Haiti Update from Jay Johnston
LBC Construction/Demo, Medical and Media Team May 11, 2010
Our first full day of service in Haiti begin on Monday Morning May 10, 2010. We have three teams on the ground in Haiti. The Construction/Demolition Team, Medical Team and Media Team.
On May 10 the Construction/Demo Team and Media Team are both in Port-au-Prince while the Medical Team is several hours away in the town of Nippes, which is located on the Southern Peninsula of Haiti.
The Construction/Demo Team took off first from the Florida House to begin the work day breaking up concrete and removing the rubble from a the site of a church which also has a school on the site.
The Media Team (which is the team I am working with this week) took off shortly after the Construction Team. The media team was going into downtown Port-au-Prince to capture some video footage of the area. The Interpreter traveling with us is Pastor Menand and while our media personnel were shooting video footage he and I were able to share Christ with several by-standers. We moved from one location to another near the Presidential Palace and we were able to get some video footage before our security guard ushered us out because a demonstration was about to begin near the Presidential Palace. So, we left the downtown area and went to the location of our Construction/Demo Team. Upon arrival several team members came to me and said they were working one area because they understood at least six bodies of children remain under the rubble. One of the team ministers then introduced me to Pastor Joel of the church and through our interpreter learned that six children had died inside the school but their bodies had been pulled out and buried following the January 12 earthquake. We were all glad to learn that the children were no longer under the rubble. While on at this the media team was able to conduct many interviews of locals and members of the Construction/Demo Team. While interviews were taking place I had the opportunity to listen to many stories of the people from Haiti with regard to where they are with life today. Many care living out their faith in Jesus Christ and express that this is the very best days for them and the people of Haiti. In listening to others you quickly learn that many continue to grieve over the loss of relatives and friends from the January 12 earthquake. I found from others that they look for work with the hope of making money to purchase the bear necessities for their family. I also encountered those who simply move through the street begging for food and water.
The two teams took a lunch break and after the break the work continued and it was during the first hour following lunch that I met the mom of two children who died inside the school On January 12 she loss both a daughter and a son. She has two boys that survived the earthquake. She spoke for sometime and then I encouraged her to now focus on the two boys who are alive. She expressed that it was hard for her to focus on them because she misses her other two children. We continued the conversation for a few more minutes before I gathered up some team members who would join me in praying for her and her family. Shortly after this conversation was over I was approached by a young man name Jean who was looking for work. I told him I was not the person hiring help in the area and then he begins telling me his story and the need for food and water for his wife and young children. We did what we could for Jean and prayed with him that he would find work. I can tell you that one thing the Haitian people are not afraid of is work.
Well the media team moved on to conduct additional interviews of other people throughout the rest of the afternoon. One of the interviews involved a driver who was with the medical team. You see we received a call that the medical team was in need of more goods like bandages, splints, crèmes and several other medical supplies because of the nature of the needs in patients they were seeing on Monday. The amazing thing about this interview is that we left our location to drive for almost ninety plus minutes to meet the driver who was coming from more than four hours away.
I was able to speak with the medical team later in the evening and learned that they saw over two hundred and fifty people on Monday. The needs of the people are many and they are finding that many of the people they are seeing left Port-au-Prince after January 12 and have old wounds that have not been treated since immediately after the January 12 earthquake. I look forward to meeting up with them on Wednesday as this team conducts not only their work but they take time to share Christ with the people.
The blessings our team members received today included when instructed to move out of danger you must move quickly, along with learning to seek clarity in all things and to pray without ceasing. John 6:45, 46; I Thessalonians 5:17,
Lord Jesus, as I live out my life I praise you for the gift of life and eternal life. Thank you for coming into my life as Lord and Savior of my Life. I thank you for the blood that You shed to cover my sins. I ask that You forgive me of my sins and trespasses and as I live out my life today I desire to take the blessings that we learned from yesterday and live them out today. I ask that you protect the teams from the heat today and that we will all be to share the story of Jesus today. I also ask that you protect our families and give them your peace today. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Jay Johnston, D.Min.
Associate Pastor
FBC Covington