Manifest the Life of Christ

It is always good to give you reports of the great things which God is doing here in Gonaives. It is not so easy to give reports of the struggles and persecutions which we have while serving on the foreign field. This has been and continues to be one of the hardest weeks Mary and I have had as we serve here. Even as I write, our hearts are heavily burdened for those we have grown to love. The people in the village of Jubilee, began using the market this week which is good, for it provides opportunities for them to make money for their families. After that one of the villagers took the benches we were using to feed the children with and would not return them. We spent most of the day yesterday getting orders from a judge for them to return the benches. They were returned but the judge told us if they did not want to work with us, we needed to find another place in the city to feed children where people would work with us. We have grown to love many of the children and adults in this village and do not want to leave. We believe this is where God has called us to serve. As I was reading Oswald Chamber's "utmost for his highest" this morning, I was reminded that I was saved to manifest the life of Christ in this mortal flesh. It is when we are placed in difficult situations such as this that we are able to manifest the life of our flesh or the life of Christ. When things are going good, we do not have this opportunity. It is difficult at best as we walk though this trial, but my prayer is that I will respond in the way which Jesus would respond and His life would be manifest in me. We are having to stop feeding the children a few days as we seek God's will and direction. Please pray for the children and those who are using the children in a way to try to control us.

God continues to provide for the needs of the children day by day. Another baby who has been malnourished for a few months was brought to the feeding program this week His name is Herode. He is 18 months old and 9 pounds. Mrs. Baker is helping care for him. She will keep him in her home for a few weeks to try to nurse him back to health. We took him for blood test and everything is good except his hemoglobin level which is 9. Please continue to pray for him.

Doctor Jeffers took us to another home last week where a woman lay in bed with bedsores which smelt as rotting flesh. We tried to encourage the family to get her to the hospital, but they chose not to. Please continue to pray for her and others here who need medical assistance. We were able to take three people to PAP this week for medical treatment.

We have had the opportunity to continue working with the Pakistani Un troops here. Most of them are Muslims and one is a Christian. We have had several opportunities for them to come to our home and share a meal and fellowship with them and they have invited us to meals and fellowships on the UN Base. Jesus said and the greatest of these is love. As we love people who are not like us, it give opportunities for us to manifest the life of Christ in our mortal bodies. Because they were our friends, they willingly escorted us as we went to pick up the benches. We praise God that he allows us to build relationships into the Kingdom of God.

Last week a team was here from Wisconsin who made a difference in many lives. There was two houses worked on where widows lived which the storm damaged. Don Shire who led the team, shared with many the hope which is in Jesus Christ by sharing the gift God has given him for playing the trumpet. We had opportunities in Church, Un camp and in the town square, both children's feeding programs and in the homes of shut-ins to share this talent and the hope which is in Jesus. The team consisted of a few carpenters also which helped work on Pastor Genada's church along with Austin. Austin will be leaving this week. I thank God for him and his willingness to come and serve in the Kingdom of God. Please pray for him as he returns home. Also pray for those who are continuing to come and change lives.

Prayer Request

* Tension in Jubilee

* Thank God for His continued provision for the children through the Body of Christ and pray for continued provision.

* Persons in need of medical help.

* Praise God for all His provision through the Body of Christ in many different ways.

With love in Christ,

Emory and Mary

Continued Provision

It has been a wonderful week as we have had a team from Omaha visit with us this week. They have been a blessing to us and to those who they serve this week. They have rebuilt a few homes in Jubilee village and have started working with more families to bring life and hope. This week another home was complete with a roof where the family can return.

It is so awesome to see that God is placing different people on the wall as he rebuilds for the Kingdom of God. Please continue to pray for your place on the wall and what God would have you to do. This team brought a special guest with them this time. It is Waheed Alam from Pakistan. We had a very special treat on Sunday night because the Pakistan Army is serving part of the UN force here in Gonaives. They invited Wheed and he invited us to go with him. They really treated us like royalty and fed us a great meal of lamb. On Monday evening I received a call from the Col. Zafar who wanted to visit Jubilee on Tuesday. They joined us there for the feeding program and then gave us a truck load of food for the children there. Praise the Lord for His provision. It is great as God is expading our reach and realm of influence into other countries as we build relationships into the Kingdom of God.

This also has been a great week in Jubilee. The medical needs have been overwhelming for Mary and I and taking much of our time. We have been praying for someone to help us with this. This week God has placed Nurse Matine in our lives. She is a registered nurse and we were able to to hire her this week. She has began distributing vitamins to the children and checking on the sick persons in the village each morning. Praise the Lord for his provision. Last Sunday when Omaha Rapid Response was interviewing a family which they built a house for in Jubilee, I was there and the question was asked "How many meals do your children get each day?" The response was "One meal which they receive at the feeding program." Even though this was something which I knew, to hear this mother say this in a very sad manner, caused me to be so thankful to be able to do this. As I pondered it, I realized that there would be no way for this to happen if it were not for those of you who support this program and pray for this provision. Thank you so much for all you do for the Body of Christ. We have been able to build more benches for the children now and it has been a blessing to be able to sit them down and have some order. Please continue to pray for support and other needs which we have here.

It has been a blessing having Dan Burns here for three weeks working along side of Austin. They have been a tremendous blessing, building benches, furniture and helping feed the children each day. They also went out on the boat with Barnabas on Wednesday and caught more starfish, conch, and an octopus. Yesterday, we had octopus for lunch. It was different!! Pastor Genada has finished construction on the oven for the Bakery. It will take two weeks for it to cure before he will be able to cook bread in it. Please continue to pray for them.

With love in Christ,

Emory and Mary

Prayer Request

* Genada's ministries,

* Thank God for His continued provision for the children through the Body of Christ and pray for continued provision.

* Praise God for nurse Matine and the medical help she will provide!!!

* Praise God for all His provision through the Body of Christ in many different ways!!!

**Please be sure to check out ways you can help located at the bottom of this page. **

RaRa Celebrations

As RaRa gears up this week it is all about partying and dancing on the streets. Some nights we here the Voodoo drums far away in the distance and they eventually arrive and pass in front of our home. Mary loves to get on top of house and yell He is risen in Creole. They are celebrating Satan's victory over Christ death on the Cross. There is one place in town where there is a thirty foot statue of Jesus on the cross and they build a big stage platform under it where thy celebrate this and mock the cross. We are here to tell them the rest of the story and about He is risen and there is hope in a relationship with Jesus. It is because of you and your prayers and support that we are able to be here and do this. Thank you. As I think of this, I know there are many people in your realm of influence, even though they do not celebrate in this way, they do not know the power in the risen Savior. Please use this opportunity as you celebrate His life to share that with those who don't know. Please continue to pray for us as we share the love of God with those He places in our paths.

Group from Myrtle beach are not strangers here in Gonaives. They are building relationships that will last into the Kingdom Of God. It was a roller coaster week emotionally for each of us as we walked into the things which God placed before us. It was a challenge on several days with the children at Jubilee Blanc. They are continuing to give trouble feeding them in the big area and it is very slow gaining control. Please pray for us as we face this daily. The week was packed with house calls as nurse Rhonda was ready to help everyone. On last Monday we went with Doc to house where there were two burn victims. They had been in an accident in January, where they were trapped in a burning vehicle. They spent three weeks in the hospital and was released in February to go home. What we saw when we arrived was unbelievable. The whole front of one was burned from neck to toes, and the stanch of rotten flesh was unbearable. We tried to get them in the care hos

pital which is a temporary set up in a warehouse and they refused to take him. The next day, we were able to get him in. The other is being treated daily by Doc and seems to be getting better. Please pray for these and others who are out there which we do not know about.

The guys on the team along with Austin were able to place some tin on the sides of Mama Police's house where she could move back in.

It was great time on the mountain where we cried out to God along with the Haitian people to change this land. Thank you Palmetto Shores Church for representing Christ in Gonaives.

Last Thursday as I was traveling back to Gonaives, I began getting a headache and other body pains. When we arrived I was ready to go to bed to rest. When I awake on Friday morning I had all the Flu like symptoms, body pain, freezing one minute and sweating the next. I could not stand without being dizzy headed. We began to treat it for flu, it continued and we started treatment for Malaria, On Monday and Tuesday the sweating did not stop for 48 hours and I could not sleep with that. On Tuesday I was tested for Malaria and it came back negative. On Saturday and Sunday, Mary Began to call a few prayer warriors and it finally broke free on Tuesday afternoon and took a couple more days to rest and regain strength where I could function again. Thank you so much for your prayers and concerns. I am again a living testimony of what God can do through prayer.

We were able to get Grace Dieu to an aids clinic and on treatments this week. She is lady who had a baby in early December. The baby also is in an aids program and most likely will not have long-term aids if she stays in the treatment program. Mary's ear is doing great now. Dan Burns from Kansas is with us for three weeks. We look forward to working with him. Another team will arrive from Omaha on Friday. Please continue to be in prayer for those who are coming and laboring in the harvest. Prayerfully, we will begin with well this week or next. The security house on the property is near complete with doors being installed today. Praise the Lord!! English class continues to go well and there has been much help with the teams who are coming in.

Three of the ladies including Mary had a birthday in March, so we had a party and cake.

The woman who makes the clay cookies to sell was very friendly this time. She even gave us her recipe for the cookies.

Please continue for provision for this community as our vision expands.

Prayer Request

* Pray for the city this week and Haiti, as they celebrate, may God remove blinder and show some the truth.

* Genada's Ministries

*Thank God for His continued provisions for the children
through the Body of Christ and burn victims and others in need of medical help.

* Praise God for Mary's inner ear infection clearing up and my recovery.

A Week of Celebration!!

We had a team visit with us this week from Berry college in Georgia. It was good to have Kathy Brooks and two of her children here with the team. There was a wonderful time of sharing and helping people along the way. They were able to replace and repair the roofs of two homes which were destroyed by the flood. Other highlights were painting with Woobens, helping out with the English class and meeting with God on the mountain. Austin Betz from Chicago was also part of the team this week. He will be staying with us for the next three months and helping us. Praise the Lord for teams and those who want to help. Please continue to pray for those coming and pray that you may visit someday.

Kim Gould has submitted the results from screening the children's hemoglobin levels and some of the results are below. It is a very good picture of where the children are and where they need to be. Please continue to pray for the provision of these children. We would like to sometime in the future begin giving more than one meal to the children which are in the most need and increase the nutrition in the meals.

Total number of children screened 158

Percent of Hgb readings in normal range (13.5 to 16.5) 1.6%

Percent of Hgb readings between 12 and 13.5 3. 7%

Percent of Hgb readings between 8.1 and 11.9 74. 7% (est)

Percent of Hgb readings 8 and below 20%

Basically, less than 6% of the children screened in the normal range and 20% with levels lower than 8 are critically deficient.

Iron Deficiency Anemia

Definition

A decrease in hemoglobin production due to an insufficient supply of iron that results in ........ anemia.

Causes of iron depletion include:

* decreased dietary intake

* decreased iron absorption

* rapid growth (low birth weight infants and adolescents)blood loss

Complications

Impaired cognitive and motor development in infants and toddler

Positive correlation between cognitive and motor deficits and severity and duration of anemia

Impaired lymphocyte and neutrophil (white blood cells) function leading to increased risk of infection

Short term memory impairment and poor exercise performance in adolescents

Prognosis

Anemia readily corrected with iron replacement

Developmental delay may be long lasting or irreversible

We have begun constructing a security house on the property in Jubilee. Anytime you do any kind of work here, you need security or what you do can be destroyed. So this is needed prior to drilling the well. Praise the Lord for His provision of this through the Body of Christ. We are still working towards some organization feeding the children in the market area. Please continue to pray for wisdom and discernment in this.

Mary celebrated her birthday last Thursday, but she was in bed most of the day with an earache. She seems to be doing better now but still needs your prayers for her ears. Thank you for your prayers for us while we have been sick. The Genada's moved in their new home on Monday and we gathered there on Wednesday night after church for a time of celebration. We sang and rejoiced together as we sang "To God be the glory. Thanks to you who have so freely given to their ministry and needs. The bakery should be complete and ready to make bread in about three weeks. Please keep the Genada"s in your prayers.

With love in Christ,

Emory and Mary

Prayer Request

* Market building, building up land, and well.

* Genada's ministries,

* Thank God for His continued provision for the children through the Body of Christ

* Continue to pray for English class.

* Please pray for Mary's inner ear infection.

Prayer Mountain

It was an exciting week last week as a team from Waycross, Ga. led by Don Patterson (Director Of Missions of Okefenokee Piedmont Association) visited with us. It was a short trip with many activities. On Wednesday the team was able to visit the feeding centers in Roboto and in Jubilee and help feed the children with food many of you provided. Afterward, there were several house calls where we were able to minister to the medical needs of several families in the village of Jubilee.

On Wednesday, we were able to spend time with God on the prayer mountain which many of you have experienced when visiting here in Gonaives. It is a place where the Christians go to pray and is open 24 hours a day for them to meet with God and cry out for their country. This was a very special time for the team as is with all who visit there.

On Thursday afternoon we traveled back to PAP where we visited Pastor Accilien's church. It was a good visit. On Thursday night we had dinner with him and also the IMB missionary in PAP Mark Rutledge. On Friday morning the team was able to visit with Sherrie Fausey and see the wonderful things which God is doing through her ministry. Please pray for this team as they return and ask God what part they play in God's plan here. Also pray for others who have planned and are planning to come visit here.

The English discipleship class continues to expand. We gave test to many of them on Tuesday and it is amazing how they are advancing. There were 18 who have advanced enough to read English. Each of them were given a booklet with the Gospel of John. As they continue to advance, we will give them English Bibles and dictionaries. Please continue to pray for their growth in Christ and ability to learn English which will give them many more opportunities.

Our relationship with God and others continues to be our focus. On Saturday afternoon, Elefat, (the fisherman who came to know Christ) showed up in our yard with a pan full of fish for us. He cleaned them and gave them to us, not wanting anything in return. Please continue to pray for Elefat and others as they walk daily with God. Walking with God is something that each of us must choose to do each day if we desire to know Him. We are continuing to help a man in Jubilee who burned both of his feet. Please pray for him and others who need medical help.

With love in Christ,

Emory and Mary

Prayer Request

* Market building, building up land, and well.

* Genada's ministries,

* Thank God for His continued provision for the children through the Body of Christ

* Continue to pray for English class.

* Please pray for the Genada's and me as we fight a cold and Mary's inner ear infection.

How Deep is Your Well?

A team from First Baptist Brunswick arrived Friday and Saturday. They began in PAP when they stepped off the plane into the orphanage which houses the children which Mary and I were with during the storm. There are 50 children there now and each one was seen by the team which included a nurse Jennifer and Dental Hygienist Brenda. They shared their love and compassion with these children as they worked. They were also able to see each of the children at Bercy and then a 100+ in Jubilee. As always there were many turned away which did not get help.

Tony, Randy, and I went out on the water with a couple of the local fishermen (Barnabas and Elefat) on Thursday to experience some of the toils they go through from day to day trying to feed their families. It was an awesome time there and when we returned, Elefat came to our home to clean the catch of the day which was Lambi or Conch. During the process Elefat came to know Jesus Christ. The Lambi was good for diner also. There will be a team from my home area this week, led by Don Patterson, please pray for their safe travel and the events for the week as they come. Please pray for other teams who come and those who God is speaking to about coming.

The K-anaval or Party was peaceful for the most part here in Gonaives. Mary, Tony and I had a great opportunity on Tuesday night we went to the town square with some of our children here and passed out over 1,000 tracts in less than 30 minutes. It was a great way to share about the risen Savior. People were taking them faster than we could pass them out. Some were even helping us to pass them out. As we were leaving, many were reading the tracts which we gave them.

On Tuesday there was a medical clinic at Pastor Genada's church and Wednesday morning at Jubilee. Many were turned away in both places because we did not have enough time. I can only imagine what these people go through getting turned away so much. The McCarthy's son Colby was a warm welcome to the Haitian children here and shared God's love with them as he interacted so well. Many came to Christ though these clinics. Please continue to pray for the medical needs here in Gonaives.

This week as we read Oswald Chambers my utmost for His Highest, he was talking about the woman at the well. Her problem was that the well was too deep. It was only too deep because of her calculation without Jesus being the provision. As I ponder the depth of the spiritual and physical poverty here in Gonaives, it seems the well continues to get deeper as time passes, but this lesson has caused me to refocus on Jesus Christ who is the provision regardless of how deep our well is. As I write this I offer a prayer for any storm that you may have that just seems to deep for you to grasp, that you will allow Jesus to be the provision.

Things are going good with the market building though we have much to do trying to get more organized with it. The well Coordination and land build up are moving slow as always here in Haiti. Please continue to pray over these. Our English discipleship class is going strong with 50 students on Thursday. Many of them are to the place where they can read children's books now. Many who have come on teams have encouraged these in their walk with God. If you have any small devotionals which you use on a regular basis and throw away, if you could collect them and send to me they will be great for these students as they learn to read. Please continue to pray for these students as they become disciples of Jesus Christ.

Prayer Request

* Praise God for peace during carnival time and alllowing us to share the rest of the story.

* Market building, building up land, and well.

* Genada's ministries,

* Thank God for His continued provision for the children through the Body of Christ

* Continue to pray for english class.