I kept thinking to myself, what if this was my child, my mother or father …. They were all so brave considering the pain and condition many were in. Most were children and elderly.

At one point, in my frustration of not being able to treat everyone that needed treatment, the hot humid weather and being surrounded by people all pleading for help, I looked up in desperation. We were in a small village in the country side with large hills around us. I could not help but remember Psalm 121. I will never see this Psalm in the same way again! I will leave you with those words as I go to sleep for another day tomorrow in another location.

Psalm 121:

1 I lift up my eyes to the hills - where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot slip - he who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The LORD watches over you - the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
6 the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.
7 The LORD will keep you from all harm - he will watch over your life;
8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.


HAITI LUTHERAN MISSION PROJECT

*tell me that Haiti isn't worth our time and money?

KEN

In Death There Comes LIFE

Sunday, March 14th - Team Update


Tim, Mike and Randy attended church this morning with Pastor Marky Keesa in Jacmel.

Tim reports:

Place was packed inside AND outside. Standing room only. I spoke briefly to the congregation and then Pastor Kessa preached. What an atmosphere and emotional service. He had to tell the congregation about Pastor Louis and his being murdered. But he spoke on New Life coming from death.


Twenty-plus people, by the Holy Spirit, died to self and allowed God to fill them as they confessed faith in Jesus Christ for the first time!

Attendance in ALL of our Lutheran Churches has increased since January 11th. The Church was growing before that - but now it is exploding.

What a great feeling to be in a place where some people walked two hours to be there and they had to stand outside in the sun for three hours! They didn't leave. All seats inside and outside (church has no walls) were filled! Definitely God is working in the midst of tragedy and death!

This afternoon we spent time walking and talking with the people of Jacmel who are living in a tent city. Around 4,000 people in this tent city alone! They lost homes and everything else and it is only their family (those who were not killed) and a tent and a few items they were able to save.

Very hopeless situation. Pastor Marky and us talked about ways in which outreach could be done in the tent cities and what would be needed.


One place for all 4000 people to get water - so they line up.

Received word tonight that a container has come in so may be heading out late tonight to help unload. We have to leave tomorrow at 4:30AM to get to Port au Prince for our flight to Jeremie. All in all it was a tiring, emotional, fulfilling day.


I am amazed at the positive attitude of the people - especially the Christians, we have met! Despite the worst of situations - their faith is intact!!

They have the Solid Rock!!!



http://www.lutheranchurchcharities.org/

TIM HETZNER

TEAM Update

Sunday, March 14th - 125 children shoed up for VBS at the church we were expecting 40.

It was quite an ordeal getting there. Did a lot of prep work for medical and eyeglass clinic. Jeremie is filled with a lot of people. Pastor Isaac has a boy living with him that was 5 days buried in rubbled. Doctors did not want to treat him becuase he smelled of death. Parents deceased. He will live with them. Back was all scared but healed and well. JAN

Saturday, March 13th - Pastors arrived this morning safe, but very tired. We are separting getting ready for the week. VBS this afternoon with the orphans. Quite overwhelming. Still missing 4 medical tubs and 1 VBS tub. Lophane is checking airport today. JAN

Friday, March 12th - Got up around 4:30AM to get a quick breakfast and head to the airport to get our medical luggage and try and find the additional missing five tubs. They were not there but were told by American Airlines that they may have gone through to Port-au-Prince. Upon flight delays we arrived in Port-au-Prince around 12:30PM. What confusion at the airport as the main building is closed down. Our entire luggage made it EXCEPT the five tubs. American Airlines said they would get them to Jeremie where the medical clinics will be. The plan was to have a truck take the medical supplies by truck to Jeremie and the group would fly with their carry-ones. Well - that didn't work, not enough room on the small plane, so three of the guys are on a bus with ALL the luggage and medical supplies. They will be driving through the night and arriving in Jeremie sometime Saturday - God willing! TIM

Thursday, March 11th - After gathering at O'Hare Airport to leave, and loading the 38 medical containers, we went to the boarding area to fly to Miami. One group was to fly out at 2:30PM and the other at 3:30PM. We found out that the 2:30PM flight had mechanical problems so at the last minute American Airlines arranged for them to get on to another plane. Both groups arrived shortly after each other. American Airlines said that we were not able to check our luggage through to Port-au-Prince so we had to gather all of our baggage and arrange temporary storage. We noticed that five of our medical containers were missing - they did not get on to the new flight. After spending about three hours at the airport in Miami on this we decided to go to the hotel around 10PM and try to locate them early in the morning. TIM

Haiti Medical Mission 3-11 to Jeremie, Haiti

Haiti Mission Team Praying with
Congressman Peter J. Roskam


Tim Hetzner and members of the Haiti Medical Mission team met with Congressman Peter J. Roskam of Illinois to thank him for his support for our Relief Efforts for the people of Haiti.


Among those pictured are Sue Gross, Illinois Haiti Mission Director, Dr. Susan Busse - head of the Malaria Initiative, Tim Hetzner, President of Lutheran Church Charities, and Congressman Peter Roskam.


LCC

Power of our Prayers !

Saturday 8:15 AM cst

This just in:

We heard from the team.
They are at the airport in Port-au-Prince. Pray for swift connections with Barb, the adoption facilitator and for the visas to arrive quickly for Lovelie and Wisken.

We aren't sure when they'll be able to fly out at this time.


Jason Christ
Director of Student Ministries
First Trinity Lutheran Church



from this mornings Buffalo News article :
...for more than two years, Whited and his wife, Susan, have been trying to adopt two children from the orphanage, Lovelie, an 11-year-old girl, and Whisken, a 7-year-old boy. The Whiteds have had an agonizing time working through Haiti’s complex adoption regulations.

Whited said he was hoping to arrange to bring the children home with him this year, but the earthquake has made the situation much more difficult. The pastor said all the paperwork he and his wife filled out may have been destroyed in the earthquake. He has been unable to reach any of the necessary Haitian officials to complete the adoptions.


Whited said. “My understanding is that the earthquake is going to push the whole process back even further.”

With our God nothing is impossible.
See God's hand is moving mightily in HAITI today.

Keep those prayers going...
KEN

completer article can be read at: Click here: Tonawanda church group grateful to escape Haiti unscathed : Home: The Buffalo News

Southtown News

On July 3 the first of 2 teams made up mainly of people from Suburban Lutheran Churches left for the tiny island country of Haiti. Haiti is only 90 minutes from our U S border and now considered the poorest country in the WORLD. 8 million people live in Haiti with an average income of about $400.00 per year. The island has been stripped of most of its natural resources and has suffered through dozens of corrupt dictatorships. Public education is not free in Haiti so most children do not attend school for very long nor do they eat every day but generally 3-4 times a week. It is estimated that there are as many as 300,000 children in Haiti that have been abandoned or sold into slavery. These children are as young as 3 and 4 years of age. Pastor Isaac of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Haiti has made a commitment to get 50 of these children off the streets and into a safe loving home.

The 8 men on Team 1, from Christ Lutheran Church, Orland Park, spent their days building a school/orphanage for the Pastor they have been supporting for the last 3 years. Pastor Isaac of Jeremie, Haiti has 22 orphaned/abandoned children living in his home with his wife and his own 4 children. The 2 women from team 1 spent their days helping with the children, visiting other orphanages, medical clinics and neighboring villages to see where the need for future assistance is the greatest.

As Team 1 left on July 12 Team 2 from Fellowship Of Faith Lutheran Church, McHenry and Living Christ Lutheran Church, Arlington Heights arrived to take over where team 1 left off. The construction continued while a soccer clinic and art classes were added to the daily routine of the orphaned children. Vacation Bible School was also opened to the community which drew an unexpected 500 curious children. At the end of the VBS we passed out granola bars to each child and watched them carry them home to share with hungry siblings.

As we left Haiti on July 19 the walls were up and the roof and doors were yet to be finished on the first building which will eventually be a school but will serve as a home for the 22 children and their caretakers for now. After enough funds have been raised we will build a second building that will be the orphanage and the first building will serve as a school with a feeding program for those that cannot afford public school.

This project has definitely been a group effort.

We have had small and large donations from small businesses and churches of other denominations. Sunday school collections and school aluminum can collections have all contributed to this project and we are grateful for every penny that has been contributed.

Sue Gross

Why we go...

Since returning last month from Haiti, we have had many questions regarding experiences. To be sure every time we go to Haiti (now listed as the poorest Country in the world) we witness the "Good - the Bad and the Ugly". Short conversations always leave me wondering what impression have I left the person. Poverty-lack of health-inability to feed your family is never pleasent to witness. Family members have openly said we are nuts to go or that they are just taking advantage of our generosity and money. Or we get questions about our safety, our health, or the value of traveling rather than just supporting with our dollars. In every case I will let the person know that for me - there is no doubt that the time spent with the Haitian Christians is always worth any discomfort or expense on our part.

But our travel has never been about us - it is all about showing compassion, about bringing hope to the hopeless, interacting with the orphans and showing the local church members that they are not forgotten.








The following links will help you understand WHY supporting Pastor Isaac's Orphanage is so important ! As you watch look into those eyes and then tell us it is not worth it.

This one is in English / 4:59 min / well done Still photos:
Click here: YouTube - Haiti's Child Slaves

If you want to dig deeper this one is in Creole with English subtitles / 6:56 min but faster moving
Click here: YouTube - In Focus: Restaveks, Child Slaves of Haiti

This Third one is also a video with subtitles taken from the child's perspective / 3:36
Click here: YouTube - Strange Things


Ken