Shelter From the Storm

Isaiah 61:4 They’ll rebuild the old ruins, raise a new city out of the wreckage. They’ll start over on the ruined cities, take the rubble left behind and make it new. Message

Starting over, raising a new city out of the wreckage is exactly what we are doing in the epicenter of the devastating earthquake that took place January 12^th in Leogane, Haiti. People are beginning to see a glimmer of hope as new tracks of temporary houses are being erected. More than 1,200 of these shelters have been built in Haiti by Samaritan’s Purse so far, and thousands more to come.

Rainy season is here and with it came misery and the threat of a major outbreak of disease in the tent cities. Lives in these camps are hectic and dangerous for the hundreds of thousands of people that were displaced. The world they knew, came crashing down around them. Many losing everything they had, some even their entire families. Now they are packed together in what we would consider one person tents with five or six people.

 Just covered with a tarp, there is no  place to lock anything up, you have to leave someone behind or pack what you have each day as you go out to sell or make enough to just get by. Waiting in line to get pails of water and then trudging back to cook, wash clothes and drink.  It would be hard enough with just the blazing sun that shines between the storms, but now they must endure the thick mud that comes from the rain.

Many are getting a shelter from the storm. Each temporary house easily holds five family members. Communities pitch in and help prepare the land, dig latrines and put up the frames with pressure treated wood. Designed to withstand hurricane force winds, these shelters are the beginning of helping to build a city from out of the wreckage.

God has granted us favor, something we do not take lightly, and we know we are not capable of doing all that has been done so far. Others are still planning and talking, but we have moved into high gear and are putting out houses in production line speed. Thanks to all of you who continually pray for these people and for us working in Haiti. God is listening to your prayers.

Please pray that we will be able to continue to be the hands and feet of Christ here. That we would be strengthened to do even more than what is being done now, I personally ask for you to pray for those who are suffering so much. Many are the fears of the destitute that think they have been forgotten, but our God sees all things and hears the cries of His people. God will make a way for them to take the rubble and build a new city.

Bringing Comfort to the Down Cast

2Cor.7: 6  Nevertheless God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus,

 It seems that those whom have been more afflicted, God has prepared a greater consolation to comfort them. He send’s people to do this. Apostle Paul was comforted by the coming of Titus, he sums this up by starting the epistle with “The God of all comfort”. Those whose spirits have been deflated by tragedy and calamity, God sends others to comfort them. He sends those who have had an experience of His sustaining grace in affliction, those who now have a testimony of the consolation of the love of Christ through the gospel.

That is how I see what we are doing here in Haiti. God knew the Haitian’s needed people to come and comfort them after the earthquake. His mercy is afresh and anew every day. It is not just the shelters or food or the many other programs that are taking place, it is the people who are running these programs. They are filled to overflowing with the love of Christ, bringing a comfort that is unobtainable any other way. Words softly spoken, stories intently listened to, hands held, hugs given, tears shed together, and prayers being lifted up to our Lord. God is using us to relieve the pain and grief and assist in restoring lives to a sense of normalcy. Giving others hope, a future, that they might see with an eternal perspective.

Now that the rains have come and hurricane season is here, spirits have been down for those who must endure living without adequate shelter. The camps seem endless; some areas are just a sea of blue plastic. Families struggling to stay dry by piling rocks, rubble and cement blocks as the floor of a tarp that makes up a home for four or five people. Sleeping on these jagged surfaces, some bare skinned, some with a blanket, just to stay dry and off the muddy ground. It is hard not to weep during the torrential downpours, knowing the great suffering that is taking place.

We are based on the outskirts of the town of Leogane, the epicenter of the earthquake. You have to try not to become numb or uncompassionate to the massive destruction that took place here. As you drive and travel the devastation seems endless, only God could know the depth of the grief and anguish that may be taking place with the survivors. Most all of the people whom we work with have lost their houses and many loved ones, they are now braving through in their mere tarp houses.

On the upside, many are turning to Christ; the churches are full, even though they may be made up of just a frame with sheets. the people are seeking God as a community. We have heard of many who have denounced Voodoo, some even burning all their books and charms. The local workers whom are alongside us are seeking to know more about God. I received a call one Sunday from one of the workers, just to remind me to bring some bibles to the work site. So, God is expanding those who can bring comfort, increasing the workers of His field. Spreading the solace in knowing that God is ever-present and His love has not changed.

 Thank you for all your prayers.

The Lord is Our Strength

We have moved into our new base. Not everything is ready, but we are here. This was shot this evening from in front of the base. Days are long, but God gives us strength and encouragement (such as this amazing sunset). His majesty is evident and we are all praying that Haiti may see revival. Churches are full and many have turned to Christ, yet there is so much to be done, so much suffering to be relieved and healing that needs to take place.

Amazingly we moved from one temporary site to our base still under construction in one day, truck after truck, convoy after convoy we moved the entire base. It really was incredible all that took place in one day. Everyone looks out for each other, it is great. I washed dishes yesterday, we are all taking turns. We are so blessed to have a group dedicated to serving God in unity and with all their hearts. We worshiped this evening as we do on Sunday nights, but this time with generators running and a light shinning over the new  base, we all sat on the Helicopter pad and sang" Strength Will Rise".

Please pray for the hundreds of thousands of Haitians still under tarps and sheets as rainy season has begun. Pray that revival would ignite in this land. Pray for us that we would continue to be strengthened by the Lord and used for His glory.

Retorer of the Streets

Rubble removal is a huge part of what is being down in the aftermath of the earthquake here. The rubble is then brought to locations and run over and over with large bulldozers to allow for it to be used as fill. As the crews remove the fallen down schools, universities, houses and buildings, the Haitian people eagerly wait to scramble to obtain something they might use, a whole plate, a pot, even the metal  re-bar is scavenged so they can support their families some way. Our Rubble Manager says we are not  wrecking and removing buildings, but we are prepping future construction sites. This reminded me of Isaiah 58-  Those from among you Shall build the old waste places; You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.

I have been assisting in establishing a production site, where thousands of  homes will be pre-built and then shipped into the identified lands that have been secured, It will be so great to see people get into homes, compared to just living on the ground with a tarp. The site we have is back filled with rubble, it really makes you sad when you think about walking on everything that was once someones total possessions. Bits and fragments of glasses, watches, beds, toys, clothes, everything someone would have in their house, lies at your feet as you walk across the rubble. There are places where the smell of death permeates the area, not really sure if it was a part of someone lost amongst the catastrophic collapses that took place. But, there is hope, as we ramp up to restore the streets to dwell in.

Our new base is about complete and we should be moving into it in the next couple of weeks. This will be home for many of us for years. The showers have no roofs, so you can look at the stars as you bathe, our dinning area is an old cabana salvaged and covered with mosquito nets. We are blessed to have new latrines and tents. The tents are air conditioned (PTL)  which will make live more bearable for all of us. Please pray for our safety and that God would grant us favor to reach all the communities with the Love and Good News of Jesus Christ

Bloom Where Your Planted

Just before I found out I would be serving in Haiti, a word was given to me"Bloom where your planted". Little did I know that would mean blooming in average days of 100 degree temperatures. But, God gives you the strength. Even the locals sweat it is so hot, it is just a part of life on this Caribbean island.

It has made it much easier knowing it is God who has planted me, and He will provide the increase. So when the Bloom is full and fragrant, they will see God and not me, because the fragrance and beauty of God is the evidence of His Son. That is my prayer request, that I might be used by God in every way, that Christ might be seen. Like Paul said, that I be wrung out and emptied daily, so to be refilled and used again.

Creole is a unique language, even those who speak French have a difficult time understanding it. I had some small children come up to me by the construction of the sub base. They only  had tattered and worn t-shirts, thats it, nothing else, no shorts, nothing. I know they were trying to tell me they were hungry, but I could not communicate. It was frustrating. Their mom was under a tree doing voodoo, scrapping her stick upon the grounds, throwing little bones along with pebbles and chanting over them. I hope I see them again when we move into the new base.

The new compound will be ready shortly as our work load increases, with food distribution, shelter construction and rubble removal. We will be much closer to where the epicenter was. I know God is answering one of my prayers as they are erecting the same type of tents they use in Iraq with air-conditioning. this is being done by mission teams from all over. This is where I am being planted and where I will be based. There are many great Christian brothers and sisters working long hard hours and serving the Lord. May the Lord use all of us to be the hands and feet of Christ.

Spying Out the Land

Much contrary to the spies who were sent into the promised land, we have come with a message of promise to Haiti. Samaritan's heart beat is loving the people as Christ would. From many lands people have joined as one, Canada, Uganda, Chile, Ecuador, and more. I am so honored to serve with people that are very talented and dedicated, giving up comfort and enduring living with bare necessities so others might receive the promise of eternal Life. 


I am still just settling in to a culture and nation that is very new to me. It is too soon for me to put into words the amount of devastation that took place. But, I can tell you that the Haitian people are strong willed and resilient, jovial and lighthearted, I watch as workers have been putting together the trusses or cutting the sheathing for the shelters, singing while they work in extreme heat. Many hearts are turning to Christ.


Laying on my bunk at night, sweating as it rains, I can not help but to ponder the fact that I am under a roof, while hundreds of  thousands have just plastic tarps held up by sticks. Every open space is filled with blue plastic makeshift shelters. I pray that we might even do more, the immensity of this disaster goes beyond what we have known in this century.


I fly to Gran Guave tomorrow, leaving the main base and  going to the sub base, which will be moving two weeks after I get there to a different location. A big job to move a whole base, please pray for us. We are right next to the capital city of Voodooism. Our God is bigger than all of this, but we are in a spiritual war, and must stay in an attitude of prayer.

I do feel like I am looking through a periscope, just seeing a very small bit of all that is happening in this nation. I feel honored to be serving these people, at the same time serving with such wonderful people. Life is not easy, sometimes your reality is brought back into perspective as you look at the razor wire that surrounds our perimeter. But this is just for a fleeting moment and you quickly regain your joy, as the Holy Spirit wraps His arms around you and you know you are doing the Father's will.

It all starts at the foot of the Cross

As Christians, all our journeys should start at the foot of the Cross. God has a plan and purpose for each of us. No one is better because of what they do. It all is about being faithful and obedient. The mom whom does not work (actually they work harder than any of us) and stays home to raise the kids, receives the same recognition in heaven as the pastor who runs the mega church. It is not about position, but out of a great love for God is birthed a desire to see His will be done and all the credit and glory is given to Him.

I have always wondered why preachers make a joke about praying for patience, when in fact it is a trait we should all learn early.This should be one of the first things we teach our children to pray for. During this last year my patience was being perfected and refined, little did I know what God had me waiting for.

When the Earthquake hit Haiti, I knew what I had been prepared for, to again serve the least of those among us, to show God's love and help where needed. A nation that has been gripped in poverty and tribulations, a people that has endured atrocities and injustice, and now a calamity that is the largest of this century. My heart was broken and I began to pack, not even really knowing how God would use me, but "we walk by faith and not by sight".

I leave in the wee hours on Saturday, departing Pittsburgh's chilly Spring and adding 30 degrees to fly into Port Au Prince, where I will be based for the next year. I am honored to serve with the organization Samaritan's Purse, I have always had the utmost respect for their integrity and passion to display the Love of Christ in tangible ways during disasters and crisis's.

Pittsburgh has become my home, my church Cornerstone Ministries has become  my family, this is where I will come to between assignments. I am grateful to be under the spiritual covering of my Cornerstone family as I embark to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Thank you to everyone who is praying for me.