Welcome home party and Ray with cake

This week my husband Ray Jones returned from Haiti where he flew for a medical missions trip to help our pastor friend Jay Threadgill of Fishers Of Men International and the earthquake victims. He set up a medical clinic on pastor Jay’s school compound, treating 200-300 patients a day. Here is a very short video clip of Ray with his cake that we had at his Welcome Home party I gave for him last night. I had the bakery make the cake to look like Haiti – chocolate for the dirt, blue icing for the ocean, and plastic palm trees. It said “Welcome Home, Ray. Our Hero In Haiti.”  I will be posting more videoes as I upload them to YouTube.  Enjoy!

Welcome Home airport drive

This week my husband Ray got back home from his month long, medical missions trip to Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, where he helped our friend Pastor Jay Threadgill of Fishers Of Men International and the earthquake victims.  Below is a short video clip of our daughters Heather and Leah, our granddaughter Violet, and me driving to the airport. Our car broke down on the highway on the way driving to the airport, so Heather came and picked me up and took us to get Ray.  It began snowing on the way there- Ray hates snow, LOL.  I’ll be posting more video clips as I upload them to YouTube. Enjoy!

Welcome Home Balloons

My husband Ray just got back this week from his month long, medical missions trip to Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, helping our friend Pastor Jay Threadgill of Fishers of Men International and the earthquake victims.  Below is a short video clip of the Welcome Home balloons I got Ray for his return. I’ll be posting more videos as I upload them on YouTube.  Enjoy!

Beauty for ashes

The magnitude -7.0 earthquake in Haiti was devasting, killing an estimated 200,000 people with millions displaced and hungry.  But God is creating beauty out of the ashes.  Thousands of Haitians have been attending pastor Jay’s early morning prayer meetings, and at least 300 received salvation recently. Below is the latest newsletter update from pastor Jay Threadgill in Port-au-Prince on the rebuilding process and praise reports.

Ray is still not home yet; he’s trying to get a plane this coming Tuesday to fly to the U.S.  He’s having a lot of trouble getting out of there, and lately he’s been sick with a deep cough. Pastor Jay, Ray, the staff, and the Haitians have had little food, and are having to rely on God for their daily bread.  

The last I heard, the medical clinic was still going strong with Ray treating at least 200 patients a day, and disease was beginning to break out in the tent city on the compound’s grounds.  Please pray for a plane for Ray very soon and for total healing of his cough.  Because the internet is hit and miss over there, and his cell phone doesn’t work there, he hasn’t been able to contact me lately. I only receive his sporadic updates on Facebook. Thank you for your continual prayers for his safe return. Here is pastor Jay’s newsletter:

 Once again, our Lord and Savior has brought forth such a wonderful surprise. Today is the one month anniversary of the earthquake. The nation called a day of mourning. The collective church called for a day of fasting and prayer. Guess we know who’s hearing God, huh?

OVER 15,000 IN ATTENDANCE!

Little did I know that the crowds would come to our church site to pray. I was expecting a good double of our normal attendance for prayer, but I was pleasantly surprised as people kept coming, and coming, and coming. It was well over 15,000 who came. Maybe close to 20,000, but I always stay a bit conservative with my numbers.

They were everywhere. In front, on the hill, under the trees. There were at least a thousand standing behind the platform. The power, mercy and love of God was all over us. There was a great call and prayer for national repentance. We literally stood before the throne of God and cried out to him that He would forgive our nation. The worship was sweet. The presence of God was real. Thank you Jesus! Check the pics on our relief page… www.fomrelief.com

OVER 300 SAVED!

Even though it was a prayer service, many came that were not yet saved. It may even be close to 500 who accepted Jesus today. I don’t know, but I’ll have actual numbers tomorrow. The saints have a whole new sobriety to the Holiness of God along with approaching His throne. Thank you Lord for drawing your people to your saving Grace.

TENT TO BE LOADED AND SHIPPED THIS NEXT WEEK.

We are so excited about getting our new 20,000 sq. ft. tent this next week. We’re still getting the concrete forms and iron set on the site. This should be done this week. Hopefully before the tent comes, we’ll have the cement poured. We want to give our special thanks to City Church in Northern California for the purchase, transport, and help with the tent, the air blowers and all the other many details that they have covered to enable us to have a place to worship. Thank you God! Thank you City Church!

WE’RE BACK UP FEEDING!

By the grace of God we’ve received a couple of shipments of food that have enabled us to begin feeding the people in the surrounding areas. I’m sure we’ve already come close to putting another 10,000 meals out. We’ll be ministering to our own church members, Monday. Many have been somewhat scattered since the event.

IT’S A MARATHON NOT A SPRINT!

Well we’re out of the news, but still in the battle. Hundreds of thousands still live in tent cities all over the city. Food is beginning to get distributed through different agencies, but many still live with below basic provisions.

We’ve now began the “Rebuild Phase”. We’re working on our own facility repairs. We’ve begun to take some of the money donated and have started helping people repair their houses. This is an area many of you can give to. For about $3K we can rebuild or repair many of our brothers and sisters houses. If this interests you or your church…please contact us so that we can work out the details with you.

Remember we love all of you so much. Linda and I want to thank you for all your sacrifice and prayers. Together we will “Rebuild Haiti” as we “Build His Kingdom.”

********

To donate to Ray’s medical mission trip in Haiti, send a check or money order to pastor Jay’s Melbourne, FL headquarters address listed on his website here or to Beth Jones, P. O. Box 452, Butler, MO, 64730.  For the checks or money orders going to Florida, be sure to mark your check memo or the bottom of the money order as “Ray Jones.”

Or if you’d rather donate directly to pastor Jay, you can donate via Paypal on pastor Jay’s website.

Here is a video taken of the service with the Haitians streaming in. One of the pastors is speaking to the people, most likely in Creole (native language other than French and English).

Possible amputation today, out of food

Here is a picture of the baby Ray delivered at the field hospital in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti. Her name is Saintos Balkis. Her parents named her Saintos, and gave Ray the honor of giving her the second name. Balkis was the name of the Queen of Sheba in a Kipling poem.

Today Ray may have to do an amputation in Haiti. The latest doctors who arrived at the clinic are leaving and have been prepping Ray for it.  His supervisor here at the hospital in Missouri is finding someone to work Ray’s next two shifts, so that is favor from God. Thank you, Jesus!

We are just taking it day by day for Ray’s arrival here, praying, trusting that God is in full control and that He still has work for Ray to do there. I personally believe that God has Ray there ON PURPOSE for His glory, and that is why he hasn’t been able to get on any planes out of there! God’s ways are not our ways.

Here is the latest update from pastor Jay’s newsletter.  The Haitian people in the tent city have been out of food for nine days now. They need food.  There is also some disease breaking out now.  Please pray protection over Ray and the staff from diseases. Here is what Ray said on his Facebook status: 

“Running low of medical supplies. Several cases of pneumonia now, as well as infectious diarrhea in the children. Saw my first ever case of what I beleive to be Hansen’s disease. The hospital I started the IV in does not even qualify as a treatment facility. Conditions were abominable.”

I am shipping some food to pastor Jay’s Melbourne address in the next day or two. For those of you who want to contribute, contact me at elizabethdjones@gmail.com. You can also donate to SEMSAR at http://www.semsar.org/rescue/Donate/tabid/76/Default.aspx or you can donate directly to pastor Jay at http://www.fomhaiti.org/earthquakerelief.html. The food that Jay mentioned in the update below is already gone!

Pastor Jay’s church downtown was destroyed in the earthquake, so workmen now are pouring concrete and setting up a tent to serve as the new church on the compound grounds, where the offices and the school Morningstar Academy are located in Port-Au-Prince:

“It has been 9 days since our last food distribution. We had tried every angle and every organization, all to no avail. Then on Saturday we got our first bit of food, not enough for a full distribution but at least we got our foot in the door. A young man e-mailed us (not knowing what was going on) and told us God impressed on him to tell us to “give what we had and God would multiply.” We had intentions to do just that and we get the call from our Muslim contacts that they were near with a 45 foot trailer full of food! Once again, God moved on the hearts of men across the globe to provide for His children. The United Arab Emirates sent food by way of the Dominican Republic. Tomorrow we will do our first feeding in 10 days!

Our clinic continues to operate full speed! We are seeing almost 200 people per day. On Friday (2/5/10) we delivered our 4th baby since the quake. Saintos Balkis was born at 11:50PM. Her name means “Saint Balkis.” The parents named her Saintos, but gave our attending paramedic the honor of choosing the second part of her name. Balkis was Kipling’s fictional name of the queen of Sheba. Pray that this little girl matures in Lord as she grow up.

The last of our tents came down on Saturday in our tent city. The people were gracious and understood that we needed the field to bring in our medical clinic trailer, as well as staging of the supplies that will soon hit our property. Every family was issued an ID card that gauruntees access to food, water and continued medical care.

We continue to move forward on preparing the ground for the foundation of the future COTR facilities here at Morningstar. After the slab is poured, we will raise our tent as soon as it arrives, and that will be the next phase of our recovery. The tent is 20,000 square feet and will be home (for the church) for the coming months as we continue to raise funds for the steel of the new building. This weekend we saw almost 3,000 people again show up for Sunday service and morning prayer remains strong every morning with over 1,000 people coming to pray.”

Wow, how exciting!  I believe many testimonies will be coming out of Haiti!

On a personal note, our one car is making a rattling noise under the floorboard now, so please pray about that, as we don’t have the money for a mechanic right now!  I am just driving where necessary in town for now. That is so mild a need compared to the devastation in Haiti, but God cares about all of our requests, big and small.  Did you know that? God hears YOUR prayers, and He wants to help you!

Thank you for your continual prayers for my husband, pastor Jay, and the people of Haiti who are in such need.

To donate to Ray’s medical missions trip in Haiti, click here.

Ray looking for a flight home now; needs in Haiti go on

Tent City at Morningstar Academy compound, Port-Au-Prince, Haiti

For those of you who are following my updates on my husband Ray in Haiti, he is now looking for a way to fly home to Kansas City, Missouri. He doesn’t want to leave. There are still great needs there; there will be needed work there for years.  But Ray has to come back to his job and family here.  Please continue to keep the people of Haiti in your prayers.  May we not forget them.

Ray has set up and stocked a medical clinic at pastor Jay’s Christian school, Morningstar Academy. They are seeing an average of 200-300 people per day in the clinic since he started it, and are now making the transition from urgent care to primary care.

Ray is trying to make sure the medical clinic he set up there is still operational after he leaves. Ray has been working this week at the clinic with an orthodox Jewish doctor from the U.S., who he said is just fantastic. He is breaking in the new medical team and hopes to be home in Kansas City by this coming Friday.

Pastor Jay’s school compound, where the tent city and medical clinic are set up on his property, still needs food, water, and supplies.  Ray says that there are food, water, and medical supplies available in the area, but when they ask for it, they are told by the U.N. or other organizations that they are “holding it until we develop a plan for distribution.” Please pray for God to bust through their control and government red tape to help the people of Haiti!

Ray is doing a little better now with his upper respiratory cough and fever.  He said it is mostly annoying. He said he also got bitten on the neck by a tarantula spider the other night as he was sleeping!  Think, really big, hairy spider with large fangs on you in the middle of the pitch-black night.  Yelling “Tarantula!”, he grabbed and threw it, and his room-mate stomped on it, while Ray went back to sleep.

Only my husband, man of no fears and the world’s deepest sleeper, could go back to snoring after something like that happened.  He really is not scared of them. He thinks they are interesting. On his last two trips to Haiti, he and his men friends went on a night-time tarantula hunt and filmed them for folks back home. I have watched the video of Ray and his friend Mike looking for tarantulas in the dark, and getting close-ups of them with the camcorder, using the accent of the Crocodile Man (Steve Irwin) as they poked the creatures with sticks. I saw the tarantulas when I went with Ray on his last mission trip there, and stayed a far distance from them as much as I could. EEEK!

Tarantulas are poisonous, but their bites are not fatal unless the person is allergic to them. It is much like a bee sting.  Ray’s cough right now is probably unrelated to the spider bite. Please pray for his total healing. I asked him to please not bring any tarantulas home as souvenirs!

On a serious note, on his Facebook update status, Ray said, “I am not buried under tons of rubble, so my issues pale by comparison.”

Ray has a word of warning for people regarding donations:  “Fresh water, food, and medicines are at a premium.  DO NOT just give to a ministry or organization that says, “We are helping in Haiti.”  We had people the other day taking photographs of the clinic I built here, and posting the pictures on a website claiming it was “thier clinic” and to donate to them.” 

He encourages people to give food and donations to ministries that have been there long-term and know what they are doing, such as pastor Jay Threadgill of Fishers Of Men International.  You can also still give donations to Ray’s medical-security missions organization SEMSAR, since Ray and I funded this trip out of our personal checking account and through SEMSAR.  To donate, click here.

This week I met with the editor of the local newspaper to do a story on Ray’s mission trip there. I can’t wait until it comes out this week!  Thank you so much for your continued prayers for Ray until he returns safely home!

Picture of Haiti from Ray’s last trip there; this is probably all leveled now.

Prayer for Ray’s healing

Ray got to call me tonight for the first time since he went to Port Au Prince, Haiti; he borrowed a cell phone from someone. It broke up a lot, but at least we got to talk, praise the Lord!  There are hardly any flights going out of Haiti now, so he’s not able to come home right now. He is going to try to be back within a week.

At the medical clinic (field hospital) he set up at pastor Jay’s compound, he said they are seeing an average of 250 people per day there. Haitians are coming in each day to stay at the tent city on the compound field, and then go over to the medical clinic, wanting to be checked for various injuries/problems.  Today a Jewish orthopedic surgeron, an EMT, and two nurses arrived from the U.S. to help Ray, so that is good news! 

Ray has an upper respiratory cough, so please pray for total healing for him.  He specifically asked me for prayer for physical strength (he is exhausted), and for food for pastor Jay, him, the medical team, and the patients as they are quickly running out of food. There is water, food, and medical supplies available in the area, but it’s locked up right now from government red tape and control, so please pray for God to get these needs into the hands of the people.

There are still bodies buried underneath the rubble, and Ray said it will take years to remove all the debris as the area is just in ruins.  Where he’s at right now is tolerable, but when you go more into the heart of Port-Au-Prince, he said the stench is awful. Bodies are still being burned and/or buried. That is the harsh reality of the situation. The nation is in mourning.

There have been a few very minor aftershocks since the -6.0 aftershock since he’s been there, but they are becoming fewer and not lasting very long.

He will be home as soon as he can.

If you would like to donate to Ray’s medical mission in Haiti to help pastor Jay, click here.

I don’t know this music artist, but I found this video tonight on You Tube about Haiti. It’s VERY GRAPHIC.  Please pray for Haiti.

Safe in Haiti!

Car in rubble in Haiti

My husband Ray and his friend Shawn are now on the ground safely, in Haiti!  Praise God their plane was not turned away by officials in Haiti and was not re-routed to the Dominican Republic, like so many planes have been the last several days! 

Originally, they were supposed to take a plane to Haiti today at 1 p.m., with a large number of doctors on board to give medical relief. However, plans quickly changed. Ray called me about 10 a.m. this morning, and said he was at the airport, about to get on another plane in one hour -a plane carrying food relief to Haiti.  The plane he was supposed to go on originally was not leaving at 1 p.m. after all, so he was getting on a different plane.  He was rushed so I couldn’t get any other details!

Please keep them in prayer. I appreciate it so much and will keep you posted.  Leah (our daughter) and I just prayed for Ray’s, Shawn’s, and pastor Jay’s protection.  I’m going to fold some laundry now, listen to some audios, then head to bed - expecting to hear some more exciting news from Haiti tomorrow morning! 

Here’s Ray’s Facebook post, updated several hours ago:

“On the ground in Haiti. Gotta love the news networks. “The American Military is in charge of the airport.” FYI: All six Airforce security personnel say hi. Commercial flight was cancelled, but got flown in on private executive jet. Walked right into the country without even a passport check. Compound is presently secure, but have gangs probing our perimeter. The devastation is unreal.”

If you wish to donate to this mission trip to give practical help to the people of Haiti, here is the link to Ray’s medical/security missions organization, SEMSAR.   http://www.semsar.org/rescue/Donate/tabid/76/Default.aspx

Funny how God works

U.S. Army 82nd Airborne military personnel on ground in Port-A-Prince, Haiti in front of the national palace – sent in for reinforcements for security.

It’s funny how God works.  Last night my husband Ray and his friend Shawn made it safely to Miami, and all their bags with the medical equipment got checked okay,  praise God!  They even had favor with the airline for their heavy bag of medical equipment, which was overweight. The airline employee said to them, ”Hmmm….the scale must be broken!” and let it go, without them having to pay the extra fee (she knew they were going to Haiti for a medical mission!) Then this morning Ray called me from Miami to say that the relief plane scheduled to go out at 1 p.m. today from Miami to Haiti was not going, after all!

Not sure what the deal was, as he couldn’t talk long. He was at the airport, rushed, with him getting on another plane in an hour. It is a jet carrying six people to Haiti who are going to do food distribution there. Through a friend, God brought these people across Ray’s and Shawn’s path after Ray and Shawn found out that the plane they were supposed to leave on had a change in plans and wasn’t going to Haiti at 1 p.m.

I have no doubt that God is up to something good and that this is a divine appointment.  I am praying that Haiti and U.S. officials are not turning this jet away from Haiti and are not re-routing it (the airport has a bottleneck, with relief planes having trouble getting into Haiti to bring food, water, and medical supplies). I’m  expectantly waiting to hear any minute that they are now safely in Haiti. 

For those who have not yet read my blogs on this trip, Ray and Shawn  are doing a medical and security mission to assist pastor Jay Threadgill of Fishers Of Men Interenational.  The situation is just desperate, and the violence is increasing, so please keep them all in your prayers. I am anticipating God to do incredible things on this trip!

For those who would like to give to practical and much needed help to Haiti, the Paypal Donate button is now working on Ray’s SEMSAR website, thanks to our great, computer geek son-in-law Kyle!  This missions trip has been funded out of our own pockets and through SEMSAR.   Here is the link.

I will keep you posted on their trip!  Thanks for all your prayers!

Prayer for my husband & friend on way to Haiti

Zaka International (Jerusalem-based humanitarian organization) treat injured quake victim in Haiti

From Fox news today, I read more tragic stories, but am continuing to pray for God to help Haiti. The world has its eye on the devastated nation as the numbers of the estimated dead rise to about 200,000 and the homeless to about 1.5 million.  Looting and violence with machetes, broken beer bottles, and guns is increasing, and doctors and medical staff are now treating gunshot wounds, in addition to critical injuries from the earthquake.  Please continue to keep our pastor friend Jay and his family, school staff, and church staff in prayer for God’s protection, strength, and opportunities to minister the good news of Christ to the people – people in desperate need of hope and peace right now, in the midst of chaos and violence.  Haitian police, U.N. peacekeepers, and other military are trying to restore civil order.  We know the greatest protection that exists is the blood of Jesus!

Fox news says that looters are stealing toothpaste from broken shops to plug their noses from the stench of death that is everywhere.  Bodies are being dumped into mass graves, burned, or left to rot on the streets.  When I saw the pictures today of the dead bodies being left, unnoticed, on the streets, all I could think of was,  “What’s their name?”  These are human beings – people who mattered.  Husbands, wives, sons, daughters, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, grandparents, friends, co-workers, neighbors. People like you and me. 

Every life counts. Every life is precious, and should be treated as such – from conception to death.

As I saw the videoes of the government’s dumptrucks dumping bodies into hurriedly dug mass graves – which is the government’s panicked attempt to deal with the horrible stench of rotting corpses and the high risk of an epidemic of disease – I was horrified. 

Where is the dignity? Where is the honor for these people, in laying them to rest? Yes, I realize that it’s an incredible, complex problem, properly burying the mass numbers of these people. I don’t have the answers for exactly how to take care of this.  But dumping these people into mass graves – treated worse than trash – is unacceptable, inhuman.  

If you’re wanting me to get off the subject of Haiti because it’s already splattered all over the news, what if this tragedy had happened to you and your family?  I can’t NOT talk about it. It matters too much. I look at the pictures in the news, I cry. I see the videoes, I am appalled and I cry. How can we not cry over this? God help us if our hearts are so hardened that we can’t  cry, and we flip the t.v. channel to something more entertaining or click off the site to tweet or look at our friends’ photos on Facebook. This needs to get down deep inside of us, and impact us – and then we should DO something about it in a practical way.

Fox news said that Doctors Without Borders said their specialists are behind 48 hours because their medical staff’s planes were forced to land 200 miles away in the Dominican Republic.  Our friend pastor Jay confirmed this report today, as Doctors Without Borders were supposed to come help him today with the field of injured people at his compound.  Fox said that the front-line relief workers are begging for more food and especially water to feed the hungry and to give the thirsty something to drink.

Water is the highest priority right now. People can go days without food, but not water. The whole world has pledged to help Haiti. France has even agreed to forgive Haiti of its $55.7 million debt, and promised $14.4 million to the U.N. fund for Haiti.  (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,583250,00.html?loomia_ow=t0:s0:a16:g4:r1:c0.000000:b29879524:z0) 

A very good lesson for all of us who need to forgive others!

We need to pray for food, water, and medical help for the people in Haiti – and to give.  Fox news said that some people are blaming the U.S. military for slowing down help to Haiti, giving preference to U.S. military flights. Whatever the bottleneck is, it needs to be opened – fast!

The most effective way that bottleneck can be opened is through the power of our prayers. God fed the millions of Israelite in the desert, and gave them water to drink when there was nothing but desert. He can do the same for the people in Haiti.

After MUCH prayer and discussion between ourselves and with others, my husband Ray and I made a decision about what to do in a practical, real, and tangible way. Today Ray and his friend Shawn went to the Kansas City airport to fly to Miami, Florida. From Miami, Ray and Shawn are planning to catch a relief plane flight along with 175 doctors, to fly into Haiti very early tomorrow morning. We are praying this flight is not turned away and not rerouted to the Dominican Republic by officials in Haiti.  

This will be Ray’s fourth missions trip to Haiti – but this time is very different and much more dangerous. They will be there at least two weeks for the medical mission, helping pastor Jay however they can. 

Today Ray’s organization SEMSAR (www.semsar.org)  had an unexpected, large donation of medical supplies  from Ray’s work (such as bandages, antibiotics, expired medications, sterile gloves, etc.). God is so awesome!  I am praying that Ray’s and Shawn’s bags filled with these medical supplies got checked okay, and that Ray and Shawn are now safely in Miami, waiting for the flight to Haiti.  These medical supplies are desperately needed right now in Haiti!

I am working on this end to get the Paypal “Donate” button on Ray’s website up and running  asap for those who desire to help (having technical difficulties currently with the button!). 

Tonight  I encourage you to ask God what you can do to help Haiti. Not everyone can jump on a plane, and fly there – nor should everyone – only those who God instructs to do so. I wish  SO much that I could be there, too, but Ray felt it was too dangerous a mission.

Please pray for Ray and Shawn to get there safely in the morning with no hold-ups for their flight arriving into Haiti, and God’s hand of protection on them until they come home. I will keep you posted on here. Ray wants to try to send me pictures of Haiti via email, but we’re not sure if there’s electricity or internet, and he’s going to be really busy while there.

For those of us here in America in our nice, safe, comfortable homes, we can pray – and can give in other practical ways, even if it’s a small $5 donation to the charity of one’s choice. 

Let Haiti break your heart tonight. Mourn with those who are mourning right now in Haiti. Do something.

My husband Ray, in uniform

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