January 29, 2010
Last night we showed a Power Point presentation on Haiti at the Free Methodist Church in Winona Lake, Indiana. My daughter, Heidi Smith and our friend Frank Courtois spoke about their experiences in Haiti. As the beautiful pictures of their trip played, they tried to express all the emotions they felt on the trip and some of their great stories of God's provision and answered prayer. The above photo shows many of us in our "Defend the Cause" t-shirts after the program. Thank you to all who gave generously at the end of the program for the Haitian people.
Although Haiti is already starting to move out of the spotlight, let's not forget the Haitians are still living in desperation. Most of them are moving into the countryside. They are realizing that their city won't be providing a home for them any time soon and are choosing to move on. The outlying villages are taking in tens of thousands of homeless and hungry. Jeremie, the town where our mission is located is seeing a great influx of people. Pray that the Christians in these small towns can be a great witness to those arriving.
The January 29-31 Week-end:
Lloyd & Darlene Smoker, Wendell & Daisy Martin, Tim & Ruth Yoder, Heidi Smith, and I will be at The Living Water Community Church, 200 N. Kurzen Road, Dalton, Ohio January 31, 6:30 p.m.
The church is beside the Dalton YMCA, about one-half block north of Route 30.
Amazing miracle testimonies from Haiti!
A time of healing for all of us!
A Powerful powerpoint presentation.
On Sunday morning, 10:30, I will be speaking at The Rock Church, North Canton, Ohio on Cleveland Road.
Call Pastor John Miller for directions: 330-669-3458
January 27, 2010
A letter just arrived from my friend in Atlanta:
Dear Wes,
Bless you. I am trying to reach May this morning to see about getting more details of Onyx’s location. With so many lying on the roadside, how does one locate a specific person in a city of 3 million people?
I read through your Facebook entries and your blog last night and cried and cried. We arehaving such a hard time getting medical supplies. What I am hearing from friends on the ground there in Haiti is that Amputations are being done daily with not even a baby aspirin. Doctors and nurses are overcome physically and emotionally in their effort to work with such compromised circumstances. I know it would bless Primrose to see the fruit of the instruction you both gave your daughters and how it is being duplicated in the lives of your grandchildren.
Joel and Yvonne Trimble of Haiti for Christ have been there for 35 years. They were friends and neighbors and our kids played together. They have laid aside their ministry agenda for this year and shifted focus to ministering to groups of volunteer medical personnel and assisting other missionaries who have been devastated by the quake. They ride through the streets asking the teams what they need and then email lists back to the states to people who want to help.
I was trying to fill these lists by myself but the Lord hooked me up with several other people nearby with ties to Haiti. A missionary family who has been there for years happened to be here raising support when the quake occurred. They lost most of their buildings and the lives of the 50 women in their micro-enterprise project. One building is in good shape and it has been turned into a real amputation center. However, they have been unable to get what they need. They need bone saws and blades, IV fluid and so many things. I have a current list.
Incredibly, an organization offered a plane leaving from Atlanta twice a week for an indefinite period of time. It is only a 9 passenger plan and we are restricted to 1000 lbs of freight. So far the plane has been returning with orphans. I need advice on how to get medical supplies. Doctors don’t want to hand over narcotics to just anyone and these saws cost around 40,000.00 each. My OBGYN is raiding the surgery rooms for “left-overs” before it goes to storage and I am picking up a load this afternoon. We are buying sheets and sleeping bags from thrift stores and laundering them and hope to get tents donated so the medical volunteers will not have to sleep on the ground. They need rest. Your two daughters, April and Heidi, got to experience a lot of that. God help us when the rainy season comes.
With crude amputations going on all over PAP and beyond, it sickens me to read of the hundred of millions of dollars raised for the poor Haitians. Where is the money? Why is it that we cannot supply medical volunteers and others with what is needed to do the job? If only the news stories would focus on these issues, maybe help would come. I fear that so many contributors wrote their check or did online donations and then crossed Haiti off their “to do“ list. (I already gave at the office). This has almost become a full time job for me.
I saw on the news that many truck loads of Haitians are heading to Jeremie as refugees. I pray the outstation churches there are prepared to minister to them (Yes, Denise, they are). The poor and destitute helping the poorer and more destitute. This is going to take years. I guess the evil American imperialists will have their hands full “taking over the country” for a long time.
We have not been able to get the medical volunteers we need or to meet the maximum allowance for freight. Therefore there are seats available. Let me know what kind of things you are in need of for your next trip and I will add it to the supplies request list we are distributing. Last week we had sheets and sleeping bags and hospital-type attire that we could spare. We may have some baby sheets and crib mattresses soon. Please copy me on your newsletters and updates.
Denise
A P.S. to this story... just in:
I just got this information from the man’s sister, Carol May Whitty. I also sent it to Heartline Ministries hoping someone might be able to find him ASAP.
His name is Onyx Whitty
He is very popular in the neighbor and most people call him by his nick name which is Ro Ro
The address is
Rue Nord Alexis
12 Apostres Rue Mayais
Carol was told that various people from the neighborhood have been trying to give him a little food and water and helping him urinate. He is in a great deal of pain, paralyzed from the waist down. Please let him know that his sister Carol sent whoever goes for him so he knows he is loved. That will comfort him.
Thanks you so much.
Denise
Dear Denise,
Keep crying. Your tears are seen by God!
L&P, Wes
Our prayers continue to go out to Rodney Smoker (Lloyd and Darlene's son) and his family as they are recovering here in the States. By the time Rodney finally escaped the rubble of his home/church building, it was dark. He was already exhausted from the escape, but spent the remainder of the night pulling his friends out of the rubble of the church, both the living and the dead.
He and his Haitian brothers worked for hours and hours prying, lifting and digging with their bare hands in the dark until they were all utterly exhausted. Rodney freely shared all of this with Bryan, periodically breaking down as he recounted the horrors of that night. And the days that followed.
Rodney said that when he and the other workers could not continue physically, they were forced to quit, leaving one poor man pinned under a big piece of cement. They couldn't remove him because their strength was gone, the cement was just too heavy. They couldn't pull him out from under the slab because a piece of re-bar had pinned the man to the rubble through his abdomen.
Rodney apologized to his friend, promising they would all be back soon when they regained their strength and had some daylight with which to see. The man said it was OK and released Rodney to go with his blessing.
When Rodney and the others had regained some strength, they returned to try again. But their friend and brother was dead.
Pray for the completion of healing in the hearts of these who have experienced such loss.
Travis (my eighteen-year-old grandson) did not cry in Haiti. He didn't cry when he came home. But this morning, when he shared in church, his tears were mixed with the tears of so many others as he began to experience the cleansing power of God.
Travis is withdrawing from his college classes for this semester. He said college will be here when he gets home. I know he is right. This is right. He says he has to go back to Haiti.
He goes with our prayers and blessings.
Rodney is preparing to fly back to Haiti on Tuesday, to continue the work that his parents began 26 years ago. Pray for him and his task ahead.
God willing, Lloyd and Darlene Smoker and I will be flying to Port-au-Prince on Wednesday, February 3. The Smokers will also be flying to Ohio January 31 to be with Wendell Martin, Heidi (my daughter), the Tim & Ruth Yoder, and me for a Sunday night meeting. With first-hand testimonies from our team we will be showing a powerful powerpoint presentation.
Those of you in the Ohio area . . . don't miss this meeting. Something very special from God will take place that night.
January 26, 2010
My eighteen-year-old grandson, Travis Bartow, was a member of the first-response team to Haiti. Here is one of his stories:
Travis watched the dead, bloated bodies being thrown into the back of a garbage truck. The men picking them up would slap them once, first, to make the flies rise like a cloud off their bodies.
Then Travis, and the other Haitians who were watching, moved away as the truck began to crush the bodies, to make room for more. The bodies crunched and popped, and the small crowd stepped back, afraid of the taut skins exploding, since they were so bloated.
But these were people, not animals! Travis said it wasn't the gore or the putrid smell that bothered him. It was knowing that each one was a real person...with friends and family. And he said it was the living that bothered him the most. It was the living who were suffering.
Trav says, "People brought Evelyn to us on a board. It reminded me of the guys that lowered that man down through the roof, for Jesus to heal. So desperate... They laid her on the ground and we started to pray. As we prayed, we watched her slowly come to life, in front of our eyes. First, her fever went down, then she started to sit up, then she took a drink, coughed and began to moan and gain consciousness. By that time, probably 150 people had gathered to watch and pray, the prayer increasing in intensity as her life came back. Some doctors showed up, and the man with the IVs showed up...out of nowhere... and the doctors started the IV.When she left, I was afraid that the miracle would stop taking place. But before we left to come home, she had been taken to a special hospital that could handle cases as severe as hers, and hopefully, will make a full recovery."
Travis wishes that more doctors, who are also Christians, would rely more on the power of God in prayer in treating patients. God can take take physical capabilities and multiply their effectiveness!
"The thing that hit me hardest," Trav said, "was seeing this little orphan girl on the plane. The seat belt looked so big compared to her. She was so sweet and she just sat there. So precious. So quiet. Such innocence. Knowing she was just one among so many. She just sat there. So peacefully. One of so many...so many."
Travis is very serious. He says he feels like he's never contributed to making a difference like he did this past week.
"I did everything." Trav says, "And everything I did mattered." He says he has to go back.
From Grandpa:
I love you, Travis. You are my first-born grandson! No grandfather could ever be more proud of his grandson. My prayer is that God will continue to move in your life in great power.
My sixteen-year-old granddaughter, Katelyn Bartow, was on the team of the first-responders to the Haiti disaster. Here is her story:
"My first patient was a woman between the ages of 50 and 60. She was lying face-down on a filthy, fly-infested mattress. One-fourth of her back was covered with scrapes. I asked someone to translate for me."
"He said she had broken her back and was unable to move. Here in America, I would question someone who told me they had broken their back and couldn't move. In Haiti, however, when someone says they cannot move, they mean it. The Haitians are a strong, tough people, who can even work with broken bones. She could move her neck and arms, but not her lower body."
"I cleaned her wounds as best I could. Aunt Heidi and April came over from working with other patients. Whoever's patient it was, was their turn to pray aloud. Since this was mine, I knew I would have to pray."
"I love to pray. But I hate to pray out loud. I never know how to say it quite right. This time, however, the words spilled out of my mouth. I said, 'God, we can't do anything for this woman. Her back is broken and she needs to be healed. And You, God, have the power to heal, so I ask this in Jesus' Name. Amen.' We always kept it simple and brief. Prayers that are too long just get annoying. God knows what we want because he reads our hearts."
"When I walked through that same area later that week, I saw her walking, supported by a "cane" (it was a stick). She limped over, sat in a chair, and I re-bandaged her wounds. She smiled at me and said, 'merci Jezi' and I said, 'Beni swa l'eternel.' " (which translates: 'thank you, Jesus' and 'Blessed be the Eternal One')."
"Some might say her back was sprained. But knowing the Haitian people, and knowing Jesus Christ, I know she was healed."
Kate
From Grandpa:
You will never know how proud I am of you, my darling. You were way too young to be down there. But you went anyway. And God took care of you and used you mightily.
The Smokers:
Rodney is Lloyd and Darlene's son. He, his wife, and child were in the building when the earthquake struck. Here is his story:
Our prayers continue to go out to Rodney Smoker and his family as they are recovering here in the States. By the time Rodney finally escaped the rubble of his home/church building, it was dark. He was already exhausted from the escape, but spent the remainder of the night pulling his friends out of the rubble of the church, both the living and the dead.
He and his Haitian brothers worked for hours and hours prying, lifting and digging with their bare hands in the dark until they were all utterly exhausted. Rodney freely shared all of this with Bryan, periodically breaking down as he recounted the horrors of that night. And the days that followed.
Rodney said that when he and the other workers could not continue physically, they were forced to quit, leaving one poor man pinned under a big piece of cement. They couldn't remove him because their strength was gone, the cement was just too heavy. They couldn't pull him out from under the slab because a piece of rebar had pinned the man to the rubble through his abdomen.
Rodney apologized to his friend, promising they would all be back soon when they regained their strength and had some daylight with which to see. The man said it was OK and released Rodney to go with his blessing.
When Rodney and the others had regained some strength, they returned to try again. But their friend and brother was dead.
Pray for the completion of healing in the hearts of these who have experienced such loss.
Travis did not cry in Haiti. He didn't cry when he came home. But this morning, when he shared in church, his tears were mixed with the tears of so many others as he began to experience the cleansing power of God.
Travis is withdrawing from his college classes for this semester. He said college will be here when he gets home. I know he is right. This is right. He says he has to go back to Haiti.
He goes with our prayers and blessings.
Rodney is preparing to fly back to Haiti on Tuesday, to continue the work that his parents began so many years ago. Pray for him and his task ahead.
He and his Haitian brothers worked for hours and hours prying, lifting and digging with their bare hands in the dark until they were all utterly exhausted. Rodney freely shared all of this with Bryan, periodically breaking down as he recounted the horrors of that night. And the days that followed.
Rodney said that when he and the other workers could not continue physically, they were forced to quit, leaving one poor man pinned under a big piece of cement. They couldn't remove him because their strength was gone, the cement was just too heavy. They couldn't pull him out from under the slab because a piece of rebar had pinned the man to the rubble through his abdomen.
Rodney apologized to his friend, promising they would all be back soon when they regained their strength and had some daylight with which to see. The man said it was OK and released Rodney to go with his blessing.
When Rodney and the others had regained some strength, they returned to try again. But their friend and brother was dead.
Pray for the completion of healing in the hearts of these who have experienced such loss.
Travis did not cry in Haiti. He didn't cry when he came home. But this morning, when he shared in church, his tears were mixed with the tears of so many others as he began to experience the cleansing power of God.
Travis is withdrawing from his college classes for this semester. He said college will be here when he gets home. I know he is right. This is right. He says he has to go back to Haiti.
He goes with our prayers and blessings.
Rodney is preparing to fly back to Haiti on Tuesday, to continue the work that his parents began so many years ago. Pray for him and his task ahead.
January 25,2010
We took out a half-page ad in the paper today to advertise the Thursday evening Haiti meeting (Jan. 28, 7:00) at The Free Methodist Church. This evening The Times Union called me and said, "No cost! The ad is free!"
And Kudos, too, to Pastor Henry church. He is not charging us for the use of the building. He served more than 30 years in Africa, so he is flexible and spontaneous. Blessings on you my dear friend.
January 24, 2010
Each day I will post a new story from the Young Warriors who served so valiantly in Haiti the first week after the earthquake. They were the First-Responders. Nobody else from the outside world was in Carrefour, and their stories will all be told.
Our outreach to Haiti is not a "Johnny-Come-Lately" ministry. This is the fifth generation. More about that later. Personally, I made my first trip to Haiti in 1965---45 years ago. Since then I've actually lost count of the number of teams I've led there to help the Haitian people.
Heidi Smith's first report:
An Open Letter From Heidi
I was reading the blogs and thought I'd send one to you if you wanna post it. On my way to Ft. Lauderdale I prayed that God would help us make a dent in Haiti and that it would make a dent in me. It made a much bigger dent than I had hoped for!
To Jon: You know how we have told you how very thankful we are that you could fly us down to Port-au-Prince. I feel so very lucky to have been a part of this! And we couldn't have accomplished this without your faithfulness and skill.
To the accusers: After cleaning and dressing wounds, there was "just one more" to help. What is the price of just one more person? I CANNOT and WILL NOT put a price on someone's life... A life from God. Saying that little organizations aren't needed in Haiti is ignorant and I pray that God will shut their mouths and open their eyes. I refuse to believe that small acts can't change a person, a city, a country, the world.
To all the prayers, donors, volunteers: I could feel your prayers and I thank you so much for backing us in so many ways. All the medical supplies and food that came in was amazing. The supplies really did seem to multiply in our bags! We were able to touch so many people with your generosity.
To the Haitians: We won't forget and we will continue to help you, pray for you and keep you in our hearts. I love you.
Heidi
---------------------------------------------
Bryan, April, Travis, Katelyn, and Heidi need your continued prayer support as they recover from what they saw, felt, experienced. We call this reverse-culture-shock, and it is severe. There were times when I cried for a month after returning from a Third-World country. Many a night I've awakened on my bed crying so hard I thought my heart would leap out of my chest.
So . . . yes, this is very real. Your prayers will make a difference for my family.
"HAITI NIGHT"---January 31.
Near Orrville, Ohio. The entire team will be there with powerpoint and personal testimonies.
Time and place to be announced.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Our entire family returned home from Haiti last night.
I don't know when I've been so thankful to God.
And you, sir (you know who you are), who gave the orders to watch over my family after we spoke on the telephone, I will forever be grateful to you! May God reward you in special ways.
At the South Bend, Indiana airport Heidi was swamped by news reporters, friends, and onlookers as she entered the terminal. For a solid hour two television stations interviewed her.
WSBT22 and 16WNDU have done a superior job and promised me that each station will continue to urge people to look at our website: FLC7.com and to help Haiti with their finances.
As they interviewed Heidi she kept talking about Jesus and the power of God. Instead of editing out the "religious stuff", both television stations aired her interview in tact, just like she said it. For some reason all "political correctness" went out the window, and Heidi was able to tell up-to-date miracles of appearances of angels, supernatural provisions, and strength to get the job done.
Yes, once in a while a team member would "lose it" by breaking down in tears by what they saw and experienced. But, once the tears where gone and they got it out of their system, then they went on with the work of cleaning wounds and patching up the injured.
The American people are awesome!
I don't care who criticizes us. We have proved to the world that we are not only compassionate, but we follow our emotions with action.
We are just one ministry. But could I ever describe to you what it was like to send my family to Haiti? The only thing that kept me sane was the way they all beamed with joy as they boarded the airplane. I have never seen them happier. Their faces shined. And I knew that each of them was doing exactly what God wanted them to do.
If it was God's will, then they would follow him into one of the most dangerous places on earth. But when they reached Carrefour, Haiti (a place where none of the organizations would go) all they experienced was an outpour of love from the Haitian people, who joined them in the task of helping injured people and getting food and water to them. And the Haitians themselves made sure that they were protected.
How good God is! He always has all the bases covered.
Our family gathered in the living room and let Heidi emote. She told us so many amazing stories. I thought that she had at least been sleeping in a tent, but she told us how the team laid on the bare ground and slept, with the sky as their ceiling.
"Everyone listened quietly as Barnabas and Paul told about the miraculous signs and wonders God had done through them . . ." Acts 15:12
Once the team recovers, the hundreds of stories will be told. But for now we will be praying for the tired team. Re-entry is always more difficult than going. We always call this reverse-culture-shock.
My friend, Marty, emailed me and said, "It must be a very traumatic experience to have been pulling dead bodies out the rubble one day and coming back to Plastic-Land the next."
That pretty much sums it up.
Now the bigger job begins. As we have been in Haiti for more than 40 years, we will continue to help as God provides.
Thanks to all of you who have sent emails, called us, sent financial help, and given us some great advice. It has taken the entire body of Christ to respond to the aftermath of Haiti's 7.0 earthquake. God's people are an amazing, compassionate, functioning, shining people! The whole world has been watching, and they have seen the Glory of God.
Friday, January 22, 2010
My entire family is back in the United States.
The plane that was supposed to pick them up had some malfunction and they did not know how to get back.
But they went to the Port-au-Prince airport anyhow and Vision Airline air-lifted them back to Miami International (free). On the plane were 75, yes, Seventy-Five, orphan Haitian babies that they helped take care of on the one-and-a-half-hour ride back. Then, at the Miami airport they took care of the precious ones for several hours while each baby was fingerprinted by the custom agents.
From there the whole family, Bryan Bartow (my son-in-law), Travis Bartow and Katelyn Bartow (my grandchildren), Heidi Smith and April Smith (my two daughters who are nurses) took a shuttle to the Ft. Lauderdale airport, where Jon was attempting to have his plane repaired.
But they did not have any plans from there. Somehow the entire team was able to get flights home. God is so amazing!
Heidi will arrive at the South Bend airport at 6:10 p.m. today, January 22, on Continental Airlines. There will be a big bash at the airport! A big bash! And I'm sure there will be lots of tears.
The whole team slept on the ground in Haiti the entire time. I had heard that they had tents to sleep in, but that was not the case. They just slept on the ground each night with the open sky above them.
And they all stayed healthy!
How did they survive? Bryan had a water purifier so they had clean water to drink. They ate Granola Bars, Rice, Canned Tuna, and Freeze-Dried Fruit.
Ah, yes, more basic stuff: they peed in the gutter. There was not even an outhouse for them
But they are so happy. So very happy. Crying, laughing, bubbling over with stories on the telephone. You can't even imagine how happy this father/grandfather was/is.
Part of Heidi's text: "I need to chat with u. April and I had 2 hold in our sadness . . . I believe God made us strong so we could mend the wounded. We were all crying in the restaurant over breakfast."
I'm going to the airport with bells on tonight. Even "Bear" is going with me. He is our new puppy that Heidi loves so dearly.
All that the girls could talk about on the phone was Jesus! Miracles. "The way things just worked out." I cannot wait to hear all the stories. My guess is that we will be up tonight until the wee hours.
O.K. I'm so tired of typing. There will be much more in the coming days.
Stay tuned.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
The plan for today was to airlift my son-in-law, two grandchildren, and two daughters back to the United States. But plans change. The single-engine plane has broken down and Jon cannot pilot it until the mechanic makes the repairs. It is possible that Jon purchased some bad gas in Port-au-Prince. Thank God that the plane made it back to Ft. Lauderdale.
This team will be replaced by fresh troops.
My friend, Patrick, is a former Army Ranger and he told me that in the military those on the front lines are replaced periodically with rested men. This makes good sense.
And I know that the team that has been serving during this past week have seen more than most of us will ever see in a lifetime. You've just seen the pictures on television.
They were actually there and smelled the smells!
One of the things we are praying about and preparing for is the reverse culture shock that will hit them. Just being able to go to the sink and get a clean glass of water will be a shock to them.
This whole time they did not even have a bathroom--not even an outhouse! So the comforts of normal America will seem like heaven to them. After all of my trips abroad into third-world countries I still thank God every time I get a glass of water or take a hot shower here in America.
So as the father and grandfather, pray with me that God's strength and comfort will be upon them when they come home. They saw horrible things! But they will also have sweet memories of their fellowship with the Haitian people. May that sweetness overpower the bad memories.
And pray that they get home safely. They have served well.
The general plan now is to send fresh teams to Carrfour, Haiti every week or two. This will give workers the chance to recover from the traumatic experience and stay healthy. A sick worker on the field is at a great disadvantage.
Jon, who has been the lone pilot for Lloyd's mission, will complete his fifth round-trip today. But another plane, a twin-engine Aztec, which can carry a heavier payload will also soon be making round-trip journeys with medicine, doctors, and nurses.
Full Life Crusade will continue to help with the costs of flying this aircraft, which will be $150 per hour. In the weeks and months ahead this plane will be carrying passengers and much-needed supplies back and forth between Florida and Haiti.
I cannot tell you how proud I am of my family for serving the Haitian people during this horrible nightmare. What a memorial to my beloved wife, Primrose, gone now into heaven these past 16 years!
And I cannot thank you enough for your prayers and financial help.
But remember . . . the Haitian people will need us for months and years to come. Let's not allow them to ever be a forgotten people again.
Judy Korsmo is a school teacher in North Dakota. One of her students, a ten-year-old girl, wrote a poem that I want to post here:
Here's the poem:
Haiti
Earthquake happened
People scared
Houses gone
People trapped
Sad kids
Hurt Haitians
Help coming
Poor country
Lots dead
I'm sad
An email from Judy and her husband, Paul:
"Dear Wes,
I was up in the middle of the night a few times. As I was fitfully trying to get back to sleep, the girls kept coming to mind and all they've gone through and I prayed for them. I will continue to lift them up.
I wrote to the people we went to Haiti with (some are around here and some are scattered.) I told them to check out your blog, FLC7.com
I'm sitting in my warm home, drinking coffee and deciding what I want to eat and what I want to wear. I get to decide if I want to take a shower or a bubble bath. We are so spoiled here, aren't we? I am so thankful. Continued prayers.....Judy & Paul"
While I was typing this Ananda Prakash Pradhan called me from India. He wanted to tell me that he and the 100 churches he has established there are praying for our team. He is so precious.
And all of your emails and telephone calls have meant so much to us. Sorry that I have not been able to answer everyone. But be assured that your love has been felt here by our entire family.
Lloyd has asked me to fly to Haiti with him. So we are planning to leave as soon as a new ELT (Emergency Locator Transmitter) is installed in the twin-engine Aztec in Canada. Then the pilot, Rick Langstaff, will pick Lloyd and Darlene up in Pennsylvania, and then come here to get me and more medical supplies.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Another life saved!
Now it's "normal" to see dead bodies piled up by the sides of the road, waiting lifelessly for a truck to come by and take them to a mass grave. Then the bulldozers do their work, roughly and powerfully scraping them into a huge deep pit. There will be no gravestones or monuments for these people.
A difficult thing to get used to is watching the men throw the corpses up onto the truck--nameless people, arms and legs flopping about.
These pieces of flesh used to be someone's father, mother, son or daughter! But now they are nameless.
One week ago I would have fainted if I had seen something like this. Now I work here. I live here.
We were walking down one of these roads, almost aimlessly because our medical supplies have been exhausted. For some reason our attention was drawn to the body of a young girl. Suddenly, we realized that she was not dead. Had the truck come by before we did she would have been thrown onto the heap.
What to do? Three young nurses standing there beside the road. We did the only thing left to do---we prayed. We knew that the dying girl needed medical attention in the worst way. If only we had an IV, but the supplies were gone.
As we prayed three "doctors" suddenly appeared with everything to save her life. They stuck in the IVs and loaded her into a car and drove away.
It was all so surreal! There are no "doctors" in Carrefour.
The "airport people", as we call them, won't even come to this place. And Carrefour is only 12 miles away from four acres of United Nations' emergency medical supplies sitting there on the tarmac. It's been more than a week since the earthquake, but nobody at their organization seems to be able to give a simple command like "Load this stuff on a truck and take it to the people!" Only our team is in this place that is at the very entrance of hell.
For those who don't know: Carrefour is a "suburb" of Port-au-Prince. It is the Harlem of Harlems. Actually, Harlem is a paradise compared to Carrefour. Americans cannot even imagine.
And this is the place where Lloyd and Darlene Smoker have labored for 26 years.
Today we pulled 17 more corpses out of the rubble that is the only thing left of our Bible Training School. It is 90 degrees and the bodies have been there for a week. One of them was the remains of our beloved Guimps, a dynamic and faithful leader of the church. There are still 20 or 30 more buried bodies we have not been able to reach yet.
We need IV lines, penicillin, and other medicine.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
WE NEED ONE DOCTOR!!!!! NOW!!!!
If there is a doctor, who can get on a plane to Ft. Lauderdale yesterday ASAP, loaded with medical supplies, WE WILL FLY YOU AND TAKE YOU DIRECTLY TO CARREFOUR!!!!! Jon is still flying. He leaves again sometime before 7 p.m. We are running low on supplies.
My sisters are nurses and don't have the necessary skills to do the things that have to be done.
Jon says there are 4 or 5 acres of supplies sitting at the airport, most of it UN. Not leaving. Why can't they give us some medical supplies???? We are NOT AFRAID to go into the streets! We are somehow able to leave the airport with trucks full of white faces and supplies! In 30 minutes, our people are in Carrefour, from the airport in P-A-P.
Here's the story in Carrefour: the people have organized themselves into tent communities. Those communities have committees of people who represent the group. They have formed their own form of representative government! What a testimony to the Haitian people!! Some of these committee members are coming to us with the needs of their larger community. It is safe, it is peaceful, but it is desperate. Heidi, April and Kate are moving among the injured, cleaning and bandaging. Bry said he and Trav had to clear an area of debris and are on their way to help medically, but they are soon going to run out of stuff.
Our friend Dieudonner is taking 60 Port-au-Prince people from the Petionville area, where he is one of the committee leaders, back to his home town of Jeremie. The Haitian have been working since day 1 and now we are working along side them.
If there is a spontaneous doctor out there...we need you. You can be working in Haiti within 24 hours.
My sisters are nurses and don't have the necessary skills to do the things that have to be done.
Jon says there are 4 or 5 acres of supplies sitting at the airport, most of it UN. Not leaving. Why can't they give us some medical supplies???? We are NOT AFRAID to go into the streets! We are somehow able to leave the airport with trucks full of white faces and supplies! In 30 minutes, our people are in Carrefour, from the airport in P-A-P.
Here's the story in Carrefour: the people have organized themselves into tent communities. Those communities have committees of people who represent the group. They have formed their own form of representative government! What a testimony to the Haitian people!! Some of these committee members are coming to us with the needs of their larger community. It is safe, it is peaceful, but it is desperate. Heidi, April and Kate are moving among the injured, cleaning and bandaging. Bry said he and Trav had to clear an area of debris and are on their way to help medically, but they are soon going to run out of stuff.
Our friend Dieudonner is taking 60 Port-au-Prince people from the Petionville area, where he is one of the committee leaders, back to his home town of Jeremie. The Haitian have been working since day 1 and now we are working along side them.
If there is a spontaneous doctor out there...we need you. You can be working in Haiti within 24 hours.
Still No Aid????
The word is that my sisters are the first medical people to arrive in this area of Carrefour and have been working non-stop. They still have no doctor to work under so they are doing the best that they can, and apparently, so are the rest of our people...Bryan, Trav and Kate, too.
I am so thankful for our little farm, now. These kids have pulled lambs from ewes in distress, cleaned out infections, taken blood samples, shot antibiotics and medication...and it's a good thing. Isn't that interesting? Whenever we had farm injuries, and deaths, we thought it was terrible. Now I am thanking God for that little bit of knowledge.
Everybody has become a doctor, even some of the missionaries who faint at the sight of blood. The injured congregate in little camps around the area, waiting for treatment, food and water.
There also has been no sign yet of food or water from the outside. They are probably trying to supply the "tent cities." Maybe that's why the people still in the city haven't seen anything.
A shipment of rice is en route from Gonaive, thanks to your generous giving. Our people in Carrefour are worried about losing it to desperate people (I will NOT call them looters) before it gets to our area.
So far, food is being smuggled into Louis' house, which is still standing, and then smuggled out again in backpacks full of little baggies with food in them. These get quietly distributed throughout the community. The rice shipment is worrisome. Pray about this. But, even if the rice is taken from the truck, at least it will be eaten by someone who needs it.
As of yesterday, our people have run out of food to distribute.
The Smokers are so thankful for Jon and that plane, which has been their ONLY link to emergency supplies and outside help. We are never too small to make a big difference with God as our provider. I am seeing that more and more every day.
Beni swa l'Eternel!
January 19 Haiti update:
I'm a nurse.
I'm not a doctor. I'm 33-years-old.
I've been in Haiti four days. It's been a week since the 7.0 earthquake struck.
There's a mob here. No, it's not a mob. There are at least 10,000 people here. They are all injured. They all want me to help them. I'm just a human. I'm tired. A few days ago I was sitting in my living room watching television.
The man I'm trying to help has a crushed arm. He is lying on the bare earth. We do not even have a cot for him to lie on.
Have I ever smelled blood before? No. Not like this.
I look into his eyes. He hopes I can help him. I can't even stand to look at his arm. It is crushed. Gangrene has set in. He is full of infection. He is dying. He has a very high fever. It has been seven days since he was buried beneath tons of concrete and iron rods. How did he live through all of this? Who pulled him out of the rubble? Why did they bring him to me? I don't want to be here. I can't stand this smell. I'm going to vomit. But I came here. Something brought me here. Maybe it was SOMEONE.
Why me? Why couldn't it be someone else? Someone stronger than me. Someone else who was sitting in the pew last Sunday. Going out to dinner after church. Laughing. Watching the Colts play in the afternoon. Drinking clean water. Coca cola! Taking a shower. Eating snacks. Napping. Wondering how I can get more money and a bigger house. A nicer car. God, yes. A fancy car. Maybe a Lexus. Power windows. Prestige. Neighbors will think I'm something.
Reality clicks in. This man will die unless I cut off his arm. Cut off his limb? I don't know how to do this. I can't do this. I won't do this. I'll get up and leave. Where can I go? He will sue me if I make a mistake. Oh, I'm in Haiti . They don't sue down here. They are just so grateful, so thankful for anything we do for them. I am the god come down from the United States, that "heaven" up there somewhere.
I don't have a saw. "Oh, God I wish I had a saw." A hatchet. Oh no, that's a horrible thought.
But here is a machete. If I have the courage to do this deed a man might live. No not "a man" this man. Yes, this man lying before me on the ground looking into my eyes. I see a ray of hope there. He trusts me. He thinks I know what I'm doing, and I don't have a clue. I am his only hope. Otherwise he will definitely die. Pulled out of the rubble, but now he is going to die.
Was it God? Was it me? I picked up the machete and with all my might I brought it down . . . hard . . . on the man's arm. I heard a terrible scream. I could not tell if it was him or me. I can't believe it. No anesthetic! I severed the infectious arm from the healthy arm. Stop the bleeding. God it smells awful here. Flies. Mosquitoes. I never smelled anything like this back in my living room in front of the TV set.
I'm in hell!
No, I'm in heaven! I just saved a man's life.
I'm exhausted. I have only slept on the ground. I'm bitten all over with mosquito bites. Looters are all around us trying to steal the little medical supply we have. They want our water. They might want more. It is 90 degrees. I'm so thirsty. The sun is beating down. I'm so hot. I've never felt like this before.
Who's next? Why am I crying? No, I'm not crying. I am howling. I'm insane. But I've never felt better in my life. I've just saved a human life!
January 18 update:
Efficiency, Speed, and Simplicity:
The Haitian believers at Lloyd's mission have rented a truck. When our plane lands in Port-au-Prince all of the medical supplies and workers are whisked away. Within 30 minutes everything and everyone that was on the plane is at the mission.
The third and final round-trip flight from Ft. Lauderdale to Port-au-Prince with volunteers and medical supplies will leave at midnight tonight.
WSBT Chanel 22 from South Bend called this morning and asked for a television interview about Haiti. The interview was taped a few minutes ago at the Hampton Inn here in Warsaw, Indiana. A big thanks to The Hampton Inn for allowing us to use their 400-dollar-a-day conference room FREE.
You can view it on our website: FLC7.com
It is noon on Monday as I post this. Today is the first full day that our team is on the ground in Port-au-Prince. Pray for strength as the girls clean wounds and help with their nursing skills.
January 17 update:
8:45 p.m. Our team is in Haiti at a place called Carrefour, where Lloyd's mission is located. It is about 12 miles from the airport in Port-au-Prince. They are all going to sleep in a tiny house there for the night. Thank you so much for your prayers. They called on the Sat Phone to let us know their whereabouts and that they were safe.
Just in from the Holy Ghost: "I am a Lion! I am King of the Jungle!"
The plane will land in Port-au-Prince this afternoon. Jon Fussle, Katrina Smoker, Heidi Smith, April Smith, and Ricardo are on board. They called on the Sat Phone to say that they are getting fuel in Turks before going on to Haiti.
A big "Thank you, Jesus!" that they were given permission to land in Port-au-Prince.
January 16 update:
A very, very important way you can help is to send this address to everyone you know:
http://weseds.blogspot.com/
The plane loaded with medical supplies (thanks to local doctors and Kosciusko Community Hospital) left the Warsaw airport January 15 at 10:00 p.m.. Our team of nine people rendezvoused in Ft. Lauderdale today and will then head on to Haiti.
The team consists of:
My two daughters (Heidi and April Smith) who are nurses, my two grandchildren (Travis and Katelyn), my son-in-law (Bryan Bartow), Katrina Smoker (Lloyd's daughter) pilot (Jon Fussle), and two Haitians.
And a big THANK YOU to David and Vivian Poulos who are hosting the team in Florida!
Right now the greatest need is for finances. The plane and pilot have been donated, but the fuel cost is $100 per hour. It was seven hours to Florida and each round-trip flight (shuttling supplies and people) from FL to Haiti will cost about $1,000 to $1,200.
We have also been given $50,000 for the purchase of 8 Hydro Wells, 24/400 unit bundles, which is 9,600 individual life packs. However, this product is in Portland, Oregon and needs to be flown to Florida. In Florida we have a large plane waiting to take the product onward to Port-au-Prince.
The last "hitch" in this process is to get the Hydro Wells from Oregon to Florida. Flying would be fastest, but more expensive. They could be trucked to Florida from Oregon, but that is a very long drive, and in the meantime precious Haitian people need clean water. Pray!
A big priority for us is to help Lloyd Smoker's mission in Port-au-Prince. Almost everyone in his congregation was crushed to death during an evening worship service. Every building he spent 26 years erecting has been demolished. He and his wife just happened to be in the states when the earthquake hit January 12, or they would be dead, too. The Lord works in amazing ways.
Since pure water is so very important to sustain life, we feel that at this time water is a priority for Haiti. After that we will concentrate on some other things like medical attention, housing, and drilling wells. As a Primrose memorial we want to drill one well at each of our church sites in the mountains surrounding Jeremie, Haiti, where our mission is located.
Thank you for your concern and your prayers.
Believe it or not, Jeremie, Haiti, where our mission is located, is unscathed by the 7.0 earthquake that hit January 12.
Lloyd Smoker's mission in Port-au-Prince, however, is totally wiped out with many people killed. Tens of thousands of people are homeless in the PAP area and just roaming the streets without water or any place to go.
You can send help through Full Life Crusade, P.O. Box 398, Winona Lake, IN 46590. 100% of the money will go to Lloyd's mission or the cost of getting the pure water product to Haiti. Be sure to mark your check: "Lloyd's mission" or "Water".
Another very, very important way you can help is by sending this blog address to everyone you know:
http://weseds.blogspot.com/
Haiti's airport is running out of room for grounded planes and is becoming a logjam. Volunteer pilots have flown in supplies and workers but there is no gasoline available for them to refuel.
The main prison in Port-au-Prince has completely collapsed. Many prisoners who were not crushed have escaped. It is estimated that three million Haitians have been affected by the power of this earthquake. All main roads into the capital city are clogged and impassable.
A massive humanitarian effort is underway to send help there. The runway in PAP is usable, although log-jammed at times; but planes are going in with water, food, and medical help as I write this. More than 250 Creole-speaking nurses have already volunteered and are on their way to Haiti, too.
Those who are experienced in disaster relief tell us that the next stage will be the worst. Human corpses are already beginning to rot in the ninety-degree heat beneath the heaps of concrete and other debris. Cholera, dysentery, dehydration, heat stroke, no water/filthy water (people cannot go without water for more than three days), looters, stench of death, rats and dogs feeding on dead bodies are just a few of second-round devastation to hit Haiti.
This is apocalyptic, and of Biblical proportions!
We can be so proud of our nation at this hour. When many countries are criticizing the United States of America, guess which people on this planet help the most when there is an earthquake, tsunami, or some other major disaster. Forty nations have sent help to Haiti so far; but shame on you other countries who criticize, but do not act with mercy during emergencies like this.
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