Browsing Tag

Haiti

Blog, Ebooks, Faith, Homemaking, Homeschooling, Marriage, prayer, Spiritual Gifts

Fight the enemy with the sword of the Spirit

One of Ray's swords

One of Ray’s swords

My husband Ray loves to collect swords and other weapons. Downstairs in his “man cave” (recreation room – a combination of his office and where he relaxes to watch sci-fi movies with our daughter Leah after his hard shifts at work), he has hung up swords, knives, guns, and other weapons on the walls, as well as his various certificates and ordinations from different trainings (he has done so many amazing things and is the most certified person I know!). He could tell you the history of each weapon. 

Ray's collection of weapons

Ray’s collection of weapons

Ray is a former combat-medic Marine (14 years in the military), a former police chief and policeman, a former fire chief and fireman, and a former SWAT team medic. He’s also been to Haiti five times for medical/security missions trips.

Ray Jones

Ray Jones

After the catastrophic 7.0 magnitude earthquake that killed an estimated 100,000 to 160,000 people, Ray flew there to help our pastor friend Dr. Jay Threadgill, setting up a medical tent and treating 200 to 300 patients a day.The medical clinic is now a permanent part of Fishers of Men Ministries. Ray has a black belt in Taekwondo martial arts. He’s been a paramedic for over 25 years. He’s been through a lot of hardship in his life. He knows a lot about warfare.

The Hands of a Woman: Everyday Women In Everyday Battles Available at Amazon October 23, 2015

The Hands of a Woman:
Everyday Women In Everyday Battles

This is why I asked him to write the foreward for my book, The Hands of a Woman: Everyday Women In Everyday Battles–a book about 8 women’s true stories of overcoming their greatest moments of spiritual warfare through faith in prayer and by standing on God’s word.

This powerful book is available in print and is launching in eBook format at Amazon for your Kindle on Friday, October 20, 2015. 

Ray's Japanese sword

Ray’s Japanese sword

Ray’s swords are mounted on the wall of his man cave and on his mom’s antique ceramic table. But swords weren’t created to stay on a wall or in their sheath; they’re to be used to fight. As a Christian, your weapon is the Sword of the Spirit, spoken of in Ephesians 6–the Word of God. 

When the devil tempted Jesus in the wilderness, Jesus responded to him, “It is written.” He used the word of God as his weapon against the enemy and it is our greatest weapon, too; God’s word stands forever. (Psalm 119:89, Isaiah 50:8, 1 Peter 1:25)

In the movie War Room (I highly recommend it), the elderly prayer warrior Miss Clara said, “Very few of us know how to fight the right way.”

This coming week I’m having a free telecall about prayer and spiritual warfare and the soft launch of this new eBook on Amazon. Be sure to share with your family and friends! Stay tuned for details on my scopes at Periscope (follow me @bethmjones) and here at BethJones.net.

Beth Jones

Beth Jones, International Speaker Amazon Best Seller Author

 

 

 

October 20, 2015 by
Blog, Faith, Homeschooling, Marriage, prayer, Speaking, Spiritual Gifts, Travel, Writing

My own little world – prayer about cholera in Haiti

Houston-KSBJ radio host Liz and singer Matthew West

Recently Christian singer Matthew West went  to a cabin alone outside Nashville, TN,  for two months to pray, to read the letters of his fans about painful things in their lives, and to write songs from them.  There were about 10,000 letters that came from people all over the U.S. and from 20 countries. One of the songs God inspired in him was My Own Little World from the album The Story Of Your Life.

Matthew had been sharing with his audience in his concerts that their lives mattered, that God cared about them and had a plan for their lives. He wondered, “What if I turned the microphone around?” where his audience could share their lives with him.  This record features songs that cover painful stories like abuse, divorce, cancer, and adoption.  It ends with an appropriate song,  The Healing Has Begun.

The song My Own Little World challenges us to unselfishly step outside ourselves for just a moment and to look at all the people around us who are hurting.  What can you and I do today to help someone else? How can we reach out to others in a practical way?

One way we can help greatly is to pray. As Matthew sings in his song, “What if there is a greater purpose that I could be living right now?”  Right now in Haiti there is an outbreak of cholera that Fox News says has killed 200 people, left 2,674 people sick, and is a possible danger to the 1.3 million earthquake survivors living in camps in Port-Au-Prince. 

Cholera can cause vomiting and diarrhea so bad that it can kill someone from dehydration in hours. Fox news said that cholera hasn’t been a problem in Haiti for decades. and emergency workers are doing all they can to teach the people the importance of washing their hands and with other preventative measures.

Our dear friend Pastor Jay, his family and his ministry are located in Port-Au-Prince. Please pray for God to protect them, to miraculously heal those who have cholera, and to stop the outbreak of this disease.

Prayer is one way we can step outside our “own little world, population me” and to make a difference in this world, as Matthew so truthfully sings.  May our hearts be broken with the things that break God’s heart, and we have open hearts, open hands, and open doors to do God’s will here on earth.

Video of Matthew West, My Own Little World

October 24, 2010 by
Blog, Faith, prayer, Spiritual Gifts, Travel

Ray’s Haiti mission this week

 Ray Jones, Port-Au-Prince, Haiti

My husband Ray flew in to Kanas City, MO, late last night after working a week at Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, to get the new medical clinic operational at Fishers Of Men Ministries International (FOM). 

Ray spent the first two days going out on the streets of Haiti with a visiting medical team from Turning Point Church of Forth Worth, TX. Part of the group went to a local hospital to perform surgeries, and the other part of the group, whom Ray joined, went to a tent city to set up a medical clinic.

 Tent city medical clinic, Haiti

Ray and the team worked for two days in the clinic, seeing approximately 50 to 70 people a day, treating various ailments such as respiratory illnesses, bowel diseases, urinary tract infections, anxiety, etc. 

A large shipment of medicines and medical supplies recently were sent to FOM Ministries, and Ray spent the rest of the week getting the medical clinic operational, organizing the medicines and medical supplies on shelves in the pharmacy. 

  Fishers Of Men Ministries International medical clinic, inside

The medical clinic was started by Ray after the earthquake on January 12  this year, in one of the Christian school classrooms. During the month he was there after the tragic earthquake – which killed an estimated 230,000 and left approximately 1,000,000 homeless – Ray and medical teams at pastor Jay’s ministry treated approximately 200 to 300 patients a day. 

The clinic was temporarily shut down in July 2010 to focus time and energy on building the new clinic.   The clinic will be a permanent facility at FOM Ministries, and is now located on what was formerly a soccer field at the ministry compound.

  FOMM medical clinic, inside

The clinic has four rooms with two bathrooms and showers: a pharmacy, a storeroom, a reception area, and a large patient treatment area. Its floors are all tile, and it is air-conditoned (when Haiti electricity is actually running at times during the day!).  Since Ray had to come home to get back to work (and to his family 😀 ), the clinic is going to be locked until someone or medical teams can be in charge of it. As always, pastor Jay is full of faith in God and looking ahead, not behind.

 FOMM medical clinic, outside

Please pray for God’s wisdom for pastor Jay, and for God’s continued blessings, provision, and protection upon him, his family, and his ministry in Port-Au-Prince.

 From pastor Jay’s newsletter this week, here is an excerpt, asking for those who feel led to join him to help at the clinic and/or with donations (the man with the duffle bag in this paragraph is Ray):

“What started out of necessity due to the catastrophe of the January 12th earthquake, with one man and a duffle bag full of medicines, has now reached the completion of the first stage of the FOMM Medical Clinic here in Port Au Prince, Haiti. Building construction is now finished and we have begun the process of moving our medical supplies into our new clinic.

We still have many needed items and equipment to furnish our clinic, but we are now ready to open the doors and serve the people of the city with a free medical clinic. We are looking for medical teams who are willing to come and serve the Haitian people. We look forward to partnering with doctors, nurses, dentists and other medical personnel.

Do you know people in the medical supply business? Do you know pharmaceutical reps? Do you know doctors and other medical personnel that would be willing to partner with us in serving the sick in Haiti? Let us know! We have a list of needed supplies, equipment and medicines needed to keep this clinic open and effective!  This is just Phase 1 of our plan…in 2011 we hope to build a second building that will house a small outpatient surgery center. We will keep you posted on how you can partner with us when we are ready to break ground.”

All donations to pastor Jay’s ministry are tax-deductible. To donate, click here.  You also can send donations by mail to Fishers Of Men Ministries International, P. O. Box 410953, Melbourne, FL, 32941.

October 12, 2010 by