Merry CHRISTmas

Merry Christmas to each and every one of you. 

Today is such a special day in our lives, the celebration of the birth of Jesus so long ago.  We would like to share with you a poem that a good friend wrote a few years ago.  It came along with a Christmas card this year from she and her husband.

A GIFT FOR GOD

As you celebrate this Christmas,

Say a prayer to God above,

And tell Him you are grateful

For the Son He gave in love.

For the Mother who delivered

In that stable, far away;

For the Star that led the Wise Men

To the manger, where He lay.

For the Angels, singing sweetly,

"Peace on Earth, Good Will to All",

And the Shepherds who, in wonder,

Gathered 'round that cattle stall.

For our Faith, as we remember

Every year His blessed birth,

And with joy relive the story

Of the night He came to earth.

For our Families gathered 'round us,

And the Love that fills our hearts;

And that special Peace that happends

As the Christmas season starts.

Do speak to God this Christmas -

Give the gift for which He waits!

For a thankful heart's a treasure -

One that God appreciates.

Margot Strongitharm

1994

We wish you a Merry Christmas
and may the peace of Christ be with you.

John and Dorothy

Snow, Snow and More

It is now Thursday the 16th and of course, we have seen some of you already who read our blog but for those we have not seen....we arrived home from Williamsburg, Virginia safely on Saturday, the 11th after 14 hours on the road and no snow.  Neither one of us could sleep on Friday night so we were up at 3:00 a.m. and on the road by 4:36 a.m. Saturday morning.  There was NO snow to deal with (although we did drive though areas that had snow), and absolutely NO holdup at the US/Canada border. Our front door had a Christmas wreath, the bannister was decorated and both trees had been put up.  It was so wonderful to walk into Christmas.  Casey, Lisa and our granddaughters, Charlotte and Amelia, had been having fun and we so delighted.  Joni Eareckson Tada calls these unexpected gifts omiages in her devotional book, Diamonds in the Dust.  In Japanese, it means "a little gift that you are not required to give, as for a special occasion."  It was such a special way to welcome us home. 



Our back yard

 The SNOW started during Saturday night sometime and did not stop until sometime Sunday night.  However, that did not deter us from heading to the 9 a.m. service on Sunday only to find out it was the Sunday School Pageant at 10:00.  John did a Tim Horton's run (coffee), we had an opportunity to chat with several of our friends at St. Andrew's, and thoroughly enjoyed the pageant.  The Sunday School children from both the 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. service had combined and presented a wonderful rendition of the Christmas Story as only children can.

Last night we attended Charlotte's school Christmas pageant.  It brought back many memories of when our children were small, and we were showered again with omaiges by the performance.

Joni reminded us in the same devotional of how special the omiages are that God gives to us.  "He's not obligated to give us gifts.  He's not required to shower us with blessings."  He gives them all the time, but he gave us a special gift whose birth is celebrated in many countries on December 25th, his only begotten son, Jesus.   Praise God for this gift.

Running the Gauntlet of Snow

Mission to Haiti – December 12, 2010

Colonial Williamsburg decorated for Christmas

As those of you who are now aware of our blog at http://www.jdmhaiti.blogspot.com/ will know, we have spent the last week in Williamsburg, Virginia doing a little relaxing, a little Christmas shopping, and a little weather watching.  I don’t know what is happening on the north side of the great lakes other than we heard that a total of up to four feet of snow fell in the London area last week, but the south side has seen snow, snow and more snow in the lee of Lake Ontario and Lake Erie.  Unfortunately the route we need to take to get home runs right through this area of “weather.”   We now understand that Saturday, December 11^th is our best bet to get through this gauntlet of snow and back into sunny Ontario.  So, if you happen to see us in church today at St. Andrew’s you will know that we were successful in our run for the sun.

This past week in Haiti appears to have been a return to the troubles following the election on November 28^th.  We are told that American Airlines has cancelled flights into Port-au-Prince, traffic is no longer running along the highway outside the seminary and the manifestations (demonstrations) of roadblocks and tire burning have escalated following the release of the preliminary election results.  Not only do ordinary Haitians feel that they have been cheated, but the U.S. and U.N. have both cast doubts on the validity of the results.  What happens now insofar as it relates to a run-off between the top two candidates on January 16^th remains to be seen, but it could be a stormy month politically in Haiti.  Only time will tell.  This morning we were reading Proverbs 16 where it says that the king as head of government should make decisions that are fair (verse 12) and should value someone who tells the truth (verse 17).  Unfortunately in Haiti it has been far too long since they had a president who had attributes that would be seen as truthful, honest and caring.  Those that might have brought about positive change were either deposed or murdered.  Let’s pray those days will soon end.

The cholera epidemic continues, in what appears to be its inevitable march, through the Haitian population with over 2,000 dead and close to 100,000 infected with the parasite.  The OMS clinic at Vaudreuil continues to receive patients, and we continue to receive stories telling of the sorrows that are being visited upon families.  The latest tells of a father carrying his young daughter to the clinic only to be told that she was already dead; or of another, where the father came to the clinic with potions he had received from the voodoo witch doctor, took the IV out of his child’s arm, and then left with his child and his potions to treat her at home.  All the clinic staff could do was watch and pray that the child with a temperature of 101 degrees Fahrenheit would survive. 

Governor's Palace at Williamsburg

And it is while all this turmoil and despair is happening in Haiti and feeling some-what guilty that we are not there to share and to feel what our fellow missionaries are feeling, that we are sitting in a nice cozy condominium eating things that are mere memories when we were in Haiti, and shopping in stores that are loaded with things that would be unthinkable, let alone unattainable in the north of Haiti.  What we have noticed and remarked upon while shopping is how the crowds do not appear to be as large as one might expect this close to Christmas, an indicator of how much the U.S. economy is hurting these days.

May the peace of Christ be with you each one of you.

Dorothy and John

Plea for Nurses and Doctors for Haiti

Just a few minutes ago John and I read Julie's blog where we found out that there have been deaths at the clinic because of cholera.  Both Julie, Hannah, Dr. Rodney and others are exhausted both phyicall and emotionally.  This is what Julie has said taken directly from her blog, http://www.julieinhaiti.blogspot.com/.  Please read it.  It is heart-rendering. 

"Wednesday was a hard day for us in the clinic as we lost three patients. We went down to the clinic on Wednesday morning and the night nurses told us we lost one of the old ladies during the night. The lady had been there from the day before and was continually pulling out her IV fluids. Later that morning we lost another patient, another older lady who had come the morning before severely dehydrated and it took a long time to find a vein for an IV. A few times throughout the day we had to change the IV for various reasons and we just couldn't get  fluid into her as fast  as she was losing it.

Later that  afternoon we lost a little girl who was just  four years old. This was the hardest  for all of us, she came in that morning dehydrated but awake, drinking and talking....screaming even  while the doctors were trying to put an IV in. They  tried and tried but couldn't get one, we continued to give her oral rehydration solution continually. Around 3o'clock her dad told her to the bathroom, had diarrhoea  and she lost all the fluid she had in her wee body and stopped breathing right there, the doctors worked on her for nearly an hour but sadly there was nothing we could do.

It was a particularly difficult day for all our staff and especially the families of those patients who died. Please lift them up in your prayers. It just showed me how awful cholera is, I always thought once you get to  a hospital, get fluids in you will be fine however that is not always the case. The key is time, as soon as someone gets sick they need to get to a hospital as soon as possible. And we need to keep working on educating people on how they can protect  themselves against  cholera.

It  reminded me how fragile life is and how at  any  moment for any of us we never know what is going to happen. One minute that  little girl was sitting up talking and drinking and just  a few minutes later she had stopped breathing. Life is so fragile and not just here in Haiti. We really  need to have an urgency about telling people about God and about what He has done for us and how He alone can save people.

On a different note Hannah and I are thankful to have a team here this week from the states, the team includes 2 doctors and 2 nurses. I don't know what we would have done without them this week. On Tuesday the results of the election were announced and people weren't happy. Wednesday and Thursday brought rioting and roadblocks in town meaning very few of our clinic staff  could come to work. Which would have left me, Hannah  and Dr Rodney in the clinic but thankfully God knows what you need in advance. Things are quiet in the cholera 'hospital' this morning and Hannah and I are taking the opportunity to have some rest  before the team leave tomorrow.

We really need some more help down there, the cholera problem isn't going to go away anytime soon. If you are a doctor or nurse or a physio who knows how to change IV bags and flush out IV's would like to come on a short term trip to help in our clinic please get  in touch with me. We need people asap and I would say will be needing them for at least the next  couple of months.

On days like Wednesday its hard to look at the positive side of things, but we have treated well over 100 patients some of whom have come in very close to death yet  they have got better and walked out of our wee hospital which we praise the Lord for. On little girl, Neissa was there last week when she came in she wasn't very very sick but we got her IV in and kept her in, she got worse and worse with cholera. Basically you have to let cholera run its course through your body and staying hydrated with IV fluids, antibiotics don't do much because usually patients just throw them up again. Anyway she had 3 full days of being very sick gradually got better. I was out in Vaudrieul the other day and I heard this litte girl say hi Julie, I looked at her said hi and walked on. I never think much when people do that, they always say hello Julie and I never have any idea who they are or I can't remember them!!Anyway I thought about it and figured she just  was one of the loads of kids who know who I am. I stopped to visit someone at their house and she came in. I looked at  her and said 'Neissa' she said yes Julie. I couldn't believe it she looked like a completely different child I didn't even recognise her.

So we are grieving with those families who are grieving over their loss but also rejoicing with those who get completely better. I am thanking God for his strength, if anyone knows me they know I need a lot of sleep and I don't have very much stamina!!!However the only place I am finding physical and emotional strength from is in the Lord and he is enough for what I need. Every now and then I just  look at the things I have done in Haiti this year and if you told me that before I came I would have said no way I could never do that. Yet when you are open and willing to be used by God he gives you what he need for what he has called you to do.

I have quoted this verse a few times but Im just reading through the Christmas story and it comes up right there.....Luke 1 v 37

'For nothing will be impossible with God.'"
 
If you are a nurse or doctor, think about donating some of your time towards the cholera epidemic in Haiti.  If you know someone who is a nurse or doctor direct them towards this blog and then to Julie's site.  It is amazing what God can do with skilled hands that are prepared to work in less than perfect conditions.  He is the Great Physician.  Skilled hands are His hands and feet.

To find out how you can be part of the OMS team to assist in Haiti,

Canadians should contact the OMS Canadian Headquarters at: 1-800-784-7077

and

Americans should contact OMS International at:  317-888-3333.



Next Leg - Williamsburg or Bust

BRRRRR!!!!

At 6:30 a.m. in Florida on Dec 4th  it was cold.  The temperative hovered in the low 40's.  We were on way to Williamsburg, VA for the next leg of our journey where we plan to stay several days before finally arriving home.  The road was clear.  The air was fresh and cool but the sun was shining.  As we drove through Georgia and further into South Carolina a cloud cover starting rolling in.  We were not too far into North Carolina, about Fayette, when I said to John, "I think those are snow flurries hitting the window."  He had that look on his face that said, "What are you talking about, woman?"  Not much further along the flurries got bigger and bigger and bigger and they were falling steadily. We got out our brand new Christmas CDs and started playing Silent Night, I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas, I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day and more.

As we drove further it became dark and the flurries came faster and faster.  When we pulled off the road for supper at the Cracker Barrel in Wilson, NC we wondered whether it was very smart getting back on the highway and leaving a place that was warm and safe.  We were not back on the highway for long when the flurries became thicker and it became harder to see.  Cars slowed down and seemed to drive in packs no one wanting to pull out and pass another.  In one instance we saw a tow truck pulled to the left of the road where the medium dropped off into a wooded area.  Down below we saw a car that had obviously slid off the road and was leaning into the trees.  Shortly after we saw other emergency vehicles with sirens wailing and lights flashing heading toward what we assumed was the accident we had passed, but of course given the night, it could have been heading to another accident unrelated to the one we had viewed.  Thankfully, as we passed from North Carolina into Virginia the snow slackened and was quickly melting as we no longer had an accummulation on the grass along the sides of the road.  White knuckle time had passed and God's hand of protection had been on us all the time.

We still had a 2 hour drive ahead of us, and not knowing what other "driving pleasures" were awaiting us we continued our journey.  After a total of 14 hours on the road we finally arrived at our destination tired but safe.  Our timing could not have been more perfect as there was a spread of cheeses, fruit, and veggies that had been prepared for arriving guests, but because of the weather we were told much of it was going to be dumped in the garbage.  So, rather than having that happen to all the munchies we were given a huge platter of fruit to take to our condominium.  God has a plan for each of us and ours included not only a safe but an exciting trip from Orlando to Williamsburg, and a platter of food.  A very nice snack to end a long day.

Powhatten Resort, Williamsburg, Sunday Morning

Fireworks at colonial Williamsburg from net pic

The weather Sunday morning was something else, snow on the ground and a wind chill temperature of 26 degrees Fahrenheit.  We were told that the first night illumination and fireworks at colonial Williamsburg on Sunday evening is spectacular and something to behold.  However, that meant that we needed to buy some warmer things like gloves, hats, sweaters, etc.  In the end cowardice won out, and although we had good intentions we decided we would wait until later in the week when it is due to warm up to a cozy 50 degrees. 

The air smells of tall pine and oak trees, the condo is lovely, everywhere there is a feeling of Christmas in the air, and we are on our way home to be with family and friends for Christmas to celebrate the birth of the one who is called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 

Some Light - Some Darkness But Always God's Promises

Mission to Haiti – December 5, 2010

The news this past week has been mainly taken up with what is happening now that the election if over, and what is happening with respect to the cholera epidemic.  Both issues bring out strong emotions because both seem to be largely not resolvable.

The election on November 28^th was marred by incidents of ballot stuffing, names left off voter’s lists, voter identity cards never arriving, and a myriad of other situations that left more than half of the candidates for president calling for the vote to be held again because of irregularities.  We heard locally that they were going to go through the election process again, and then we heard that they would have a re-vote in those areas where serious problems were identified.  I don’t think most Haitians know what is happening.  The Haitian Electoral Commission has indicated that notwithstanding some problems the election went reasonably well.  There were a number of international observers and again I have not heard that anything happened that would call for the election results to be thrown out and a new vote to be held.  Of course, anything is possible so what is quoted as gospel today could be of little or no value tomorrow.  The results are supposedly going to be announced on December 7^th, and a run-off of the top two candidates would be held in those areas where the winning candidate did not have at least 50% of the ballots cast.  There is some talk of manifestations to protest the election, but so far it has been relatively quiet.

Cholera continues to march across the countryside, with the north being the hardest hit.  We have heard that 4 people from Saccenville were taken to Limbe with cholera symptoms this past week, and that one of the four died before receiving treatment.  We are told the small fishing village of Gaudin where some of the members of St. Andrew’s went with Roy Griffith four or five years ago has been particularly hard hit with several of the children at the OMS “Starfish” school coming down with cholera.  As of today none of the children attending the schools or the orphanage supported by St. Andrew’s have experienced the symptoms of cholera. 



New "hospital room" in the Welcome Inn
 Note the ping pong table as a room separator



First tents for cholera victims

 The OMS health clinic at Vaudreuil is now serving as a cholera treatment centre, and one of the guesthouses used by visiting work teams has been taken over for treatment of patients.  OMS staff, both medical and non-medical, is now working 24/7.  Julie Briggs, our friend from Northern Ireland who is a physio-therapist, and Hannah Perry, a x-ray technician from Oregon, together with Dr. Rodney, the Haitian physician in charge of the clinic, have been leading the effort to treat all who come through the door of the clinic suffering from cholera.  Again rumours abound, and there are still far too many Haitians who do not understand the nature of the illness and are not taking the proper precautions.  Rumour has it that you can catch cholera from the dust on the roads and you will now see many Haitians wearing masks.  They are also told that if they drink alcohol it will also prevent the catching of cholera.  Given the difficulties associated with communicating the proper information to everyone, it is hard to say where cholera will strike next or when it will run its course.  There is a great deal of anxiety within the Haitian community and it will be sometime before the tensions associated with this epidemic begin to ease.  Only time will tell.

This all may seem something of a downer, but there are bright spots amidst all the turmoil.  We can thank God that but comparison with other elections over the years that this election was relatively speaking non-violent.  This year they are attributing only two deaths to Election Day violence where in years past the numbers have been in the scores.  We can thank God that it appears that the numbers dying of cholera has seemed to slow even though the numbers infected continue to climb.  Medical aid is getting through and the sick are being treated.  Education relating to how cholera is spread is heard almost hourly on the radio, as is the importance of getting medical treatment as quickly as possible.  Voodoo practitioners are seen for what they are, charlatans, because there is nothing in their bag of tricks that will cure someone who is dehydrated and dying.  So there are positives, it’s just that by North American standards it doesn’t seem like much, but in Haiti progress is measured in inches not by feed or yards.

Ups and Downs from Our Daily Bread:

After God promised Abraham, “I will make you a great nation” (Gen. 12:2), 25 years elapsed before the birth of his son Isaac.  During that period, Abraham questioned God about his lack of a child, and he even resorted to fathering a son through his wife’s handmaiden. 

Yet through the ups and downs, God kept reminding Abraham of His promise to give him a child, while urging him to walk faithfully with Him and believe.

When we claim one of God’s promises in the Bible, whether it is for peace of mind, courage, or provision of needs, we place ourselves in His hands and on His schedule.  As we wait, it may at times seem as if the Lord has forgotten us.  But trust embraces the reality that when we stand on a promise of God, He remains faithful.  The assurance is in our hearts, and the time is in His hands.

Standing on the promises that cannot fail,

When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,

By the living Word of God I shall prevail,

Standing on the promises of God.

John and Dorothy

p.s.  Don’t forget to look at our blog at http://www.jdmhaiti.blogspot.com/.

Orlando Or Bust

Dec 2 dawned with a glorious sunrise.  Our day of departure from Haiti for Christmas was at hand.  Dr. Bill and Ruth Cooper left on Nov 27, the cleaning up was done and we were ready to head home.  Sad to be leaving our friends but with a heart full of gladness that we would be home for Christmas we left hurriedly when John said, "Let's go" shortly after 10 o'clock.  The truck needed to be back by 12 o'clock for Matt and Stacey as they together with Lily, Hannah and Julia were heading off to the Dominican Republic for a few well earned days of rest.   Cap Haitian Airport is a two hour round trip under the best of conditions, however there had been an road repair program in the last couple of days before the election and our fellow missionary John Hubele was able to get us there in record time.  We arrived with plenty of time as we were flying out on the second flight with MFI leaving we understood about 1:30 pm. 

We hadn't been in the waiting room too long before airport staff started to fill up the seats in the waiting room.  We realized there must be a staff meeting.  When one of my ESL students from our last stay as missionaries came into the room I asked him if we should leave.  He indicated in good English (pat, pat on the back) that it would be appreciated.  We moved to the check-in area and perched ourselves on stools for quite some time.   Eventually, the meeting was over.  It was a cholera prevention seminar and each person had to dip their hands into the bleach solution and were given hand sanitizer to carry.  We were so happy to hear that this teaching had been ongoing for the last month.  During our wait at the airport a little baby who had been brought to the Vaudreuil Clinic was pronouced dead of Cholera.

Ours was one of two MFI flights into Cap Haitien that day.  Our MFI flight came in, unloaded cargo and took off for Pignon to collect passengers.  The second flight came in unloaded cargo and passengers and then took off for Port-au-Prince.  One of the immigration staff who spoke English quite well (He was not in my class.) sat down to talk to me when the meeting had adjourned.  He began by telling me what his efforts were towards keeping cholera at bay and also made statements like, "Haitains have to live like pigs, it's no wonder cholera is spreading."  We had a long chat and eventually he got around to asking whether we might be able to bring him back a used laptop.  When I told him we were using a used laptop his face fell and then fell even further when I gave him the bad news that it wasn't a possibility.  He thanked me for being honest in letting him know and it was about then that our flight arrived 1 1/2 hours late. 

Our flight had finally arrived back from Pignon with three passengers and their cargo and we left around 3:30 p.m. knowing that we were refueling at Provo in the Turks and Caicos, landing for US immigration at West Palm Beach, and then continuing on to Fort Pierce where our car was waiting for us.  We left the airport at 9:30 thinking we would hit the Cracker Barrel for a meal before we left for Orlando.  Alas, it was closing time for the CB and a great disappointment for us.  Our second choice was Kentucky Fried Chicken.   But here's the great thing.  We DID have a choice.  All of a sudden we had a choice of a few fast food restaurants.  A Haitian's choice is, rice and beans or beans and rice once a day sometimes.  North Americans have SO MUCH to be thankful for.  We take our choice of restaurants for granted. 


Cypress Point

 Our drive to Orlanda was uneventful.  I'll bet you thought there would be another story in this.  Nope.  The only story is that it was almost midnight, we were dead tired but arrived to a lovely condo.  I thought we were going to spend the following day just resting.  What John thought of as a day of rest didn't match what I was thinking.  We spent the day at WalMart and Target buying things that we need to take back to Haiti with us in January, and we ate a lovely meal at an Olive Garden. Bless his heart.  It almost sounds like I have a food fetish since I have mentioned food twice but after two months in Haiti making do with what you can find at the store, and making up the rest of the ingredients based on what you have in the cupboard, it is so wonderful to sit down to a meal knowing that you didn't have to figure out what else you can use because it's not available locally to you in Haiti.  And someone else made it !!!

God blessed us with a little cooler weather in Florida.  The locals were freezing and we finally felt cool, but this was only a taste of what we would experience on our drive north to Williamsburg, VA. 

H.E.A.R.T.S. Christmas Gift Giving Program

THIS CHRISTMAS, SHARE

THE GIFT OF HOPE

WITH THE POOREST OF

THE POOR

Give gifts in a family member or friend’s name to help Haitian children.

Your gift will help Haitian children to receive the education they desperately need to overcome the poverty endemic to their county.

Imagine your Christmas gift supplying a uniform, books, shoes, and a backpack for a Haitian child; tuition so that they might attend school for the very first time; the salary for a teacher who earns the equivalent of $60 USD per month.

Every dollar you give will have a meaningful impact on the children of Haiti attending one of the 4 schools supported by H.E.A.R.T.S. (Haitians Educated And Ready To Serve).

To donate call (519) 843-3565 and talk to Sandra Woods at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, Fergus, Ontario, Canada.  Donations by cheque can also be mailed to Sandra at the following address:

St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church

325 St. George Street West

Fergus, ON, Canada, N1M 1J4

All Canadian donations will receive a receipt for income tax purposes.

You will receive a handmade Haitian gift card to give family members

 and your friends this Christmas

GIFT SELECTION

ð       $600 -Teacher’s salary for a school year

ð       $60 - Teacher’s salary for a month

ð       $360 - Nutritious meal for 4 students each day of the school year

ð       $90 -  Nutritious meal for 1 student each day of the school year

ð       $300  -Tuition for 4 students for the school year

ð     $75 -  Tuition for 1 student for the school year.

ð       $250 - Equip a kindergarten class for a year with learning materials

ð     $50 - Outfit a child with books, school uniform, shoes & backpack

ð     $25 - Provide a student with tuition and a nutritious meal each school day for a month

In exceptional cases, where donations exceed what is needed for a particular item, H.E.A.R.T.S. will direct funds to a similar item to help Haitian children in need.



God Is In Control

Mission to Haiti – November 28, 2010

Where does one start to describe the events of the past week.  The cholera epidemic continues unabated, but it is difficult to find out much about what is happening in this regard.  Earlier this week we heard it was over 1,400 dead and 60,000 infected, but the number of dead was thought to be too low when it was reported because of the lack of communication and infrastructure to determine what was actually happening outside major population centres.  We do know that only 12% of the Haitian population of 9.8 million received treated tap water and only 17% had access to adequate sanitiation before the earthquake.  The Centre for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia, was quoted as saying that even before the earthquake water safety and sanitation systems in Haiti were weak so conditions are now even more of a problem and ripe for the further spread of cholera.

The staff and students here at the Emmaus Biblical Seminary, while not immune should someone carry the cholera parasite onto the campus, have so far been very fortunate.  With the exception of the mother of the night watchman who died over two weeks ago down in the Port-au-Prince area the remainder of the staff and students have not yet been touched nor have their families.  Our water continues to be safe and everyone is taking precautions to make sure that proper sanitation is being practiced.




Street in Cap Haitien

 

The major problem now seems to be the manifestations (demonstrations) and where or when they may break out again.  Whether they are politically motivated or are a spontaneous reaction to the cholera epidemic is open to speculation.  So far this week things appear to be back to something approaching normal although there are rumours galore and we don’t know whether to leave the EBS compound or stay put.  A work team from Hamilton left a day early because they did not know what the situation was going to be like the scheduled day of departure and another team from Hamilton that was scheduled to arrive cancelled rather than find themselves trapped, unable to work and unable to leave when they planned.  One of our Haitian professors who has a heavy teaching load this semester has moved himself and his wife onto campus so that he will be able to teach his classes without the possibility of not being able to make it home or back because of roadblocks as was the case last week.  We are all praying that after the election on November 28^th things will quieten down at least until the runoff elections on January 17^th.

We attended the EBF (English Bible Fellowship) service this past Sunday and were once again reminded that God is very much in control.  It seemed like everything from our prayers of thanksgiving to the message delivered by Dr. Bill Cooper were of similar themes, and it seems the more difficult the situation the more God is with us and will protect us.  Dr. Bill cited three instances from the Old Testament where God was in control and was with those who believed and trusted in Him.  In Exodus he spoke of the Israelites who were trapped between the Red Sea and and Egyptians, and in the book of Daniel he spoke of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who faced a fiery death because of their faith, and then later it was Daniel who was thrown into the lion’s den only to survive because of his faith. 

Two of the missionaries who attend EBF this past week found themselves in a difficult situation while travelling from Vaudreuil, very near the OMS compound, to their mission near Limbe, a distance of perhaps 15 miles.  They found themselves and their vehicle trapped between two roadblocks in the dark of night.  For over an hour they did not know whether they would be allowed to go on their way or what would happen.  All they could do was pray for God’s protection.  After what must have seemed like forever a Haitian on a motorbike came over and told the missionaries to follow him.  They did, and after a rather adverturesome trip that they would never have undertaken in daylight they found themselves safely on the road to their mission compound.  For them this was very much a case of answered prayer and they have been thanking God ever since for the stranger who lead them to safety.  For them God was very much in control.

That is very much how we feel.  We don’t worry about the situation we find ourselves in.  We know that we have many people who know us and many people we have never met praying for our safety and that of our fellow missionaries.  We know that there is little we can do beyond prayer to address the situation we find ourselves in.  We are not in danger, just surrounded by a sea of uncertainty that will calm itself given time.  No one ever said that serving in the mission field was going to be all smooth sailing.  All we can do is put our faith in God knowing he will see us through.  Psalm 32:6 says You are my hiding place; you protect me from trouble.  You surround me with songs of victory.

Lily blowing out Stacey's candles



This past week we celebrated the birthday of fellow missionary Stacey Ayars   Her husband (along with the help of their almost 2 year old, Lily) lovingly made her supper and we also shared in that feast along with Dr. Bill and Ruth Cooper who are finishing their last week of teaching.  It has been nearly a month now since they arrived.  They have purchased bus tickets for Saturday to Santiago in the Dominican Republic and from there are to fly home to Colorado.  At time of writing it is still uncertain whether the bus is going to be leaving because of the election on Sunday or may be hampered by roadblocks.  All we can do is pray.

Evangela (It means The Good News)

We are also celebrating the birth of Evangela, daughter of Pastor Vilmer & Sarah Paul.  Vilmer is the pastor of Heavenly Light Church as well as a Dean here at the Emmaus Biblical Seminary.  We had been hoping to get to Pastor Vilmer’s school prior to our departure for Canada but with all the troubles, while the school is open, very few of the children are attendingl which is understandable.  No one wants to have a child hurt or injured.

Heavenly Light School is one of the four

primary schools St. Andrew’s supports so it would be remiss not to mention the  HEARTS Christmas Gift Giving program where you can give a gift to someone at Christmas of tuition for a Haitian child or a daily meal to a child attending one of our schools, or one of the other gift selections.  Contact  Sandra Woods in the office or call Sandra at (519) 843-3565 to make a donation or to learn more about how you can be a part of this terrific way to celebrate Christmas.

Please visit our new blog site http://www.jdmhaiti.blogspot.com/.  It has taken us a while to get the site up.  We are now caught up with postings some of which you may have already read.  What you have not seen are the pictures that go along with some of the stories.  We hope to publish a little more regularly from now on. 

Please pray for peace this Sunday during the Haitian election.

Dorothy and John

Canadians Talking Turkey on American Thanksgiving

Thursday, November 25, 2010 was Thanksgiving Day across the USA.  We woke to an absolutely gorgeous day in Haiti and thought, this is the day that the Lord has made.  Let us rejoice and be glad in it.  Also came to mind several hymns about Thanksgiving; a Gaither tune, We Are So Blessed; Give Thanks With a Grateful HEART; and I Will Sing With Thanksgiving
In My Heart, a choral arrangement that our choir director at home, Joan Wilson, loves for the choir to sing on Thanksgiving Sunday. 

Julie Briggs and Hannah Perry

Thanksgiving supper was at the Vaudreuil compound with Kate, Hannah and Julie hosting.  We could say, "And Julie and Hannah poured tea from a silver teapot,"  but Julie and Hannah were busy assisting with cholera patients in a tent outside the compound's Bethesda Medical Clinic.  When there were too many patients, a guest house on the compound, the Welcome Inn, was opened for several patients, mostly children, who had to stay over night or longer.  Julie and Hannah came in after we had started to talk turkey and left shortly after we finished as they were taking shifts throughout the night to change dehydration drip bags and deal with other emergencies.

Turkey, Ham and Trimmings

We all devoured turkey, dressing, gravy and side dishes.  We hardly had room for dessert, but (Our tummies hurt just looking at the desserts - pumpkin pie, cherry pie, apple pie, pecan tarts and several varieties of cookies.) somehow we managed.

It seemed such a contradiction between the Haitians and ourselves.  While we were having a Thanksgiving dinner that would rival anything found at home not five hundred feet away there were a dozen children fighting for their lives against the cholera bacteria.  It makes you begin to rethink what is truly important in our lives and how thankful we should be for things like good health and good friends.

We are always thankful to MFI for the shopping service (groceries including turkeys, vehicle and deisel parts, and everything else under the sun) they purchase in the USA for missionaries in Haiti and then bring it all in with them when they come with mail and other cargo.

Sunrise

I, Dorothy, have been thinking about some of the other things in Haiti for which to be thankful; a beautiful house; fresh fruit; lovely sunrises and sunsets; the morning star; the mountains; the lush tropical foliage; a husband whom I love and who loves me, the thought that soon we will be going home for Christmas to see our children and grandchildren; and Skype, to name a few. 

I am also thankful for dead tarantuas, but I just can't bring myself to be thankful for ants and mosquitoes.  I know they serve a purpose on this earth and I know that God made all creatures great and small but.....I'm sure an entomologist will be able to enlighten me.

The most important thing that the McCluskey's are grateful for is for who God is and what he's done for us.  

H.E.A.R.T.S. Gift Giving Program

THIS CHRISTMAS, SHARE

THE GIFT OF HOPE

WITH THE POOREST OF

THE POOR

Give gifts in a family member or friend’s name to help Haitian children.

Your gift will help Haitian children to receive the education they desperately need to overcome the poverty endemic to their county.

Imagine your Christmas gift supplying a uniform, books, shoes, and a backpack for a Haitian child; tuition so that they might attend school for the very first time; the salary for a teacher who earns the equivalent of $60 USD per month.

Every dollar you give will have a meaningful impact on the children of Haiti attending one of the 4 schools supported by H.E.A.R.T.S. (Haitians Educated And Ready To Serve).

To donate call (519) 843-3565 and talk to Sandra Woods at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, Fergus, Ontario, Canada.  Donations by cheque can also be mailed to Sandra at the following address:

St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church

325 St. George Street West

Fergus, ON, Canada, N1M 1J4

All Canadian donations will receive a receipt for income tax purposes.

You will receive a handmade Haitian gift card to give family members

 and your friends this Christmas

GIFT SELECTION

ð       $600 -Teacher’s salary for a school year

ð       $60 - Teacher’s salary for a month

ð       $360 - Nutritious meal for 4 students each day of the school year

ð       $90 -  Nutritious meal for 1 student each day of the school year

ð       $300 -Tuition for 4 students for the school year

ð       $75 -  Tuition for 1 student for the school year.

ð       $250 - Equip a kindergarten class for a year with learning materials

ð       $50 - Outfit a child with books, school uniform, shoes & backpack

ð       $25 - Provide a student with tuition and a nutritious meal each
                  school day for a month

In exceptional cases, where donations exceed what is needed for a particular item,

H.E.A.R.T.S. will direct funds to a similar item to help Haitian children in need.