Omaha Rapid Response BLOG

Working

2011-11-02T06:41:00.002-05:00

We are in Haiti again. Brian, Dave, Kim and Karen. We are continuing the health check ups and testing of hemoglobin levels in the approximately 150 children that have been entered in the program. We are almost finished. Tommorrow we will help with the weekly medical clinic in Jubilee. Karen and Kim are involved with a organization called Kids against Hunger and have been distributing some food. Karen and I (Brian) will go to an orphanage today to distibute some more boxes of this prepackaged food. It has been neat to watch the team reconnect with friends they have made on previous visits.

I am working on finishing 8 houses. They are in need of windows and doors. We will finish or be very close by the time we leave. It is encouraging to be coming close to finishing this 50 house project. We would like to begin building showers and toilets in the community. Although maybe not as appealing as building dwellings it is just as vital as it helps prevent the spread of disease and provides dignity and privacy to those who are forced to do thier "business" outside. We are looking for funding for this new project. Please consider giving financially to help us complete this new phase. Thanks for your continuing support.

Brian

Life lessons

2011-08-29T05:43:00.002-05:00

I have been back in Haiti for about a week. I belive we will have 16 more houses finished in a couple of days. Leaving 16 not yet finished. Looking back on this project I wonder what I have accomplished. I am asking myself if it was just walls and roofs I set out to complete. I am pretty sure that the houses we have given have helped the families with their need. But it was not a moment of joy or hope that was what I had originally sought. I was looking for the homes to be a catalyst for change in the lives of those that received them. It may still be. I fear that I have done the same thing I warn others about. Thinking somehow "I" can make a difference. That my work can bring immediate change. Sometimes I disgust myself. It is such an arrogant position to think that my presence could somehow erase a lifetime of operating out of poverty. By my actions I have shown myself to be the one in poverty. When given opportunity to deepen relationship with these families I have often chose work above them. When I rely upon myself to be the change agent it overwhelms me as I fail and I dive back into the work so I can feel as if I have accomplished something.

Success is not defined by houses built or things given away. Rather by relationships deepened. My friend Djacki Buy brings me hope as I see him walk his life out before God. He has taken what in the worlds eyes are impossible odds and has begun to be a change agent in my life. He saves every dime he can to buy a few more concrete block continuing the construction on his house so he can move out of his mud hut. He teaches me out of the riches in his heart how I can come up out of poverty. I need to practice what I preach. I thank God that He has placed Djacki Buy in my life so that I might learn.

Brian

Haiti August 2011

2011-08-17T09:57:00.003-05:00

I just returned from Haiti about a week ago. I was there for about three weeks with my oldest daughter Kendra. It was great to have her with me. Such a blessing to have a family connection while in Haiti. She helped with kids programs and the feeding everyday. It was encouraging to see her dive into relationship. I continued with the housing project which is getting very close to being finished. I hope to complete it when I return for two weeks on August 20th. This next trip will be a short one comparitively as i will only be staying 2 weeks. It has been wonderful to see the families move into there houses. We continue to deepen relationship with them. Trying to help with thier needs as we are able. Talking with them about what it means to be a good neighbor and working through the occasional conflict resolution. When we finish with the houses we are wanting to begin building toilet and shower facilities for each 8 house complex. Currently there are very few places, other than in the open field to do your "business". In addition to the health and sanitation issue we believe this begins to give a little dignity to those that we serve. We are asking for financial help with these structures. The cost for each will be approximately $2500 each. It is easy to raise funds for housing but the need for proper bathroom facilities is just as great. Please consider helping with this. As always we are looking for those who have a desire to visit Haiti and serve onsite with us. If you would like to go or give please email us at info@omaharapidresponse.org

Thanks for all your love and support,

Brian

ORR Joplin Tornado Relief

2011-06-15T22:51:00.010-05:00

I have returned from Joplin with a very different perspective on what is important in life. Everything can be taken away in just a mater of a couple minutes. It's hard to imagine how anyone can recover from such emotional trauma in their lives. The emotional and topographical scars from this tragedy will linger on for many many years to come.

On May 22nd, one of the single most destructive tornadoes tore through Joplin Missouri. This massive tornado destroyed everything in its path. Nothing was left untouched. The following picture is just a small snapshot of a path 3/4 of a mile wide and two miles long. After home owners are done with finding anything they want to keep the dozers come in and push everything out to the curb for the trucks to haul away to the landfill. Eventually all that will be left in this zone will be the streets. Many people that have been affected will be taking whatever money they can get from insurance and buying another house. However, the overall attitude of this area is one of hope and positive recovery.

This is the now famous St. John's Mercy Hospital. The destructive power of the tornado blew out the windows of this building and rumor has it that tornado generated enough lift on the building to twist the building four inches off the foundation. The incredible power of this tornado was unbelievable. You can see in the foreground what happened to many cars that were around or near the hospital.

This is a hospital truck that was probably down by the hospital and was rolled up the hill and hurled against this tree with such force that it wrapped the frame around the tree. It looks to be an average 26 foot straight truck with a steel frame.

This is a backside shot of the same truck picture above. That had to be one tough tree to stand strong against a tremendous hit like that.

This is the backside of the first house we helped with carrying appliances, hazardous material, brush, and metal to the curb. The two team members are standing by the front door. The family in this house took shelter from the storm to the left of the front door

in a hallway and watched the whole dining room/kitchen section as well as the entire roof get torn off and blown away. No one in the family was harmed.

Our next project was to help this home owner cut down four trees and saw them into chunks to save him hundreds of dollars. We also hauled some appliances from the kitchen in back of the house to the curb to be hauled away. The dead line for the FEMA help for such things was two days away.

The third place we helped was to unload a moving truck for a lady that was moving into a house. Her house had been destroyed and she needed help to unload a truck into her new place to live. She was an older lady and had heart wrenching stories about all the collectibles she had lost in the tornado.

I returned home very thankful for my humble home and all the simple things that make it a liveable place. Thank you all for any thoughts and prayers that came our way during the weekend. Continue to hold this town in your prayers. Recovery will take years before that section of town will be back to normal.

I hope and pray that your weekend was tornado, fire and flood free.

- David Bentz

Responding to Joplin MO, why wait?

2011-05-24T22:32:00.001-05:00

We wanted to thank YOU for your interest, support and sacrifices to help the victims of our City, Region, Nation, and International. Many of You are willing to drop everything to go and help (prayerfully, physically, financially, etc) … some knowingly, put their lives and families in danger by doing so! This is a Great Calling, to those He has chosen to be His Hands, Feet and Heart! THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMITMENT!

This week we have been presented with yet another disaster, close to home: Joplin, Missouri. Many of you have expressed an interest to help … and some are willing to go ‘yesterday’! The need is great … yet, we need to outline a few points for your consideration, as we plan these upcoming Response Teams.

As you read this, please understand that we are involved in ORR and other local church/organizations, because of our desire to help. If you are like me, and want to be at the disaster site; helping victims within the first 5 minutes … you are in the majority with first responders. As a group and Body of Christ in Omaha, we are accountable for our (re)actions and the resources G-d has blessed us with. So, seeking His Will and Timing … and applying due diligence is our first priority.

That being said … here are a few points why we will go to Joplin – but next week will be the earliest.

Joplin officials put out a request for help. In doing so, first responders, medical personnel and other volunteers showed up: over 5,000 (last estimate) from 9 States! That is over 10% of Joplin’s population. The response is impressive, but it creates a myriad of problems.

Logistically, this amount of people (more every day) is a nightmare for Joplin’s residents. They appreciate the help. But then they are greatly concerned about housing, food, water, electricity and other things that most people/teams need. This amount of ‘helpers’ also creates a safety problem, especially those that are not trained and “need to do something.” Most of these people will NOT be let into the disaster site-which they have blocked off. Only approved Chaplains are being let in, working alongside the approved First responders.

We want to go now … but we are hoping you understand why we cannot this week.

[in 2008, ORR was ready to send a Team to China in the aftermath of an earthquake that killed over 130,000. China would give us visas to attend the Olympics that year, but not to help the victims! This was frustrating … until I was in China a few months later and found out: they officially sent SIX MILLION responders … and 20 MILLION showed up!!] What a nightmare! Can you imagine having too much help? This same problem happened in NY after 9-11.

Well, that is a problem in Joplin … though it will not be the problem in the coming weeks and months!

After the adrenaline and rescue operations (usually the first week) have dissipated (it then becomes a recovery operation) … most of the first responders will leave, and members of other organizations will head home or to the next disaster. Does that end the massive amount of hard work and suffering to those in Joplin? … of course not. It opens a great opportunity for others (like us) to come alongside the Body in the Joplin area and continue the long process of healing, restoring and bringing Hope. This will be a time when the ‘shock’ of everything will settle deep into their hearts and minds … and depression, rebuilding and revaluating their lives takes place.

We believe this will be the right time to respond to this disaster.

We are in contact with churches and individuals from Joplin and surrounding communities. They are willing for us to come and help them! Every day, we get a clearer picture of the unmet needs; and our Brothers and Sisters in Joplin are formulating plans for long-term help.

So, we are working to coordinate Teams … logistics, individuals and areas of greatest need. We will work to help the local residents clear debris … help with the victims (physical, mental, emotional and Spiritual needs) since many had their lives torn and thrown into the next County … spell some relief for the local medical and first responder members, so that they can begin to rebuild for THEIR families. Whatever G-d directs us to do!

Does this make sense to You? Do you understand why we need to ‘stand down’ this week … though we are working to clear a Path (literally and figuratively) for The Body of Omaha to response in a safe, most efficient and timely manner?

It is very hard to wait while we see the suffering and death … but we need to understand: if a Team went down tomorrow, we would stand around [probably on the outside of the yellow tape] and join 100s of others like us, who might be asked every 10 hours to unload a truck of water. Though having water is important, is it the best use of our time, when someone is already doing that? Or … like many others encountered yesterday and today … they were told “thanks, but no thanks” … and sent on their way, because they were not a member of the local/State mutual aid agreements.

If this disaster was in Lincoln or somewhere within 100 miles, our response time would be completely different! We could get to this area within a few hours and possibly save many lives. Joplin is over 350 miles (6 hours) away and almost all volunteer and paid first responders within 150 miles of Joplin RESPONDED! We are needed, but not at this time. This is a time to coordinate Teams, supplies, finances and partner with others from our community with our precious Family in Joplin. We want to be prepared to go to Joplin as soon as possible … which may happen next week or the following week. We are working out the details so that as soon as G-d opens the door … WE ARE THERE!

Thank You for your patience and understanding. We look forward to working with You for the Glory of the L-rd … in Joplin and all around the World! Please continue with your Faithful prayers and intercession.

Blessings and Love in Y-shua’s Mighty Name,

ken g.

His supply

2011-05-19T19:51:00.003-05:00

I've been back in Haiti for almost 2 weeks now. Still working on the home building project. I hope to have all but 16 finished before I leave on June 10th. Things have been going fairly well. The guys seem to need a refresher course on a few things each time I return but they are hard workers and it has been a blessing to see thier progress in technical skill and work ethic.

Our fund for Haiti is pretty low which has allowed me the opportunity to evaluate what I am doing here and has pounted out some areas where I have focused more on completing projects than I have on loving people. It has been difficult to reflect and see my lack of caring but good in that it allows me to correct my course in some areas. This is a long, probably life long, work for me sometimes it seems fruitless and slow but when I do as I should and care for individuals face to face it starts to make more sense. Thanks as always for your unrelenting support and care it is much needed and appreciated.

Brian

We went to Ware?

2011-05-17T22:54:00.008-05:00

About a month ago a series of powerful tornadoes tore through a corner of Iowa from Mapelton all the way up to a little town called Ware. (Insert Joke here) Ware Iowa is situated in some of the richest farm land I have ever seen. However with allot of disaster relief efforts going towards larger towns, The residents of ware were left feeling like now one cared. So God sent us.

Ware took a direct hit from an F4 tornado. Nearly all the homes were either destroyed or severely damaged. Besides vast amounts of debris scattered through out the town, there downed tree limbs everywhere. So in miserable wet and cold weather we went with our saws gloves and muscles and began the work of cleaning up the mess the tornadoes had left behind. In two days we sorted through tones of debris cleared acres of land of trash and tree limbs and cut more tree limbs than I can even remember.

For me this was a specially memorable trip, not just for the way that God used us and relationships forged but also because my Dad came with me for the first time along with my two older boys Isaac and Caleb. It blessed my heart to see them working their hears out to help people they did not even know the day before.

Our whole team performed phenomenally, I can't tell you what a honor it was to work with them all. They worked hard and worked will together and had good attitudes in spite of miserable weather conditions.

I can say with confidence, I don't think the residents or Ware feel forgotten anymore.

- Aaron

Me, my Dad, and my sons Isaac and Caleb

2011-04-02T19:06:00.004-05:00

Things are moving along fairly well with the housing project. We have 20 foundations poured with walls on 15 of them roofs on 8 of those. We hope to have families moved in before I leave on Thursday. It has seemed at times to be very slow going but the last couple of weeks the guys have really bought into what we are trying to do and things have gone a lot smoother and quicker. We are now able to set the forms and pour the concrete walls on one house each day. It has been challenging at times with the guys working for us, but it has also been encouraging to see the progress we have made in relationship. While we were sitting the other day waiting for supplies to show up we started talking about church and God. I had opportunity to share my thoughts and testimony and one of the guys asked how he could know the Lord. It was encouraging to be available when someone had questions and be able to share with him what I have found in the Lord. I continue to pray for him in his journey towards Jesus. This is the reason we are in this community and why we are building these houses. So the Kingdom might spread. I believe as we begin to move families in and as we deepen relationships we will continue to see His Kingdom come.

Thanks for your support,

Brian

Trying

2011-03-27T21:13:00.003-05:00

I have only posted a blog one other time during this trip. I have sat down many times with the intent to write one. It is becoming more difficult for me to articulate my experiences here in Haiti. I have been working here for about 11 years. I am trying build friendships and be used in some way to bring a measure of hope to those without it. It seems to be an uphill battle. I work with a dozen or so guys everyday doing this housing project and feel as if many of them have become friends so it is difficult when they steal tools and supplies. I wonder how much I am the cause of this. What I mean is why is it so difficult for them to see me as a friend? Why can't they get past my having money? It is not as if I don't know them well, I eat, joke and work with them. I live in thier community when I'm here. I have been asking myself these questions as they hurt me by treating me as nothing more than a way to get money or things. But I need to look at my own response to thier need and change the way that I respond. This is not to say that stealing is anything but wrong. Both I and they know it is wrong but how could my actions make them feel as if they can justify a wrong behavior. I am hurt when they treat me as only someone who can give them something, but I am guilty of the same thing when I respond rudely to someone who is sharing thier needs with me. I justify my behavior by saying that I can't help everyone or I'm tired because I've had fifty requests already today. Those things may be true but it doesn't make unkindness acceptable. In the same way that it is not acceptable for those in need to say "you have and I don't so it's ok" which I hear a lot. Until I am invited or grow deep enough in relationship with others it is futile to tell them they are doing wrong I can only try to change myself and try to become more welcoming. As Jesus is. Thanks for listening (reading), Brian

ORR Pakistan Fruit Tree Program

2011-03-21T22:08:00.007-05:00

We have continued to give fruit trees. We have also given fruit trees for another orchard of one acre. The total number of fruit trees we have distributed are 750. The types of fruit tress we have distributed are Peach, Apple, Almond, Cherry, Pear, Apricot, Plumb.

We got these fruit trees from Government Agriculture Department free of any cost. We transported these trees from Mansehra to Jabber Gali area and hired six worker for planting. We will also get fruit trees for one more orchard in next week.

We developed this link between the Government Agriculture Department and People of Jabber Gali. It was not possible for the people of Jabber Gali to get these fruit trees without our help. This is the story of our connection and care for the deserving and needy community.

- Waheed Alam

2011-03-19T19:48:00.002-05:00

It's saturday the day before elections in Haiti. Tomorrow I will be picking up three americans to add to the five I picked up today. We then will head back to Goniaves where they will do various things unknown to me and I will go back to building houses. I mainly came to Port au Prince so i could pick up supplies that I can't find or are too expensive in Gonaives. Then we had two flat tires and I couldn't buy a spare and I was unwilling to take heavy supplies, baggage and Americans with all the materials on a 100 mile road trip the day of an election (which sometimes can mean riots). So I guess I will be back later in the week provided schedule and political upheaval don't get in the way. Please pray for me and my family as we are separated. It has been very difficult. I will write again later this week.

Brian

Zanmi Mwen (my friend)

2011-01-28T16:33:00.004-06:00

This is my good friend Addison. He is my right hand man in all the work we do here in Haiti. We have become very close as we have worked together the last couple of years. It has been very hard to build relationships here as most people can only see me as a means of provision. It is very different with Addison and I. We talk for hours sometimes about life, God and our families. It is good to have a real friend here. Most of my days I don't speak much english and it sometimes can make me feel more distant from home, but many times over, Addison has been my confidant when things get tough. I eat at his house everyday, play with his four kids and talk with his wife, it makes it a bit easier when I start missing home. I am sure many of you read the blog I wrote after the little boy had died. That was a rough day and Addison saw what I was going through. Even though culturally we don't deal with stuff like this in the same way he was sensitive enough to know I wasn't doing that good. The following day he called me and asked me to go to a soccer match with him because he knew I needed sometime away from what I was dealing with. It may seem like a small thing, but it was huge to me and spoke volumes about his care for me. We continue as friends, sometimes we get mad at each other or have misunderstandings, but thats friendship. I thank God for bringing us together in relationship and I know that we will continue to care for and challenge one another.

Thanks for all you do,

Brian

Noel

2011-01-25T16:21:00.003-06:00

We built this house for Noel, a widow that has her grandson living with her. Previously she had lived in a mud hut that had a a tin roof full of holes so she couldn't stay there when it rained. I used to see her every morning as she sold corn and spicy corn broth every morning on the bridge where I sit and talk to friends. She was always very friendly but not very talkative. One day I purchased some breakfast from her and from then we began to talk a bit more. I suppose when she saw that I would eat her cooking she warmed up to me a bit. Only after a few weeks of being better acquainted did she feel the freedom to share her situation and ask for help. This is very refreshing as normally people ask me for money before they even greet me.

I recently had an opportunity to share with Covenant Family Church in Omaha. They blessed us with a financial gift and we were able to use this money to build a dry safe and secure dwelling for Noel. As Noel and I continue as friends I learn from her quiet dignity and hope that I can treat her with the the same respect she has treated me. Thanks to all for your love and support. Please continue to give and pray as we work together to spread His love.

Brian

Still working

2011-01-23T10:46:00.003-06:00

The housing project continues to move along. We now have 15 foundations in walls up on 3 houses and the roof started on one. I return to the states on Feb. 4th and hope to have finished 12 houses by then. While here I have continued to do Rapid Response work. We have built a house for an elderly widow, helped a man start a motorcycle taxi business, and helped many with daily needs. I will get some pictures up and share some stories later this week. Thanks for staying connected. Sorry the blogs haven't been very frequent. I'll try to make up for it this week.

Brian

Progress

2011-01-02T08:21:00.004-06:00

I have been back in Haiti for about a week we are building 50 houses with a grant from Cross International. Things are going well construction wise. We are moving along fairly quickly. We got 5 foundations put in this week. We will begin pouring the floors on Monday and hopefully have the walls poured on a couple houses by the end of the week.

The houses are 10ft. x 20ft. with 2 doors and 2 windows. They will have poured concrete walls with metal roofs. We are building them in 8 house complexes. All the houses face the center of what will eventually be a gathering area for the neighborhood. If we have enough money in the budget we hope to provide water and some electrical power to each house grouping.

We also distributed food to about 50 elderly in the neighborhood. Addison my good friend and coworker who some of you have met on your trips here has a passion to help the elderly so for the last 2 1/2 months he has been giving them about a 15 day supply of unprepared food. He had begun helping a few older people on his own before he even asked me to help financially. Needless to say he doesn't have a lot himself and he is trying to provide for his wife four children and an orphan he recently took in. I am excited to be joining him in the passion the Lord has given him. The orphan is the girl whose brother I wrote about in the last blog.

It has been an encouraging week seeing a lot of work being done and seeing God's hope beginning to settle in here in Jubilee.

As always thanks for your continued prayer and financial support.

Happy New Year,

Brian

Today

2010-11-20T16:03:00.006-06:00

A woman died last week from Cholera, leaving behind a daughter about 11 and a son probably 8 months. We found a family willing to take them in. I gave them money a couple of times so they could buy food. The baby got sick and the woman for reasons uknown to me would not take the baby to the hospital. I did not know the baby was sick until today. Addison (our Hatian director) told the woman to bring the baby to his house so his wife could take care of him until we found someone suitable to take him in. When she brought him over I took him from her and laid him on the bed. I noticed he was gasping for breath I called our friend Emory to get the contact info for a local pediatrician. By the time Emory called back (approx. 5 min) he had already passed away. It is times like these that are very difficult here. At first I want to blame myself because I didn't choose a good home for him. Then I realize it's not about me and God is in control. (Not that I can't learn from mistakes just that self focus is not what is needed right now). So we begin to plan on getting the body buried. I hire a local carpenter to build a coffin, send someone to pay the fee at the courthouse for a plot in the city cemetery and buy some burial clothes for the boy. The gravity starts to set in and I have to take a walk By the time I get halfway to the ocean I am sobbing asking God why. I call my wife so I can grieve in English for a while and start to head back. Addison comes to meet me halfway because he has run out of money for all the things he had to buy for the "funeral". I talk with him for a bit but the cemetery is closing soon so we have to get going. I get back to his house and realize they have bought a dress to bury him in and I can't let it go. I tell them if we are cleaning the body and building him a coffin to respect him we can't put him in girls clothes. They oblige the white guy and go get him an appropriate outfit. We put it on him, lay the body gently in the freshly made box and take it to the cemetery on the back of a motorcycle. When he first died I prayed that the Lord would "undo" it, heal him, bring him back to life. He said "he is with me" so I stopped.

How is it that I "share in his sufferings" and he rejoices as he welcomes this yet unnamed boy into His kingdom? My life remains a contradiction, but I'm content to share in His work.

Thanks for your prayer and support,

Brian

Pakistan

2010-11-20T07:31:00.008-06:00

These are some of the children met the women are embroidering center have made clothes for. The one picture is of them in the clothing. The other one is the of us giving them their school uniform. It's 200 children that we are selling uniforms for. The other pictures are of what used to be a Hydro electric generator which supplies electricity to about 40 or 50 homes. We will be replacing these one at a time. It's a source of income for those who had the generator has their business and maintaining it and all the lines running to the homes. We are working on a regular basis in this community, searching out those affected by the flooding in meeting their needs on a personal basis.

We are continuing to care for our widows that we have built homes for and the man who was paralyzed in the earthquake. Supplying food for them and helping them with small startup businesses.

Cholera update and roadblocks

2010-11-17T15:56:00.003-06:00

We have had no new cases of cholera reported yesterday or today. Although we have seen some relapsing. Many of those that have gone to the hospital to be cared for have been sent home after they have had a few IV bags and have been somewhat re hydrated. When they return home and the symptoms return they end up just as sick as they had been previously. We have continued to help those we find in need and are still giving purified water and hydration solution to all who need/want it. We 2went to Cap Haitian yesterday to help some doctors get out of the hospital they were stuck in because of the rioting that has been going on there. We had to navigate through a few roadblocks set up by protesters. It was an interesting day. It was encouraging that as we made our way north yesterday and explained to people that we had a nurse and medicine to help with cholera they let us through. Sometimes a little slower than others , but we made it through all of the blockades. Most Haitians I meet care about their fellow man so when given the opportunity to help most jump at the chance. We had a group of three that rode with us about half the way because they knew many of the people protesting so they helped us negotiate at some of our stops. They asked for nothing but i did pay them a little for their help. It is also difficult to see the response the protesters feel they have to give to combat injustice. One man in particular was beside himself with grief after losing a family member to cholera, he ran around with a baton yelling that he would let no one pass his blockade. When I explained to him that we were there to help he quickly let us by. On our way back through after we picked up the doctors I encountered the same man again who seemed to be in worse shape emotionally than he was the first time I saw him. He was still carrying a baton and wanted to fight with anyone who was willing. As he ran past me i tried to stop him to talk to him maybe console him try to show him someone cared. He was unwilling at the time and we needed to get on with the group anyway, but I am struck again by the hopelessness that so many feel and can't begin to imagine the position poverty puts them in. They are well aware that if a person with means gets cholera their chances of survival are great as opposed to the poor who die needlessly. That is some of what drives them to protest and at times become violent. When your whole life is spent looking up at despair the emotions sometime boil over. The work continues as we try to offer hope to those that are mostly forgotten. Thanks to all who are willing to engage with us as we crawl forward.

Brian

P.S. there was also a reporter with the group of doctors who was doing a story on their activities. I think you can find her report at Roanoke.com. If that's not right I know the paper is the Roanoke times so you can google it. Sorry this wasn't a well worded blog. I'm kinda just rambling a bit. The next one will be better, (i think).

Update

2010-11-14T08:49:00.002-06:00

As of yesterday we had begun to see the amount of sick level off here in jubilee. UNICEF says they will have thier clinic open today, so hopefully we can direct people there. We had mostly children in the clinic yesterday. We were able to transport them to the hospital in the afternoon. We had an 8 month old on the back of a motorcycle with the mother holding the babywith one hand and the IV bag in the other. Sometimes that is the way it goes here. We were without a vehicle because one of the american teachers had a sudden tragic death in the family yesterday and needed to get back to the states so the truck was on its way to Port au Prince. We also had a baby born at the clinic yesterday. A woman in labor came on the back of a moped and said she was giving birth. Who was I to argue? So when our american nurse returned she helped the woman. Then 30 min later she was on the back of my motorcycle going back home with the baby. I drove as slow and smooth as Haitian roads will allow. We continue to help those whom we can and are giving a hydration solution in 5 gallons of water to all who want it. Each day has it's own challenges, victories and defeats. I take comfort in the fact that God is unchanging.

Brian

Cholera in Jubilee

2010-11-10T22:05:00.003-06:00

Thanks to all who have helped financially with the cholera outbreak here in Gonaives. We have had close to 50 people that have come for medical help. Probably a quarter of them have needed IV fluids. Most are still very sick. We know of 13 in our community that have already died. With one of them being a student in the school here in Jubilee. We were able to send all of our patients to a hospital today that UNICEF is helping to respond. I am sure we will continue to get more sick in the next few days. We have been giving as many who want it purified water and a hydration solution to help with those who are sick or may become sick. We have sent someone into the community for the last two days with a megaphone to educate about how to prevent the spread of the disease. We have been handing out soap and hand sanitizer as we have had supplies. We feel encouraged that it has not been as bad as it potentially could be. After the first day we had 6 die and we thought the next day would be exponentially worse but we are hoping that it has leveled off here. Although we are not out of the woods yet we are optomistic that it will get better rather than worse. We will continue to educate people on how to prevent the disease and provide the best care possible to those already infected. Thank you all so very much for your support. I will try to update again soon.

Brian

Flooding in Gonaives

2010-11-06T06:21:00.002-05:00

I have been in Port au Prince for the last two days. The rain has been heavy at times but there doesn't seem to be any flooding. Gonaives had started to flood but as I am writing this we got a report the rain has stopped and the water has gone down, but the potential for more rain and flooding is still high. Please continue to pray for our friends there. Please also do not forget about the flooding disaster in Pakistan which still continues to be a great hardship on the people there. I will update again when I have new info.

Thanks for all you do,

Brian

Our Clothing Project.

2010-10-26T13:24:00.004-05:00

Women of our embroidery center in Jabber Gali are busy in sewing the garments for our clothing project for flood affected area of village Dobar. Below are few pictures of work progress.

Next week we are going to start our next project in village Dobar. In this project we will start our work on small hydro power generator. For more updates about this project please check the coming post.

Waheed Alam

Omaha Rapid Response

Pakistan

Connecting old disaster to new disaster

2010-10-17T04:09:00.013-05:00

Above is the picture of our females embroidery center in Jabber Gali. We are going to use our best trained females to sew the clothing for the flood affected children of village Dobar.
In this way the earthquake affected community of Jabber Gali is now helping us to response to flood affected people of village Dobar.
We have already got the sizes of the children clothing and we are in the process of getting material from Lahore.

We also visited our on going projects in earthquake affected area.

We visited our home under construction in Shinkiari

We met with the widows families of our home building project. We responded to their immediate needs by installing new screen doors and screen for the windows. We also provided warm blankets for this up coming winter.
Our fruit trees are doing great. We had a great crop this summer. All the fruit has been picked from this tree. But this is representative of the size of our fruit trees, as you rememeber we planted ove 14,000 like this.

Making assessment of this widows home.
We have been working with widow's family for the last year. We are providing medical care to her son who is suffering with epilepsy. Her only daughter shown on the right has a polio and cannot walk.
We supplied a weeks worth of food to her family.

Waheed Alam
National Director
Pakistan

Visiting village Dobair

2010-10-12T10:21:00.003-05:00

Village Dobair which has been divested by the recent flooding.
The flood water has swiped away 200 home killing more then 52 people. All the businesses, schools hospital and road has been completely gone.
We are coordinating our relief operation in this area for the last one month.
Recently we have visited area and met with the affected people and share our love and prayers. We have also received their request and assessed their needs.

Where once was a Vehicle Bridge.

VILLAGE ASSESSMENT

2010-09-18T22:14:00.007-05:00

We are assessing the needs in this remote mountain village that was completely swept away by the recent flooding in Pakistan. Waheed and Mohammed Farid are standing in front of all that is left of the homes in this village. The needs there are more than you can possibly imagine. But God has a plan for each of these precious people. Please pray as we seek the heart of God for what he would have us do with our limited resources. I will be leaving to join them in Pakistan soon.

The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Please be in prayer.

Blessings
Ken

ORR 100 Mile Bike Ride - all Bikers Triumphed over the Road!

2010-09-12T14:28:00.005-05:00

Omaha Rapid Response (ORR) hosted its first ever Bike Ride to relieve suffering September 11th, 2010. The initially began with my son Isaac (8 years old) who wanted to ride a 100 mile bike ride on his bike this year. Joanie and I have been involved in Omaha Rapid Response for years and asked Isaac what he thought about making the ride a fund raising event ORR. Isaac loved the idea, and so the training began.

Isaac rode over 324 miles this summer during his training for the ORR 100 mile Bike Ride. His brother Caleb (7 years old) decided that while could not ride a 100 miles, he wanted to ride as far as he could to help raise money for ORR.

Rich McGinness, TJ Enst and Mike Hall, Isaac and Caleb’s grandfather also joined the ride. The ride began at 6:05 am on September 11th, 2010.

The terrorist attack on 9/11/2001 was the first disaster Omaha Rapid Response responded to shortly after its founding. Since then ORR has responded to natural and manmade disasters all over the world. From helping clear tree limbs after tornadoes in Omaha to hurricane relief on the gulf coast, to ORR’s ongoing relief efforts in Pakistan and Haiti, ORR has been helping people all over the world. It seemed only fitting to host this bike ride on 9/11 as a way to commemorate our inaugural response and also to honor those lost on 9/11.

The ride began early in the morning at 6:05 am. For 100 miles we pedaled from Ashland to Greenwood, and Waverly. We then proceeded through a corner of Lincoln up through Ceresco and Wahoo. We continued on from Cedar bluffs down through Mead, Memphis and finally back from Ashland.

We were met along the way by their support team and well wishers cheering them on. Joanie and my mom, Susan Hall, and Jill Borgelt provided sag support for the team providing them with water, Gatorade and snacks at various points along the way.
Janet Klein, Susan Hall, Jill Borgelt and Debbie Smith prepared a meal for everyone at the conclusion of the ride.

Here is a list of all the riders and their mileages:

TJ Ernst – 100 Miles
Aaron Hall – 100 miles
Caleb Hall – 18 miles
Isaac Hall – 100 miles
Mike Hall – 100 Miles
Rich McGinness – 100 Miles

I am so proud over everyone involved, our riders, our support team and our donors. And many of these fit into more than one category. I can’t thank you all enough, you all made this a huge success! From the bottom of my heart, Thanks!

On a personal note I am not sure what is sweeter, that joy of watching my boys train and work hard, building character throughout this process, or being able to also do this with my dad, Mike Hall. Three generations of us. Glory be to God for all that He has done!

-- Aaron L. Hall

Village Dobair

2010-09-09T01:40:00.004-05:00

Village Dobair is situated about 200 Km from Mansehra ( our working District).
This village once considers to be beautiful and charming picnic spots and people use to visit this village for enjoying the rushing blue water river which passes in the middle of the village.
(File Photo of Village Dobair)

Due to recent flooding in Pakistan the village Dobair has also been badly ruined by the flooded river. More then 300 houses has completely swept away with many commercial shops and hotels.
(Recent Picture of Village Dobair)

We have completed our assessment in this village and planning to lunch our relief activity on the arrival Sir Ken. His schedule flight to Pakistan is on 13th of this month.
We are thankful for you support and prayers.

Omaha Rapid Response Team
Pakistan

SRI LANKA

2010-09-06T23:12:00.004-05:00

Brian Smith our director of operations in Haiti is currently in Sri Lanka with Samanga Amarasinghe who is part of our ORR family. They are seeking the heart of God in regards what He wants to do in that country.
ORR worked in Sri Lanka following the 2005 tsunami and Samanga is from Sri Lanka.

Please keep them in your prayers.

Blessings
Ken

Road clean-up in pictures

2010-09-02T11:19:00.004-05:00

Responding to Unprecedented Disaster of Century.

2010-08-26T18:57:00.000-05:00

ORR Pakistan team is busy to response the flood catastrophe in the affected area.
We have cleared the road from landslides in our working area and become successful to provide road access to more than 150 villages of the area.
We have observed the impact of this activity in term of transportation of food supply in the area and making the food prices down. People able to transfer the sick people to hospital in the city area for needed medical help.

We have also made an assessment in Village Dobar, District Khohistan . This village has been badly effected by the flooded river and almost all houses has been swept away. More than 40 people died in this village and made the remaining to live under open sky.

We are working on our plan of action to help the survival of village Dubar. This is the story of only one village and there are hundreds of other villages, towns and cites that have been divested and affecting more then 20 million people.

So numbers of people suffering this massive flood are more than the combined total of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the 2005 Kashmir earthquake and the 2010 Haiti earthquake.

According to latest information more than 1.2 million home have been demolished and crops over hundreds of thousands of acres have destroyed. Live stock and food storages have been washed away. The magnitude of the tragedy is so immense that it is hard to assess.

Lot of help is needed to build the life of these suffering people and give them hope.
We request you to donate generously to Omaha Rapid Response for Pakistan flood relief.

Waheed Alam
National Director.
Omaha Rapid Response
Pakistan

Training for ORR Bike Ride... Asphalt Exfoliation. (Updated 8/25)

2010-08-23T12:28:00.003-05:00

Five hours of sleep and then time to get up for a long bike ride. We were training for the ORR 100 mile bike ride to raise money for ORR. The money will be spent between our ongoing Haiti operatons and relief efforts aimed at helping the flood victiums in Pakistan.

My dad joined Isaac and I on what we were planning on being a 80 mile training bike ride. I towed Kailey in the bike trailer. She has been needing some extra daddy time, so I thought it would be a good way for us to spend some time together. When I woke her up Saturday morning and told her she was coming with us, her eyes lit up.

We left from our house about 8:00am after a few delays getting started. First we rode toward Lincoln. Isaac was ridding phenomenally, we were averaging about 13 miles per hour. Once we got to Lincoln we turned north on HWY 77.

About 4 miles south of Wahoo, 40 miles into our ride Isaac and I’s handlebars became caught and we wrecked. It was a pretty bad wreck. Dad got mixed up in it too, but somehow he came free without going down.. Kailey was not hurt, but both Isaac and I went down. When my dad asked Kailey if she was alright, she said “I got really freaked out!”

Isaac and I both took road rash and our bikes got beat up a bit. Laying on the asphalt crying and bleeding the first thing out of his mouth was “I don’t want to end the ride this way, I want to finish the ride.” Dad called Joan to pick us up. Luckily she was close by as she was going to meet us for lunch in Wahoo.

We had pretty much decided to call it a day when Isaac said that he really wanted to continue. Since hour injuries were mainly superficial, we decided to at least continue on to Wahoo for lunch. I asked Isaac what he thought about the rest of the day. He said he wanted to finish the whole ride. So, sweat soaked and bleeding we continued on and rode another 50 miles in 90+ degree heat for a totally of a 90 mile bike ride. I did not tow Kailey past the 40 mile mark due to muscle fatigue and the wreck. Pulling 50 extra pounds puts a lot of strain on your quads and your "glutes".

About the 75 mile mark it was getting really hot and we were all feeling wore out. About the time we were trying to decide if we needed to call in help, we saw a center pivot irrigation sprinkler wattering a field. The sprinkler end was close to the road and some of the water was actually goin into out of the road. We quickly diteched ur bikes in the grass and stood in the sprinkler for about 10 minutes. It was wonderfull. It cooled us off and refreshed us. We were soaked and loving it. Thank God for that sprinkler, it helped us finish the ride.

To say that I am proud of Isaac for his courage and determination, would be an understatement. He has the lion of Judah in his heart. I would have totally fine with calling at day, there is no shame in that. But for him to keep ridding and finish a 90 mile bike ride, that is awesome. Thank you God for keeping us from serious injury and helping us to be able to finish the ride.

So, it was a little crazy and a little scary at time, but all in all God kept us safe and we overcame to ride another day.

- Aaron Hall

Friends & Family

2010-08-17T20:07:00.002-05:00

I arrived in Haiti this morning to continue the work that ORR is doing in Gonaives. I was picked up at the airport, ran a few errands in Port au Prince and headed north. As I talked with friends on the drive I couldn't stop thinking about Pakistan and what my friends are going through.

The disaster here in Haiti is far enough removed that people are beginning to get a handle on what life looks like for them. Not good or easy for most but finding some sense of normalcy (at least normal for Haiti). The disaster in Pakistan is still going on as I write this. People are homeless, hungry and desperate for relief. I wonder what our response will look like. As i drove to Gonaives today we talked about what our response to suffering is and what do we see as legitimate need. I believe it has more to do with our connection to those that are suffering than it does some arbitrary criteria we attach to it. If we see them as friends we may do something. If we see them as family we drop everything to focus on helping them through this crisis. How do I/we think of them? What should my/our response be. I will pray and maybe I will go. What will you do?

Brian

Flood Ravage North West Pakistan.

2010-08-03T01:45:00.008-05:00

Pakistani Nation is facing the history worse flood devastation caused by heavy monsoon rains.
Thousands have died and more then 2.5 million people have been displaced.
The flood destroyed crops, homes, communication lines, roads, and bridges, making access to remote areas even more difficult.

Survivors are also threatened by waterborne disease from contaminated wells and widespread flood waters.
Flood survivors, already in turmoil due to fighting between the Pakistani government and insurgents, are now struggling to find shelter, food, clean drinking water, and emergency medical supplies.

The death tolls in the flood is unrecoverable but we can help the survival who are looking for our help.
It is now our opportunity to serve the survival and build their life back.
As most of you know that we working in the same area since 2005 for our recovery efforts for earthquake victims.
Last year we successfully responded the Swat war victims and now God is calling us again to share the suffering of deadly flood survival. I request you for your prayers and support for giving hope who are in the modest of crises.

The Omaha Rapid Response Pakistan team is fully prepare to respond this catastrophe
You can Help! Your donation through this Gift That Gives More funds emergency aid in response to this Disaster.

Waheed Alam
Operational Director
Omaha Rapid Response
Pakistan

Getting Ready to Say Good-bye

2010-07-10T09:18:00.002-05:00

As I sit down to write our final blog, I seem to be at a loss for words. Not because there are not stories to tell or songs to share, but because there are no words to adequately capture the hearts and lives of the people we have grown to love in Haiti. But I will do my best to share a glimpse of my heart as our team prepares to say goodbye and head back home.

Two weeks ago, our first team arrived in Haiti; filled with excitement and energy to love and serve the Haitian people. From our pre-trip training, we knew not to have any set expectations. Although we knew this, I think most of us had expectations in the back of our minds we hoped would be met. After only a day, however, any of our expectations were put to rest. When our plane landed in Port-u-Prince, we all piled into cars and began the 3-hour journey to Gonaives. Along the ride, we saw poverty beyond anything we could have imagined and immediately the questions of “Why does God allow this?” began. Yet this was only the beginning of our questions.

Once we arrived in Gonaives and began working in the neighborhood of Jubilee, no longer was the poverty just something we saw from the car window, but it was life for our new friends. And as we poured into the lives of those around us, we started to hear story after story of the suffering and pain which have been so deeply woven into their lives. We met a widow who is raising 5 kids on her own. We met orphaned children with only the clothes on their back and no place to rest their head. We met men aching for mentorship and women desiring to be treasured. Yet most importantly, we met God in each and every person, and each and every story. Although they are living amongst suffering and heartache, the people of Haiti persevere each day; overflowing with laughter and joy that can only be best described as contagious.

It was this laughter and joy that carried our team through the first week and met the second team when they arrived. Once again, the community of Jubilee welcomed us with open hearts. This week we shared in the joy of finishing the widow’s house by helping her family move and get settled. We sang at the top of our lungs in Creole as we led Vacation Bible School for the children of Jubilee. Many of us were stretched as we helped run a medical clinic acting as pharmacists and nurses’ assistants alongside the Pakistan Military. We loved seeing the English students grasp our teaching of the English language from days of the week to basic greetings. And we were blessed to share dinner with a local pastor and hear how God is working in Haiti.

But nothing will compare to the precious time we were able to spend building relationships with the people of Jubilee; people who will leave eternal imprints on our hearts. We will always remember how God provided ways to overcome our language barriers to build intentional relationships. We will never forget the smiles and outstretched arms of the children as they ran to us each morning or the desire in their eyes to just be held. These are the memories we can’t check off a list or say we built with our hands. But these are the memories we will carry with us for the rest of our lives.

So as we get ready to leave, we thank everyone for the prayers and support over these last two weeks. At some point during the trip, each of us have come to the end of ourselves and relied on God’s strength alone to get us through the day. For only when we come to the end of us, do we truly see God’s heart and his love for the people of Haiti.

Blessings,
Sarah

Half-Way Point

2010-07-08T07:55:00.002-05:00

Today was probably the most physically demanding day of our trip yet, and as I write this blog, I am the only one still up. However, it was just too good of a day to not blog about it, so here I am.

On a week-long trip, Wednesday can be the mid-week rut. So today was a little more relaxed, which was good as the heat hit everyone on the team pretty hard. The slower pace ended up giving us a better chance to have more time with fewer people, which was awesome. The day started out with soccer. We intended to have a match between Haitian young adults/teens and the Omaha team. However, only Mike was brave enough to take them on, and he only lasted about 20 minutes in the heat. The rest of us played soccer with the littler kids, who were a much better match for us skill-wise!

Not being much of a kid-person by nature, I’ve been amazed at how God is breaking my heart and letting them in. Today I met three girls. One I never did get the name of as she was really little and very hard to understand. However, she latched onto me first thing in the morning and was quite the cuddle bug! She left for a while but came back that afternoon, again glued to my side. It shocks me how much she likes me as she needs so much and I don’t have much to give her, but when she sighed, relaxed, and laid her head on my shoulder, the heat became less noticeable and I thought I could hold her all day.

The rest of the morning we spent time in the neighborhood – playing with kids and getting to know both children and adults. I also met Michelline and Cassagna. After playing with them for a while, I asked them if they would take me to their homes. Two GAMe people and Brian & Cody came with. We first went to MIchelline’s house, and the 10 people sitting in her front yard where shocked to see the “blanc’s” come around the corner. I learned Michelline lived with her older sister as her parents had both died. The sister was 22, taking care of 5 younger siblings, her own child, and was pregnant with another. The father died about a month after she became pregnant, so there was no income. I stood in amazement that 7 (soon to be 8) people lived in a house smaller than my bedroom. I was also amazed at how gracious the woman was and how happy she was to have us as visitors – even when she realized we weren’t there to give her anything. When we left, Michelline’s face was beaming with happiness that we came to visit her house.

Next was Cassagna’s house. She lived with 7 relatives in a two room house. They even had a yard with a full fence. Again, the family was slightly shocked when we strolled up, but they too were gracious, offering us a place to sit in the shade and quite willing to open up about their lives. The mother asked to have her picture taken with me and proudly laughed at her daughter when she excitedly asked if she could come back with us to play at the building. When we left, Cassagna’s face beamed too.

After lunch we went back to the building and hosted a VBS while a few team members went to work on the house ORR has been building. VBS was a touch chaotic and the kids didn’t always get the rules to the games we played, but they sure did have fun – especially with “Cow, Cow, Goat”…a substitution as the kids don’t know what a goose is.

The days can be long and hot. The kids can be overwhelming with their enthusiasm. Sometimes I focus on the dirt, strange smells or germs. And then I think, I’m tired – I don’t want to hold another child. I just want a shower, a cold Coke, and a nap. But, these kids and their families aren’t just nameless faces. I don’t totally why a little attention from me in the form of a piggyback ride, letting them wear my sunglasses, or visiting their homes means so much. However, as each of these kids finds their way into my heart, and as I start to get a slight grasp on how much God loves them (which, by the way, is far beyond anything I could comprehend), I find that all I can do is smile, bend down for yet another piggyback ride &/or photo, and keep going. I can only imagine that doing work in Haiti is painstakingly slow, especially when you approach people as individuals and not numbers. The patience of this organization is hard to believe, but I can see it in the faces of the people we meet that they trust the ORR people. That trust takes a long time to build, but it’s so important in both sharing God’s love and empowering people.

This trip is stretching me far outside of my comfort zone – but despite of some difficulties or discomforts, I am so glad I’m here.

Crystal

Undignified - 7.6.10

2010-07-07T17:29:00.002-05:00

Katilyn: Today was hot and bright. We had the medical clinic again in the morning. Inside it went smoother than yesterday. The nurses and the pharmacy “crew” fell into the routine pretty quickly. Our nurses were on their own for an hour or so, and then the Pakistanis arrived. About 20 minutes before they arrived, Crystal, Brian, and I went to the widow’s house and helped paint it inside and out. We worked by ourselves for about 20 minutes before the Haitians that were standing around decided that “the white people didn’t know how to paint” and took our brushes. After a while I was allowed to go back into the house and help them paint, but every two minutes they would take my brush and show me how, again. I’m apparently not a fast study in white-washing a house. After we finished with the house we made our slow way back to the clinic (due to all of the children hanging on our various appendages.). We got there just in time for lunch with our new Pakistani friends.

Heather: For those not working in the clinic or painting the house, there was lots of playing with kids of all ages today. It doesn’t take a lot to play with these kids, which I find very refreshing. Somehow I can’t picture kids in the U.S. being entertained for hours by climbing all over an adult (K: Literally, they shimmy up you like a tree trunk!!), trying on sunglasses, playing hand clapping games (often accompanied by songs), having their photos taken (K: Though once any of them see it, you will have AT LEAST 15 kids mobbing you demanding “fait bon foto!”-basically “I get to take a picture, and there is no debating.” It’s awesome and very worrisome!) or getting a balloon as a gift. I even got some Creole language lessons today, and learned a valuable lesson in soccer. When it comes to the World Cup in Haiti, you root for Brazil and not Argentina.

I am always struck by how little these kids have here and how that plays into how they respond to us. Haitian culture isn’t very orderly to begin with, but you throw in poverty and that adds a whole new level of chaos, particularly when a child isn’t guaranteed that there’s enough for everyone. As an example, we brought balloons and a pump with us to make balloon animals for the kids. Ever since one kid in Jubilee got a balloon, they have become the hottest commodity in the neighborhood. Today, we tried to organize a mass distribution of the balloons by having the kids line up and wait while we blew up a balloon for each of them. That plan worked well for about 45 seconds until one kid got a balloon and lifted it in the air. That’s when about 300 kids came running at us and any semblance of line was gone. It was unfortunate, but we quickly had to stop giving out balloons because children were soon shoving one another to get a balloon.

Ultimately, I think that’s okay because I don’t think this trip is about giving stuff to the kids for any of us. I think each of us just wants the kids to know that we love them. Giving them stuff, even when it doesn’t work, is just an expression of that. I noticed today that several kids are already starting to recognize me after just two days. My hope is that by the end of the week, these kids understand that I just love them. That we all do.

K: After the clinic was the feeding program, and then back to Emory’s house for lunch, at least for most of us. One of the car’s keys broke off in the door lock and half the team ended up waiting next to the building project the other team is in charge of for the better part of an hour. It was frustrating because none of us knew why we were still there, just that we were. But it was nice to get more time with some of the older kids as well as the little ones. Most of the hour was filled with photo taking and the older guys trying to get various female members of the team to marry them! I told them “Jesus loves you” when they tried to trick me into saying “I love you.”

We finally made it home and it was “grab a sandwich” and off to the English class that Emory is in charge of. The teacher was there today, and they were going over colors when we arrived. He broke the class in half and sent three people with each half to help them practice their conversational English. The half of the class Brian, Crystal and I worked with was a total of five men, while Mike, Julia, Heidi, and Sarah’s half had about 30 people. After talking with students (on our side of the blackboards) or playing games involving what words they had learned that day (on the other side of the blackboards) we came back to Emory’s house only to leave immediately for a pastor friend’s house for an amazing dinner of fried chicken and shrimp, rice and beans, pink potato salad, and cane sugar coca-cola. After dinner he told us of his time here in Haiti including the earthquake and both of the floods he’s been through here. And by floods I mean 14-15 foot deep water and then eventually mud.

I would love to tell you more but this blog is already the longest yet and it’s time for group time.

Bon nuit!!

-Katilyn and Heather

Great things happening here in Haiti

2010-07-05T23:10:00.008-05:00

It’s finally here. All the weeks of planning, packing, and getting things ready and now, we are finally in Haiti. Yesterday was a really long day. We started off the day in Fort Lauderdale, leaving our hotel by 4:30 am after getting about 3 hours of sleep. A couple hours later, we were going through customs in Port Au Prince. I was surprised by how quickly we made it through customs here in Haiti. The most entertaining part was probably Mike worrying about the stamp in his passport. Not only was he so excited to get the first stamp, but he was worried that it wasn’t going to be stamped exactly straight on the page. Thankfully, it was close enough that it didn’t cause problems for him.The trip from the airport to our temporary home in Gonaives was one of the most frightening journeys that I have ever been on. (*Note* I may exaggerate a bit, but hopefully you will get a taste of the feelings that we had riding in the car.) Roads in Haiti are mostly rock, with giant craters that swallow up cars and small children. Ok, maybe not small children, but it’s scary. Our “chauffer”, Brian, is very comfortable driving on the streets of Haiti.However, none of us are quite used to driving like this. There aren’t really any traffic laws here.I think the only word of advice that I heard is “don’t get hit by anything.” Cars weave in and out, narrowly missing other cars, motorcycles, people walking, animals, and whatever else might be in the road. At one point, Heather and I were laughing hysterically, simply because the ride was so bumpy that we were wondering how the car wasn’t falling apart.

Somehow, we made it to the house. After a few hours of getting settled in, we were off to help with the feeding program at Jubilee. Pulling up to the schoolhouse, I was amazed by the number of kids waiting for us. The minute that I stepped out of the truck, someone tackled me from behind, with a couple kids grabbing each of my hands. These kids are great! They just want to be near us. They have learned some English, so over and over I would hear, “What is your name?” My minimal Creole doesn’t seem to matter right now. Just a smile and a hug and we are best friends! It’s impossible not to just love them when you see those eyes staring up at you. It’s going to be hard not to take them all home with me.

Getting ready for my first night of sleep here I remembered two key things:

Mosquito net tucked in – check

Bug spray on – check

I have been warned about the mosquitoes. They won’t get to me tonight.

Today was an exciting day. There were definitely some harder moments, but there is so much good being done by all of the people here that it makes it all worth it. After breakfast, (which, by the way, was amazing! I don’t think I have ever tasted mango that was so good!) we headed back to Jubilee to hold a medical clinic. We have three women who are nurses, and a crowd of people gathered to come see them. Right away, after getting organized, we all had our roles. Some people were working our “pharmacy,” others were diagnosing patients, I was on wound-cleaning duty with Sarah, and all of us were ready to love on the people and play with the children. Shortly after Cody, Angel, and Deedee started seeing patients, a few of the Pakistani members of the UN showed up with their own doctor. It was amazing to see all of the doctors, nurses, and translators hard at work. One of the translators was more familiar with Spanish than English, so at one point, Deedee was discussing a diagnosis with one of the UN men in English, passing the information on to the translator in Spanish, who then spoke to the patient in Creole. It was amazing. Around lunchtime, the Pakistani men brought out food and shared with all of us that were working in the clinic. They were so friendly and insisted that we eat with them. I don’t think that I ever imagined sharing lunch with the Pakistani military while in Haiti. Our God is pretty amazing. He has provided so much for us so far on this trip. I’m excited to see how the rest of the week goes!

Thanks for reading all of this! I know it’s a long one, but there is so much going on! We really appreciate all of your prayers. God is doing great things here.

Much love,

Jen

Passing of the Torch

2010-07-04T20:22:00.001-05:00

Team One is heading back to the states as we wait for Team Two to arrive. We spent most of our day doing laundry, making beds, and getting everything ready for the next two teams. Another missions team from Georgia will be staying here along with the Omaha Rapid Response team. A few of us went to the market to buy food for the coming week - which was an adventure! There were so many vendors and people everywhere with seemingly little organization. If it hadn't been for Woobens (one of our Haitian friends), I would have been completely lost.

A highlight for me from the last week was getting to go to the English class at a nearby church. The Haitians there are at various stages of learning English. Our role was to help them practice conversational English after their formal class time. However, that day, the teacher did not show up, so we had the entire class time to talk with them. Sarah quickly jumped into "teacher mode" and was our shining star! Some of the other team members were more hesitant at first, but were able to spend time getting to know the students. I look forward to being able to go back to visit the class a few times this week. Most of the students were very friendly and eager to practice their English. Hopefully, when we return, we will be able to connect with some of the more reserved students and continue to build relationships with our new friends there.

We continue to help with the feeding program in Jubilee. Around noon each day, we travel to this nearby neighborhood to feed the children. Our host missionary, Emory, provides one meal each day to as many children as possible. For many of them, this is the only meal that they will eat. It's amazing to see how the children respond to receiving the food. They are patient. While they are waiting for their food, they sing songs to Jesus. They watch out for each other, especially for the little ones. They help us make sure that no one goes without. The unselfishness of these children speaks volumes.

I am looking forward to the rest of this week. It will be great to introduce the new team members to our new friends in Jubilee! Please continue to pray for us as we keep showing love to the people here.

-Heidi

Weak at Heart

2010-07-03T16:27:00.003-05:00

Landed back in Port-au-Prince today, the place this all began for most people's knowledge of Haiti. I was aware of Haiti myself before "The Earthquake" and had looked into bringing our ministry down here when we started looking for places to go...but we didn't have a contact, so we started looking elsewhere. Then the quake, and our options opened up dramaticly. ORR quickly became the only option we would end up considering.

Two of us from our ministry, Great Adventure Ministries, came down in March to help plan what our two back to back teams would be doing (this week and next). Honestly, I was a bit concerned about this Brian guy and his approach to ministry. Why were we not bringing down bags of "supplies"? Starving people and not mass amounts of food? Kids all over, but no toys? Plus, as I got to spend a week with Brian, I was pretty sure his tough attitude and focus could intimidate the average person. He has a lot of opinions on a lot of things...

Yet, after that week in March, I started to realize why God had put such a man in such a place as this. Brian isn't afraid to say "no". Most people just wouldn't have the stomach to sort through all the requests he gets almost every minute of the day when he's down here and be able to say "no" to 98% of them...but if Brian didn't have that strength, he'd just blow all the resources entrusted to him by feeding a few hundred people and then come home broke!

...But he isn't "weak at heart"; he has a "thick candy shell" on the outside of his heart to protect the vision God has given him and the interests of those investing in ORR's work...with a "soft center" that melts away when God moves on his heart to help someone...and that includes helping the teams and members who come down here to understand the vision.

Leaving today, I have no regret we didn't walk around handing out toys or mass amounts of food to people we didn't know. Instead, the children we played with and the adults we talked with all had a solid respect for us as people and friends. We built relationships that will leave an impact by example and will enable the long term health of the people and not the short term needs alone. Outside a few requests for water, most of our time was spent serving as representatives of Christ love, not just His good will. "Things" which we consider essential in the states seem to create division and distrust here...but not with our team.

How do I feel today? Very glad to be going home! That might not seem spiritual to say, but I am so looking forward to being home, going to a fast food place, and letting the water in the shower swish in my mouth! My heart, my body, my emotions are spent. I left nothing on the table. Haiti got everything we had. It is a wonderfully, beautiful place, and what I look forward to most is going home and encouraging others to step out of their comfort zone and make the trip. Hard as it is to endure the heat, the poverty, and the language, our hearts need to be opened up from time to time and refined, for when we are weak, He is strong.

Chad

How do I explain...

2010-07-02T21:06:00.003-05:00

I was voted into the position of writing this tonight. Usually, I jump at the chance to talk and tell everyone the AMAZING things I have to say. I am finding it rather difficult to describe the situations I have experienced. How do I explain the look in a child's eyes as I hand them the plate of only food they may receive that day? Knowing that this meal does not contain the amount of nutrients a developing body needs. How do I explain how funny it is to be sniffed and rubbed again and again? They want to know what a white person feels like and smells like. How do I explain drinking water in front of kids that don't have water? Do I dehydrate myself out of guilt, or just get it over with? Why would I ever want to come back to a place where trash is thrown in the streets and burned? Why do I want to come back? Why do I want to bring my children? What? What is wrong with me? No wait. That stuff is for missionaries. I just love Jesus. I just love Jesus. He loves me. How do I process this? My daughter is at home with a fever right now. She will get her tylenol. She has my husband, and my BFF to help take care of her. (I love you, and miss you, by the way!) I held babies this week with temps in the 103's. We gave them tylenol, if we had it. What about those that have nothing? Do I dare question my Father in heaven? Yes. Yes, I do. But my question has shifted. I came here not wanting to pity the people living in the poorest country in the western hemisphere. I came here to fall in love. Which, I have. I had a pretty good idea of what to expect, physically. My heart is...somewhere. So, the easy question that I came here asking,"Why?", has turned to "I want nothing less than ALL of Your love". I can't fake being loved. I can't fake sitting in the dirt laughing at my bad, bad creole. I can't fake this one. If this city is as hopeless and consumed by fear, how much greater is the opportunity, to know His love? Endless. His love. I know this is a blog. You want to here what's going on. Well, today His love has no bounds. Haiti is hot. His love is patient. Gonaives kinda stinks in the heat of the day. His love is kind. There are children running around with no clothes on. Make Your love real. Make it true. Teach me to love like it doesn't hurt. Even though I hurt all over. Crap. I love this place. He got me. I'll be back. Love, Deanna.

With Three Kids on Every Arm…

2010-06-30T22:38:00.003-05:00

Our day yesterday in a nutshell…

- Working on the house… It’s been so encouraging to see the house come together each day and to be blessed with a chance to be the hands and feet of Jesus in a tangible way.

- Facilitating a VBS and helping with a feeding program for kids from Renados, another neighborhood here in Gonaives… Hilarious, in a word. Pray that the Lord would continue to open hearts to what he would say and how he would move. Pray that the VBS would be a help in continuing the ministry started by the missionary family there.

- Playing with kids in Jubilee… It’s no exaggeration to say that most of the time, each of us has at least three kids attached to us in some way. We spend our days surrounded by kids. Smiling. Beautiful. Games and basic language lessons offer endless entertainment, opening doors to share the love and saving grace of Jesus Christ. Love. Yet, in the face of face-splitting grins, many of us find ourselves wrestling with difficult questions about ‘why’, working to trust in the grace, justice, and sovereignty of a God who knows his children by name. The words of Psalm 46:10 remind us to “Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in all the earth.”

And for those of you who are wondering about the situation with the baby, here’s an update (and a full story)… Laura Lynn, a missionary who is a nurse and teaches at the school in Jubilee (the neighborhood in which we’ve been working), runs a Mamba program for malnourished children. One child in particular, Youvendjy, hadn’t been doing well at all and was not being cared for well by his mother (who is mentally ill). He is 2 ½ years old, but weighs as much as an 8 month old should, which has slowed his development considerably. Laura Lynn (Lala) had been working with the mom to see that Youvendjy got the nutrition and care he needed, which eventually led to him being with Lala for parts/all of the day. Eventually, it was decided that Youvendjy needed to go to an orphanage in Port au Prince (hopefully for a short time) that specializes in caring for malnourished and very ill kids (the missionaries here in Gonaives have connections with the missionaries running the orphanage). Because the mother is not well, this meant she went back and forth between agreeing that this should happen and being very, very upset about it; so much so that the police came to the house one night insisting that the baby be returned to the mother (which was a reversal of what the mother had given permission for earlier). But one of the beautiful things about our Father is that God is so faithful and worked the situation out for his glory – and in ways that make it possible for Youvendjy to get the care he needs. Through a meeting with one of the City Commissioners in Gonaives and the willingness of neighbors from Jubilee to act as witnesses, the Lord opened a door that will let Youvendjy to go to Port au Prince for now. The commissioner is from Jubilee, is a Christian, and has told Lala that he’s willing to be involved in the process for the long run, all of which are huge blessings. Tomorrow, Lala, her sister Casey (who is here visiting), and Youvendjy are headed to Port au Prince. From Port au Prince, Laura Lynn and Casey will head home for three weeks and Youvendjy will go to the orphanage. God is good, no?

Second day...not a second too late...

2010-06-29T19:18:00.005-05:00

So for the second day of our journey...we started out with a nice breakfast of pancakes and scrambled eggs made by Joe and Tammy, our local missionaries from Georgia. Once we ate, we headed out to our different projects. Bryan, Chad, Olin, Angie, Andrea, and I headed out to build a cinder block house for a widow and her five children while our teachers Sarah, Julia & Heidi gathered their supplies for school. After getting their supplies together, they came out to where we were building the house. The house & the school are close to one another in Jubilee. Lala, or Laura Lynn (another missionary & teacher), gathered the younger kids around to play games out in front of the house we were building. After they had played games for a bit, Lala, Heidi, Sarah, & Julia took the older children (4th & 5th graders) to the school to teach them basic English vocabulary. These were the kids who couldn't continue going to the local school for one reason or another. While our teachers were off teaching, the rest of the team helped build the house for the widow. It was rough having only basic tools at our disposal, but it was good to have a practical way to serve & make a difference. The best part though was the break time where we got to hang out with the kids in the shade, play soccer with the boys, and and learn to spin tops, too. We also got to meet the widow and play with her five children. By late afternoon we had helped the Haitian work crew led by Adison & Dieukiby (pronounced Jackie-bye) put up four walls of the house. We also cleaned up the yard around the house with the help of the kids that were around. Going into the evening, we had supper and then devotion time. During that time, the situation regarding Youvendjy, the little boy mentioned in the previous post, really started to hit home. The mother showed up with the police to take back her child. Lala had been taking care of him because he was malnourished & sick and because the mother wasn't going to take care of him & had actually threatened to harm him. This little boy has been on our hearts, so please be praying with us for the health and welfare of Youvendjy. Tomorrow Lala goes to court to appeal for this child's well-being. If the appeal fails, he will stay with his mom and could die of malnutrition, pnenomia, or potentially by the neglect & abuse of his mother. Please continue to pray for this situation and for the rest of the work going on here in Haiti.

Daniel

P.S. Sorry that I didn't get a chance to post this blog last night. The situation that developed with Youvendjy lasted late into the night. Also, the Internet has been slow & intermittent at best during the day...

We're Here!

2010-06-27T20:47:00.002-05:00

Well, we've made it to Gonaives! Saturday night we had a nice group dinner at a Diner in Ft. Lauderdale, then headed early to bed for a 4:30am appointment with the shuttle bus to the airport. Port-au-Prince was a study in contrasts - stepping off a shiny new plane into the airport, where half the building had been condemned due to the quake. Customs was in a former hanger a short busride down the tarmac - it had been hastily converted to replace the terminal. One team member got sent to the back of the line, but other than that it went pretty smoothly. It took awhile to get our rentals, but soon Brian had us on our way up the recently repaved road to the North. For lunch we stopped in St. Marks where we ran into some folks from YWAM that were working there. Somewhere beyond St. Marks, the pavement ended, and the potholes greatly increased. Mopeds, container trucks, and pickups packed with people all vied for space. The scenery got prettier though as we first came along the shoreline, then over some mountains, and finally past the many rice fields and banana plantations where the same water that filled the rice paddies came up between the houses. After arriving in town and settling in at our new home away from home, we headed down to Jubilee to meet some of the people we'll be serving with. As soon as we pulled up, hoardes of kids swarmed us, and we plunged right into playing with them, all hundred or so at the same time. We know that God incredibly values each life, but it is not without some heartache that we walk into this world down here - for many of these kids, its not just about a game or some attention, but many are in life and death situations. It may be easy for some of us to take for granted loving parents, but imagine if you were a kid with a serious but curable illness, and your mom didn't want you or wouldn't take you to the doctor. It's everyday that things are happening like this. One little boy in particular is on our minds. Tomorrow we'll head down and get started on our projects. We want to spread love and hope. Thank you so much for your prayers and support. Remember the kids down here.

Blessings, Olin.

Preparations

2010-06-24T20:27:00.004-05:00

I've been back in Haiti for a few days now. It always feels like home to me. I am preparing now for our team to arrive we will be helping to build a house for a single mother with 4 children. We have already put in the foundation and when the team arrives we will begin setting block for the walls. I am looking forward to the team meeting this family and sharing time together with them. We hopefully will be updating the blog daily with pictures although the Internet has been spotty. thanks for all of your continued support for our work here in Haiti.

Brian

Hope!

2010-06-11T11:21:00.004-05:00

The above picture is the family of Mr. Raheem Shah. We are building our project home for this family. Raheem Shah was seriously injured in the earthquake of 2005 and became crippled for the rest of his life.
The construction of home is in final stages as you can see in the pictures.

The family of Raheem is very excited about the new home you can see the hope on Raheem face in the pictures below.

I am going back to Pakistan on June 15 and oversee the projects activities and will develop reports for higher management of ORR. We are also working in education and skill development for the poor women in the project area.
In our embroidery center 24 female are getting skills and we are helping to educate 230 female student in our project school.

I will make assessment of our fruit trees plantation of this year and will study more for introducing the honey beehives in the areas where our fruit trees are producing fruits.
The honey bees help in the pollination process and as a result make vital effect on the yields of fruits.

Waheed Alam
Director ORR Pakistan

Our school in Jabbar Gali

2010-05-30T17:45:00.005-05:00

What a joy it is to show you the school we are funding in Pakistan. There are 230 girls in this school, they had only one teacher and that was Waheed's sister. It was an impossible task for her to teach all these girls. But with the money supplyed by Omaha Rapid Response we were able to add an additional teacher. And as you can see things are going well. Thank you to the many of you who help support our work in Pakistan. This is an area undergoing dramatic change in we are fortunate to be a part of that change.

God bless
Ken Smith

2010-05-24T20:15:00.003-05:00

Often when coming a mission trips you have certain expectations or an idea of what the trip will be like and often the trip ends up not being anything like you expected; this trip has been the not quite what I had expected.

I came to Haiti expecting to see a lot of poverty with a lot of lost people, and that is what I've seen so far but what I didn't expect was my reaction to this.

My wife and I have felt the calling to be involved in missions long term, and prior to coming here we both thought Haiti may be the place that we are called to go. I know that we have only been here a few days short of a week and things can always change but we don't believe this the place we are called to be long term. Seeing the sitation first hand here in Haiti is very sad, but my heart hasn't broken for the people here like it has for people in other areas where I have been. That being said, I definetly feel that I am supposed to have had this experience here in Haiti. We have been able to observe a few successfull missionaries (Emory, Omaha Rapid, Pastor Gannada's, and Laura Lynn) allowing us to get more aquainted with the missionary lifestyle.

I have learned a lot been touched by somethings that I have seen; and I would like to think that I have reached out to some in the name of Jesus Christ. The people are wonderful and I am very happy to see how succesful the mission has been here, but I just don't believe that this is the place for me. But who knows, leaning on God for guidance we may find ourselves back in Haiti someday.

Hand in hand

2010-05-22T22:25:00.003-05:00

They just want to be near us. Everyday we come to the school, swarms of children from Jubilee run to meet us. They grab our hands, our faces, hair, clothes- they surrounds us in tight circles. At first we believed that it was simply because they wanted something from us. Maybe the water in our packs, shoes on our feet, or for us to take picture of them. Today, however, I found our we were wrong. We were led on what was promised to be a 10, 7, 5 minute walk, jog, sprint, to the ocean. It ended up being about a half an hour walk there. The children all knew how far the walk was because they go there to sift for salt to make mud cookies with. Yet in the middle of the heat of the day, they happily grabbed our hands and walked with us. Most of them were barefoot and the walk included a trek through the community toliet and on rocky paths. Not even half way through the walk our hands were sweating and we were hot, yet the kids held on. We could not speak their language, and by now they knew we would not give them stuff, yet they eagerly walked hand in hand with us 30 minutes to the ocean front just happy to be "privilaged" enough to hold our hands. They would fight over the opportunity to grab on, if not our hands then our elbows or strings from our backpacks. Just to be near us...

Our relationship with God should be like that. We should be thrilled to have the opportunity to walk hand in hand with him. Barefoot, in the heat, on rocks, through everything- considering it a privlage to be that close to him.

Team Arrival

2010-05-20T20:15:00.004-05:00

The team got into port au prince today about 7:45 am. everyone is doing well but very tired they all went to bed early. I am sure they will have much to say tomorrow.

Brian

2010-05-18T19:25:00.002-05:00

Team number 7 is in Port au Prince tonight getting ready to fly back to the U.S. tomorrow. I've been trying to put into words what it has been like here so you could understand it... but there's nothing I can think of to compare it to. The people on this team have made the greatest impression on me. I heard Brian say today that faith is really tested when you are surrounded by overwhelming suffering and I think that is true. That is what really shows in the lives of this team... their genuine love for the Haitian people and each other. Only Christ could make this real and strengthen our faith in the process.
We are spending the night here because it takes about 5 or more hours to drive here from Gonaives. It was so dry and barren there that I forgot how green and tropical it is here in the city. We stopped by an orphanage this afternoon that rescues babies that are "throw aways"... one woman from Florida, a paralegal by profession, answered God's call and has made a safe haven for many little lives. That is the difference that one person can make and there are many others at work here. The need is so great that to make any lasting positive change seems impossible but I can see that God is working, His people are praying and we will see Him receive the glory. We are privileged to be a part of His work here.
I do want to thank all of you who contributed to this trip and to the ongoing work. Kitty Krueger

Contrast

2010-05-17T20:56:00.003-05:00

As all days go in Haiti, it was a day of contrast; it began receiving news of the death of that precious child that we had tried so hard to save yesterday. When I got that news, I realized, that I had found my tears. I also discovered the blessings and joys of serving some of God's poorest people, a people so poverty-stricken, but still so rich in love, and humble in spirit. As we all gathered for devotions this morning, Ken Gruber encouraged us to focus our attentions on the people as individuals and not just on the tasks that we needed to accomplish. But before I could mourn the death of that child, God moved me on to the day, and what it had to bring. Here's a synopsis:
As a physical therapist I was able to teach children to walk.
I was able to help my friend Kim Gould treat women and children with every imaginable ailment all day.
We shared the clinic with a UN/Pakistani military medical team.
We went into the village of Jubilee and into their mud and stick huts, where we prayed over them, and offered what help we could give.

But here's the contrast;
Those hard things aren't missions, it isn't about the dirt and the hardship, the suffering and poverty. It's about coming to the end of yourself and finding that god meets you there, and gives you both the desire and the strength to serve and to meet needs. To receive the blessing of making lifelong relationships with people whom you have served alongside with.
A word on Emery; the man whose family we stayed with while we were down here. I have to say that he is a man that is really after God's heart, he gives to others all day, from the moment he gets up at dawn, to read the Word on the roof of the mission house he runs in Gonaieves.
So I think, that really it's about the relationships I've formed while I'm here, there might be physical hardship, but the blessings and lessons learned, make it all worth it. And my prayer is that the Lord allows me to return. Because He's given me a heart for Haiti.

2010-05-16T19:29:00.005-05:00

A baby is born

Today and perhaps even at this moment there is a baby being born in Omaha. A baby born in a hospital with doctors and nurses standing by to weigh him, check his vital signs, and provide for his medical needs. He hopefully will have a loving family and opportunities to become whomever he was meant to be.

Today a baby was born in Gonaives surrounded by a loving family crowded within their rickety mud-and-stick shack. He was born 2 months early and barely weighed 2 pounds. He was brought to the clinic by his aunt because his mother could not make the trip herself. The baby needed to be in the hospital and without medical care would most likely die. Even with it his chance of survival were minimal. So what of his opportunities? What if his purpose is to effect change here in Haiti? Would he get the chance to become who he was meant to be?

Today we did get the baby to a hospital that had the oxygen he needed. It took most of the day and we went to 3 "hospitals", a pharmacy, and the home of the local "doctor" before we found him the medical care he needed. I really don't know if he will survive and if so who he will become but I believe we were meant to be here and meant to help.

2010-05-15T19:57:00.003-05:00

In the States, I hear the word "give" a lot, and I mean, a LOT, "give" to tsunami victims, the children's hospital, the starving children in Darfur, Sudan, Kenya, people displaced by wars in Pakistan, hurricanes in New Orleans, and earthquakes in Haiti. There's so much need in the world, and America honestly gives away billions in aid money every year, that's why we hear so many charity ads in the first place.
I have a kind of giving in mind that's hard for me to understand; giving of yourself, giving away yourself that's a hard thing, that's sacrifice, I don't do that very well or very often. I'll explain what I mean though;
Homeless kids in Romania freeze to death every winter, in order to survive they crawl into the sewers, and huddle around steam pipes. Some people give, by sending 10-20 percent of their income to fund blankets and education opportunities. Others give by crawling down that septic hole and huddling with them, they learn the language, and they get involved in those kids lives in a way that a charitable donor on the other side of the world could never dream of. Both gave, but who's gift communicated love? Who's gift said "I value you."
Maybe that's what Christ did, he showed up when we had nothing to offer, he gave us a gift of himself, of his time, of his life, instead of solving our problems from a distance, he came to us, involved himself in our lives, in our temptations, our suffering. And then he sacrificed, communicating to us that he values us, for no reason other than that we had a pulse.

So that's what's on my mind.

Here's what's going on down in Haiti;
We had a clinic today, kids and moms showed up, we treated a guy with large 2nd degree burns spotted all over his torso and face. Helped a lady about to give birth, handed out a ton of meds and vitamins.
Favorite quote so far: "I'm here to love babies."
I didn't get that sentence at all yesterday, before I'd seen the kids, before I could understand their need for people to just love them.

Marathon of Friends Commitment

2010-05-03T13:21:00.013-05:00

When I and Sir Ken planned to run marathon together to raise money for Haiti. At that time we were not aware that this marathon will also evaluate our commitment of running together.

The first reason was I did not able to get enough training because of Haiti trips. So I hardly had about 10 practice runs. And the second was when Sir Ken get sick one week before the marathon date. He was weak and having continues fever and stomach problem even the day of marathon but we both are committed to run this marathon together for good cause. During the run he also fell down while crossing the creek but he remained firm and we were able to complete the run less than six hours.

The Prescott YMCA Marathon is one of toughest marathon in USA. The terrain is rugged. The altitude exceeds miles above sea level as we crossed two time 7000 feet point during the run. The weather was severe when we started the marathon at 5 AM.
In this marathon there is also one hour early start so you could have 7 hours to complete. So you can imagine it is a hard run.

You can see in the pictures and video that we ran this marathon in Pakistani traditional cloths to commemorate our work in Pakistan.

We are thankful to all of you for praying and supporting us to raise money for our on going relief efforts in Haiti.

Waheed Alam

Marathon for Haiti 2010 Prescott, AZ

2010-04-30T22:18:00.005-05:00

Ken and Waheed are in Prescott, AZ! We drove along the course today so that they would be able to see the monumental task ahead of them. The course is full of ups and downs and rises from 5200 feet all the way up to 7000 feet in altitude. Make sure to keep them in your prayers as Ken is not feeling well but is still going to do everything that he is able to do.

(pictures from the highest point)

They will be starting the race at the early start which is 1 hour early (5:00am Arizona time MST). Waheed suggested this so if they need to, they will be able to take a nap or even go and pick some mushrooms during the race. Tomorrow the forecast weather is to be in the low 30's in the morning with the temperature rising up into the mid 50's.

MAY 1st MARATHON

2010-04-23T22:51:00.007-05:00

We are counting down to our Prescott, Arizona Marathon. You can help ease the pain of this extreme run by donating 1,2,or 3 dollars to our on going work in Haiti. Please make it worth our effort. Haiti is still in great need. We also have shirts commemorating our work in Haiti. You may purchase them by contacting Cody Smith. 402-573-2200.

Waheed and I after a long mountain run in California.

Two times during the run along this mountain road we will reach an elevation of 7000 foot. The run starts at 5300 foot.

PRAY, GIVE, GO, you chose the method of your participation in bringing about his Kingdom in this earthquake stricken land.

The website will direct you in your involvement. http://www.omaharapidresponse.org/

Blessings, Ken and Waheed

Let the reign fall

2010-04-09T19:57:00.001-05:00

It has rained the past few nights here in port au prince. For those of us that have shelter it is helpful to cool the air in order to sleep easier. Unfortunately it is no help for those sleeping in temporary shelters made of sheets and plastic found on the roadside. What am I here for is a question I often ask God. Sometimes the answer is easily found other times it eludes me.
The other day I was walking through the camp we are working in asking this question and just as I finished speaking I saw one of the reasons. We have begun helping a family of six. A single mother with 5 children. They all have vision problems. One of our team members last week had already had the pleasure of meeting them and had encouraged me to see what we could do to help them. So here I am as always a few days late thankfully the Lord allows me stumble upon his will. I am so thankful for the teams that have come and been willing to sacrifice themselves to meet the need of those who are suffering. My prayer is that we will be able to meet some of the needs they saw.
It is often difficult to help the most needy when we don't meet them face to face. Those who are corrupt are willing to take the help meant for the poorest to benifit themselves.
As we seek to stop the rain from entering their shelters please pray that this reign of injustice would also come to an end. As I write it continues to rain/reign here.

Team 5’s Finale

2010-04-06T20:48:00.002-05:00

Today was rather bittersweet because we went back to where we started our week’s work and had to say good-bye to the wonderful people we met throughout the week. The cardboard and tarp tents are a sharp contrast with the beautiful mountains and ocean surrounding them. Phyllis was able to reconnect with a family that had touched her heart the first time we were there. They took her into their home and she was surrounded by these beautiful little children, all who had severe sight issues. Noreen and Gail were able to treat the youngest two children (of 8) of a woman whose husband died in the earthquake. They had been sick for 8 days and they were very weak. It was so heartbreaking to see because they were sleeping in a tent with a net over them that was covered with flies. We gave them the meds they needed and the mother was most appreciative. We were also able to leave shoes and clothes for several of her children and others nearby.

Sue and Noreen were amazed by the creativity of the children who took them over to their small tent and showed them how to make a kite out of whatever they could find on the ground. It was absolutely the best kite we had ever flown and very well engineered. Despite how little they have, two of the children wanted to share their cookies with us and another family went out of their way to make sure Susan, Gail, and Phyllis were comfortable by proving shade and even pulling out cardboard for us to sit on rather than the dirt.

We closed the day with our 3 translators and a young lady, Theyana, from one of the other tent camps. It’s hard to say good-bye, not knowing when we will see them again. The week we’ve shared together has created a bond with them and within our team that we’ll hold in our hearts always. A special thanks to Brian and Waheed for hosting us and to Dave for being a great team leader, although we are not sure how we survived the wild commutes each day.
Thanks to all the prayer warriors and all of those who have supported the team financially. We have felt the prayers and it has helped us do God’s work and we continue to pray that we have left some of those we’ve touched with some help and hope.

Psalm 5:11 – Let all who take refuge in you be glad. Let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them that those who love your name may rejoice in you, for surely Oh Lord you bless the righteous. You surround them with your favor as with a shield.

God Bless!

Team 5

EASTER!

2010-04-04T21:13:00.008-05:00

Today was such a wonderful experience. We went to Easter service at Pastor Lenny’s which is close to where we are staying. The service was predominately in Creole, but there was an American pastor who also gave a sermon in English. Actually, the Creole portion was also translated into sign language by our wonderful translator Lionel as there were quite a few deaf people in the congregation. He continues to amaze us with his talents.

The spirit of those attending was upbeat and hopeful even though the service had to be held outside under large tarps. Their church is still not safe to hold services inside and behind the makeshift pulpit was the collapsed roof and rubble from their school. I have to admit that my attention was more on watching the people, not only because I couldn’t understand most of the service, but because it was fun to see everyone arriving in their Sunday best. We were definitely the motley part of the crowd. Of course, a couple of us in the back (Dave and I) couldn’t resist messing with the kids. They are so gosh darn cute and just seem to gravitate towards us, checking out our hair, sunglasses, or whatever!

We did a short clinic today at Smith and Katia’s orphanage and had the luxury of just playing with the kids. What an awesome bunch of children. Within moments of arriving they are climbing all of you. It was a blast doing everything from playing basketball and soccer with them to just cuddling – we even did the hokey pokey and they loved it! It is sad to leave them and we all wish we could take 4 or 5 home with us.

Needless to say it was a memorable Easter!

Susan G.

Back to the beginning...

2010-04-03T19:58:00.006-05:00

For me as I was coming down for my second trip to Haiti I kept thinking of the people that we had cared for during my first trip. I was able to see Elionel and Robinson, who help with translating my first day here.Tianna and Majorie showed up after that. These two girls assisted us on Team One with wound care and in the pharmacy. They picked up with both activities soon as they joined the team here now. Today was even more surprising as we did a clinic at the same tent city we started at with Team One. I recognized so many faces, and the kids were already starting some of the same games as before soon as we arrived. It was really special though seeing some of the ones we had cared for and the improvements that they have made. The first was the wife of the cardiac patient we had. Her husband wasn't home at the time, as he was actually back working with his clean up crew! We are to meet tomorrow at Pastor Lennys for Easter Service. The next was the teenage boy who had the injury to his hips and was unable to walk without crutches. He was not only walking but was starting to ride a bicycle again. Finally the little girl that had the burns to her face. Her face had completly healed with no visible scars. Seeing these people moving forward in their lives, and knowing what we have been doing has helped so much makes our work even more rewarding. We won't be able to change or fix everything here by ourselves, but we can touch the lives of many, one at a time. And in that we can share a love of faith and mankind that can grow into a change that someday just may be enough to change what we all go through in life making it better for everyone. To Team One I would like to say hi and thank you for your prayers. Hope to see all of you soon. And to the Team I'm with now, thank you for what you are doing and making this week so rewarding.

Posted by: Dave Gifford

Good Friday

2010-04-02T20:43:00.010-05:00

Last night it was anounced to me that I was to do the days blog. I asked Ed to help me and he agreed to. Today we went to a orphanage outside of town. And set up a medical clinic, where we handed out vitamins, and many medical supplies.

I really enjoyed loving on the kids, and they loved to touch our hands. We went to several tent cities, and an orphanage, where we observed such poverty at each location. We also saw the hopeful smiles of little children, as we play and interact and serve them.

There is a look of hopelessness in the adults, when you look into their eyes, sometimes they will smile if you put your hand on them and smile at them. I think they appreciate these Americans have come to help.

As I looked over the group of orphan children this morning, I saw hopeful looks and joy to see us, to touch and chat with us. Although I don't understand half of what they say; I understand the heart of what they are saying. they are so open to love on us as we love on them. Many of us had little shadows that followed us as we served the children.

In the afternoon, we went back to the tent city. Things we consider so basic medical care, Provides such a relief to the Haitian community. things that we take for granted, they consider such a blessing. Just a hug or smile brightens their day.

Many times the best things I could do was touch the kids and adults. Hoping they felt the touch of Jesus, and His compassion towards them.

Ed and Coletta

Our First Tent Camp Medical Clinic

2010-04-01T20:06:00.015-05:00

Today our team went back to the same Tent Camp we visited yesterday. Many seemed to recognize us, especially the children who ran to welcome and greet us with open arms. Although we realized we wouldn't be able to even make a dent in their overall health conditions, we were happy to at least have something to offer to ease their immediate physical pain.

It's amazing to us how the Haitian people are so appreciative of even the smallest kindness. They seem to really be thankful for our efforts and especially the one-on-one personal contact. Thank goodness we had Moses, Robinson and Lionel (our wonderful translators!) to help us understand their needs and ailments. We amused so many with our attempts at Creole!

After our morning clinic, we decided to take a break for lunch. How did we know we were in for the ride of our lives?! Between lunch hour traffic, airport congestion and aggressive Haiti-style driving (the bigger the vehicle and the louder horn have the right of way), we weren't sure we had an appetite when we arrived to eat!

The afternoon was another busy time of treating a variety of illnesses and ailments. We were gratified to see the smiles of appreciation and we hope we made a small difference in their lives today.

Gail and Noreen

Tent City Visit

2010-03-31T19:11:00.013-05:00

Our team arrived in Haiti early this morning and met up with Brian and Waheed. It's hard to describe the feelings of actually being here. I knew when the plane landed that this is where God wants me to be. It is a land of beautiful people who have many struggles but who appreciate everything they have. Even being in the midst of the devastation, it's hard to imagine what daily life is like for many of these people. So much to do that it's easy to get overwhelmed but for me it's important to remember that each time we touch a life, we give them hope. It really is about relationships and love and the ability to provide moments to as many people as we can.

We're easing into it today and went out to one of the tent camps a little ways outside of Port au Prince. It's the first time for many of us to actually see a tent camp live and to be able to see their living accommodations. One of the goals for the day was to help families register so we can potentially find help for them from some of the larger organizations. Fortunately we had interpreters that were able to help fill out the forms and talk with each of the families.

Although it would be easier in some ways if we could speak their language, some things are truly universal ... the hug of a child, the welcoming smiles and the laughter heard as we played with the children. And the children really are just children who want to have fun and love to play. It was amazing how excited they were when we took their pictures and showed them. They began to follow us around the camp and pull more children into the pictures. Little boys posing and little girls just waiting to see how beautiful they are!

But it's hard to miss the truth behind their situation. They have no home, just a tent and in many cases just some tarps. The mothers are concerned for their children and want to provide them with food, water and the medical care needed. Hopefully we'll be able to help a few. Tomorrow we'll set up a medical clinic and care for those in need. Keep praying for us to be able to touch a few lives and that we will be able to realize why each of us has been called to be here.

Sue Arment

Ground reality

2010-03-29T22:52:00.006-05:00

Above is a picture of a typical shelter in an earthquake victims camp in Port-au-Prince.
From this we get an idea how much help still needs to be provided to these suffering people. Perhaps many of us will have forgotten about the Haiti earthquake because it is no longer in the media as every thing has returned to normal again. But the ground reality is totally different we need to do a lot of rebuilding in the devastated capital of Haiti. We need your prayers and support to rebuild the lives of the people of Port-au-Prince.
We are working with a tent community about ten miles to the northeast of Port-au-Prince.
There are about 1500 families staying in this camp. They have formed a representative committee.
We are trying to connect this committee to other organizations by helping them with record keeping and linkage development.
Omaha Rapid Response

Haiti

Micro Financing in Jubilee Area.

2010-03-25T22:42:00.006-05:00

One of our on going program with the community of Jubilee is Micro Financing in which we are building the livelihood by helping to start new businesses or strengthen their old businesses. This process goes in several steps like building relationship first and then getting their business plans and evaluate the plans with them. Picture below is showing one of our meeting with the community of Jubilee area who wants to start business.
Working with fishing community by providing help to get new traps and nets.

Omaha Rapid Response Team
Haiti

2010-03-24T22:46:00.002-05:00

The lunchtime feeding program

Playing with the kids

The school/clinic building/location of feeding program

I am filled with mixed thoughts and emotions as I reflect on today’s happenings and the various conversations I have been a part of. For one, today was our last day of seeing patients, which involved turning many people away who were crowded expectantly at the doorway after our time was up. I am faced with the realization that the work here can never be completed, with the needs being endless. However, I pray that those we touched will have seen Christ through us and been drawn to him in some way to as enact a spiritual impact.

While we worked at the clinic, a group of the others finished putting on the first roof, then completed a second roof from start to finish.

After packing up the clinic, we played some games with the kids…football, tag, and the “giving out candy trying while trying not to be trampled by the stampede of kids” game. They have almost nothing, and yet have such huge smiles. I am humbled by my lack of contentment even though I have been overwhelmingly blessed.

We then visited a physician in town who is taking care of a guy recovering from large wrist wounds inflicted by wire tightened around his wrists. While the wounds are healing well, his mental condition seems to be deteriorating, and his fits of babbling made me ponder whether this could reflect bondage to demonic forces. We prayed for Christ to work a miracle in his life, restore his mental function, and heal his spiritual state.

The sounds and feel of Haiti now surround me, the wind in the trees, the mosquitoes buzzing around, the intermittent rumble of dilapidated trucks bumping along the rocky roads, and the distant throb of Hatian rock music…another day in the Hatian life, and the promise of challenge and adventure again tomorrow.

-Dan R.

Working on Roof

2010-03-22T22:48:00.003-05:00

We worked on the roof of a home in Jubilee area. The family of this home did not have any resources to rebuilt the roof .They had very tough time in recent rain because ten sheet roof has several holes due to rusting .
Initially we remove all old rusty ten sheets from the roof.
We also changed some of old traces with new one and started to rebuild the roof with new ten sheets.
Tomorrow we will finish the work on this roof.
Kids feeding program and running medical camp with Emory team are other highlights of the day.

Omaha Rapid Response
Haiti Team

Haiti Team

2010-03-21T13:34:00.006-05:00

Brian with Waheed checking out the rebuilding of a home.

Brian and Waheed are arriving in Haiti this morning with a small assessment team. They will be checking out what we can do in Haiti over the next few months.

There are still many more people wanting to go to Haiti and several people wanting to return to help again.

CARING FOR OUR WIDOWS

2010-03-02T12:59:00.007-06:00

We are building a home for this widow, who is the mother of Raheem Shah a young married man who got paralyzed in the earthquake of 2005. The widow had no land for building a home and has no source of income. For the house we were able to get land from a relative of hers as a donation. And now we have created a source of income for the family by giving a share of an orchard consisting of 200 fruit trees. We supplied the trees at .50 cents per tree. And the land owner agreed to give 10% of the fruit produced to the widow’s family. She will be able to have both fruit and enough to sell in the market place. Muhammad Farid our Pakistani worker with owner of the orchard

We distributed 3 fruit trees to each family in the village of Tanda where we are building the home for the widow

Omaha Rapid Response

Pakistan

THE TEAM ARRIVES HOME

2010-02-24T20:54:00.005-06:00

Our latest team will be arriving tomorrow 5:30pm, American Airlines. If you would like to welcome them home.

The city of Port au Prince still remains a mess.

The work is not done, we will be strategizing as to what our next step is. I know many of you are ready to go. The work has only begun, there is so much more we can to do.

It all began with Brian helping the Japanese medical team.

Come help raise money at Way Point Church, Sunday Feb.28th 12:oopm, after the service, at the Scott Conference Center, east of 72nd. Wear your ORR shirts. See you there.

"HOTDOGS FOR HAITI"

Ken

Don’t forget Haiti

2010-02-23T08:23:00.003-06:00

We are almost to end of our Haiti trip and thankful to Allah (God) for given us the chance to serve the Haitian in this hour of need and suffering.
As you all know that I have gone through the same experience of deadly earthquake in 2005 and then I saw the relief and rehabilitation effort to help out the disaster area.
I am surprise to see that the relief effort done by the international community in response of Pakistan 2005 earthquake is much greater then I have seen here in Haiti earthquake response in almost some period of time. And when I compare the destruction ratio of Haiti earthquake and Pakistan earthquake I found Haiti earthquake is three times worse than Pakistan’s earthquake like 80 thousands died in Pakistan and more than 230 thousands died in Haiti.
So isn’t this surprising and sad that to all of us that why there are less efforts to help out the Haiti from this disaster. I request all of you for praying and do your best to help the Haiti and its people.
I am also grateful to all who prayed for me and supported me for this trip.
Waheed Alam

"Tro Piti Bagay"

2010-02-22T16:02:00.003-06:00

We attended church service yesterday (Sunday) morning, and although the service was in Creole’, one did not have to be fluent in the foreign language to know that you were part of a larger body of believers all united “in one accord” worshipping Jesus together. :-)
Today, at Jubilee, one of the “poorest of the poor” neighborhoods in Gonaives, a few of us were helping with Pastor Emory’s feeding program, where approx 200 children are fed once a day. As soon as each child received his or her plate (rice and beans), they began eating (usually with both hands). Upon handing a plate to one child, some of the food spilled. A very young toddler that I had been holding for quite a while before the meal, reached over to pick up the spilled food. I was thoroughly expecting her to put the food in her own mouth, but lo and behold, she reached over and returned it to the plate from which it had fallen (she had not even received her own plate yet!) Such selflessness in the midst of near-starvation moved me beyond measure . . . . . . that God would use a toddler to teach me a lesson/show me my own selfishness.
HE is soooooo Good!

Happy Birthday, Konal!

Resilience

2010-02-20T19:50:00.003-06:00

This blog post is less an update on what we've been doing, but a brief reflection of how much I've been continually in awe by the resilience shown by these amazing people. Today a group of us worked for the third straight day in the neighborhood of Jubilee, helping put up a roof for a home with wood and corrugated tin. The home, made from makeshift cement and mud dried to a rough wooden frame, measured maybe 10'x15' and will house an entire family of likely 5+ people. It was very hot today, and I spent a moment reflecting on how I spent the last few summers with only a window AC unit dreaming of the day when I will have central air, and was instantly humbled by considering how different my life would have been if I had been born in these circumstances. We spent most of the time without much in the way of translation with the other young men helping us put up the roof, but it's amazing what you can accomplish with a common purpose.

While operating a medical clinic and setting up roofs are tangible ways we are helping these people, I think perhaps the interactions with residents, especially the children, in between these events are what will stay with me- and hopefully them- for a long time. Behind the smiles and laughter and banter between the children hide a world of immense poverty and hunger. But it's these smiles and laughter that we're able to create, by letting them chase us and hold our hands and climb on us like we're a jungle gym and let them run their hands through our hair, which connect us as human beings and allow us to share a few minutes of joy together. Their smiles come so easy, and how they are able to continually live and struggle and perservere is a trait I can only dream to aspire to.

At one point today while working on the roof, a young boy came up to me and stood at my side clutching my leg. After exchanging smiles and a "bonjour," he noticed my arm hair and started rubbing his hands up and down my arm and looking at with me amazement. Of course, I started rubbing his arm too, completely devoid of hair, to a flurry of giggles. We then put our hands together, and it seemed like a sudden realization came over him that we were both people- with the same amount of fingers and a thumb- which we then used to hold a piece of wood on each end while another ORRer cut off a piece for the roofs.

In peace,
-Chris

My Jubilee @ Jubilee

2010-02-20T08:58:00.007-06:00

Hi Everyone from Haiti

We are a tired team but filled with the goodness of of God as we watch with amazement at His glorious works.

I wanted to share with you a Jubilee blessing I had at Jubilee yesterday, a very poor area where we had been doing medical clinic for the second day in a row. it was late in the day and the medical team has seen many people already as the sun was beginning to set on the day.

There was this much older lady who came seeking help for what she called it "A Hurting Heart". of course, they checked her out and then she moved over to where I was and I began to feel the compassion of the Lord come upon me for her. I reached over to her and began touching her and she looked at me and just began to talk and talk, it seemed ever ending as i did not understand a word she was saying yet so touching.

But that doesn't matter does it when the Lord is doing a good work? well, as I reached out to her, the Lord began touching her as well. Then as I began to pray for her she began to cry and before you know it I was just loving her and she was pouring out her heart.

Here is the best part.....the reason she came to the clinic in the first place was because her "heart was hurting". I believe it was a emotional hurt that brought her and the Lord supplied for her a person who just listened to her and even though I could not speak her language she was receiving just what she needed the most. Cody told me that she had lost 3 daughters No wonder her heart was hurting.

What does this tell me? well, for one the faithfulness of our Lord goes beyond what we can imagine and He does want he wants to and will touche those he desire to if only we will allow him to show his compassion to a dying world that is in great need of His love and compassion.

For me personally, this was an answer to prophecy and prayer before I left Omaha. the lord told me he wanted to show me his compassion and heart for the hurting in a way I have never seen before. this was in many ways new even though I have seen the lord touch many people. before this lady left both of us were crying as I walked her to the door of which she would enter back into her daily routine whatever that looked like to her.

While here you experience the sights and sounds and smells of Haiti, but in the midst of pain and suffering you also experience the sweet fragrance of our precious Lord Jesus. well, I am so grateful for yesterday as the Lord was gracious to me by allowing me to be a part of watching Him do heart surgery on that precious womans heart.

So long for now, keep us in your prayers that especially we will finish strong.

Dee with much love to all of you at home. see you soon.

2010-02-19T21:29:00.000-06:00

Hello to all of our family, friends, and followers. I would first like to apologize for not getting to you all in a timely manner. We have been busy. Being a part of this team has been a wonderful experience here in Haiti. Yesterday was a spiritual awakening for me. (I am tearing up as I write this to you) We went to visit Pastor Genada. During that visit there was a class being taught, the teacher asked us to help him teach some English. So they got into some small groups and my group had a lot of questions for me. First off they all think I’m Haitian. So they expected me to know Creole. And now that they know that I’m American they are more than willing to teach me. So anyhow, the first question they asked me was “how do I feel about death”. I gave them my answer, we then had gotten into a conversation about how they struggle living in a third world, the poorest country in the world. To hear them express themselves to me (someone that they know is here to help) was very hard for me. God had given me the strength and courage to share with them how I struggle living and being American. I really feel that I made a connection to the group that I was talking to that no one had ever reached. They expressed a lot of gratitude for what I had shared. And in return I know why God has called me to come to Haiti. And there will be many more trips in the near future for me. I would also like to share with you all of a fear that I had and I have been praying for me to overcome that fear. That fear was praying out loud in a group. The Haitian’s that I was talking to asked me to say a prayer before we ended our session and I did it. I did not know what to say but I started the lord took over. So that was my wonderful day in a nutshell. There is so much more I would love to share but it will be at another time. Thank you all for all of your prayers, I love you all and will see you in a week.

LaShanda King

2010-02-16T22:12:00.004-06:00

Wow, it's hard to believe that our trip is almost over. I want to start by thanking everyone who has been praying for our team while we have been in Haiti, all of our family and friends and a special thanks to my friends at New Horizon High School who helped to support our team!
I wanted to blog closer to the end of our trip because I thought it would be easier for me to look back and reflect rather than just talk about the happenings of the day. That being said this trip was much like many other things in life in that it was not what I expected. I was preparing myself before I left to deal with many different traumatic scenarios, people dying, bandaging serious wounds, and perhaps even having to deal with knowing that there was nothing I could do to help someone. Although our team did encounter some very sick and injured people many of the survivors had already been cared for by one of the many other organizations that were operating in Port Au Prince. We were able to set up clinics and meet the needs of many Haitians who had probably not had access to medical attention for quite some time and I know that the people we helped were very grateful to us. Personally, I felt that the biggest impact that I was able to have came when our team traveled to Gonaives to work at the Jubilee camp. Having limited medical knowledge the majority of the people there that needed help saw Vaughn, who is a PA, or Gwen, Kellie, and Liz who are all nurses. I felt a bit lost because I wanted to help so badly but didn’t really know where to start. It seemed that the only thing I was able to do was play with the kids, who clung to us as soon as we arrived, and help out with feeding the children. It’s amazing how much they have in common with many of the children I know in the states even though they have no real similarities in regards to lifestyles. Many of the children were not wearing any clothes or shoes, they had no toys except what they made out of the trash that was lying around their homes, and I couldn’t effectively communicate with almost all of them. What I did notice they had in common were the smiles, the laughter, and the craving for attention from anyone who was willing to give them the time of day. Many of the children were left alone during the day, not out of a lack of love but because of the culture and the necessity of the parents to focus their efforts on providing the basic needs. When we showed up and were willing to sit them on our laps and hold their hands it was almost impossible to get them to let go, even if it was to give them a plate of rice and beans that would almost certainly be their only meal of the day. The openness to our arrival didn’t stop there. Many of the people Brian introduced us to in the city welcomed the team with warm smiles and some of the biggest hugs I have ever had in my life. They invited us into their homes, which consisted of a one room hut built out of mud and sticks, and shared their life stories with us. Although we had never been deprived of food a day in our lives and they struggled to figure out where their next meal came from I feel certain they would have offered us whatever they had simply because they appreciated us being there to listen to them. I found the Haitian people to be some of the most beautiful people I have ever met. Even though they live in unimaginable poverty you wouldn’t be able to tell based on their warmth and love. Although I wasn’t sure what I was going to be able to do to serve the people in Haiti when I first got there it became evident in Gonaives, showing them the love of Christ by being willing to do the most simple and natural aspects of humanity and starting a relationship with them. Most of the people there didn’t need the medical attention that I could provide, they needed me to show them that even though my life is completely different than theirs I still love them and care about their wellbeing. Because of my personality it was hard to come to the conclusion that I could not physically meet the needs of the people I came into contact with, it’s heart breaking to look into the eyes of a hungry and thirsty child and try to convey to them that I had no food or water to give them and I don’t look forward to ever having to go through that again. All I could do for many of the people there was love them unconditionally with all of my heart. But I found that that is the most important thing I could have done. Just giving the people food, water, medical attention, or shelter would not be enough, sure it would meet their physical needs and help to make sure that they would see tomorrow, but that doesn’t meet the greatest need that we all have. Many organizations are currently working in Haiti to provide many of the necessities that I mentioned above but I was able to get to know and love individuals that I will always remember and hopefully they will remember that someone cared enough about them to not just care for them physically but to listen to their story. Scripture tells us that the greatest commandment is to honor the Lord our God and to love others as we do ourselves. I learned on this trip that the Haitian people are more than just victims of a massive earthquake, they are my family in Christ and just working to solve the problems the earthquake caused would be drastically missing the purpose of why God called me to go to Haiti in the first place. I believe God called our team to Haiti to build relationships with the people there so that we could be a small example of God’s love for them. Obviously the physical needs of the people there still need to be met, but I learned that it can’t come from a desire to save people from their tragedy but instead from a true love for those who you are helping if the impact is going to go beyond the immediate and into eternity. I know that it’s cliché’ to say that I got more from the trip than the people that we helped, but I did. There is so much more work to be done in Haiti and I encourage all those who are following the blog and the teams to continue to pray and give as the Lord leads you. Know that the work that Rapid Response is doing in Haiti is meeting the physical needs of the people there but going to extra mile to build relationships and demonstrate the love of God to the people in the country. I will always cherish the memories of my first trip to Haiti and pray that the Lord calls me back to continue to get to know and help the people there.

P.S. I wrote this at 1:00 AM on our last night out of the country, so hopefully it makes as much sense to those who read it as it did to me as I wrote it…..

- Todd

Team 3 on the way

2010-02-16T10:47:00.001-06:00

The last few days... Team #2

2010-02-15T20:33:00.012-06:00

We had very sketchy internet connections for the last couple of days so hopefully, this will catch us up...

As we near the end of our Medical Support Team Mission in Haiti, I wanted to review and reflect on the many things we have seen and experienced. It only took a moment to realize that this would be an extremely long posting (too long) and would become boring to someone who hasn’t been to Haiti, or ever been on a Medical Response Team in a disaster area. So much happened and so many unforgettable images were imbedded in our minds…. So many things were seen and experienced, that words might not come for a few more days or weeks after our return – or until we’ve each had individual time to process it all. So if your own Omaha Rapid Response Team member that you most closely associate with, seems to be speaking about minute details one minute and ethereal things the next, just give them a bit more time, other opportunities and conversations… it will all begin to surface.

I believe the adage that ‘one picture speaks a thousand words’ and stirs a hundred memories. So the best way to even ‘begin’ to tell about what we’ve been seeing and experiencing, is to do just that … tell it with pictures. Because I know you are already very interested in what we’re doing here in Haiti (or you wouldn’t be visiting this web page to begin with), I’ll invite you to go to a photo album web page to see a collection of photos that focuses on the different things we’ve been doing,and to SEE the thousands of words that it would take to tell you. (These are the photos I sent to my family and supporters, so don’t be put off that there may be a few more photos of me than the others, for that reason). (However, because of unreliable WiFi we will get this blog posted first, and follow up with the Photo Web address next, so please check back in a few hours… or tomorrow night - if the generator here, runs out of gas... Sorry. It will be well worth it; they're are quite moving. (It's so bad / slow, that we couldn;t even get couple of images attached to this blog entry.)

On our last morning Deb went to work with a deaf-childrens school in Gonaives She interpreted for ahout 50 church members on Sunday). Elliot (Esq.) and I went to the local hospital to assess wounds and injuries for possible transfer back to Ken with the Wound Care Team at the Univ of Miami airport hospital. The medical staff at this hospital is very limited and the orthopedic surgeon, who came from Port-au-Prince (PaP) for three days each week, was killed in the quake. Many PaP patients were sent to hospitals in surrounding cities. Gonaives had received about 20 significant injuries as you will see in the photo album. A few doctors / surgeons from Bolivia have come here a few times, leaving instructions for the remaining nurses and students to carry out until their next team arrives later this week. They are doing a great job of keeping some very significant wounds clean and dressed.

We loaded up about noon and made the 3 hours trip back to PaP (gals in the 6-pack cab – guys standing in the back of the cargo bed – hanging on as we negotiated the rock roads, gullys, bumps, bolders and washouts… and where there WAS pavement it had potholes the size of your dinning room table, which Brian and Emory had to cut, weave and dodge – with us hanging on and keeping our balance on un-locked knees… and getting 'redder' by the hour as the sun scorched down. (We took a picture to show my kids, who were always, admonished to NEVER rid in the back of a pickup, as they were growing up. It was ‘fun’ on the way out, but a 'challenge' for tired bodies on the way home to PaP.

We took the wound photos to Ken at the U of M, airport hospital as soon as we returned and about the time we arrived we were met with a ‘scramble’ to receive an unknown number of casualties from a school about two hours away, that had just collapsed. 3 were dead and medevacs were bringing an unknown number to us at the Airport hospital. We were drafted to help treat the injuries and got a quick indoctrination. About half an hour later, word came that we were not receiving any of the casualties at our location. Our transportation had left when we prepared to be there all night; so we pitched in anyway... Kelly went to the med tent, and I went to work in the ER, while Elliot, Esther, and DeDe assisted – running labs, and what ever was needed. Elliot was drafted to "bag a patient" who had already coded twice...(squeeze the respirator bag attached to an intubation tube down this ladies trachea to keep her ventilated). She later died unfortunately. The family morned over her body, in a private area behind a tarp, with cries and chants of sadness for their loss.

The President of Haiti had declared the last three days as "a time for prayer" (the UN called it 3 days of mourning). Don't know if CNN covered this part, but we received word that the President of Haiti announced today, that he had 'received Jesus as his personal Savior' ! This was a very significant event in a nation that is about 60% Catholic, 30% Evangelical Christian, 10% 'other' ... and as they say, 100% VooDoo. (It's complicated...)

These are ‘life-changing days’ for everyone, from every perspective; the victims of the quake (obviously), but also the thousands of people who responded to the disaster...
Above all, it is, and will continue to be, our hope, that we (ORR Team#2) made a difference here, for the survivors and even the many people of Haiti who barely felt the quake. 'As Port-au-Prince goes... So goes the nation."

The ORR will have sent four teams to the area for about 10 days each (as plans have it right now), but my portion of the blog can not pass without recognizing the people who are here in Haiti all the time, for the sake of the people (and especially the Children) of Haiti – as you will see from our web album pictures at Jubilee – a destitute area near Goniaves, Haiti. If you want to learn more about this go to - http://love4haiti.blogspot.com/

Thank you to everyone who provided financial support, moral support and encouragement, and of course, endless prayer support, as we represented the people of Omaha, and the United States, and Christ. It was our pleasure (and an unforgettable experience) to serve you, but more importantly, the people of Haiti.

We are packing up to leave tomorrow, about noon, as Team #3 arrives in Port-au-Prince.
We’ll see you soon…
'Til Then... “Doc” (which became much easier for everyone to say or spell, than Vaughan).

Vaughan Wenzel, PA-C
rian

One life at a time

2010-02-13T19:42:00.014-06:00

One may think you come to a place like Haiti to attempt to meet the few needs you may encounter. Though that was the intention of this trip, it amazes me how much the very people you come to help oftentimes minister to you in ways you never imagined.

After spending a few days in Port Au Prince, we traveled today to the northern city of Gonaives. Warmly welcomed by screaming children, we first took part in helping to feed them. These children know no stranger. The minute you arrive, you become a walking tree for them to flex their muscles as they hang all over you. Children are just children. Even in the midst of suffering, children love to play and laugh and be surrounded by love.

Today also marked the second day of three national days of prayer the president called. Just like yesterday, there was a crowd gathered in the town center to pray and cry out to the one, true God. To hear a people pray for their own nation is truly humbling and inspiring. God still has a plan for the nation of Haiti.

In a land where no one ever hesitates to smile back at you, I am grateful to have been used today by our awesome God.

- Esther Kuhn

Haiti day ??? don't know I think its Friday.

2010-02-12T19:59:00.004-06:00

Good evening everyone. First I want to say that in someways you can really see GOD moving in huge ways in and around the Haitian people and in others it seems to be moving in slow motion. This morning we had to reorganize the pharmacy as the Georia team was packing up to leave and need some of their suitcases back. You know, since we were using them to seperate all the medication. Well maybe you didn't but now you do. Once we got done and got the group ready to go out, we went out and delivered baby food to some of the camps. Which, turned out to setting up little medical clinic where ever we went. The sun was very hot today but the breeze made it for us. The heat and humidity get to you but then you think about the cold and snow that are waiting for us back home, I think I can take it a few more days. The buckets showers give it that extra touch. Anyway, back to the baby food distribution. We came back for lunch and a quick rest, waiting to see where or what our next adventure will take us. Some things will change by the minute, really. Well after lunch, we took a quick ride to see some of the hardest area. They where having a huge celebration for the 1st day on National Day of Prayer. It was amazing!!! Hundreds of people singing and dancing in this park area by the Palace. Presence of the Lord was there in a big way. Not to sound like a girly man but I started to cry. We left there and headed back, along the way I lost my hat. Shouldn't be a big thing but I finally got it broke in. When we got back we broke into two teams. One seperated rice and beans that we would hand out later and the other, the one I was on was suppose to head to one of the camps to medically treat some people there. On our way God had a different plan, as we were walking someone stopped us because they were sick. We stopped and started to treat her right there on the street, then a few more came. So we went into a shaded area to finish with the few that were there, when more people came and more and more. Some with just the typical headaches and stomach aches, but some where a little more severe. Kellie was the true hero. Todd was awesome to. I just handed out meds or what ever the two doctors needed. We came back about 5pm and a few of us loaded up the food that was packaged and delivered to and area that was in need. The people are GREAT, the team and the Haitian people. Its tuff here the destruction, the suffering and just the state of things.. but the life continues. Just want to thank everyone thats supporting us during this time. Thank You and God Bless. This is Brian Howe signing off/ logging out I don't know. I not very good at this blogging stuff.

A drop in a bucket

2010-02-11T19:01:00.005-06:00

Today, we opened the doors to the compound where we are staying and held an impromptu clinic. People came in off the streets with health complaints that were by no means life threatening, but they were still uncomfortable. With our basic supplies, we were able to help stomach aches, diarrhea, dry eyes, body pains and provide some validation and support to their plight.

In the afternoon, we visited the orphanage to play with and love the kids. No medical care, but it felt just as important to give the kids some attention and love.

I have been pretty overwhelmed by the tenacity of the Haitian people. What strong, strong people. When it would be so easy to throw up their hands in frustration, surrounded by crumbled blocks and cement, they don't. Instead, they work all day in the blistering sun rebuilding the walls and buildings that fell. They persevere, that is for sure.

It is very difficult to not feel like our group is such a tiny drop in this sea of need, but with each smiling face, I have to be reminded that every sea is made up of these tiny drops!

I want to thank everyone that has supported me and helped give me this amazing opportunity. I love you all!

"In every community, there is work to be done. In every nation, there are wounds to heal. In every heart, there is the power to do it." - Marianne Williamson

- Kelly

2010-02-10T18:56:00.008-06:00

If I never say it again aside from right now, I have to say, I love my family. We've been here in Port au Prince for two full days working in the daytime holding medical clinics in the middle of tent cities, and this afternoon distributed rice to over 200 families. Awe. That's the word. Awe. I never imagined a place like this, where people live in conditions most of us wouldn't wish on our worst enemy. But like Brian told us on the first night, this is the way people here in Haiti live. A disaster happens and the pick up and move on. Unfortunately, the news we see on tv shows the bad stuff from the disaster and not the "bad" stuff that goes on EVERYDAY. The scene is so overwhelming that it seems at times like we've come in vain....how can we ever help these people? Well, we can only do so much, but we can help a few. That has to be enough to encourage change in the future, even if in the slightest. I was worried coming into this that I didn't have a big bag of supplies to contribute like the rest of the team, but Aaron reassured me that it was ok.....God would provide. We have food and water, companionship of friends, time and energy(some) to take care of people in need, and the protection of an awesome God.

The pearl is in the river, AND the eagle flies at midnight. :)

- Liz

ORR Team 2 - Day 1

2010-02-09T19:12:00.007-06:00

Our first day in Port Au Prince was very productive. In the morning we split into two groups, one going to do a medical clinic and the other preparing food rations for distribution. I was on the medical team as a “Pharmicist” helping package and distribute meds. In a few hours we saw about 200 people mostly with GI and skin issues. In the afternoon we took badly needed time to inventory and organize our medical supplies and catch our bearings a bit.
A few thoughts so far, I love the Haitian people. They are such warm, selfless and resilient people in face of such hardship. It was a blessing to meet two young Haitian pastors. Both are struggling to meet the needs of their congregation and both expressed the love from God they felt by our presence. As I expected I feel like they are challenging and blessing me more than I am them! As far as the situation on the ground it is still very hard. We have a large tent city as our neighbor and people are still struggling to find food and water just to survive. Please pray that logistics would work out for better food distribution.
There are lots of bright spots. Today one of our translators named Smith reunited with his mom for the first time since the quake. He is a grown man and she still asked him to sit in her lap! It was such a joy to witness.
Tomorrow we will head out and do more medical clinics and remain flexible to the needs of the moments. Thanks for all your support and prayers. Keep em’ coming!

Elliot Johnson

Me as a Pharmacist! Lookin’ the part….:)

Team 2 Arrives in Port Au Prince

2010-02-09T12:49:00.006-06:00

We arrived in Port Au Prince sometime after eight in the evening. It was a long two day Journey from Omaha, San Diego, Chicago and Tennee to Port Au Prince Haiti. I sat next to a Haitian woman on the bus from Santo Domingo to Port Au Prince. She was at work when the quake hit. She lost her husband and several of her coworkers. Her children were safe though, and she praised God for that. When you talk to people, hear their stories, you heart akes for them. When you see the tears in thier eyes, God uses it to touch your heart, and then you realize the burden God has for these people and how much he loves them.

Today part of our team bagged beans and rice for food ditribution tomrow and the other part of our team held our first medical clinic. We saw over 200 people. We worked with another group from Georgia. There were many people. What can I say? It is hard to describe accurately without being able to teleport you hear so you can see and hear, smell and touch. Pray for the people of Haiti. God loves all people and wants them to know him. Here are some photos of our first day.

- Aaron