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.

The work done by our God

Photo: 16 year old Darlene Etienne was pulled from rubble 15 days after quake in Haiti. Doctors are amazed she is alive. She’s eating yogurt, talking, and regaining strength. Her mother said she is alive because God hears a mother’s non-stop prayers.  Darlene is being cared for at an offshore French hospital ship. (Fox news)

From Ray yesterday, here is the latest update in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti:

“Did not get to treat many patients today. Spent most of the morning running around Haiti with a security specialist attached to the BBC. Tried to get assistance from a warehouse stocked with medical supplies. “Fill out this form, etc.” The bureaucrats have arrived in Haiti. First time I have been out in daylight hours. Port au Prince is in ruins.”

When the earthquake first hit Haiti, God immediately gave me the book of Nehemiah. Nehemiah petitioned the king Artaxerxes to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, which had been destroyed. The enemies Sanballat, Tobiah, and others mocked and taunted Nehemiah and the people that it could never be rebuilt, because it was in ruins.

But with God’s help and the people’s unity and prayer, and by positioning men with their tools in hand, their swords, their spears, and their bows, they got it done. I believe that although the devastation is great in Haiti right now, and it looks impossible and hopeless, God will help the people of Haiti to rebuild it for His glory.

Ray is still working each day at the medical clinic he set up at pastor Jay’s compound, where the offices and the school are located. Please pray for God to bust through all the government red tape, and to supply the people’s continual urgent needs of water, food, and medical supplies. 

Shawn had to leave Haiti yesterday to fly home.  Ray will be there at least several more days to a week.  He’s not sure exactly when he is coming home.  Today I met with the editor of our local newspaper to do a story on Ray’s mission work there.  Please continue to keep Ray, pastor Jay, and the people of Haiti in prayer for God’s protection, encouragement, and blessings. God hears our voices on behalf of this devastated nation.

“Now the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul, in fifty two days.  And it happened, when all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations around us saw these things, that they were very disheartened in their own eyes, for they preceived that this work was done by our God.”  ~ Nehemiah 6:15-16

To donate to Ray’s medical mission work in Haiti for pastor Jay Threadgill, please click here.

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!