Merry Christmas!!

Hello

Mary and I would like to wish each of you a very merry Christmas as you reflect our Savior's birth. We are spending a day at home with our family here. It is not easy being away from Lori, Justin, family and friends back home during this time, but we are thankful for friends God has given us here. I have been relaxing and meditating a lot today and now I am cooking a turkey and chicken on the grill while Mary, Gertrude, DG, and Rose are in the Kitchen preparing Pies, dressing, red potato salad and other things for our guest tonight. Mary has invited several friends from around the city to have a Christmas diner with us. Mostly foreigners serving here as missionaries or other capacities. The Genadas, Jan Thompson and her family, Drew from Iom, and the Bakers. We will have some food fellowship and song as reflect on what today means to us.

Things are going great in the ministry. Laura Lynn, Julie, Rachel and Terry have gone home for Christmas. They along with Mary have shared with the school children, the true meaning of Christmas through classroom instruction, song, and programs for the children. We are thankful for all God is doing through the body here and thank each of you who are faithful to pray and support.

This morning while I was reflecting on Jesus and His birth, I read Oswald Chambers devotion in My utmost for His highest. He challenged us to allow our bodies to be a Bethlehem for Christ to be formed in us. He asked "have we allowed our personal human life to become a Bethlehem for the Son of God"? He says "the evidence of the new birth is that I yield myself so completely to God that Christ is formed in me. And when His nature is formed in me, It begins to work through me". It has challenged me again to allow God to use my Body for His honor and Glory and it also reminded me again I am here serving because I am connected to Him and He wants to continue to form in me Himself. Lord Help me each day moment by moment to submit my life to You for you to continue to change this clay into your image. Amen!

May God bless you today as you reflect on His birth and what it means to you.

With love in Christ

Emory and Mary

Unrest in Haiti...

Unrest continues in Haiti after release of names of presidential hopefuls. There has been much violence in the capital city of Port-au-Prince with protesters burning tires, buildings and blocking main roads. These are good people who just want their voices to be heard. It is sad that their voice can not be heard through an honest vote, so they resort to violence. Last Tuesday we were returning from PAP and there was a couple of road blocks outside of Lester. Brian Smith was returning this morning, so I awoke early and headed to PAP around 5:30 am. When I arrived in St Mark there were road blocks across the street about every 50 yards. We were able to pass about 5 of them before we reached a place where we could go no further. As we were waiting, they told us it was getting hot and we needed to back up. Sure enough it did get hot as the UN rounded the corner, there were several people hid between houses on the mountainside throwing rocks at the UN trucks. and the UN was firing back at them. They were coming towards the truck and then they motioned for me to pass them where they were receiving rocks and shooting back. I advanced about 50 yards to the next road block and waited. Soon the Haitian police force was advancing in front of the truck to remove road blocks. They stopped a few yards in front of the truck and started moving roadblocks as people behind the truck was throwing rocks at them. I could tell they did not want to shoot with us in front of them. While I was waiting there in the mist of this, Brian called and said his flight was canceled along with all others coming to Haiti due to the violence in PAP. This was a relief that I did not have to go through what lied ahead, yet just behind me there continued shooting and rock throwing from civilians. After about 45 minutes passed, I sensed a peace from God to turn around and head back to Gonaives. As we turned around and moved slowly through the road blocks all was peaceful as we passed out of the city. The violence in PAP is bad with the burning of government offices and other buildings. I talked with Nathan Blessing who is in Lakay this morning and there is much violence there also with the burning of buildings. Attached is Sherrie Fausey's report from PAP for those who do not get her info. Things are very quiet and peaceful here in Gonaives with schools in session. We praise God for that. We thank God for those of you who were praying for us this morning and each day and ask you to continue to pray for Haiti and it's needs of a Government with integrity.

Last night Mary fixed a wonderful meal of stir-fry and rice with beans for the team here. Afterward we shared in a devotion which was very good for the group. It was about relationships with others. During our discussion, there was some good points brought out that I would like to share with you.

1) Our relationships to each other and how we react and respond to one another is more important than the work we are here to do. I think this is so true because the Kingdom of God is about relationships and if we are not right in our relationship with others, then we are not right in our relationship with God. I think this would apply where you are working, if your first priority to demonstrate God's love, and secondly a place of God's provision for your family.

2) It was brought out that mans relationship with God, was before work, therefore more important than the work. Adam's work was a result of a good relationship gone bad.

3) The question was asked how we handle differences. We handle differences, by demonstrating God's love in spite of the differences. When we fail to do this, we are the ones who fail not the other person. In the day of judgment, I do not think we will be judged by if we were right or wrong, but if we did the greatest of these which is love in spite of the differences. As I have tried to demonstrate this in the past, there were times where I thought I was right and tried to be dogmatic about it and then God later showed me I was wrong. God ordains us into relationships and we must choose to love regardless of differences. When there is a difference of will and belief is when we are called to stand strong on the front lines where God's power and glory will shine through.

4) When our relationships to one another shows Christ unconditional love, it is a powerful testimony to those who we are witnessing to and it brings glory to God. When we respond in the ways which Satan would, which is disobedience, then hell and it's furry is glorified. As Christians, as followers Jesus the one we love, we are called to a higher standard when there are differences. Sin is the result of disobedience which means we fulfill the lust of our flesh as opposed to the spirit of God working through us and we respond as Jesus would in relationships. Please pray for us as we seek to do His probable action as God uses others to mold us and make us into the image of Christ.

With love in Christ

Emory and Mary

Prayer request

Cholera and those affected.

Construction projects.

Government and election process

Bus to help with transportation.



Sherrie Fausey's Update:

Please keep Haiti in prayer.

The election committee which was appointed by Preval who supports Celestin for president announced a run-off between Celestin & Manigat. They excluded Martelly who trailed Celestin in the count by only .007%. No one believes Celestin actually even got that many votes and the 3rd candidate (Martelly) is allowed to be included in the run-off if it is close but they excluded him. Now Martelly's followers are burning tires, vehicles, houses, whatever. There is a lot of shooting between demonstrators versus police.

Everything is closed including the airport. My visitors were scheduld to fly out this morning but cannot leave.

We are OK here at the school. The air is full of smoke but it is not likely that any demonstrations will come close to us because we are on a small side road. We plan to stay home.

Please pray for the Haitian people. They have suffered so much already. The corrupt government is the reason help has not reached the people. Now a corrupt election is making it much worse. The common people are worse off no matter what happens. We need a miracle. Our Papa still can do miracles.

God bless you,

Sherrie

Identify with Christ's Interest...

Hello

It has been a few of very trying weeks that have taxed each of us here in Gonaives and Jubilee. It has been one of the most emotional roller-coasters we have been on, but God has seen us through it and He has been glorified in so many ways. I have not been able to communicate with many of you, because of computer issues, so I will recap what has happened in the last three weeks. I am thankful for those at SSCC who have blessed the ministry with a new computer and for Barry Harrell recovering all my files and info from the old one. It is a blessing to be able to communicate with you again. When Hurricane Tomas passed by Gonaives on Friday night November 5th, it left a about a foot of water in the city and in Jubilee. It was a trying time for many families. Laura Lynn and Rachel were able to assist many people during that time by allowing them to come to the school to dry off and have a place to sleep. We thank God for His refuge in times of storms. Julie was at the house and made preparations for the worst along with Amos, Gertrude and Marvins. There was a little water in the Garage but it did not enter the rest of the house. We praise God for honoring our prayers.

On Monday the 8th of November after Tomas left we were faced with yet another storm called cholera. By Wednesday 8 people in Jubilee died from it. The whole team here was awesome in helping those who had cholera. There were many sick in their homes and many sick people came to the school to get help. The hospital in Roboto was not taking anyone with Cholera and the other hospitals were overflowing. It was not a good situation for three days. On Wednesdayfluids to hundreds of people. We praise God for the well which was very timely. We were able to help with education for prevention. Mary, Julie, Laura Lynn, Rachel, and Brian all worked very hard to keep people alive through iv, oral re-hydration, and education. In the mist of the crisis, Nathan Blessing with Cross International traveled to Gonaives with a truck loaded with supplies which we were out of or did not have. We praise God for His provision through this time.

On the morning of Saturday the 13th, the hospital again would not assist people who had cholera. Laura Lynn took several people in who had needs and began helping them again. In the afternoon we were able to return the 5 patients at the school to the hospital in Roboto. Cholera seems to be better, but reports are they are expecting it to get worse. Over 1,600 people have lost their lives to cholera in Haiti. Near 11am that morning, Julie Aurthur who is our teacher from Virginia, received a phone call that her brother Justin Arthur had been killed in an auto accident. I have never experienced this and do not know what this family has had to endure, but I know God has been there with them. Julie was able to get a flight out that evening with Mary going with and beside her. I thank God for Mary's compassion for others which compelles her to minister to them. Mary has returned and Julie will return on the 30th. Please keep Julie and her family in your prayers.

On Tuesday the 16th we received a call from some Doctors and nurses near Cap Haitia who needed a ride to get to the airport on Wednesday. I have never traveled there but the scenery was great and it reminded me of what Jubilee will look like one day. They were able to spend the night with us in Gonaives and made it to PAP in time for their flight. We seen God's hand of protection and provision in a mighty way through this. We thank God for new friends and relationships.

We thank God for his provision through those who have visited with us over the past few weeks. The first week of November, we had a team from the Waycross, Blackshear, Ga. area with us. Their activities included completing the top on the cistern, teaching worship songs to the children in the school, and giving lots of love to many children and adults alike. They also were very good friends who gave us encouragement to keep going. We thank God for those who have worked on this cistern to provide clean water to this community. It was definitely in a good time with the cholera outbreak. On the 12th through the 14th, we had a few representatives from Somebody cares Houston who were awesome prayer warriors for the season we were going through. In addition to praying, they helped with the medical issues, told bible stories with puppets and gave much love to everyone. They blessed the school breakfast program with much peanut butter. They were a great encouragement for Mary. The last two weeks Kathy Brooks has led a couple teams who have worked on many different projects including gardening and small business'. We also had a team here from First Baptist Hattiesberg who have been a blessing helping with construction, medical needs and loving the children. Brian Smith has been here for a few weeks working on the housing project. We now have two foundations completed and are working on the walls of one. He will return soon to continue on this project. We thank him and those from Omaha who are working beside us in Jubilee. We praise God for those who visit us and bring the hope of God's unconditional love with them to share with us and our friends.

If you would like to see more updates on what has happened the last few weeks, you can look at muchministies.org, omaharapidresponse.blogspot.com, omaharapidresponse.org, or you can find Laura Lynn on facebook at lauralynnnichols. Many of you have asked how you can help with the school. There are opportunities to help in the school through jubileekidsinc.org or see attached (attached coming soon).

The presidential election was held today with much violence and people dumping ballot boxes in the street. It is expected to bring unrest. Please continue to pray for the government and this process.

I hope each of you have had a wonderful week this week as you have reflected on what you are thankful for during this season. As I have reflected the last few weeks, the thing that I am thankful for is God placing people around me who in the mist of a battle run towards the sound of the gunfire. Through all that has happened everyone involved has served selflessly and had the interest of others as more important than their own lives and welfare. I think that is what Oswald Chambers is talking about as he encourages us to identify with Christ's interest in other people. As we continue to ponder Jesus' probable action I am realizing that many times it calls us to a place of sacrifice and suffering on the behalf of others which is what Jesus set an example for us to do. I have found that I have failed in this area so many times because I thought what was on my agenda was more important than what God wanted to do in the lives of others, therefore I followed my desires and missed identifying His interest in others. Lord help us each day to deny ourselves and follow in your light and your steps in Jesus name. We thank you for your prayers and support and are blessed to see God honoring our prayers as we work in the Kingdom together.

With love in Christ,

Prayer request

Mary is doing much better with very little nausea.

Provision for medika manmba
Cholera and those effected.
Construction projects.
Government and election process
Bus to help with transportation.

Cholera Epidemic

Hello
We are once again in a storm of a different kind as the cholera epidemic is taking the lives of many and leaving others very sick. Monday morning when we reached Jubilee 2 people had died and later in the morning another. Brian had sent one man to the hospital on Sunday and they turned him away. Many went to the hospital on Monday to be turned away and sent home. So we began to do what we could. Laura Lynn was able to administer several IVs and we encouraged people to drink plenty of water and educated them as best we could in prevention. We set a water station and begin to give people clean water. We thank God for the well and it's provision. On Tuesday we were overwhelmed with sick people again and continued to do what we were doing the day before. Four more people died in Jubilee. Yesterday around midday the hospital begin to receive people again, so we took about 12 people we had there to the hospital and encouraged others who were sick to go there. Over 60 have died here in Gonaives and over 600 in the country. It is amazing to see the team here work so well and with such dedication and selflessness in the mist of this storm. Below is a report from an NGO of what is happening around the country. Our fears are this is only the beginning. Please continue to pray for the people here and let others know, as I still do not have my full contact list.

With love in Christ

OPERATIONAL BIOSURVEILLANCE

Current official stats are more than 9,971 cases and 643 fatalities.

In some areas of Haiti, we have confirmation that in-patient statistics are under-reported by as much as 400%.

There is no question of under-reporting. If we assume the case counts are 1/4 the true community load, then we now have nearly 36k cases shedding pathogen into the environment. We believe the true statistic to be closer to more than 50k based on the degree of under-reporting. This is an uncontrolled, uncontained epidemic of cholera that has exceeded public health capacity to investigate and assess every site reported and every sample received.

Evidence now suggests the epidemic has crossed the border into the Dominican Republic, which was expected.

HOPITAL ALBERT SCHWEITZER: EPIDEMIOLOGICAL DATA

We thank our colleagues for sharing this important information from the world-renowned Hopital Albert Schweitzer. Of particular note is the bimodal peak of the epidemic curve, likely reflective of waxing and waning transmission in the patient catchment area of HAS along the Artibonite River, particularly as transmission is seen in rural areas. It is clear epidemic activity in this area of Haiti has not ceased.

CAP HAITIEN, BAS LIMBER, LIMBE: IDIS CAT 5

The Cap Haitien / Bas Limbe / Limbe region is now assessed to be an IDIS Cat 5. Medical response grid failure is imminent without immediate intervention.

From an HEAS partner:

I made a visit to both Limbe hospitals yesterday and brought more supplies to Bord de Mer Limbe clinic (Haiti Village Health) where I ended up staying night due to huge volumes of rain and assisting with cholera patients here. Even with the rain (likely causing many to never make it) clinic is seeing 5-10 patients a day. 6 to the hospital this morning one of whom died. Late last night we were at (Hospital) Bon Samaritan which is overflowing with patients. The last two days had been crazy and they were hoping to set up a second tent today to accommodate increased patient load.

The situation at the other Limbe hospital (Government hospital St Jean) was worse. We brought a patient there only to discover that a huge tent and building full of patients was being attended by no one. There was no doctor or nurse present, dry IV bags, and when we asked how a doctor could be reached no one really knew. All patients from the clinic are now being routed to Bon Samaritan after stabilization with IV or oral fluid and the hospital has said to send them along no problem.


Also had another report from Clinic Ebenezer who said they were overrun with patients and on their last box of saline. Staff have been overwhelmed and they are looking for nurses.

I think that things are not great at the hospital (St Michel) or at the gymnasium where they are putting the suspect cholera cases. I had thought that MSF was all set up, but they still won’t be for a couple of days apparently. There have been a number of deaths in the community around FSM (Fort St Michel), and I understand people don’t want to stay at the gymnasium. I also understand that they are treating people at Milot. I have been in touch with people from the Baptist Convention Hospital in Quatier Morin, about possibly opening a ward there.

I have been speaking with contacts in PAP and they are hoping to send more supplies and staffing but many more are needed, as you can see how the spread is happening.

CHOLERA IN CAZALE

From an HEAS partner:

The clinic in Cazale started seeing suspected cholera cases yesterday. Stool samples have been sent to the capital for confirmation. They have only seen a few cases so far, and have adequate supplies and personnel. I will update if this changes. Cazale is located about 5 miles inland (up in the mountains) from Cabaret. Many of their patients walk for 6+ hours to get to them, so people often show up in pretty bad shape. Their first patient required 7.5 L of LR and 3 L of ORS before he urinated.

PORT DE PAIX: 20 FATALITIES REPORTED

CAP HAITIEN: 165 HOSPITALIZATIONS AND 7 FATALITIES REPORTED

GONAIVES AT IDIS CAT 5

We have multiple sources reporting 60 fatalities in Gonaives both in medical facilities and out in the community over the span of 48 hrs. This is an instance where timely warning coupled to rapid medical response surge was not successful. The mayor of Gonaives reported people were forced to walk to the hospital because taxis refused to transport them. He was quoted as saying, "Patients have died on the way to the hospital, the bodies are wrapped in blankets and placed near the cemetery in the city." The transport of these bodies were observed by locals, who now have mounted protests over the handling of the situation. At this point, establishment of a CTC is in development.

LA POINTE: CHOLERA REPORTED, WITH COMMUNITY ANXIETY NOTED

We have report of community anxiety due to cholera patient demand placed on the BERAKCA Hospital in La Pointe. As a result of a Request For Assistance, HEAS is mobilizing response assets to support the community. La Pointe is flanked on both sides of the coast by communities that have already reported cholera.

HEAS SITREP 11.9.10

SUMMARY
Current official stats are more than 9,500 cases and 583 fatalities. In some areas of Haiti, we have confirmation that in-patient statistics are under-reported by as much as 400%.

There is no question of under-reporting. If clinically apparent case counts are assumed to be 1/4 the true community load, then nearly 36k cases are shedding pathogen into the environment. We believe the true statistic to be closer to more than 50k based on the degree of under-reporting. This is an uncontrolled, uncontained epidemic of cholera that has exceeded public health capacity to investigate and assess every site reported and every sample received. Substantial political interference and resultant lack of proper coordination at the Health Cluster and WASH levels continues to severely compromise timely reporting of information critical to save lives. This has been a problem since the earthquake in January 2010. Haitian officials have declared the cholera epidemic to be an issue of national security, which may further contribute to political interference in information sharing.

Evidence now suggests the epidemic has crossed the border into the Dominican Republic, which was expected.

KEY UPDATES
Cholera has now seeded the Haitian environment in more sites than can be properly assessed. Evidence of community transmission is present in multiple sites such as the northwest, greater Port au Prince area, and strongly suspected in the southern peninsula. Transmission modes include waterborne, food contamination, and human-to-human contact.

Transmission in the original epicenter of the epidemic along the Artibonite River has decreased substantially and shifted to surrounding rural areas, extending to the northern coast. As feared, cholera transmission in communities along the coastal highway between St Marc and Cite Soleil likely resulted in dozens of indigenous cases now identified in Cite Soleil, with dire implications for Port au Prince. Multiple confirmed cases without travel history to Artibonite have been documented in both Cite Soleil and Port au Prince, and hundreds more suspect cases have been declared inside Port au Prince. Significant political interference prevents full clarity of the situation inside the city. As of this report, HUEH and other major medical centers inside Port au Prince are stable and able to handle the patient flow.

Sporadic, unconfirmed rumor suggests cholera has reached Carrefour, however this information is treated with a high degree of uncertainty. Eventual confirmation in Carrefour is expected. Other areas have reported cholera such as Grand and Petit Goave; confirmed or not, this would not be unexpected. All suspect cholera cases tested in Leogane have reportedly been negative, however it would not be unexpected to see confirmation in the very near future. Suspect cholera cases have been reported in Les Cayes, Jacmel, and several other rural communities in the southern peninsula. We assess it is highly likely the epidemic has indeed extended to the southern peninsula.

The issue of “suspected” versus “confirmed” reporting and decision points for action have been hotly debated inside the HEAS community. As was observed in the United States during the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, the number of samples collected is disproportionate to the ability of LNSP to process them in a timely fashion and publicly declare confirmation status. The entire nation is now sensitized to report cholera, however many have never seen cholera before. This implies means the false positive rate is likely increased. Diarrheal disease not due to cholera is caused by a wide variety of other endemic pathogens and is seen this time of year during the major rainy season. All of this acknowledged, hesitation to verify or assume “cholera until proven otherwise” may mean the difference between 1 and 10 fatalities for a given community. This is a tremendous challenge to the HEAS community.

We find that the pattern of reporting, particularly with rural villages in the north with minimal baseline medical capacity, initial IDIS ratings reach Category 5 and then are quickly downgraded to Cat 4 once medical response is mobilized and responders become habituated to clinical care for cholera patients. Much of Artibonite Valley is now rated at IDIS 3 or lower.

Port au Prince is currently rated at IDIS Cat 1 to 3, depending on the specific site, with strong potential to reach Cat 5 in the coming days. Cite Soleil is likely to reach Cat 5 conditions before Port au Prince.

The closest site reporting cholera to the border with the Dominican Republic (DR) is approximately 10 miles and is not on a major roadway. That said, 3 suspect cases have been reported with positive travel history from Haiti to DR, and no acknowledgement has been provided to-date by DR officials. We assess it is highly likely cholera is inside DR’s borders. The HEAS has coordinated with DR officials to provide situational awareness to enable preparedness.

The major rainy season normally peaks in October and persists through November. We assess the pass-through of Hurricane Tomas provided environmental enhancement of cholera transmission due to flooding. We expect to see continued effects for the next several days.

STATUS OF THE BIOSURVEILLANCE GRID
The HEAS is a community of more than 600 online and offline ground medical responders, international experts in cholera ecology, operational biosurveillance analysts, meteorologists, veterinarians, sanitation specialists, and public health officials. The membership includes international NGOs, IGOs, UN, US agencies, and private citizens with specific, relevant expertise.

The HEAS Mid Action report, based on the initial 150 days of operations post-earthquake, displays the power of operational biosurveillance-facilitated distributive networking for early warning and rapid response. The HEAS community has now evolved into a self-regulating body that processes tactical event warning and forecast information to prompt verification and rapid “swarm” medical response activities. It is the largest group of its kind operating in Haiti.

CONCLUSION
The cholera epidemic in Haiti proceeds in an uncontrolled, uncontained fashion and will likely encompass all of Haiti within a matter of weeks. Ecological establishment will be pervasive regardless of ongoing response efforts.

Efforts to improve access to safe drinking water and sanitation are as challenging as they were post-quake, and now additional vast areas of Haiti will require similar attention. It is unlikely effort will be mobilized quickly enough to forestall the spread of cholera. Public health intervention in the areas of education, hygiene, and training of medical responders will continue to be important. However, the default operational position now is not to prioritize effort to prevent spread but to prevent or mitigate unnecessary fatalities. The HEAS is narrowly focused on early, actionable warning coupled to “swarm” medical response. We have observed time deltas between warning and imminent healthcare facility collapse can be as short as 24 hrs. The HEAS has encouraged high false positive rate reporting to ensure communications with involved medical facilities and staff can be established and resources mobilized quickly enough should they be
required. This process has already assisted several overwhelmed facilities and likely prevented unnecessary loss of life.

It is notable the function of the HEAS, as facilitated by operational biosurveillance analysts, is distinct from public health operations with a different focus, scope, and operations tempo. Although complimentary information sharing between the two communities would likely be more productive than maintaining a separation of operations, we have found public health involvement aside from consultative input to be largely irrelevant. This is a similar observation to what was observed during the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic and likely reflects a well-understood lack of agility in public health function during rapidly evolving infectious disease crises and disasters.

The HEAS coordinates with other foreign nations about the situation in Haiti. As discussed above, DR will likely be the second country in the region to experience epidemic conditions. It is difficult to anticipate the next involved country thereafter. Advisories were sent by the HEAS to key elements of the United States medical community on 10/21, 10/22, and 11/4 in an effort to sensitize clinical awareness for travelers or patients transferred from Haiti. The discovery of cholera in travelers or patients from Haiti inside the United States will not be unexpected.

Continued independent "smart swarming", utilizing distributive networks for situational awareness, is strongly recommended with an expectation for a protracted period of response operations.

Eventual regionalization of cholera in the Caribbean is a strong possibility but not a certainty if the pandemic of the early 1990s is a guide.

ST MARC REGIONAL CASE COUNTS SUBSTANTIALLY DECREASED

We now have reports from HEAS partners in Villard and Pont Sonde that, as with the majority of the St Marc region, cholera case counts are substantially decreased now:

[Villard] We have collected numbers from our "UTC" in Villard, (just north of Pont Sonde and St Mark) and number of patients saturday was 10, Sunday was 2. They called to say that, after the rains, a few more were sick 'from time to time' but that it is all. This is down from 35/d last week and a peak of approx 115/d.

[Pont Sonde] Thankfully, we have had no deaths at the clinic and the number of cases has dropped dramatically.

MORE CHOLERA IN PORT AU PRINCE WITHOUT TRAVEL HISTORY FROM ARTIBONITE

From HEAS partner:

We have now 2 more patients who have rapid tested positive for cholera 01 at Hospital Bernard Mevs. One is 41 year old woman who lives in Salt in La Plain in a house, also has not travelled outside of her area in over a year. The other is a 33 year old woman who lives in a tent city not 10 minutes from Hospital Bernard Mevs that is called Cite Renord. Her water source is apparently a communal water source; she also has not traveled. This water source in this tent city should likely be investigated.

Update...

Hello
We arrived in Gonaives yesterday afternoon. Things are well here and we continue to pray for our friends in need. The water entered many houses but is drying up today. I think my computer has crashed again, so I do not have many of my contacts. Please let others know we are OK. Thanks for your continued prayers.

With love in Christ

Hurricane Tomas Update...

Hello

Mary and I are in Port-au-Prince today. We returned with a team from Blackshear which was supposed to fly out today. The flights have been canceled and they are now scheduled to fly out on Sunday. It has been raining here today with very little wind.

The water is beginning to rise in Gonaives. Pastor Genada, his family, and orphans have moved to the motel to prepare for another flood. Please pray for them as they minister to those in need around them.

Laura Lynn and Rachel are in Jubilee ministering to those in need there. Jubilee is probably one of the highest places in the city. We intended the school there to be a refuge in time of need. There are many houses there now which have water in them. We praise the Lord for His provision for those in need during this time. Laura Lynn and Rachel are in good spirits and doing what God puts before them. Please pray for them and the people in Jubilee.

Julie is at our house with Woobens, Amos, Gertrude, and Marvins. Water is not in the house yet, but they are making preparations and moving things upstairs. The house has two stories and is near the Mountain. When I talked with her a few minutes ago, she was in good spirits as they move things around and look for opportunities to minister. Please pray for them as they work this evening.

We met with Nathan with Cross International today and he gave us some food to take back and share with those in need. We are grateful for God's provisions. Mary has been burdened today to be back with the people she loves. We plan to travel back tomorrow if the roads are good. Please pray for us as we travel.

With much love in Christ,

Laughter brought to Jubilee...

Doreen Sigman returned with another group from First Baptist Brunswick to work with the teachers and children in the school. It is always great to see the progress the children are making. They brought much laughter and fun with them for the children of Jubilee. On Friday night they showed the film Madagascar. The children are still going around saying "movin--movin" and asking to see it again. They also did a talent show on Saturday evening and many in the community showed up to watch it. This was a great time of family friends and community.

The team was wonderful in spending much time showing God's love to these little ones. Darrin young returned to finish the project on the composting toilet for the community. This will certainly be a great blessing to the community and help with the spread of disease such as Haiti experienced this week. Delono was a worker who helped with the construction on the toilet. Last week his wife gave birth to twins. Mike Hodge traveled with the team and it was a blessing having him and Darrin help out with the construction on the building. We were able to pour several more post and perlins. We are also praying for someone to come and oversee the construction project here. Please continue to pray for continued provision for building and someone to stay for a while to help out.

Joel Hannon led a team from New Hamshire this week. They were involved in many activities which helped build relationships into the Kingdom of God. Joel's wife Nancy and two daughters Naomi, Lydia, and Marilyn worked with the deaf school at pastor Genada,s church. It was good to see these relationships continue in dept from the past years. They also worked with Laura Lynn in the Jubilee school on Wednesday, teaching and encouraging the children.

Joel, his son Joey and Mark helped to build a cistern for the community. It has been a great blessing to have a well with good water and now with the cistern, the community will be able to have fresh water. It was a lot of work digging a four foot deep hole and building forms to mold the concrete, but it is near complete and we will be putting a top on it this week where the community can start using it. This is another way which will prevent the spread of diseases.

Dr Chris with his daughter Rachel and three nurses from Colorado had several clinics in Jubilee and Roboto which was a great blessing to those who do not have money to buy medicines. During the clinic some twins which were just born, were brought in. The mother died during childbirth and the aunt was taking care of them. Please pray for their family as they mourn this loss.

We are hearing that there has been 330 deaths with the Cholera outbreak and as many as 4,700 hospitalized. This has been difficult for those who have lost loved ones and those who have been and are sick. We have helped by bringing community awareness and taking extra precautions for ourselves. It seems that things are getting better at the moment. Please pray for this situation and those who are sick and have lost loved ones.

On Saturday November the 6th there will be a silent auction in Brunswick, Ga. to benefit the children in Jubilee. It will begin with a time of praise and worship. Attached is a flier which gives the date, place and time for this. You can also see other ways to get involved at www.jubileekidsinc.org We are thankful to those who see the need and are being doers of the word. Please pray for this event and those who are organizing it.

With much love and a big thanks from Mary and I to those who are praying and supporting what God is doing here. We are continually in awe at Him and His work.

With Love in Christ,

Prayer Request

Mary is doing much but continues to have minor stomach pains, and nausea.

Provision for medika manmba

Cholera and those effected.

Someone with construction experience to help with building.

Auction which will be held Saturday.

Is Anything Else Christianity?

Hello

Mary and I arrived back in Gonaives last Saturday evening. It was great to spend a couple of days with Beaver and get caught up with all that has been happening while we were away. We are very thankful for Beaver and Kathy continuing to build into the Kingdom of God while we were away. Attached is some ideas which he shared with us for the time which he spent here. As you are beginning to enjoy a few cool nights there, we have been trying to readjust to the hot climate here. Mary has had some issues with nausea for a few weeks and it continues. Please continue to pray for her.

Everything in Jubilee is going great as we continue to build relationships there. We now have a well which produces good water. The school is working like a smooth oiled machine with some of the children reading in English now. The area near the market where the community cleared the garbage looks wonderful and they have started a community garden there. The medika manba program continues with about 30 severely malnourished children. It is a high nutrition peanut butter which is making a difference for these children. It is costing 1,050 dollars a month to maintain this program. Please pray for God's provision. We are also looking for a bus to help out with our transportation. We are looking for something like a shuttle bus with seats that will carry 20 or 25 people. It needs to be in good shape for the roads here and needs to be a diesel engine. If you know someone who may donate or help with this, please contact us. We would like to ship it from the states. Please pray for God's provision.

We are grateful for God's provision of a backhoe which we will have shipped over. Also thankful for God's provision for the container and items for school and construction. Please be in prayer about the shipping and receiving through customs of these items. I know it is only through Him and His protection that this can be accomplished.

While we were in the states, it was great to see many friends and family and spend time with them. It was a special time of spiritual growth for me as I spent time with God and in the word. While there, one of the books I read, was the book "In His Steps" by Charles Sheldon. It is a christian classic which has been around for years, but I have never read it. The phrase "what would Jesus do?" was most likely coined from this book. It was about a Pastor who challenged his congregation to make a promise for a year. Each person as they made decisions in their moments of life were to ask the question "what would Jesus do?" I know many of you, like I have, have heard the phrase, seen the belts and bracelets, and even quoted the phrase. The difference in the book was each person was to follow the question by acting out in their life what they thought was the probable actions of Jesus. This was based on each persons own convictions and they were not to judge others by their convictions. The result was community transformation and lives being changed. The tragedy of this, is the book is Christian fiction and not a reality. Since I have read this book, it has stirred my soul and forced me to ask the question "Is anything else Christianity?" It seems we can pray in the mornings and then we are able to pass through the day without including God in our small and big decisions of life. If we as Christians really did this, I am sure that our lives would be different. If we are followers of Christ, we do have the Holy Spirit with us to lead us through the small details of our life. It takes more than knowing what Jesus would do, it takes acting out Jesus probable actions in our life so that we truly and rightly represent Him. I would like some feedback as you ponder "is anything else Christianity?" Please pray for me as I strive to walk in His steps, though I fail many times. I encourage you to read this book and see if God speaks to you through it.

With love in Christ,

Prayer request

Healing and readjustment to environment for Mary

Provision for medika manmba

Provision for bus.

School children and those who are giving their all for these children

Here are some pictures from our visit at home: