Monthly Archives: March 2010

Mickenson – in his words

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What an Amazing God!

Janary 12, 2010 around 3 o’clock I started taking courses for the second semestre , the teacher come in to the class for the first time and started teaching. This is  called [the Art of Oratory], this class talks about how can somebody be a good speaker. At that time , I paid attention to listen to him. I can also expect that he is really good in what is doing. Every Tuesday we have two hours with him. We have a break time every 45 minute. We didn’t even go out to enjoy the break time. We all stayed in the class , giving our ideas about the class we are taking.  One of us said: “This is the best class we ‘ve ever had, we hope that God will  help us to emmagazine and practice then all in our  ministries. Break time is finished the teacher restarted again. I could see in the room there is an absolute silence there every one paid attention to listen the teacher. Continue Reading →

Haiti – March 24

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Doug is back in Haiti for a couple of days — we sure appreciate his willingness to serve and minister.

Yesterday Doug was able to meet with Garry Charles, our family sponsorship director, and get updated on the families.  Garry is doing a great job.  He has distributed the funds to each family and has a signed receipt from each one.  These 120 families really appreciate the support.  Manyof them have been able to restart up their small marketing businesses — without the financial support this would have taken several months — but with the support they will again be able to be supporting themselves quite soon. 

Pastor Diogene’s schedule remains full.  Doug has had but a few minutes with him.  Later this afternoon Doug has a meeting time set with Diogene.  God is using Pastor Diogene in many places in Haiti.  Yesterday Diogene and eleven other evangelical pastors met with the president of Haiti, President Rene Preval.  The meeting was scheduled to be short and focus on how the government can help the needy by partnering with the churches.  However Preval began to ask questions.  He told these pastors that he didn’t know much about the Protestant faith and wanted to understand the differences from Catholism.  What a great opportunity God gave these pastors!  The meeting went on for several hours.  Preval showed genuine interest — please pray that President Preval’s heart will be open to receive Jesus Christ as Savior.

One of the requests the pastors had for Preval was for the government to provide land for the relocation of many of their people.  Preval indicated this might be possible and would check into that possibility.  And then he invited the pastors back to meet with him today so they could continue their conversation concerning spiritual things and he would give them an answer concerning the request.  So that is where Diogene is this morning.  God is at work in Haiti — we’ve already seen so much good come from the devastaion of the earthquake.   Let’s pray together that President Preval would also trust the Savior. 

Thank you so much for all your prayers and support!

Haiti

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It’s been some time since we have shared about what’s happening in Haiti.  Sorry about that — several of you have been asking and of course telling us how much you appreciate having updates.   Here goes with a short update.

I talked to Pastor Diogene yesterday and he seems to be doing much better.  For a while he was just plain tired out.  He hadn’t stopped to catch his breath since the earthquake but now has been able to catch up a little.  I really appreciate Diogene.  He has such a heart for the needy — I received a telephone call from a Haitian woman who lives in Olympia, WA.  Her mother and two children, 10 & 12 years old, had gone through the earthquake and were now living on the street in Port au Prince but had received no help.  She had a Haiti phone number for the grandmother.  I passed it on to Diogene and he immediately made contact and sent over a food and clothing package for the family.  Please pray for Diogene and Leonette; for their health and strength.  And pray for wisdom as they make decisions each day.

Sickness is becoming more of a reality in Haiti.  One of our boys currently has malaria and typhoid.  He has been able to get medical treatment and is improving.  But with the poor santitation and lack of good water, typhoid will continue to be a big problem.  And then with the rains starting, the mosquitos will be multiplying and carrying malaria.  Please pray for the medical needs and for our team as they minister to the sick as well as the hungry.

Pastor Diogene and his team are continuing to distribute food.  Currently they are preparing 700 – 1000 food packages per week.  Each package contains about 50 lbs of rice, beans, pasta, some seasoning along with cooking oil.  Each package is given to a family and is their food provision for a week.  Diogene estimates that each food package feeds a family of six members or more for that week.

We are so thankful for the containers of donated food.  A container of dried vegetable soup and dried apples from THE FRASER VALLEY GLEANERS in Abbotsford, BC arrived in Haiti and cleared customs a couple of weeks ago.  Diogene has now added it to our food packs.  And the people really like it!  Then a container of Fortified Rice and Soy Protein Meals from FEED MY STARVING CHILDREN arrived in Haiti ten days ago and cleared customs in record time and is now being used as well.  We thank God for His provision!

Doug is going back to Haiti next week for a couple of days.  He will be working with Garry Charles and gathering more information from the families we are supporting.  We have had a tremendous response for this short term sponsorship.  We thank God for you, your prayers and all of your support!!!

In his own words – Daniel T

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Daniel Thelusmond is the young man we wrote about on January 16 who lost his fiance in the earthquake.  Daniel spent two years in the United States, pursuing his college decree, from September 2005 to June 2007.  He and Glenn Bridges from California have a very close relationship.  Currently Daniel teaches school in an English speaking school in Port-au-Prince.  Below is Daniel’s January 12th experience in his own words.

January12th: My “Fiery Furnace Experience”

 Listening to an old sermon would be the last thing in a young man’s mind—especially one who’s driving home from work in a nice Mazda 626 on a Tuesday afternoon. He’d rather listen to some good, rock Christian music to prevent him from falling asleep on the wheel. Well, I did the opposite.

 God ordained that I listened to a sermon recorded on a CD that I bought from the First Baptist Church of Jacksonville back in 2005 when I went to the States for the first time.

The sermon is about the fiery furnace experience of the three Hebrew young men who refused to bow to the king’s image.

 I listened carefully as I stopped at a gas station for a refill. The preacher was loud and clear when he said, “Some of you may be going through a fiery furnace experience this week. However, if you’re Christians, you don’t have to be afraid of the fire. No matter what happens, you can count on God. He’ll be there to protect you.” “The king saw four people in the fire,” he continued. “Only three came out because Jesus is still in the fire waiting to preserve the lives of His children every time they go through a fiery furnace experience.”

 When I got home, I decided to finish the report cards which were due that week. Then I stopped because I was very tired. When I felt the earthquake, I was sitting at my working table, drinking coffee, and watching TV. I watched as my chair rocked in all directions, but I kept right on drinking my coffee. I had such peace in my heart from the sermon I heard earlier. I had no idea that the earthquake hit Haiti at such a big magnitude. I remained in the first floor of the 3-story building until the earthquake has receded.

 When I came out, my car was still parked behind the house. I heard people screaming. Others were running without knowing their destination. I had compassion for a particular little boy who broke his neck. I automatically transformed my car into an ambulance to rush him and other victims to the hospital.

 After what seemed to be a whole day through traffic, I stopped in front of the collapsed hospital. Everybody was crying to God for help. I wasn’t ready to give up. I went to a different used-to-be hospital only to find out that even the sick people felt they had to evacuate the area. As I drove more, I noticed collapsed buildings, smashed cars, injured people, and dead bodies everywhere. What I saw in the streets that night made me think I was watching the Haitian version of the movie “Left Behind.” The only reason why I didn’t believe my thoughts came from my Christian faith, for I knew that I couldn’t be left behind.

 Since I could do nothing for the victims, I finally decided to go check on my fiancé. I’d dialed her phone number countless times earlier, but I got no answer.

When I got there, her family was standing outside the gate. At my request, her mom broke the news to me that she was still at the school of nursing when the earthquake occurred. Her mom and I got in the car to go search for our beloved Alexandra.

 Unable to get anywhere in the car due to the heavy traffic, we walked about ten miles to her school. The first floor and the second floor of the building were still standing when we arrived. Students in those floors were dismissed before the earthquake. Ironically enough, only the second floor collapsed, and that’s where the students were having their last class.

 From that Tuesday till Thursday, we worked hard to save a few lives. I even crawled under the rubbles trying to rescue my fiancé. About 20 of the class of 208 students came out alive, but my fiancé lost her life.

 When I spoke to her that Tuesday morning, she told me she was late for school. I said, “Don’t worry, Andra! I prayed for you this morning. You may go in peace. God is with you.” Later, I learned that I should have said, “Go home in peace. Jesus will carry you in His arms of love.

 On January 2nd, we went to her mom’s room and told her about our wedding plans. Then on the 12th, she went to be with the Lord. She was such a nice young lady. I couldn’t believe God took her away from me so soon.

 I have been supporting her mom ever since the earthquake. In fact, I live with her now. As for her, I am a double-person. I represent both myself and her daughter Alexandra.

God has given us the strength to accept His will. He’s wiped all our tears, and we are doing His work with gladness. Now, we are living proof that His mercies and His faithfulness never fail. May His name be glorified in our lives!

 Daniel Thelusmond

March 2010 Newsletter

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Dear Friends,

The Port-au-Prince earthquake has faded from the headlines, and Haitian relief is not quite the cause of the day it was a few weeks ago.  Hollywood has finished its fundraisers and gone back to giving each other awards, and the pundits and bloggers have returned to debating healthcare.  But the work in Haiti is just beginning.  Much of our focus during those first six weeks after the earthquake struck was on emergency survival and meeting basic needs.  Now we are transitioning into longer-term solutions and meeting needs in more sustainable ways.  Here are a few of the areas we are concentrating on right now.

Helping Haitian families rebuild their homes.  God has already provided a great deal, through your generosity, toward earthquake relief.  Much of that money has been used to provide food and water and to meet other immediate needs following the earthquake.  But much will also be used for the rebuilding of homes. Continue Reading →