We're HOME!!!

The weary travelers are home at last! We've had an absolutely incredible time of service in Haiti and are very grateful for the support of our families and friends who lifted us up in prayer the past week - God truly blessed us beyond measure!!!

We'll post more reflections on our trip in the coming days, and I hope to have some pictures up sometime tonight... as is so often the case when one returns home, there is much to catch up on. In the meantime, once again - a huge THANK YOU!!! to all who kept us in their thoughts and prayers!!! God bless you!!!!!

In His love,
Jim

Back to the states, a warm shower and a cool room

Thank you to everyone for your prayers and concern. We made it into Fort Lauderdale last night and had a great time of rest and reflection. Time was spent on the beach, by the pool, having a nice dinner and sleeping in airconditioned rooms. The team took time during dinner to reflect on the trip and discuss how we were affected and what could happen next. Of course God will decide how we will be used for his glory.

Right now we are waiting for our plane to load for the trip back to Louisville and our homes. With flying and layover time we will not be back until 2 this afternoon. Continue to pray with us during this time of travel and for the people of Haiti.

It Is Finished!

Hey Guys! We finished our last work day in Haiti and it was quite a day. We started as usual with a 7:00 a.m. morning devotion with the staff here on the compound. We don’t have any idea what they’re saying, but it is always a good time. Afterwards we took a tour of the nearby village of Titayen. It is a collection of huts and really poor. We toured two schools that the missionaries run in the village and had a chance to make balloon animals for some of the kids.

When we arrived at the church they were having their Thursday morning worship. It lasts from 9-12, so stop complaining about getting out of church late. It was quite an experience. There were around 600-700 people attending on a Thursday morning. I got to preach and it was a special time. Although it is hard to sit on the podium for 3 hours and not fall asleep when you don’t understand anything and it’s 100 degrees inside, it’s worth it when you see the response. Eleven people accepted Christ after the sermon and 10 people rededicated their lives. I preached on the Good news of great joy in Luke 2.

After the service it was time to get to work. We finished the entire inside of the church which was a miracle in itself. It is a huge church that seats 2,000. Everyone worked so hard and I am very proud of each and every one of them. We are completely exhausted, but it was well worth it. We worked harder then we had in years. The pastor had a prayer with us afterwards and said the church had waited four years to have the inside painted, but could not afford it. He said we were his friends forever and looks forward to our return. The church looked great afterwards.

We leave for home tomorrow morning, but will not arrive in Louisville until Saturday. Be in prayer for safe travel. Everyone is looking forward to hot water for a shower, air conditioning, and our own beds to sleep in.

Hi, Dawn, Alyssa, and Andrew I love you!!

God Bless,
Chip

…and Bruce gives a shout out to Jeanne, Michael, and Matthew!

To God Be The Glory!

We are rapidly moving through an eventful week and will find our work finished here before we know it! Today brought the wonderful news that the prayers of God's saints had been answered when David Heady was discharged from a hospital in Port-Au-Prince. He is tired & trying to regain his strength, but was well enough to join our team for a delicious dinner that featured traditional Haitian cuisine eaten at times of celebration. This was very appropriate tonight with David and Judy back on the G.O. compound to join us for a brief time of sharing with them.

We made tremendous progress painting the church today and fully expect to be finished by the time we wrap up our workday late tomorrow afternoon. To offer a little perspective, this building is made of cinder block and poured concrete (which really absorbs paint!) and is 178 feet long, 63 feet wide and about 30 feet high at the apex of the roof line. It is only by God's grace that we are this far along... He has enabled our team to work steadily and efficiently and we are amazed at what has been accomplished! We give Him the praise for assembling such a wonderful team of friends who are truly brothers & sisters in the Lord working alongside Him in the work that He is doing in this part of Port-Au-Prince!

We've had hot, steamy weather the last two days and a little rain early tonight during our evening devotional time after dinner. We're all doing well... no one has fallen ill (which seemed to amaze the missionary nurse this morning!) and we are having a good time serving the Lord and deepening our friendships with each other. Thank you for the many, many prayers that are being raised on our behalf!!! I can promise you that they truly DO make a difference!

We will try to get some pictures posted sometime tomorrow... we've had some challenges with the Internet - it's a satellite based system here and isn't terribly reliable at times due to atmospheric conditions, but... it is better than nothing at all.

May each of you have a wonderful, blessed Thursday!!!

In His service,
Jim

"The Longest Day"

In this team member’s opinion, today was by far the toughest day. We were awakened around 2 AM with some terrible news. David Heady, who had just shared his personal testimony and the amazing journey of how he and his wonderful wife Judy came to serve in this “desert in the oasis” some 24 years ago, had just been taken to the hospital. A few hours before, David shared with us the miracles with his medical milestones, and how he continued to press on with new graces each day. We had initial good reports early in the day and then received more positive news late in the afternoon, that David’s heart attack was not so severe as to cause further heart damage, and that he was stabilized. We continue to pray, and we ask you to join us in those prayers.

We made good progress painting the church, after what seemed like a slow morning. The work is hot, slow, and messy. However, it’s great to see the huge job slowly coming together. We enjoyed a great meal this evening of meat ball subs, salty plantains, carrots, and picklies (no, not pickles). After dinner, we had devotion with the Kendall’s, and learned of their trials and tribulations and God’s hand in bringing them to this special place in Haiti.

Please continue to hold us up in prayer. We ask for safety, productivity, and stamina!

On a personal note, Abby, it’s Emily’s turn… Love you, Dad. :-)

The WRBC Haiti Team
“Blogged” by Willard

URGENT PRAYER REQUEST!

DEAR FRIENDS...

PLEASE PRAY NOW FOR DAVID & JUDY HEADY OF GLOBAL OUTREACH HERE IN HAITI!

WE JUST RECEIVED WORD ABOUT AN HOUR AGO THAT DAVID IS ON THE WAY TO THE HOSPITAL IN PORT-AU-PRINCE AFTER SUFFERING EITHER A HEART ATTACK OR STROKE. HE WAS TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL BY MISSIONARY STAFF MEMBERS AROUND 2 AM EST (1 AM EDT).

DAVID HAS A HISTORY OF HEART PROBLEMS AND IS, LITERALLY, A WALKING MIRACLE - A TESTIMONY HE SHARED PASSIONATELY WITH OUR TEAM JUST LAST NIGHT.

OUR TEAM JUST FINISHED A TIME OF PRAYER WITH STAFF MISSIONARY ANN KENDALL, AND WE ARE NOW ENTERING INTO A SEASON OF PRAYER INDIVIDUALLY

PLEASE PRAY THAT THE DOCTOR WHO IS NEEDED WILL BE AVAILABLE (IN COUNTRY & ON DUTY AT THE HOSPITAL). ALSO FOR SAFE TRAVEL TO THE HOSPITAL (THE ROADS INTO PAP ARE QUITE HAZARDOUS AT NIGHT DUE TO POTHOLES, WASH OUTS, AND ABANDONED VEHICLES).

ABOVE ALL, PEASE PRAY FOR GOD's PRESENCE, COMFORT, AND WILL TO BE DONE! THANK YOU!!!

YOUR BROTHER IN CHRIST,
JIM

Pictures to Come...

Hi Everyone,

We have been SO busy!!! God is blessing in an incredible way, as you can see from the other posts here. We have not been able to get our pictures downloaded today so we will try to do so in the next day or so and have a special picture section posted for your enjoyment. Please keep the prayers coming... this country is a place of overwhelming need and God is actively at work here, much like what we read about in the book of Acts!!! God bless each of you!!!

In His love,
Jim

Monday

Holy cow are we tired!!! We have had a full day, from morning till night. What an experience this trip has been and it is only day three. This morning we woke early to have a devotion with some of the Haitian workers on the compound. We listened to Gestave read scripture in Creole, not knowing what he was saying you could still feel the passion for Christ pouring out of his soul, it was beautiful!

Afterwards we went to this medical clinic on the compound and starting filling up wheel barrels full of mud that had been a result of the hurricane and storms of late. We pressure washed until all the mud was gone.

Global outreach has an elderly feeding program that they host here once a week and people walk from miles around to get a temporary supplement of food. Most of these Haitians eat for a week on this rice, protein, oil, garlic, and cheese package.....the people were very skinny and looked desperate for food, they all had gentle smiles on their faces as they would take the handouts.

We then went to a church about 15 miles from the compound where we painted until about 4:30 or so. Most of the time we were there, a church service was going on in the front of the sanctuary. All the people were singing beautiful hymms while we worked and we heard the Haitians preaching and praising God, (totally awesome)! It was a very interesting day, and a productive day. We have a really good crew here, and the missionaries are awesome.

After dinner we had another devotion with the Headys and we were able to hear David's testimony, and the story of how God called them to the mission field, a very miraculous story.

Well off to bed, excited about what God has planned for tomorrow! Thank all of you for your prayers and support. We can't wait to tell you all of the things we have seen down here, and how God is working in Haiti. Miss you all.

Love,
Nic

Hurricane Ike Strikes, But Courageous Team Survives

Wow!! It was quite an evening as Hurricane Ike came through. It turned south during the night and slammed into Haiti. We had hard rain all night long, without any stopping, but everyone stayed safe and dry. Overall about 8 inches of rain fell where we are staying. The main road outside our compound was completely covered with rocks and was impassable.

We were safe and sound with no problems. Because we could not leave the compound we had a worship service with all of the staff and our group. Of course, Chip was disappointed that he led a bible study for 20 instead of preaching to 2,000 at a First Baptist Church. Clay led the music and we really did have a special time of worship. We had special prayer for the areas of Haiti up north that were hit the hardest.

Over 40,000 people are homeless and there are dead animals and flooded roads every where. The stores are running out of food and there is no way to get it to them at this time. We had some relief workers trying to go up through the mountains to get there with food and clothing. It is a desperate situation. 300 children were dropped at an orphanage and one of their leaders was telling us they didn’t know how they would take care of them. The children were simply found in the street and no one knows what happened to their parents. PLEASE be in prayer for Northern Haiti.

By afternoon they have the road in front of our compound open. We spent most of the day sorting clothes to be passed out to the hurricane victims. All together we made up 183 bags of clothes and several more bags of miscellaneous items. We had a good assembly line going and got a lot of work done.

This afternoon we are taking it easy, it is the Sabbath, and getting ready for tomorrow. We are going to work in the morning at the medical clinic and then hopefully be able to get to the church to do some painting. It is cloudy and windy, but the rains have stopped for now. We are thinking of you and praying that all went well in worship this morning. We will keep you updated on how things are going.

On a personal note, Hi Dawn, Alyssa, and Andrew I love you!! (Hey I am the person blogging so I can say what I want)

Thanks for your prayers,

Chip and the Haiti team

We are in Haiti

After a somewhat restful night in Fort Lauderdale on Friday we woke to fly out on Saturday. The crew of American Airlines was more than accommodating and they took care of us better than anyone could expect. This was our first opportunity to witness and all of the crew knew who we were and that going to Haiti was for the Lord. Wow, He just opens doors where we are to be a part of His work. On the ground in Haiti a crew was waiting to load our luggage into a large truck and bring it to the compound for us. This allowed David and Judy to take us on a tour of the area and see the real devastation of not only Gustav but just the general conditions the people live in. It is very disturbing to see large trash dumpsters set up all over the area and they get filled to overflowing. Once the trash trucks pick up the dumpsters it is not taken to a landfill but just dumped somewhere else. This creates many different issues and problems as you might have guessed.

The people of the area, approximately 2 million of them, live basically on top of each other. So many of them have nothing and will do just about anything just to have food. It breaks your heart to see the living conditions and how correcting the situation is more than anyone can imagine.

We are looking forward to God using us in any way possible during our visit. Due to the hurricanes we may not get to do anything with the well since everything is flooded. What I do believe is that God will use us and the situations to His glory if we are just willing. Based on what I see in this group we will definitely be a part of what God has in store.

Please be in constant prayer for the people of Haiti and the problems they are facing. Also keep our team in your prayers that we will always seek God and His will for our lives. Finally be in prayer for a relief team that is in Haiti just trying to get food to areas that are still surrounded by flood waters. To further complicate this relief effort are the hurricanes and tropical depressions still coming through the area.

In the love of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,

The Haiti team

Friday Night Update

Greetings from south Florida! Our team is safely in the hotel in Fort Lauderdale for a short night of sleep... we leave the hotel at 7AM for our 8:50 AM flight to Port-au-Prince. We're all doing well and are really looking forward to our time of service in Haiti! From all indications so far, we should be able to access the internet from the G.O. compound and will try to do so Saturday to update this blog.

Thank you for your ongoing prayers... we definitely sense them and God's presence!

In His service,
The WRBC Haiti Team

The BIG DAY is finally here!

The day of our departure is here! We are meeting at SDF at 4 PM to fellowship and pray briefly before checking in and boarding our flight. We are SO thankful God has allowed us to have this opportunity to join in His work in Haiti and we ask that you continue raising your prayers on behalf of this mission.

Some folks have asked about our travel plans, so for any who would like to follow our progress, here are the details. This evening, we are flying to Orlando (MCO) on Southwest Flight 834 and connecting to Southwest 1901 to Ft. Lauderdale (FLL) where we will spend the night. Saturday, September 6th, we will fly on American Airlines Flight 807 from FLL to Port-au-Prince, Haiti (PAP).

For our return, we are flying on American Flight 1988, Friday, September 12th from PAP to FLL, where we will again spend the night. Saturday, September 13th, we are on Southwest Flight 721 from FLL to Tampa (TPA) where we will connect to Southwest Flight 1869 to SDF.

The following links are great tools to monitor these flights in nearly “real time” format. Just enter the airline and flight number for the flight you wish to track.

http://www.etn.nl/flight_tracker.htm

http://flightview.com/traveltools/default.asp

http://flightaware.com/

Additional flight information is available at:

http://www.southwest.com/

http://www.aa.com/aa/homePage.do

Thank you for the love and support so many of you have expressed as we undertake this exciting service… may God bless you now and in the days to come!

Thursday Afternoon Update

We are counting down the final hours as we prepare for departure Friday afternoon. We have surely felt the prayers of God's people these last several days and are grateful for each one.

Earlier in the week, it appeared that Hurricane Ike might pose a threat to our travel plans for Saturday, but now it looks like the weather will be uneventful for our flight from Ft. Lauderdale to Port-au-Prince that morning. PTL!!! Here are the latest NOAA satellite images for the tropical Atlantic basin.

GOES – EAST IR Satellite Image at 2015 UTC (4:15 PM EDT) 4SEP08

GOES – EAST VISIBLE Satellite Image at 1945 UTC (3:45 PM EDT) 4SEP08

Hurricane Ike is in the center of these images and is not expected to have an impact on Haiti until Sunday or Monday. Current National Hurricane Center projections indicate that it should remain north of the area bringing only moderate winds and rain. Of course, more rain is not what is needed in the area now!

Our contacts there report 12 inches of rain has fallen in the last 3 days in the TiTanyen area and things are quite muddy - this in an area that is normally classified as a desert. We don't know if the ground will dry out enough to install a well as was part of our original plans, but we trust that God has plenty of work for us to accomplish among the Haitian people. The well will be installed at some point, it just may not be by our team. Perhaps the need for living water is greater at this time than for potable water. In any event, we are ready to serve and bring God glory!

Active Atlantic Weather

We are seeing the Atlantic hurricane season pick-up steam lately which is to be expected since the peak months for tropical development in the Atlantic basin are August and September. While this is normal, it doesn't eliminate the incredible human impact in the Caribbean. Please pray for the people of Hispaniola today as they deal with huge amounts of rain from Tropical Storm Hanna which has stalled out just north of the island - over 10 inches of rain is forecast for an already inundated Haiti. Waiting in the wings after Hanna lie Ike and Josephine, both developing tropical storms that are projected to track westward into the Caribbean over the next week or so.

IR Image of Central Atlantic Basin - 2 SEP 08

Meanwhile, we receive word that our carrier, American Airlines, has had numerous disruptions to their flight schedule into and out of Haiti as a result of these storms, and only the Lord knows if there will be any adverse impact upon our travel plans this weekend. Prayer will make the difference! Please continue to pray for the people of this impoverished nation and for our team as we continue to finalize our preparations. The needs there are greater than ever and we trust that God will use us for His glory as we share the love of Christ with these people living in distress. Thank you and God bless you!!!

Internet Links Related to our Mission Trip

I'm somewhat new at blogging and have tried to get these links up in a separate sidebar on our blog site for several days now. Since I haven't been able to resolve that, I decided to go ahead and post these in this manner so you may visit these sites to learn more about our mission. Enjoy!

Global Outrach Haiti Mission:
http://www.freewebs.com/gohaitimission/

Video of interview with David and Judy Heady, the missionaries with whom we will serve:
http://www.brightcove.tv/title.jsp?title=1612727560

Weather in Haiti (reporting stations appear to be part-time operations):
http://www.wunderground.com/global/stations/78439.html

http://www.weather.com/outlook/travel/businesstraveler/local/HAXX0004

http://www.haitiweather.net/

Who's On Our Team?

We want to share a little biographical info about each of our team members to help you pray more specifically as we serve in Haiti...

Bruce McClure is a native of Huntington, WV, and has been a member of WRBC for 29 years. He and his wife Jeanne have two sons, Matthew and Michael, both high school sophomores at Christian Academy. Bruce works for Humana, and has served in several roles at WRBC, including Deacon and Children’s Sunday School teacher. He has made several mission trips here in the U.S. This will be Bruce’s first international mission.

Chip Pendleton is a native of Louisville, KY, and has been a member of WRBC for 4 years. Married to Dawn for 21 years, they have a daughter, Alyssa, a junior, and son Andrew, a freshman, both at South Oldham High School. Chip serves as Pastor of WRBC and is making his second trip to Haiti with Global Outreach. He has also made several other mission trips abroad.

Clay Sommer is a native of Moultrie, GA, and has been a member of WRBC for 8 years. Married to Lisa for 19 years, they have two sons, Chesley, a senior at the Youth Performing Arts School, and Bailey, a sophomore at Eastern High School. Clay serves as Worship Arts Pastor at WRBC.

Gayle Stengl is a native of Charleston, SC, and lived in many areas of the U.S. including a time in the Azores due to her father’s Air Force assignments. Married to Keith for 21 years, they have a son, Sean, a student at Campbellsville University, and a daughter Katie, a senior at Oldham County High School. Gayle works as a teacher with special needs children in the Oldham County School System. Gayle has made a number of mission trips both abroad and in the U.S.

Jim Yonts is a native of Louisville, KY, and has been a member of WRBC for 23 years. Married to Gail for 29 years in October, they have two adult daughters, Amanda Yonts and Julie Woosley. Jim is an airline Captain with UPS flying an MD-11 in domestic and international operations. He serves as a Deacon, Youth Sunday School teacher, and in the music program at WRBC, and has participated in a number of mission trips in the U.S. This will be Jim’s first international mission.

Keith Stengl is a native of Fargo, N.D., grew up in Wichita, KS., and lived throughout the Midwest before moving to Louisville, KY about 13 years ago. Married to Gayle for 21 years, they have a son, Sean, a student at Campbellsville University, and a daughter Katie, a senior at Oldham County High School. Keith works with audio, video, and control systems. Keith serves the Lord in the areas of music, sound, video and technical support. He also has enjoyed several years as a Sunday School teacher in the Adult Division at WRBC, and he has made a number of mission trips both abroad and in the U.S.

Nicole Barnes is a native of Louisville, KY, and has been a member of WRBC for 5 years. She is a student at the University of Louisville and also works at UPS as a Strategic Account Analyst with the U.S. Customs Brokerage. Nicole is a veteran of several international mission trips.

Willard Johnston is a native of Louisville, KY, and has been a member of WRBC for 10 years. Married to Kellie for 15 years, they have three children, Katie, a freshman at DuPont Manual High School, Matthew, a student at Meyzeek Middle School, and Abby, who attends Chenoweth Elementary. He works for Pacer International in Supply Chain Solutions with the automotive industry. Willard serves at WRBC with the GROW ministry, is a Deacon, Missions Committee member, and is also a Gideon working with the Prison Ministry. He has made several mission trips in the U.S. and abroad.