Steady

"As Christians we are not here for our own purpose at all--we are here for the purpose of God, and the two are not the same. We do not know what God's compelling purpose is, but whatever happens, we must maintain our relationship with Him.....The most important aspect of Christianity is not the work we do, but the relationship we maintain and the surrounding influence and qualities produce by that relationship. That is all God asks us to give our attention to, and it is the one thing that is continually under attack" Oswald Chambers


I have my plane ticket!!! Booked to leave Iowa July 25th and arrive in Haiti July 26th. Ruben will pick me up at the Airport and later we will also pick up  Don and Doris Peavey. With less then two weeks to finish preparing it is easy to get caught up in last minute planning.  Today I was reminded by my "friend" Oswald to not forget who I am serving and what my ultimate focus should be.  

Service goals update:

• I will primarily be working in the medical clinic while Nurse Talante is on leave. The Clinic serves not only the orphans but also the general public. Making it a great outreach! I will use nursing to meet felt physical needs and use that as an avenue to build trust and share the gospel.

Any Name Ideas??

• Secondly I will Monitor health and wellness of current children at Ebenezer Glenn. I am planning on starting and teaching health classes for the orphanage school where 400 Students from Dessalines attend.  That will include working with the younger kids teaching basic life skills such as brushing teeth and hygiene. I am excited to now have Puppets to use with my health classes. :-) Thanks Mike and Alicia!!!

• My Third goal is to Partner with locals to plant a Moringa and Neem tree grove! Widespread deforestation has greatly impacted Haiti's once lush landscape. Battling the highest malnutrition rate in the western hemisphere Haiti has an uphill battle.  I'm hoping the grove I plant will assist with reforestation, nutrition, and building local economy.

Here is a list of Clinic Supplies I am still working on collecting if anyone is able donate some it would be a huge blessing!

1. Rubber Gloves
2. Sterile gauze pads
3. Hand sanitizer 
4. Gauze bandage rolls
5. Clean Cotton balls
6. Adhesive tape
7. Permethrin
8. Antibiotic ointment
9. Mebendazole tablets
10. Ampicillin
11. Azithromycin
12. Amoxicillin
13. Vitamins for Children
14. Iron pills with vitamin C and Folic acid

This is exciting news on Haiti's political situation from Mark Murphy:

I wanted to bring your attention to some things happening with the president of Haiti, Michele Martelly.

As you may know, he was a pretty vulgar rapper (see picture below)  before running for and winning the election about a year ago.  Since then, many people inside and outside the country have had high hopes that he will be able to improve things in Haiti.  He had done things for the people of Haiti before he was president and many thought he would continue that and not be too enticed by the power and potential corruption of the office.  He has done some good things for the country, including giving free education to almost a million children in a country that does not have public education.

Some interesting things have happened recently.  In April, President Martelly suffered and pulmonary embolism and was flown to Miami for several weeks of treatment and care.  

 In early May, he met with a local Christian mayor and gave a speech dedicating Haiti to Christ!

Haiti: "I commit the country to God in the name of Jesus of Nazareth, knowing that the Lord is with me." With these words the President of the Republic, Joseph Michel Martelly, has promised to put Haiti on Sunday night to God, in the presence thousands of believers and nonbelievers, who took part in this spiritual event held at the municipal palace of Delmas, to express their ras and tired of seeing the situation increasingly worse in the country. These words were proclaimed under the dictates of religious who presided over the ceremony. Thus, the organizers announced the end of the reign of darkness, of the devil, and the end of the ordeal of Haiti. Time of Renewal opens to Haiti, according to organizers who have submitted a plan of the new Haiti. This spiritual manifestation, according to the initiators is a way to pray for the Haitian president, members of the HNP, parliamentarians and other actors in national life. Speaking at the ceremony, Mayor Wilson Jeudy, stressed that This initiative aimed to provide answers to various problems the country faces lately. "When political crises, social, economic and environmental are needed and when the solutions are slow to be found, we must fix our gaze on Jesus, because the solution lies in him." http://www.lenouvelliste.com/article4.php?PubID=1&ArticleID=104918 

I don't know what to make of all this, but I believe God is doing some things in Haiti that are unprecedented.  As you have followed my snippets, you know that I am attempting to move away from giving out relief supplies to community development that involves physical, spiritual and economic health.

Please pray for Haiti and it's President as we continue to try to help their people help themselves and become all that God has planned for them 

Mark Murphy
Executive Pastor                   
Jesus in Haiti Ministries