Oil Spill, Katrina, Gaza, Netanyahu, & Obama

The Last Days are approaching rapidly!

Just in today (Sunday a.m., May 16):

Scientists are finding enormous oil plumes in the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico, including one as large as 10 miles long, 3 miles wide and 300 feet thick in spots. The discovery is fresh evidence that the leak from the broken undersea well could be substantially worse than estimates that the government and BP have given.

If you don't think we are in the Last Days, check out Revelation 8:9 and 16:3


Here it comes, folks! Keeping reading your Bibles, watching and praying.



14th Century aqueduct discovered in Jerusalem:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100511/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_aqueduct

Here's a great map of the Gulf of Mexico area:

http://www.reliefweb.int/mapc/amer_cac/reg/reg.html

Let's see . . . When we put pressure on Israel to force all the Jews out of Gaza we received Katrina . . . in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Did you know that there were more than 10 times as many people displaced in New Orleans than from Gaza!!! Moral of the story: DON'T MESS WITH GOD'S PEOPLE.

Obama recently insulted Netanyahu several times. And he also put pressure on Israel to stop construction in Jerusalem, and aborted the "bunker-busters" that the Israelis need. When I heard this I predicted another disaster for the U.S.

He that touches you (Israel) touches the apple of God's eye!

It did not take long!

This time it is at least an eight billion dollar national disaster in the form of an oil spill, . . . in Louisiana!

And right after the spill the wind picked up and changed direction, blowing the oil toward shore. The nine foot waves created by the wind is also hindering recovery efforts.

It's too bad that our leaders cannot connect the dots!

The Mississippi River Delta is threatened by this oil spill. Some people are comparing it to the judgment of God on the Nile River: "The fish in the Nile River will die, and the river will stink" (Exodus 7:18).

This oil spill is much worse than the Exxon Valdez incident some twenty years ago. 250,000 gallons of crude oil are going into the waters of the Gulf region each and every day. And it is estimated that it will take at least three months to stop the flow!

This is more than seven million gallons each month.

The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is threatening not only the water and ecosytem, but it is also threatening several big industries that the Gulf area needs to thrive.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said deteriorating conditions on the sea bed may result in an even greater flow of 50,000 barrels a day, sufficient to produce one of America’s worst ecological disasters.

It's like a slow version of Katrina.

For more, copy and paste:

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20100430/D9FDBD7O0.html

cid:2829BA06E49E4AFF9C925C890955166A@OwnerPC


Some interesting facts concerning the 2008 Presidential election:

Obama's first phone call as President of the United States was not to a foreign leader of an actual county, but to the head of a terrorist organization,
the PLO's Mahmoud Abbas!

* Number of States won by: Obama: 19 McCain: 29
* Square miles of land won by: Obama: 580,000 McCain: 2,427,000
* Population of counties won by: Obama: 127 million McCain: 143 million
* Murder rate per 100,000 residents in counties won by: Obama: 13.2 McCain: 2.1

"In aggregate, the map of the territory McCain won was mostly the land owned by the taxpaying citizens of the country.

Obama territory mostly encompassed those citizens living in low income tenements and living off various forms of government welfare..."


We believe that the United States is now somewhere between the "complacency and apathy" phase of Professor Tyler's definition of democracy, with some forty percent of the nation's population already having reached the "governmental dependency" phase.


If Congress grants amnesty and citizenship to twenty million criminal invaders called illegals - and they vote - then we can say goodbye to the USA in fewer than five years.

Israel: What The Media Does Not Tell you

Wes Smith radio interview: This is not a link, so you will have to copy and paste it into your browser!

http://www.savelakeatitlan.com/audio/april-12-2010-broadcast


Tiny Israel!
You can hardly see it on a map of the Middle East. And yet every day this small nation is written about in newspapers and periodicals, worldwide; and it is a rare day when Israel is not mentioned on national television. Why is this? Doesn't it strike you as being very unusual that a country with only seven million people makes the news on a daily basis?
Imagine a large, empty football field. Now, in your mind's eye, place a matchbox in the center of the field. This will give you some idea of how small Israel is in comparison to the Arab nations that surround her. Do you see how absolutely absurd it is for the Arabs to insist that Israel give up even more of its land to the Palestinian people?
The Bible tells us that Israel is the place where God has chosen to set His name (Neh. 1:9). Those who study the Scriptures know that Israel, from God's perspective, is the center of the earth. Men like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, Samuel, David, and Solomon lived there not to mention the world's most famous Jew, Jesus of Nazareth! Mohammed never lived in Jerusalem.
The Scriptures also tell us in several places that, although the Hebrew people become scattered all over the world, God will "hiss" for them, "gather" them, and bring them back to The Land. These predictions in the Bible have come to pass in this current generation, much to the astonishment of many people. And even though a coalition of six nations did everything they could to abort this dream, the dream became a reality anyhow. Israel became a nation May 14, 1948 (5th of Iyar, 5708)!
God promised Abraham that all the land would be given to his seed. This Promised Land encompasses all the real estate from the river of Egypt (the Nile) to the great river (Tigris-Euphrates).
"For all the land which you see, to you will I give it, and to your seed forever. . .from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates" (Gen. 13:15; 15:18).
If you look at a map you will clearly see that the land that God promised to the Jews covers six nations, what is presently Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq. An amazing thing will happen in the near future, according to the Bible. All the land will become Israel's land. This means that the Israel as we know it now will become many, many times larger.
The challenging idea for believers is that Israel is a type of the church. What happens to Israel takes place in many of our lives. Have you ever compared the suicide bombers in Israel with the massive destruction taking place inside the American church? We have now reached a point in the United States when approximately 50 churches are permanently closing their doors each week! That is horrific destruction.
Pastors aren't running off with secretaries any more they are running off with other men. The divorce rate, child abuse, and wife battering within the church are higher than in the secular world. It has become embarrassing.
We are in a war and don't even know it! The saddest thing is that we are losing the most precious commodity in our country our young people!
Just as Israel has a much smaller piece of The Land than what was originally promised, we believers have not entered into our Promises either. One day Israel will be many times larger than she is now. Hopefully, the Church will also see beyond the small perimeters we have painted for ourselves and break out of our tiny cages, entering into the limitless power of Almighty God.
The Arab people who now have control of the nations in the Middle East will not freely hand over their countries to Israel. They hate God's chosen people and would never give them one inch of their land. My guess is that one of these days the Arab nations will provoke Israel once too often and light the fuse that will cause the Jews to use their ultimate weapon,The Sampson Option (read the book of the same title by Seymour Hersh). Many scientists believe that Israel has a secret weapon, aptly named, that can absolutely disintegrate an entire city. When they are provoked, and find themselves with their backs to the sea and nowhere else to go, the Israelis will then take the land, which is rightfully theirs all of the Promised Land.
God "hissed" for His people and "gathered" them to the place He has chosen for them. Six Arab nations attacked Israel the next day, May 15, 1948 hoping to drive them into the sea and bring to pass Hitler's "final solution" the commitment to annihilate every living Jew,"the extinction". The Arabs delude themselves in thinking that they can wipe the Jews off the face of the earth, and Israel has decided that it will not accommodate the Arabs by disappearing from the map.
The Arabs have determined to liquidate the state of Israel, but God has other plans for His people. After the War of Independence (1948-49) Israel has suffered through, and won, six more wars (Sinai War, 1956; Six-Day War, 1967; Yom Kippur War, 1973; Osirak Raid, 1981; Lebanon War, 1982-84; and the Second Persian Gulf War, 1991). And I have not mentioned here the constant Arab raiding gangs of snipers -- and more recently the suicide bombers, who have targeted women, children, university students, and farmers, blowing them to smithereens. Innocent victims riding buses have been killed, permanently maimed and disfigured. Arafat, the costumed multiple murderer, planned and financed these butchers and then dared to call them freedom fighters. He has now gone to his eternal place of torment.
We have been hammered by the media with the phrase "Islam is a peaceful religion". If this is true Muslims should do their part by not killing people all the time. Past President Bush was fed misinformation by Cleveland State University law professor David F. Forte. That's why he said, "All the world continues to benefit from this faith and its achievements." This is why, even after 9/11, we have been asked by the liberal press to bow down and cow-tow to Muslims. Many of us are not bowing down!
Obama, with his Muslim roots, has started down a very, very dangerous path. He has repeatedly insulted Benjamin Netanyahu. When he pressures Israel to give up more land to the Arabs, it is as though he has poked God directly in the eye. For the Jewish people are God’s favorites, whether the liberal media or the very liberal American administration like it or not.
In The War for Independence 6,373 Jews were killed (1% of the population). That would be like the United States suffering about 3 million casualties, or, to make it even clearer, about 60,000 deaths per state. One wonders how a new, struggling nation could withstand such atrocities and weather such horrible storms. This in itself is miraculous. Someone has said, "I believe in God because the Jews exist!" Think about it.
The Jews know that they have nowhere else to go. If they are defeated on their own soil it will be the end of their culture, their nation, their religion, their tradition, the Hebrew language, and their dreams.
A Jewish scientist from Tel Aviv sat next to me on one of my flights to Israel. As we chatted I asked him if he had ever heard of any group of people who had returned to the same land after 2,000 years and who had retained their language, culture, traditions, and religion. He agreed with me that what the Jewish people have done by returning and building the state of Israel is nothing short of a miracle. This Jewish scientist was an atheist who used the word "miracle" in referring to what his people have done by achieving a national identity.
Theodore Herzl, the founder of modern Zionism wrote, "If you will it, it is no dream!"
The state of Israel is no longer just a dream; it is a reality. It has become fait accompli, an irreversible fact. Israel exists! And the sooner the Arabs recognize this the better. They would do well to read A Place Among the Nations, by Benjamin Netanyahu, or So Sorry We Won, by Ephraim Kishon.
Can you blame any people who refuse to be permanently turned into clay pigeons? And the Israelis have learned a truth that America is painfully realizing since 9/11 giving in to terror only leads to more terror.
During the Six-Day War of 1967 so many modern day miracles took place that it is impossible to list them all. Any sane person has to realize that God is on Israel's side. Surrounded by more than 200 million angry Arabs intent on bathing themselves in Jewish blood, it seemed that the six million Jews did not have a chance, either in 1948 or 1967.
When the Six-Day war started there were 100,000 Egyptian soldiers in the Sinai with more than 900 tanks. In the North, Syria was invading with six brigades and 300 tanks, from the vantage point of the Golan Heights. Seven brigades and 270 tanks were coming across from Jordan, with more back-up support from Iraq and Lebanon, not to mention the financial backing of Saudi Arabia's oil money.
Syria had been shelling Israel from the Golan Heights for several days before Israel struck back. 175 acres of orchards, 75 acres of grain and 205 houses had been destroyed before Israeli troops counter-attacked. And then the Arabs dared to protest to the United Nations that Israel had provoked the war and struck first.
In the natural, Israel did not stand a chance. But in the first six hours of the war Israel destroyed 400 enemy planes, and then totally destroyed and demolished 80% of Egypt's military equipment. Eleven thousand five hundred Egyptians died and Israel took six thousand prisoners.
In the North the young Jewish soldiers faced 300 tanks, but bravely began clawing their way up the slopes of the Golan Heights inch by inch. If ever a "David" had faced off with a "Goliath" it was that day when, against insurmountable odds, boys spilled their blood and became men on a horrible battlefield. Like Nachson (the name of the first man into the Red Sea when it parted), and Samuel Brand (Israel's first legal immigrant, May 15, 1948) these young men chose to step into the line of fire of massive tanks and dismantle them.
They won a historic victory, even though 776 lives were lost. Young Israeli boys fought so ferociously and with such bravery that the Syrian army ran before them and cried out to the United Nations for a cease-fire. A taxi driver I interviewed in Jerusalem was one of those brave soldiers. If only you could hear his story!
A death sentence for Israel had been lifted. Israel stared the threat of extinction in the face and decided that there would be no second holocaust.
Israeli soldiers rushed into Jerusalem to the Western Wall (Wailing Wall) and wept, prayed, danced and shouted. Moshe Dayan, distinguished by his eye-patch, led his men to the Temple Mount for the first time in 2,000 years. Those who were praying at the Kotel pressed Kvitlach (prayer requests on small slips of paper) into the cracks of The Wall. Placing the Kvitlach has become a tradition for most of those who go to The Wall. On each of my trips to Israel someone sends along a scrap of paper with an unanswered prayer for me to leave in The Wall.
The Arabs delude themselves into thinking that they can wipe the Jews off the face of the earth. They have found themselves to be fighting against the God of the Bible!
"The situation", a reference to the current danger to Israel's survival, continues up to this present moment. Even as you read this article there are Arab forces determined to kill one more Jewish person. Each day in Arab schools hatred is taught and pumped into the young minds and emotions of Arab children. They are told that to be a suicide bomber is "honorable". They are told that the moment that they give up their life God will take them into heaven where they will be blessed, rewarded, and surrounded by 70 young virgins for eternity. So, believing what they have been taught, hundreds and hundreds of young Arabs strap on the dynamite that will destroy them and catapult them into the real eternity,the one without Christ. This is beyond heartbreaking, both for the Jews and for these innocent Arab children who have never known any other reality than the lie they grew up with.
This brings us to another very serious question. Why do the Arabs hate the Jewish people so much (read my article on my website: FLC7.com)? The two million Arabs who live in Israel have the right to vote. None of the Arabs living in the Arab states can vote because every Arab nation is a dictatorship.
Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East. Arabs can get jobs, run businesses, and be members of a free society in Israel. When Palestinians attempted to settle in Jordan more than 10,000 of them were put to death. Syria butchered another 25,000 Palestinians and it barely made the news. In 1922 300,000 inhabitants of Smyrna were butchered by Muslims, another example of the "peace of Islam". But when an Israeli soldier shoots a Palestinian who is attempting to blow someone to bits, the press screams out the headlines and publishes the incident for the world to see.
What people on this planet, other than the Arabs, place their children on the front lines of a war armed with rocks, and then dare to make an outcry to the Western press when one of them gets killed? Why don't the Arab terrorists and "freedom-fighters" replace these children on the front lines? Why did they hijack The Achille Lauro in 1986, then torture and murder an old Jewish man in a wheel chair---all in front of his wife---and then dare call it a protest against Israel?
What would we do in the United States if our citizens were being murdered and maimed on a daily basis? There would be a very great outcry by the American people to find the perpetrators and stop the violence. And we would want justice! We would want the people, whoever they were, and whatever religion they represented, to be imprisoned or put to death.
When John Allen Mohammed and Lee Boyd Malvo were indiscriminately shooting innocent people out of the back of their car (October 2002), media attention focused on it so much that for a few days there was not much else in the news. And there was a strong outcry for law enforcement to do something about it. For just a few days we Americans lived in fear for our lives. So we have a little understanding of what the Jews have faced since they became a nation.
In 2005 the United States placed so much pressure on Israel that the Jewish government forced its own citizens, Jewish people, to leave Gaza. People who had businesses, beautifully groomed farms, synagogues, homes, and schools were forced to leave. Many of these people had spent a lifetime improving the Gaza strip.
And what did this accomplish? Absolutely nothing. The Jewish people were barely out of Gaza when the Arabs began destroying everything, including their own aquifer.
How did the “Palestinians” show their appreciation? They immediately began firing rockets into Israel. The town of Sderot received most of the bombardments. Since the Jews gave Gaza to the Arabs, the Arabs have fired more than 6,000 rockets into Israel.
This is what “Land For Peace” always means. It means that the Jewish people give up land, and then the Arabs show what ingrates they are by using the land as a platform of terror.
The Arabs claim that Gaza has always been theirs. What a lie! They do not even know the history of this plot of land, or if they do, they won’t admit it. The Caphtorites from Crete invaded Gaza almost 4,000 years ago. The people who were living there were Avvites, not Arabs (Dt. 2:23). Gaza is part of The Land God has promised to the Jewish people!
Ever since May 14, 1948 the Jewish people in Israel have lived like this every day! We cannot even imagine how brave these people are. What spirit they have! And they continue going to work, going to the store, going to school, taking busses (that are frequently boarded by suicide bombers), and going for walks.
Whenever I mention to someone that I am going to Israel, the very first thing he says is: "Aren't you afraid to go over there? I wouldn't go over there for anything in the world."



My daughter calculated the statistics and discovered that, percentage-wise, it is safer to live in Israel than in the United States. More people are murdered, per capita, in the U.S. than in Israel! Of course, informing the world of this truth is impossible because Israel receives so much negative press. This has taken a big bite out of Israel's tourist industry and her economy.
Watch Israel closely. Iran is working feverishly to obtain nuclear warheads and has promised to use them against the State of Israel. Prophecy is being fulfilled before our very eyes. Soon we will see God himself fight on behalf of his people.
His name in Hebrew is YHWH Tseba’oth, Lord of Heaven’s Armies!

Israel Will Become Much Larger

The United States has basically told the Israelis that they cannot erect housing in their own country . . . specifically in their capital city, Jerusalem.

Could you imagine what would happen if China told the U.S. that it must suspend all new housing in certain parts of our nation . . . especially Washington, D.C.?

Our present leaders have told Israel that we will embargo all future military sales unless the Jewish people agree to Obama's demands.

In layman's terms this is blackmail. Personally, I would not want to be in the shoes of the present administration in Washington.

God will fight for Israel. That is a guarantee!

Here is a "must-read" if you have interest in Israel:

http://www.commentarymagazine.com/blogs/index.php/tobin/279091

The "Palestinians" living inside Israel's borders are at the heart of the matter. And the Bible speaks clearly and specifically in Numbers 33:55-56:

"But if you fail to drive out the people who live in the land, those who remain will be like splinters in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will harass you in the land where you live. And I will do to you what I had planned to do to them."

Those who are so concerned about the Jewish people building homes in their own country will be completely shocked when Israel as a nation expands its borders, which will include all the land God promised them in Numbers 34:1-12!

Pay careful attention: Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq!

Get a map of the area and check it out. You will be amazed!

Just in from Above . . .

"I pray constantly against the wicked and their deeds. When their leaders are thrown down from a cliff, the wicked will listen to my words and find them true."

King David,the most famous and most respected leader in history, prayed this prayer and recorded it.

Tens of thousands of Americans are also praying this prayer.

My attention in this passage was especially drawn to "thrown down from a cliff".

Today is April 9, 2010!

Let's wait and watch to see this prayer answered.

Every time our nation places pressure on Israel, God places pressure on the United States. Remember Gaza and Katrina?

Psalm 141:5-6

"God devours all the nations that oppose him" (Numbers 24::8b).

News Article

People have been calling and writing wondering why I have not posted anything recently, wondering if perhaps I've had a relapse. I wanted to leave "My Personal Story" up here at the top for a while so people could read it. Actually, I had my best day yesterday and almost felt normal.

The Warsaw Times Union put my story on the front page of the newspaper. Coincidentally, the article was written on my 72nd birthday.

Here's the article if you care to read it: The link does not work so you will have to copy it and paste it into your browser.

http://www.timesuniononline.com/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=46755&SectionID=2&SubSectionID=224&S=1

Helicopter and Ship

My Personal Story

“He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.”
Psalm. 147:3

Lloyd and Darlene Smoker asked me to go to Haiti with them to be an emotional support. They were in the U.S. when the earthquake struck their mission in Carrefour, Haiti, killing more than thirty of their most faithful converts.

So on February 3 we met in Ft. Lauderdale and then flew on a private plane to Haiti. The evening we arrived at the Smoker’s mission was something I will never forget. The three of us started walking down the street together.

But we just barely got started when person after person met us and threw their arms around Lloyd and Darlene, hugging their necks and kissing them. I have never witnessed such wailing, crying, and mourning in my entire life.

These were people who had lost husbands, wives, children, parents, and loved ones. In a moment of time tons of cement had compacted the life out of the people in this world they loved the most.

Some of the people died instantly; others died slowly and in great agony. One man had a piece of iron through his stomach that came out his back. Arms and legs were severed, heads crushed.

One story I will never forget is from a young man who came to the clinic with a crushed arm. The interpreter told us that when the earthquake hit, his mother instinctively fell upon him to protect him. But the weight of the demolished building on her head took her life. She died so that he would live!



The second day I was in Haiti I met a 22-year-old young man named Nelson. We hit it off instantly, especially when I found out that his father was dead. He wanted me to teach him English, so each morning at ten O’clock we met. Soon we had nineteen people in our class. We studied the Bible for two or three hours each day.

It was absolutely wonderful!

There are so many other things to tell, but I’ll try to keep this as short as possible.

The day before we were to leave Haiti and return to the United States my fever spiked to 105.7, a very dangerous level. Heidi, my daughter who is a nurse, knew instantly that I needed some serious medical attention.

She rushed me to a hospital nearby, which was over-crowded with earthquake victims. I was placed on a gurney on the floor along with many other patients.

Dr. David Marks, from San Antonio, Texas, had just put in a twelve-hour shift at the hospital and was leaving for the night to get some rest. Heidi asked him to stop by and check me. He immediately determined that I was near death’s door, secured a private room for me, and began a 13-hour non-stop medical procedure to save my life.

He gave me nine liters (about two and a half gallons) of saline solution and inserted a pick-line in my chest. The only thing that kept me alive was watching Heidi cry out to God to spare my life. Knowing that the girls lost their mother seventeen years ago, I did not want to leave them as total orphans. Jesus, and only Jesus, gave me the will to live.

I was in so much agony and pain that it would have been so easy to just give up and die. Everything in me wanted to be released from the pain of my lungs being full of my own blood. For almost the entire night I felt as though I was drowning. It was a most unpleasant experience.

By morning Dr. Marks felt that I was stable enough to be moved to a hospital ship, the S.S. Comfort, which was anchored about one mile offshore from Port-au-Prince.

Back in Indiana my daughter, Konda, was making telephone calls and sending emails to the Pentagon, the State Department, and to every contact she could think of, in a desperate effort to save my life.

Brigadier General Robert C. Nolan took the bull by the horns and ordered a helicopter to pick me up in a field nearby. So I was carried on a stretcher to a rickety old van driven by a Haitian who could not speak English.



He thought he was supposed to take me to the Port-au-Prince airport, so he headed the wrong way and we were locked in a traffic jam for more than an hour in almost unbearable heat.

The helicopter pilot called and said he could not wait any longer. He had other missions that took priority. Brooke (a woman who was in the van helping me), Dr. Marks, and Heidi pled with the pilot, but to no avail. The chopper left without me.

This pretty much sealed my fate.

But God stepped in and moved upon the pilot’s heart to fly back to the empty field and wait for us to arrive.

Finally, after more than an hour in the ninety-degree heat and smothering traffic jams, we met the helicopter.

Dr. Marks and several others carried me on a stretcher and I was placed in the helicopter. But the pilot said that Heidi could not go with me.



For the next three days I felt so alone.

But Senior Chief Mike Holmes, aboard the Comfort, kept assuring me that he would bring Heidi to the ship.

It was Saturday, February 20 when I was flown by helicopter to the floating hospital.

This may all sound glamorous, but when you are as sick as I was, there was nothing alluring about it.

The next day, Sunday, my lungs filled up with blood again. I was panting just to take a breath. Dr. Killian somehow “just happened” to come by my bed (definitely another God thing) and immediately ordered me to be taken to the ICU.

For another 12 hours a team of specialists worked on me to keep me alive. I was told later that I was within minutes of death.

It all seems like a dream . . . no, a nightmare.

After almost 150 trips abroad the Old Warrior finally went down on the battlefield.

And I mean DOWN!

But for some reason God kept me alive.

There are so many details I'm leaving out. A very beautiful 24-year-old girl came to my bedside with a wonderful smile on her face (was she an angel?). She introduced herself (because of the blur of the entire thing I do not remember her name)and told me that she was the co-pilot of the helicopter that had brought me to the ship. Again . . . this was just another one of God's blessings to me and it brought me so much encouragement. I would give anything to find out her name so I could thank her for that bedside visit.


By Tuesday, true to his word, Mike Holmes brought Heidi to the ship. I will never be able to express the joy that came into my heart when I saw her. I tore the oxygen mask off my face, sat up in bed, and we hugged.

As I look back it is easy to see that God spared Heidi from seeing me almost die the second time. His mercy is everlasting.

Heidi stayed with me on the ship until Thursday morning, when we were taken to shore in a small boat. Breathing the salt air and seeing the sunshine was glorious. I will never forget that ride.

Beside me on the boat was a 12-year-old Haitian girl with a broken back. The five days I was on the S.S. Comfort she screamed night and day from her pain.

I don’t speak Creole, but I do know a couple songs that I’ve memorized. So I sang one of them to the little girl. She broke out into a wonderful smile.

I wondered what she was going back to in Haiti. I never saw her again.

Heidi and I were placed in a leaky old van and endured another hour and a half ride through the heat to the Port-au-Prince airport. After waiting an hour or two the huge U.S. Air Force C-17 airplane that was scheduled to airlift us to Mac Dill Air Force base in Tampa arrived.

Within four hours we landed . . . back in the United States.

The Tampa Fire and Rescue team was waiting with an ambulance and whisked us to Tampa Medical Center. Those young men were so gracious and kind to us and kept thanking us for the relief work we had been doing in Haiti.

When they heard me tell someone that I’d pay ten dollars for a bowl of chicken noodle soup, one of them went to a restaurant and bought Heidi and me our evening meal. I had barely eaten for seven days.

After waiting four hours to get a room, by midnight I was in bed for the night.

April, my other daughter who lives in New York, flew down and joined Heidi and me. They slept on the floor of my room in the hospital and waited on me hand and foot. I call them Super-Daughters, and I’ll never be able to thank them enough for giving me spiritual and emotional support.

The next five days I was given test after test after test. For someone who has barely seen a doctor in 72 years, it was a huge shock for me. One doctor told me that I was getting my one hundred thousand mile check-up! It was more like my million mile check-up.

And so was the bill! $42,571.47 for a five-night stay.

By the fifth day I was determined to leave the hospital. So I tore the eight patches off my chest, told the nurse to pull the IV out of my arm, and started getting dressed.

The hospital staff said that I must sign a waiver releasing them from all responsibility. I eagerly signed it. April picked up her rental car and we drove to Orlando where I rested for eleven days.

During that time Heidi and April flew home and returned to their jobs as nurses. But Bryan and Konda Koorey and their family replaced them and gave me more TLC.

By Saturday, March 13 we determined that I was fit enough for travel, so I flew home, where I am now resting and trying to get my strength back.

There is much, much more to tell, but this is already way too long.

Thank you for your prayers, financial gifts, love notes of encouragement, etc., etc. I feel as though I need to thank the entire body of Christ.

“Three things will last forever---faith, hope, and love---and the greatest of these is love.”

If I did not know that I was loved, I sure know it now.

My determination is to pass love to everyone I meet until the day I die. For I know that it was love that kept me alive. Starting with my five daughters, Dr. David Marks who saved my life the first time, and the team of doctors aboard the S.S. Comfort who saved my life the second time ...

Eighty thousand refugees have come to Jeremie, Haiti, where our mission is located. They have no clean water, food, shelter, or medical help. My two grandchildren (Travis, 18 and Katelyn, 16)have dropped out of college and will be moving to Haiti in April. They will be doing relief work there. When the college found out why they were leaving school it refunded all of their tuition!

God bless you all!

In His Service,

Wesley Smith


Full Life Crusade, P.O. Box 398, Winona Lake, IN 46590
Tel: (574) 267-7546 Website: FLC7.com Email: wesed@hotmail.com

Haiti, March 16

One month after the Haiti earthquake the nation had three days of fasting and prayer. We did not attend because it was almost impossible to get to the National Palace through the halted traffic jam. Plus, we were busy, busy, every day attempting to meet the many needs. Each of my daughters saw more than 100 patients each day at the mobile medical clinics.

Now there are 80,000 refugees in Jeremie, where our mission is located.

Every person in America needs to see this video. Pass it on to all of your friends.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cd-RkzfTxzU

Jerusalem, March 15

I'll write more about my Haiti experience, but this is just in from Jerusalem and I feel it is a priority for us to pray about.My friend in Jerusalem just sent me this information. Feel free to pass it on to the rest of the group and interested people.

Jewish Quarter-- this Monday, March 15, 2010, the Hurva Synagogue in Jerusalem’s Old City will have its historic reopening. This is a momentous occasion in Jewish history-- somebody has said "it's almost as significant as the 'Abomination of Desolation' of the Temple of Zerubabbel that was desecrated by the Syrian King Antiochus Epiphanes IV (215-164 B.C.)."

Since the destruction of the Temple of Herod in 70 AD, the Hurva (Churvah) "Ruins" Synagogue has been one of the most stragegic and significant synagogues in all Israel and was representative of the national consciousness of the Jewish people.

Because of the reopening and rededication, there's talk of another Intifada......Palestinian Arabs are disturbed concerning a centuries-old rabbinical prophecy given in the 18th century by the famous rabbi, the Vilna Gaon. According to the prophecy, the Hurva Synagogue, which was built during his day, would be destroyed and rebuilt twice. When the Hurva Synagogue was completed for the third time, construction on the Third Temple would begin, the prophecy claims.

Elijah ben Shlomo Zalman was known as the Vilna Gaon, or Elijah of Vilna, and simply by his Hebrew acronym Gra ("Gaon Rabbenu Eliyahu"). He is commonly referred to in Hebrew as ha'Gaon ha'Chasid mi'Vilna, "the saintly genius from Vilnius."

As history attests, The Hurva Synagogue was first destroyed shortly after its initial construction when Muslims tore it down. The synagogue was rebuilt a hundred years later and became the most important Jewish house of worship in the Holy Land, only to be destroyed by Jordanian troops during Israel’s 1948 War of Independence.

Now the Vilna Gaon's prophecy is coming into focus because, once again, for the first time since it was blown up by the Arab Jordanian Legionnaires in 1948, the synagogue will bring worshippers into the presence of HaShem, the G-d of Israel very near to the Temple Mount. Jewish worshippers and pilgrims to Jerusalem will be able to participate in services reportedly to be held three times a day. The Holy Ark curtains, the Torah Scrolls, the wall paintings, lamps, and the central pulpit are designed to transform the modern Jewish and Israelite pilgrim into the sacred holiness of the Almighty One of Israel.

According to Nissim Arazi, the director of the Company for the Reconstruction and Development of the Jewish Quarter, each era of the synagogue’s past is remembered in paintings of different holy cities and scenes in the Land of Israel, including Jerusalem with the Tower of David, Rachel’s Tomb at Bethlehem, the Sea of Galilee and Old Tiberius, and Hebron with the Cave of the Patriarchs.

The reopening of the Hurva Synagogue is extremely prophetic and heightens expectations of the rebuilding of the Third Temple and the Second Coming. How close are we to the building of the Third Temple? To the Rapture? To the revelation of the Man of Sin?
2 Thes 2: 24 declares, "He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God."
Friends, work while it is yet day! Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!

If you want to know more, just Google "Hurva Synagogue".

March 14.

Now it is March 14. After resting in Florida with my daughters I finally flew home yesterday. I'm still very, very weak, but I do feel that my strength is returning. If you did not read what happened to me I almost died two times, once in Haiti and once aboard the S.S. Comfort, which was anchored a few miles from Port-au-Prince. Dr. David Marks, from San Antonio, Texas, saved my life the first time (Feb. 19), and a team of doctors (Killian, Bush, Helms, Miller) saved my life two days later aboard the ship. A helicopter met us in a field and took me to the ship. Almost everything that can be done to the human body was done to my body to keep me alive: 9 liters (about two and a half gallons) of saline solution, Foley Catheter,Several Cat Scans, Several Echocardiogams, a Nuclear Stress test of my heart,at one point they Intubated me or I would have died, about 40 blood draws, etc., etc. Only by God's grace am I alive. I want to thank everyone who prayed for me and everyone who helped financially. God bless you all. I will write a detailed report when I get stronger. My precious daughters were my lifeline. I know that their love kept me from dying. More later . . . And thank you for all of your kind emails.

Wes finally left the hospital in Florida yesterday, (March 2 and will stay in Florida to rest and recuperate with some of his daughters. When Wes returns home, he can share more about his experience in Haiti and post photos. Thank you again for your prayers and e-mails.

"The Lord has done great things for us and we are filled with joy." Ps. 126:3

Wes and Heidi arrived in Florida last night and I was able to talk to my dad for the first time since he became ill. It was so good to hear his voice and he sounded great. Their trip to Florida consisted of a boatride back to Haiti, time waiting in an air-conditioned tent, driving by van to the airport and flying on a C17 military plane into the US. There they were met by an ambulance and police escort which took them right to a hospital in Tampa where a room was waiting. Praise the Lord for the way He worked all things out to save Dad's life. As I talked with Heidi on the phone I could already see the way circumstances fell into place that made the difference between life and death for him. There was a doctor who should have left for the night to sleep, but chose to stay and check on Dad. He ended up saving his life. The couple days we were frustrated because we couldn't get Heidi to the ship to be with dad was actually when the ship had to go offshore to refuel and couldn't contact me. If Heidi had made it to the ship when we wanted, she would have been there to see Dad almost die. The doctors said he was "minutes from death." It was definitely better that we had not known about that at the time. We are not suprised that God was holding Dad carefully in his hand through it all.

Back to the US

Heidi and Wes are on their way back to the United States. They left the ship late this morning. Wes will be admitted to a hospital in Florida, where we hope to hear more details on his condition. If I know him, he will try to escape before being admitted to another hospital. If you see someone hitchhiking between Florida and Indiana who looks a lot like Wes with a good tan, pick him up and bring him home. :)
(By the way, the picture above was added after Dad read the blog and then posed for the picture. Notice the attractive hospital gown showing beneath the coat.)

Even though the last blogs have been updates on Dad's condition, remember the Haitian people are still suffering and in need of basic supplies. Lisa and Bryan have said that flights are very difficult to come by now, and the bureaucratic red tape is worse than ever. Everyone wants a bribe and the process is very slow and frustrating. Pray that they can find efficient routes for the food and supplies.

Wes Improves

Wes' condition continues to improve and he is so happy to have Heidi with him. Before she arrived there were several times he thought he heard her voice in the hallway and would call out to her. That makes us sad but we know he won't be alone any longer. He is scheduled to fly off the ship on Thursday. We are still unsure where he will be taken from there. Heidi needs to get back to work after being in Haiti for a couple weeks, so she may tag-team with April who will take her place. We are just taking one day at a time to see what unfolds.

Tremors

Haiti had two more large tremors this morning. In fact, they have had five tremors in the last 24 hours. It seems that can happen for as much as a year after a big earthquake. As you can imagine, each tremor brings back memories of the "big one" and it makes the Haitians nervous and afraid of more buildings collapsing.
Heidi was still on land this morning during the tremors, but left about 8:00am to see Dad. She was taken by boat to the USNS Comfort to visit him. The good news is that Wes is off the ventilator and is able to talk, although he's a little hoarse. He could be released in just a few days. Thank you for your prayers.

Complications

I received news this morning from a doctor aboard The Comfort that Wes is in stable condition but on a ventilator. He actually had a heart attack, possibly from the overload of fluids he was given to save his life. The bacterial infection he contracted, Shigella, is a dangerous bacteria that is responsible for many deaths in third world countries. The doctor couldn't tell me how much damage was done to his heart; additional testing may have to be done when he gets home. Heidi has not been able to be with him yet, but we are in the process of linking her with Dad and hopefully escorting him back to the US, compliments of the military. They don't expect Wes to be discharged until the weekend. Please pray for healing and encouragement for Dad, since he has been three days without any family and he doesn't have a fondness for hospitals. Thank you.
Konda

Wes Enjoying The Comfort of Haiti

Here's the latest on Wes' condition. After Dad was medevac'd to The Comfort, the US Navy military medical ship, one of their doctors called me and confirmed that Wes is doing well and has been moved out of the ICU. His vitals are almost normal and he should be released in a few days. He had contracted a bacterial infection and was very dehydrated. His fever had actually peaked at 105.7. The doctor was so kind and took so much time on the phone with me. He treated me like I was the most important person in the world. He was on the deck of the ship calling me from his Satellite phone and said he would call again tomorrow. I was thrilled to hear of Dad's good condition and was relieved to let all my sisters know that he was on the mend. Heidi stayed behind in Carrefour but the doctor said they will send a helicopter to pick her up and take her to the ship to visit Dad and she can stay there until he is discharged. They will also call me sometime today so I can talk to Dad, too. The doctor had spent a good deal of time with Dad and found out about our mission in Haiti and the history of Full Life Crusade over the years. He was telling me how wonderful it was how our family has been involved in helping Haiti. It seemed to me that he was doing quite a bit to help the Haitians as well and I told him so. He laughed and said, "Well, it's your tax dollars at work."

Now that the threat of Dad dying has passed (and I really did think he might die), I have contemplated the initial thoughts that went through my mind. The first thing I thought was that this might be a great way for dad to go out...serving the Haitians and teaching the Bible, free to just be himself. He was having a great time in Haiti without any constraints.
You would think that my second thought would have been, "Oh, I wish I would have said..." or "I wish I would have done..." for Dad before he left for Haiti. But to be honest, I had no regrets with Dad. There wasn't one thing that I wanted to tell him. You see, I love him every day. He's not perfect and neither am I. But I live near him and we have him for dinner regularly and watch movies and I'm able to show him how much I care about him. He is a pillar in my life and the lives of my children. He is a spiritual giant. You don't have to spend more than a minute with dad before his conversation turns to God. He can't help it, because he loves Jesus. My husband, Bryan, has found dad a great encouragement over the years. He can discuss deep ideas, God's working in his life and end time events. They both look with anticipation for the next great move of God. Dad's excitement for God is unending and contagious.
Dad has never catered to my children and doesn't shower them with gifts, but he has a strength about him that demands respect and they love all the intangible things about him. They love to gather around him as he tells stories about his mission trips and the miracles God has done in his life. They love that he can still run fast and ride a bike even at 71 years old. He often brings a movie from the library, or junk food (when I let him) or pizza for dinner so I don't have to cook. Just a few weeks ago I asked Dad to share some wisdom about about life that my girls might not learn in the world since they are homeschooled. He gave the older girls some great wisdom and examples from his life.
So Dad can come home and he can read this blog. Maybe he'll learn something he didn't know about us and what we think of him, but I doubt it. He always has known that I love him.
Konda

Please Pray for Dad - Flight needed ASAP

Last night Heidi called me from Haiti saying that she thought Dad might have caught Malaria. He had started feeling bad in the early afternoon and within a couple hours his fever had spiked to 105 degrees. She gave him some Ibuprofen and took him to the hospital where she has worked as a nurse and they began giving him IV fluids. His fever began to come down and things seemed better. She asked me to find them a flight out of Haiti. After hanging up I called American Airlines, which had just started commercial flights back into Haiti this week, but they were booked until March 1.
I was awakened this morning before 5:00am and it was Heidi again. Dad had taken a turn for the worse and she needed to get him out of Haiti ASAP. Please take some time as you read this to pray for Dad. He is very ill and needs medical care that he cannot get there in Carrefour. If anyone knows a quick way to fly out of Port-au-Prince or has a helicopter that could pick dad up, please contact me. We know that dad is in God's hands and nothing will happen to him that is outside God's will. Pray for healing for dad's body and a way home.
Konda

UPDATE: Wes has been helicoptered to The Comfort, the military medical ship. This ship is amazing! If you have seen it documented on the news, it is a floating hospital with all the latest medical eqiupment. I'm sure they will be able to give Dad the care he needs. Heidi is accompanying Dad and its even possible that they will travel back to the U.S. on that ship, since it is scheduled to leave Haiti now anyway.
I have to say that immediately after Heidi called me with the bad news, I felt so helpless and I knew that I didn't have the means to get Dad out of Haiti. I felt such great responsibility. So then I did what I had learned so well to do when I was going through cancer a couple years ago - I prayed. I know that God can do so much more than I can ever do on my own. I am so thankful to have Him and that He hears me. He is such a good God. Then I made a few phone calls (none of which got dad out) and e-mailed the only military man I know. In my e-mail to him I made the comment that I didn't know anyone else in authority. I had to correct myself, because that's not true. I do know someone in authority and it is Jesus. Wes has served Jesus his whole life, and He will care for him now like he always has. Praise the Lord! Thank you all for your prayers. And thank you to Heidi for caring for Dad and for Lloyd & Darlene Smoker for helping to organize his flight out. Thank you to Bryan & Lisa Bartow for their calls to Haiti and everyone else who helped to get Dad medical care.
Konda

Haitians Praying and Fasting

Last night it poured rain! My tent has no sides and the rainwater blew onto everything in the tent. This morning the sky cleared and we had a chance to lay out all our belongings in the sun to dry. The Haitian sun worked wonders and dried everything out in no time.

Each day I meet with 8 Haitian men for "church." Our Bible class consists of me reading a whole chapter of the Bible in English, then they read the chapter in Creole. Then we go back and read the chapter verse by verse in English then in Creole. They correct my Creole and I do the same for them in English. Then we discuss the passage. They are learning about God's word and also learning more English. Our meetings last 1 1/2 to 2 hours each day. I just found out that none of them had eaten anything in three days. They never told me, I had to ask. It only came about during our discussion after the meeting when I point-blank asked them if they had enough food to eat. Can you imagine going even one day without food and not complaining about it? How about three? I gave them bags of rice to take home to their families and we'll keep them supplied from now on.

Speaking of going without food, the Haitian Christians are taking the next three days to pray and fast for their country. It seems ironic that they've gone without food and water since the earthquake, but aren't afraid to call a nationwide fast. Their fast serves two purposes: in addition to setting aside time to seek God, it also frees up food for others. What amazing sacrifice! The Christians are a beautiful example of Christ. I would encourage you to join them as they seek God.

The men who came from Kentucky, Virginia and Pennsylvania put up a house next to us in only 3 days. It was so impressive! The house will be a base for the the workers to use as storage and also for sleeping quarters. They built 20-25 bunks in it for sleeping, but we all prefer to sleep outside because of the heat. The nurses use the house for storing their supplies and food.

Our only running water is a shower tap and we have an outhouse, too. Today I spent some time cleaning the "bathroom." On some days we had over 30 people sharing one toilet, but we're all glad we have it. We wash our clothes by hand in a bucket of water when we become too filthy. That's about the extent of our ammenities. I'm still sleeping on the roof of a building. Our sleeping arrangements actually worked to our benefit when we were in Port-au-Prince locating more supplies. We were getting the run around until we told them we were all sleeping on the ground/cement roof. It seemed that was turning point. Their attitudes changed and they began treating us like royalty. They gave us all the supplies we needed. Praise the Lord!

So far, the Lord has kept me in good health. A number of people have been sick, probably from drinking the water and also from becoming overheated. The well water that we have access to was just tested and given the green light for drinking. But I've traveled enough in my life to know you don't ever drink the water in a foreign country, without purifying it first. Many of the American's, though, began drinking the water and have felt the consequences of it. Need I say more? I have a water purifier that I use exclusively for drinking water and it is one of the best things I brought with me on the trip.

The nurses continue to go out 2-3 times a day. They go out in the morning to treat the wounded, then come back for lunch and go back out again. In the evening they go to the hospital.

We still see huge open gashes on people and flies are everywhere. There are many amputees. One amputee came to have his bandages changed, but the bandages had healed into the wound. The doctor had to cut into the flesh to remove it. As the doctor prepared to pour antiseptic onto the wound he said, "Hold him, hold him!" knowing how painful it would be. No one stepped forward to hold the man and as the doctor poured it on, the man never even flinched. These Haitians are tough beyond belief.

I have talked to men who have been around the world in places like Bosnia and Sudan. They say this is worse than anything they have ever seen, so much destruction and physical injury.

Bonfires are burning, dogs are running, the mosquitoes are swarming. Maybe I should have taken the malaria pills. Welcome to Haiti.

Wes

Heidi leaves for Haiti

Heidi Smith, my sister, left this morning for Ft. Lauderdale, Florida for her second trip into Haiti since the earthquake. She has been collecting supplies and making stops at local stores in preparation for this trip. We had some bad ice and snow yesterday making the roads precarious, but the girls and I were able to drive to her house and pray over her before she left. She knew a little better how to pack after spending time there already and was excited to show us all her purchases. She was so proud of the black "doctor's bag" she had bought - it was actually a purse, but it worked perfectly as a medical bag. She had clipped seams to make the pockets just the right size for each of her items: iodine, Pedialite, gauze, tape, antibiotics, pain medicine, scissors, stethoscope, flashlight, baby pain reliever...you get the idea. It was pretty impressive. She also had lots of medical supplies from the doctor's office where she works and from donations. She found a lot of tarps at Wal-mart and baby clothes at Goodwill. She also had some baby blankets and bottles and formula. She was to meet up with some friends - one Haitian/American and his friend, a nurse and a doctor and they were all driving together down to Florida to catch a flight. Please pray for them that God guides them each day and protects them.

I'd like to pick up where I left off the other day in recounting dad's trip in Haiti so far. One of the first people he saw when he arrived in Haiti was a young boy whose arm had been crushed by the body of his mother. The two of them lay under the rubble for a couple days before they were rescued. The mother was not alive when they reached them, only the boy survived. It is almost too sad to imagine. Another boy he remembers was one who looked a lot like his grandson, Travis. Even though the boy was black, so many of his mannerisms were like Travis' and he was on the street trying to learn a little English from the Americans. Dad got choked up as he recounted it on the phone. It seems people are most deeply affected when they can see their own family members mirrored in some of the Haitians. It becomes so real when you see that they could have been your grandson, or son or daughter, or mother or father. When we are able to put ourselves in other people's shoes, that's when we show true compassion.
Dad is still in Carrefour, but Dieu Donner, a dear friend from Jeremie, Haiti, drove 15 hours by truck to meet with him. The team in Carrefour was able to load Dieu Donner's truck with supplies to take back with him. The refugee situation in Jeremie continues to grow. After Dieu Donner left (by the way, his name means "God Gives"), dad realized he had not given him the money he had intended to give. Dad was very sad that he had missed his opportunity. But God knows all things, and guess who showed up again several hours later? Yes, Dieu Donner. He had not been able to leave as planned and so dad was able to give him the money. Dad felt like that was a great miracle.

There were 65 orphans about 20 minutes from Carrefour that the team had discovered. They informed the U.S. military, who was on its way to care for those orphans.

One of the nurses, Emily, was sick. Pray for her.

The refugee count in Petionville is up to 70,000.

On a bright note - Wes says the stars are so amazingly bright at night in Haiti.

We continue to try coordinating aid to Jeremie. It's not easy when communication is so difficult. Today I missed an important call from Wes because I was out. (For any of you interested, I help teach a homeschool Biology class and today we were dissecting cow eye, heart, liver and kidneys. Yes, life goes on.) I rushed back home hoping dad hadn't called while I was gone, but sure enough, he was on my answering machine. I wasn't able to ask him questions that I needed answered and that was a bit frustrating. All we can do is be patient and know that God is ultimately in control.

Latest Update from Haiti

This morning I got a phone call from my dad who is in Carrefour, Haiti. He sounded very excited and happy to be there, even despite the saddness and destruction. He said the rubble is like nothing he's ever seen before. It looks as though a bomb went off. He is staying with a group of around 30 people who are a mix of nurses and builders, helpers and translators. Initially, they were sleeping on the ground in sleeping bags but had to move to make way for a new house being built. There was a team of workers from Kentucky and Pennsylvania who put up a house there in only two days. Dad said it was amazing to see. So dad and the others moved to the cement roof of an adjacent house - this is now their home. I'm trying to picture my 71 year old father climbing a ladder each night to sleep on the cement under a light tent. He's always been in good shape for his age and this proves it. He has been grouped in a tent with 5 nurses. They didn't want the women being alone without a man for protection. Oh, the sacrifice of serving the Lord. :)
But I'm getting side-tracked...They do have one spigot shower and one toilet. Even so, dad says it takes only about one hour to become filthy again.
Carrefour is still a dangerous area and a man was shot only a block from where the team is staying. Dad relayed one of the saddest things he has seen. They were stopped in traffic halfway between Carrefour and the Port-au-Prince airport and could see the military passing out bags of rice. The recipients were mostly women who would load the bags of rice onto their heads. But as they walked away down the road, bandits would knock them down and steal their rice. Dad said it happened to woman after woman and the bandits were like savage animals. These poor women were trying to get food home to their families and they did not have the strength to fight against these vicous men. He said it was heartbreaking but there was nothing he could do.
Dad has gone on several sorties to round up more supplies, one trip actually took him 9 hours to locate and bring back a truckload of goods.
Believe it or not they are still feeling aftershocks over a month after the initial earthquake. People are still too afraid to go back into the buildings that are standing. Dad met one man who ran quickly out of his house then the earthquake hit. He was saved but his home is just rubble.
Each morning they awaken before the sun rises. If you've ever been to Haiti you know why. The sounds of roosters crowing, people yelling, pastors preaching and dogs barking is better than any alarm clock. The nurses then head off to a new destination where they set up a small clinic and begin treating the wounded. There are many amputees and people with open wounds and infections. Some people arrive yelling from the pain. The nurses are assisted at the clinic by an interpreter and usually another person (like dad) who can keep the crowds organized and peaceful. So often the crowds continue to push in closer and closer on the nurses as they try to work. When it's 90 degrees you can imagine that is not ideal. Some nights the nurses are awakened in the dark for a medical emergency. They get ready quickly and dad lays his hands on each one and prays for them. Dad can't say enough good things about those nurses. He says they are such hard workers and despite the circumstances, there has not been one bit of complaining.
Although dad has spent his time near the capital city, his heart is also with the people of Jeremie, Haiti, the hometown of my mom. Although this city was not damaged by the earthquake it now has 80,000 refugees and the number keeps growing. That more than doubles their population! These poor people are trying to help more poor people. And most of the refugees still do not have food, water, medical assistance or shelter. Please pray that the military and other organizations can get some supplies and assistance to them soon.
Overall, dad was happy and full of joy. He is able to have prayer/teaching meetings each day to encourage the believers and loves it. He is so enriched by being there. He can feel all of your prayers.
I have more to write but I'll stop here for now.