Pastor Jay Threadgill- Fishers Of Men Ministries, Port-Au-Prince, Haiti
You may remember that after the earthquake hit Haiti, my husband Ray flew there to help our dear friend Pastor Jay Threadgill, pastor and founder of Fishers of Men Ministries in Port-Au-Prince, and started an urgent-care medical clinic. Ray was there for a month, treating 200 to 300 patients a day in the aftermath of the quake. You can listen to my podcast interview of Ray about his missions trip to Haiti here.
Ray and I felt that he was supposed to go back to Haiti earlier this year to continue running the clinic for pastor Jay, but we were unable to raise sufficient funds for this. We are still praying about this, as it may be a timing issue or God may be knitting together other necessary details that we don’t see yet. If he is to go to stay there on a more permanent basis, it will be in God’s perfect timing. 🙂
Ray is flying back to Haiti this Sunday, October 3, for a week, because the medical clinic Ray started there is now going to become a permanent facility and pastor Jay wants Ray there for the dedication ceremony. Please keep Ray in prayer for traveling mercies, for provision of costs while he is there, and for protection.
The needs in Haiti are still great. Recently there was a tropical storm that damaged the donated tent where pastor Jay’s congregation has been gathering under as a temporary place for Sunday morning worship, Bible school, worship practice, and other meetings. Pastor Jay is a man of amazing faith. There are very few brave men like him, who just believe God for huge things and then obey. He has poured his heart and soul into Haiti to see this poorest of nations saved for Jesus. Once again, despite the storm, he is just going forward, not letting another obstacle discourage him from what God has called him and his wife Linda to do.
From pastor Jay’s email newsletter, here are the details about the tent damage and the ministry’s needs, with Fishers Of Men Ministries’ donation link if you feel led to help. All donations are tax-deductible. Even a gift of $5 would help but please give generously if you can and if God puts this on your heart.
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. 36 I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’
37 “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? 39 When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
40 “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters you were doing it to me!’ (Matthew 25: 34-40)
********Pastor Jay’s newsletter:
Late Friday afternoon, a powerful tropical microburst storm hit the city of Port
Au Prince. At least 5 are confirmed dead, hundreds injured, electricity is out
due to damage to the electric plant, and thousands of temporary tents and shelters
have again made multitudes of Haitians homeless.
The storm hit fast and hard with winds of 100 MPH and torrential rains. Many said
they had never experienced anything like it!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Damage
Our tent is down and damaged!
As you know, we have been meeting in a tent that was gaciously donated to the ministry
after the January earthquake. This tent has served as the home for our church, morning
prayer meetings, bible school and all the other meetings associated with church
life (weddings, worship practice, etc.).
On Friday, our tent was severly damaged with huge tears in the fabric and much of
the hardware and poles destroyed. Our Bible school was meeting in the tent as the
storm hit and had to evacuate as the tent came down, running out into the fury of
the storm! These are the same men and women who were in our church building when
it came down during the quake killing 30 students and church staff.
Thankfully, no one was hurt this time!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Determination
Clean up and set up!
Early the next day, we cleaned up the damge and set up what equipment that could
be salvaged so that the church could meet on Sunday morning. Even in the midst
of another tragedy, we are determined to move forward! We know that there is only
one direction for us to go and back is not an option!
Sunday morning, close to 4000 faithful men, women and children gathered under the
sun to worship, pray and encourage one another! Pastor Jay, who had been out of
the country when the storm hit, was able to adress the church via cell phone broadcast
over loud speakers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Destiny
As of right now, we are flying in a team to see if the tent can be repaired and
set up so that we can move forward. At best though, this is a temporary soloution!
IT IS TIME TO BUILD!
Church meeting outdoors!
In February, just weeks after the quake, we laid our foundation for our new building.
This is the same foundation the tent was erected over.
In May we began a building campaign with the Haitian people that are part of Fishers
of Men. In just 4 months they have raised $60K in US dollars! This is no small feat
for one of the poorest nations in the word! We also challenged many of you to be
part of this building campaign, to help build the new building by the one year
anniversary of the January quake.
Now we need you more than ever! We need churches, ministries, businesses and individuals
to take up the challenge to raise the funds needed to get our building! Will you
help the people of Haiti fufill their destiny? You have never seen such a spirit
of determination as you will in this people! You can be a part of making this happen!
Our immediate need is to place the order for the steel…the cost of which is $500K.
We need 10 partners to give $50K. But that is not all we need! IT IS TIME TO BUILD!
The urgency of this need is now mare apparent than ever! We always knew the tent
was a temporary fix. Now is the time to challenge your people, your church, to
challenge yourself to stretch your faith and be part of the soloution to this problem!
No gift is too small, but we need to move forward now! If all money was in hand
today we would still have months of building ahead of us. IT IS TIME TO BUILD!
Will you help? Will you help now? The people of Port Au Prince need you!
IT IS TIME TO BUILD!
Umbrellas to keep the sun off as we meet outdoors!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Determined to fill the nets!
Jay & Linda Threadgill
Fishers of Men Ministries
In This Issue
Damage
Determination
Destiny
Office Complete!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Office Complete!
Although Friday’s storm and the need for a permanent church building is the focus
of this edition of our newsletter, we do want to let you know about the completion
of our new admin office that sits right next to our downed tent.
Our staff and pastors have had no offices to work out of since the earthquake. Several
months ago we began a new office building for our pasors and staff which is made
od a styrofoam building system. The building was undamaged by the storm!
This same material is being used to build our new medical clinic (almost complete)
and will be the material for our new housing program for families that lost homes
during the earthquake!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Quick Links
Our Relief Site http://www.fomrelief.com/?paged=3
Home Site http://www.fomhaiti.org/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PLEASE FORWARD THIS NEWSLETTER TO FRIENDS, COWORKERS AND FAMILY! FILL IN THEIR EMAIL
ADDRESS IN THE SPACE BELOW!
Join Our Mailing List http://www.fomhaiti.org/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
How To Give!
Giving to Fishers of Men is easy and all donations are tax deductible! Checks can
be made out to Fishers of Men and sent to the address below. Please indicate “building
fund” on your pledge.
You can also donate securely on PayPal by visiting our website
at fomrelief.com http://www.fomrelief.com/?page_id=13
OR the main site
http://www.fomhaiti.org/donatetoday.html
Checks to: Fishers Of Men Ministries ~ PO Box 410953 ~ Melbourne, Fl 32941-0953
Leave a Reply