February 27, 2014 · 9:52 pm

God’s Provision is Amazing

Recently I posted about my friend, Jores, and I wanted to give all of you an update. Before I do, however, I also wanted to brag on what an amazing God we serve. Most of you reading this already agree with that statement, but it just never ceases to amaze me how our God watches our day to day experiences, and He works things out to see His Will come about in ways that we could never dream as we simply pray, “Not MY Will be done, but Your’s, oh God.”

You see, Jores has never been one to go around soliciting others to give him what he needs. Jores has always simply ministered to others, giving as he could to honor the Lord with his gifts and abilities. He never went around telling people how desperate his situation was, but rather served along side others who serve the same Lord, and prayed that God would use him in any way He wanted to use him. Then God sent a ministry to Jores’s village, Jores joined up in the cause by working as a translator, God led missionaries to go help in the school where he had been volunteering as an English teacher, then God put it upon someone’s heart to pray that he could one day go to college, then that person shared their burden about Jores to someone else, then that person found a way to send Jores to school….and now he is not only on his way to med school, but with a brand new computer to do his work on. GOD IS GOOD!!! You see, God created each one of us to do great things in His name. We don’t have to make that happen; we simply seek His Will for our lives and obey when He calls, and one day we will discover that purpose God had for us all along and HE can be praised for leading us to it.

I am so excited for my friend, Jores. He is working so very hard in school, and when he sends me messages to thank me and others for believing in him and for providing a way for him to go to school, I just thank God for the way he has worked in Jores’s life, and I pray that God will continue to bless him, give him endurance, and lead him down the path which he was destined to go. Thank you all who have prayed for Jores!! And Thank you all who have helped him begin to see his dreams come true. I am sure sometimes he just wants to pinch himself because it’s hard to believe that his dream of one day becoming a doctor is actually happening, BUT GOD knows the plans He has for Jores, who is called according to HIS purpose – plans that are meant to give him a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11) – and plans that will also give others a future and a hope. Our God is an AWESOME God.

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Jores and Tony on the day the new laptop arrived. Jores sent me a message and said, “It’s so light! And it looks like no one has ever used it!” I explained to him that it is what we called “brand new” and that he will be the first and only person to use it. It is HIS. 🙂

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February 6, 2014 · 5:47 am

Meet my friend Jores Merilus

Meet my friend, Jores Merilus. It thrills me to introduce you to him because he is a perfect example of what God is doing not just in our village of Galette Chambon, but in countless other communities throughout Haiti. The people have been praying, and God has been answering. Psalm 34:17 says that “when the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.” As people like Jores cry out to God, and then continue in faith serving Him and seeking His will in their lives, God moves, and amazing things begin to happen!

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When Jores was a child, he ran along the many pathways and rock roads that wind their way throughout the village just like everyone else. He went to the well getting water for his mother just like all of the other kids. He helped his family grow their own food, and he helped his father keep up the family business of making charcoal and selling it in the market. This is the life of any young man growing up in our village. Jores was no different than anyone else….or was he? Yes, Jores was indeed different because Jores not only went through elementary school,  he went on to high school, and he not only completed high school, but he learned English well enough to get a job translating at Hope Center on a daily basis. Jores also volunteers as an English teacher at a local school in the village teaching young people who want to learn English as well. Jores is a giver. He is an extremely intelligent, highly motivated young man who has had a dream of becoming a doctor for a very long time. That dream is about to come true!

Last summer, a team was visiting Hope Center and we went to help Jores with his English classes. While there, I was watching Jores interact with his students, and I turned to one of the team members and said, “You know, that young man right there has the potential to become anything he wants to become. I have prayed and prayed that one day God would lead someone to sponsor him and send him to college.” I had no motive. I was just making conversation and bragging on one of the amazing young men who works with us. The week passed on, and on the last day, before the team left, this team member pulled me aside and said, “Mickie, I talked with my husband, and we want to sponsor Jores in college.” I was floored. God had heard Jores’s prayers, knew the desires of his heart, and had moved me to make conversation with the very one He had appointed to use as the vehicle that would take him to the place where his dreams would come true. In October, Jores began taking some preparatory classes to get him ready to take the entrance exam for medical school. He completed the classes in January and took the exam and PASSED it!! Now Jores is preparing to enter college and begin a seven year journey to the destiny God planned for him before he was even born.

I have no doubt that Jores will make it through college and become an amazing physician. He will continue to give of himself and his gifts as he ministers to people in ways I don’t even think he can imagine. ….But God had a plan and Jores had a dream. Jores prayed for God to hear his prayers and help him to somehow realize his dreams. In faith, Jores continued to grow in his relationship with the Lord, serve the people of his community, serve in our clinic at Hope Center, help his mother with their family charcoal business, and patiently wait upon the Lord.

Please pray for Jores in the days, weeks, months, and years ahead as he continues on this journey to his destiny. Pray for God’s provision. Pray for endurance as Jores has many long hours of studying and preparing. Pray for protection among his family as they adjust to his changing schedule and pressures of school. Pray for his sponsors and others who are led to give to help Jores’s dreams come true. And please continue to pray for Hope Center as we adjust to not having Jores around daily in the clinic. He will be missed.

We are so very thankful to be a part of this incredible miracle taking place. I am just overwhelmed with gratitude to our Lord Jesus for placing us in this place where we can experience His greatness every single day.

**For those of you who want to pray with us for something specific related to Jores, we are praying that God will provide for a specific need that Jores has for this coming year and that is a laptop computer. In medical school, he will be expected to do research and write papers frequently, and all of this will be required to be done on a computer. Jores does not have a computer to do his work on, and a laptop would give him the ability to take his work back and forth with him to school. I have no doubt that God is going to lead someone out there to bless Jores in this way. If God is leading you to do this, please send me an email and we can get it worked out. Our email address is tnmwest@gmail.com.  I will close now expressing our gratitude to you for your many prayers, words of encouragement, and support for all that God does through us, But God Ministries, and Hope Center. We are indeed so very blessed.

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Tony and Jores outside Hope Center Clinic after a long day’s work

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September 3, 2013 · 7:52 pm

Good News and Challenges

Good News and Challenges.

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September 3, 2013 · 7:45 pm

Good News and Challenges

One exciting thing about being a Christ follower is that He is always shocking our socks off with the way He works through His people to bless others. A few weeks back, we put out a post asking people to give to sponsor 200 children in school, and guess what! We have 200 children sponsored for school tuition for the upcoming school year! Hallelujah!! It’s a pretty cool thing when we begin to pray, God prompts the hearts of His people, His people follow through, and BAM! It’s done! This is so exciting! I live in a world of miracles, and I am pretty pumped about this place. Ha! soloman's kids

So that was the good news….Now for the challenge…..

Now that we are able to cover the tuition for 200 children in our village, their needs are not completely filled. In Haiti, children must wear closed toed shoes, carry their books (that they must purchase) in a back pack, and wear a uniform. The parents in our village don’t have the funds to buy these things. Just last week, we kicked off a tennis shoe and back pack drive hosted by Crossgates Baptist Church in Brandon, MS. If you live near Brandon and you have new or gently used tennis shoes and/or back packs, please, please drop them off at Crossgates Baptist Church. There is a big trash can in the lobby that has a sign on it. Put them in there. Thanks!! 

Now suppose you don’t live near Brandon or you don’t have tennis shoes or back packs to give. You can still help if God prompts you to help! There are several ways. 

1. You can go to http://www.butgodministries.com and click “Donate” and choose “scholarship” on the drop down menu and give. All funds that continue to be given to our scholarship fund will go to help pay for uniforms and books for the children. 

2. T-shirts!! If you know of someone who owns a screen print shop that would we willing to donate 250 t-shirts to one of our two sponsored schools, please, please send me an email or reply to this post. (tnmwest@gmail.com) Of course, you need to check with the business first to make sure they are on board. Ha! The principals of each school have agreed to allow their children to wear an alternative uniform that is a t-shirt in their school colors. If we have enough for each child in the school to get one, no one will be without a uniform and feel different from everyone else because they can’t afford it. We are working to have uniforms made for all of the children, but in the meantime, if they can wear a t-shirt, that would be great! Call someone you know that owns a screen print company and ask. It’s an opportunity to give a huge blessing to school children in Haiti that wouldn’t be able to afford it otherwise. 

3. If you sew, or know someone who does, and you would like to help us make uniforms for school children in Haiti, please let me know. We are working on getting the sizes of the children who need uniforms, and we are also working on getting the fabric and patterns. This has turned out to be a bigger task than we imagined, but God will provide what we need when we need it, so no worries. When we acquire the patterns and material, we will get the information out and let people get to sewing! I just need a list of willing tailors!! 🙂  Email me at tnmwest@gmail.com.

johel's kidsPhilippians 4:19 says, “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” It is this very promise that we share with the Haitian families daily who are our neighbors and friends at Hope Center in Galette Chambon. We know that God knows their needs and He is already moving His people to give in order to supply those needs. If one person refuses to obey, He simply moves someone else to receive the blessing of giving. Regardless, He moves and people give. We have complete faith and trust in Him to do it. 

People ask me all the time, “What do you all need down there?” Well, the answer to that question varies, but SPECIFICALLY, right now we need funds for books, tennis shoes, back packs, school t-shirts, and uniforms. GENERALLY, we need people to pray and be willing to ACT upon the movement of God upon their heart. Remember: God WILL move people to help His children. The question is, is He moving you? If He is, then you will not regret acting on it.  

Proverbs 11:25 says, “The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed; those who help others are helped.” We have learned that there is no greater blessing of joy than to give of ourselves to help others in need. There are many, many needs in this world, and I pray you will seek God to know how He can use you to meet those needs. When you say, “Yes,” the blessings begin to flow. 

Thank you for your prayers; thank you for your obedience; thank you for your love for our little village of Galette Chambon. Lives are being changed here, and a generation is learning what it means to trust in the Lord with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength.  

God bless you all! We are so very thankful for you!!

~Tony & Mickie West

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August 21, 2013 · 6:03 pm

God Wants to Make Dreams Come True

Have you ever watched someone’s dream come true? Exciting isn’t it? What’s even more exciting is to see someone’s prayers answered after they have faithfully prayed for something for years. Right now, we are being blessed to watch this very thing happening for someone we love dearly. His name is Jorese. 

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Tony and Jorese outside the clinic.

He is one of our main translators in the medical clinic, and he is so very intelligent. He is one of the most compassionate, giving people I know. We have known Jorese for a year now, and we have watched him grow so much over the months.  We are so blessed by his friendship and the contribution he makes to Hope Center.  He has a very quiet, gentle spirit, and an understanding of medical things that is amazing.  It didn’t take us long to figure out that Jorese was created and gifted by God to serve in the medical field. However, his resources are very limited. He lives in Port au Prince, but he spends most of his time in Galette Chambon, helping his mother whose health is poor, translating at our Hope Center clinic, and teaching English classes for free to children in his village. He gives so much of himself to help others. God has used this time in his life as a translator and teacher to prepare him for the next journey of his life. Yesterday, however, Jorese began a journey towards the plan that God designed for him before he was even born.

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Jorese overseeing the American mission team as they work with Haitian English students in his classroom.

Today, God began the first steps of making a dream come true for Jorese.  Yesterday, he registered to take his entrance exam for medical school. You see, Jorese has always wanted to be a doctor, but he never had the courage to tell anyone because he didn’t see that it was possible for this dream to come true. Then one day God began answering many prayers around his village. Over the course of this year, as God sent But God Ministries to the village of Galette Chambon, Jorese has witnessed God healing people, providing income for people, feeding people, sending children to school, and providing housing for people who were living in tents. He began to realize that God really does answer prayers! 

He never knew how it was going to happen, or when it was going to happen, but Jorese knew God made him to be a doctor, so he kept praying that God would make a way. Now it is happening.

So how did it happen? A few weeks ago, a mission team was at Hope Center and someone on the team was there, I believe, particularly to meet Jorese. The team went to help Jorese with his English classes, and as the class was coming to an end, I mentioned that I had been praying with Jorese that one day he would be able to go to college. Later that day, a member of the team came to me and offered to let God use her to help Jorese go to college. Since then, we have been checking into things, working out the details, and now he is registered to take the entrance exam.

I’m sure it’s bittersweet for Tony. Although he is thrilled that Jorese is on his way to medical school, he will miss Jorese and the impact he has in the clinic. We know that God already knows who will serve in the clinic in his place, and who knows? Perhaps one day, Jorese will serve as a doctor at Hope Center! Wouldn’t that be super-cool?! Whatever His plan is, we know that it is beyond what any of us can possibly imagine.

That’s how our Father, God is! Jeremiah 29:11-13 says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jorese has sought God with all his heart and God has listened and is answering. Praise the Lord!!

Please pray for Jorese as he begins his journey through medical school. It will take seven years for him to complete it, and it will take much hard work and endurance. He will meet obstacles and difficulties along the way, but with perseverance and strength provided by our awesome God, Jorese will come to live the life God planned for him – a life beyond his biggest dreams. 

Thank you, once again, for your diligence in prayer for But God Ministries, for our family, for our village, and for Jorese. You play a very important part in seeing these amazing things happen here. May God bless your part immensely!

~Mickie

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July 31, 2013 · 3:24 pm

Scholarships for Children of Galette Chambon

Praise The Lord!! Because of the faithfulness of many people, 126 children in the village of Galette Chambon, Haiti, will be able to go to school this coming school year. In case you didn’t know it, THIS IS HUGE!! We currently have about 200 on our list who need help, but to know that in just a little over a week, this many people have contributed to the scholarship fund is AMAZING!!! These parents and children will be so relieved to know that God has answered their prayers and provided a way for their children to be able to go to school. Hallelujah!

If God is leading you to be a part of this, please go to the But God Ministries website, click Donate, and choose “Scholarships” in the drop down menu. Contribute whatever you can…however God leads. $25 pays for a year’s tuition and $100 covers ALL costs for the entire year for one child for school. To us in the US, that sounds like a bargain, but to a Haitian parent who has little or no financial resources, it’s impossible without supernatural provision. God has heard the prayers of these people, and He is calling us who have much to help those who have little. Pray about what God would have you do, then click on the following link:
But God Ministries

God bless you!!
We are so excited about what God is doing!!

Tony & Mickie West

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July 24, 2013 · 4:29 pm

Today I Celebrate

Today is a day of extremely mixed emotions for me. On the one hand, it has been a day of huge blessing as I have been inundated with well wishes for my birthday long before it was even my birthday, and the messages continue to come by the minute. I am overwhelmed with joy to know that my God has blessed me with so much love all around, from near and far; I am completely saturated with love. On the other hand, I am overwhelmed with grief today as I realize it is my last day in Haiti before I leave with Jacob to return to the states for his senior year in high school. Tony and I have spent the last seven weeks preparing for this day – beginning with day one of my return here – but I still do not feel ready to go. I look back over my time here this summer and I see in my memory many brown, happy, faces and toothless grins from old to young, smiling at me with so much love in their eyes that words are not even necessary. We share a language of love that is a very special gift from the God in whom we each share a belief and for whom we deeply love. I see the faces of mothers who have become close friends of mine who love me so much because they know I love their children with a love that is so large that it hurts. When they can’t put their appreciation into words I can understand, they simply take my face into both of their hands, they look into my eyes with a smile, and then kiss my cheeks and nod at me with a knowing nod because they are certain I understand. I do know what they feel in their hearts because I feel the same. It’s beyond words. I see in my memory the beads of sweat on the brow of a mother in labor who takes my hand and places it on her belly as she sings through another intense labor pain. Their only medication is the strength they receive from God as we each pray in our own language. I try hard to insert a few “Mesi Jezi”’s into my prayer so they know I am praying the same prayer. In my memory, I see the precious smiles of the men and women who work on our staff who spend ten minutes or so practicing to say four words to me in English knowing I will make a big deal out of their effort to speak my language. They love that I am learning to speak theirs, and they return the respect by trying to learn mine. God has blessed us with a tremendous staff of brothers and sisters who have the same goal here and that is simply to serve our God by living the example of Christ in this place. It is not a foreign land in which I live here….it is home.

Once again, my heart tightens, my throat burns, my eyes begin to fill with tears, and as their rims can no longer contain the water that is welling up, it begins to streak my cheeks, and I simply give in and cry. I can’t wait to see and hold my son, Jonathan, when I return to the states and help him prepare for his wedding; I am so excited to watch my son, Jacob, soak up every moment of his senior year; I look forward to praising my Lord in song with my brothers and sisters at Crossgates; but Oh How I Dread the nights when I lie in bed unable to sleep because the love of my life is an ocean away and the people I serve are carrying on life without me. I cannot adequately describe these mixed feelings I have. My emotions are like a tiny rubber ball let loose to bounce about among the walls of my heart.

The pain will cut deeper and deeper as 5:30 Thursday, July 25th nears, but today is July 24th – my birthday – and today I will celebrate like there is no tomorrow. Today I will leave my suitcase under my bed. Today I will hug every child in anticipation of tomorrow. Today I will bake the cake that Jacob planned to bake for me before he came down with a virus. Today I will enjoy the company of 18 amazing visiting missionaries as they cram into this last day of their mission all that they can. Today I will hold my precious husband’s hand as we walk up the hill and enjoy the full moon standing together on the same piece of soil for the last time until June.

Today is my birthday. I celebrate the journey today that God planned long before July 24th, 1964, and I am so very thankful that He led me to this place in my life. I am so thankful for the person that is reading these words right now because I know you love me enough to endure this long on my post. You are special to me. I pray that God will bless this day for you. Know that He has a plan for your life as well, and in order to experience the greatness of it, all you have to do is spend enough time with Him to let Him lead you to it and through it. There’s nothing better than living one’s life in the Will of God.

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July 23, 2013 · 10:13 pm

School Scholarships for Haitian Children

School time is approaching everywhere, and the children of Galette Chambon are excited about going to school. Last year we had a tremendous response to the scholarship program and were able to help over 200 children go to school. We are now asking God to provide for those same children again this year. If God leads you to help, you can do so for as little as $25. That’s all it costs for a full year’s tuition. For $100, you can cover the cost of tuition, uniform, books, and exams for the entire year. If you are led to give ANY amount, go to www.butgodministries.com and click Make a Donation. On the drop down box, choose Scholarships for School Children. Your donation is tax deductible and better than that, a HUGE blessing to a child in need.

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July 14, 2013 · 5:20 pm

Summer Update

So sorry everyone that it’s been so long since I have posted on my blog!! We had to cut off our Access Haiti Internet because they were charging us a ridiculous amount and we switched to a Natcom thumb drive. It’s like a mobile hot spot, only it’s not very hot. I can’t login to WordPress to post pictures right now. They do have a way for me to email an update, which is what I am doing now, but that’s all I can do. I have been able to post a few things on Facebook when we have a strong signal, but it takes hours to load a couple of photos. I am going to try to update you on some highlights here from the summer.

First of all, it has been an AMAZING summer at Hope Center. We have hosted back-to-back teams all summer long and they have done a fabulous job. We have hosted several teams from FBC Brandon that have done work on the church, VBS, painting houses, and other odds and ends. They are a hard working bunch of people and it was a pleasure serving our Lord with them as we all serve the people of our community in Haiti. The church now has a pulpit stage area, sound system installed and built into a protective cabinet. We also have a new baptistery built, and we celebrated the salvation of 8 new believers who followed The Lord in believers baptism. We now have about 18 houses painted in vibrant Caribbean colors, and that adds such excitement to “The Hill” beside Hope Center. We had a couple of groups from FBC Jackson come in and build a playground for the children of Galet Chambon as well as teach the ladies on the hill how to knit and crochet. The children are constantly down there playing and the ladies spend many of their days knitting things to sell in market. One mama told me that her kids don’t even want to come home to eat dinner in the evenings. Ha! I can’t tell you what a blessing it is to see the smiles and hear the laughter of countless children playing together everyday down there. It’s a dream come true for them.

Last week we had a team here from Pensacola working on the orphanage and getting it ready for opening soon. We are hoping to have children there by the end of July. This was a fun group and they accomplished many things not only for the orphanage, but for Hope Center as well!

While the FL team was here, we also had a group from FBC Jackson along with an OBGYN from Starkville. God, as with every team, knew before hand what our needs would be, and he sent the OBGYN as well as a labor and delivery nurse to help us deliver our first babies at Hope Center clinic! So far to date, just in the month of July, we have had 4 babies here! That’s so exciting! And because we had an expert here with us for the first two, Tony and I feel comfortable delivering others in the future. God knows our needs and prepares the way. I am so thankful that we have learned to put our complete trust in Him. He IS God!

This summer has been a time of many firsts. First baby, first paint job, and first youth team as well as first time to host interns. We have had several interns stay to help extended periods of time. Our first was Kendal Banks from Brandon, then Adam Buckley and his roommate Rawls and friend Shane, and now we have a young lady named Grace Bigler from Jackson here. These young people have been a huge help to us each week and it has been a joy to have them here. It takes a very special kind of young person to stay in a third world country, away from the comforts of home for an extended period of time. We have loved having them here, and they have provided great friendship to Jacob too while he has spent his summer here. Right now, Jacob’s girlfriend, Madison, is with us too, and we have enjoyed having her with us as well.

The current team here is from Gautier, MS, and they are hosting our first Youth Evangelism Conference at Hope Center. This is a HUGE need. We always have teams doing VBS for children and Bible studies and classes for adults, but rarely things designed specifically for teens. This week, we will host pastors during the day to talk about evangelism and discipling youth, and at night we will have a crusade for young people with music and entertainment, and if course messages designed specifically for youth. I am so excited about this because I have such a burden for teens. I can’t wait to see what all happens this week in the youth conference.

Another exciting thing that has happened this summer is that Tony and I started language school! We now have class every day at 4:00 and our teacher comes to our house for class. We are learning to speak the Creole language very quickly now which is a huge answer to prayer since God not only led us to a fabulous teacher but led someone in the states to fund it. We are so very thankful for God’s continued provision. What we do here would not be possible without God’s strength and provision as He leads other believers to participate in our mission through support. We are so very humbled and blessed when God leads someone to bless us in such amazing ways.

Last, but certainly not least, we have an announcement to make! Our oldest son Jonathan is now engaged to be married! His sweet fiancé is Katelyn Meeks and we absolutely love her! We are so excited about the upcoming wedding celebration and we look forward to helping them prepare when we return to the States.

Well, I am about out of time, so I need to sign off for now. I am sure I left many things out, but perhaps I can post another update with pictures when we return to the States.

Jacob and I will be returning for his senior year of high school on July 25th and Tony and Vladimir will join us for some time of much needed R&R on August 3rd. Please pray for our family as we travel and prepare for another time of separation to come while Jacob is in school. Pray for Hope Center and the people of Galet Chambon as we move forward with the tasks that God has set before us. We are blessed to be His servants, and we are honored to be serving here in Haiti with such amazing friends, staff, and neighbors. God is faithful, and He has proven his love for all of us time and time again. We rest assured in His mighty hands as we follow His will daily in our lives. Thank you all so much for your prayer support as well as financial support as we serve. You bless us immensely!!

Blessings to you ALL!!

Mickie & Tony
Jonathan & Jacob West

But God Ministries
Galet Chambon, Haiti

http://www.butgodministries.com
(Nursing Ministry)

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June 10, 2013 · 4:06 am

Saturday Emergency

This past Saturday started out like any other Saturday. We were all buzzing around Hope Center, cleaning the dorms for the next team, packing away the groceries the cooks bought in preparation for another week of team meals, reorganizing the clinic for another week of seeing patients, etc. when suddenly there was a loud rap on the back gate of the compound. When Tony opened the gate, there was a thin, young woman who could barely walk, obviously in tremendous pain, holding her hand that had been loosely wrapped in gauze but was quite saturated with blood. Two men held her up on either side, and they were all very much in distress. Tony quickly helped the woman to the clinic and began to check on the injury. She explained to him that someone came to her house that morning and when she opened the door, the person at the door attacked her with a machete and nearly sliced her hand off. Her hand was deeply gashed across her palm and on around to the top side. The tendon of her pinky finger was obviously severed because it was hanging to the side and she could not lift it. Tony was afraid bones were cut as well. As soon as he saw that the tendon was cut, he realized we needed to get her to a hospital. About the time he was headed to the house to check on some things, I walked out and could immediately tell by the look on his face and his three unfinished sentences started at once that something was terribly wrong. He explained to me what was going on and I rushed over to the clinic to see how I could help. As soon as I saw her, my heart wrenched for her and I knew I needed to go with her to the hospital. The two men with her wanted to take her to the hospital on a motorcycle tap-tap, and she clearly would not have made it to a hospital that way. She couldn’t even walk! I asked Tony if I could go with her to the hospital, and he said I couldn’t go to Port au Prince, but I could go as far as to Ganthier to help secure a tap-tap to get her to the hospital. We lifted her into the truck and she immediately fell back on my shoulder in tears. I held her and began to pray. On the way down the road, we passed Jacques’ truck near the orphanage. Tony asked Jacques if he could take her since he speaks good Creole as well as English. We switched over to his truck and off we went. She wimpered softly through the fog that the medicines had brought upon her, and tears continued to gently stream down her gaunt, ebony cheeks. Jacques proceeded to make phone calls to see where we needed to go. I continued to pray. He decided to take her to a clinic in Fond Parisienne that has an ambulance service and doctor on duty. We took her in to see the doctor. He decided to x-ray her hand to see the extent of the damage. Hallelujah, there were no severed bones, however, he confirmed that the pinky tendon was severed and that would need to be fixed before sewing her up. He wrote us a letter of admittance to the emergency care hospital in Tabar, gave her a pain injection, and off we went again, this time to Port au Prince. (He would not agree to an ambulance) I decided to sing to her to see if that would help calm her spirits. She slowly drifted off into a deep sleep as we jostled around in the back seat of the truck while passing over portions of the highway that were covered in pot holes, cracks, and rough terrain. After driving for about 45 minutes, we finally reached the emergency care facility. I took her in while Jacques parked the truck. The hospital staff had me take her over to a gurney in an open waiting area then communicated to me that I would need to wait in the waiting area where there were no less than 70 people. After praying with her one more time, I obeyed and waited for Jacques. He informed me that her family had called and that they were on their way to the hospital too. After being assured that they were almost there, we decided to go on out to the truck to prepare to head back to Hope Center. After a few minutes of waiting, Jacques said, “There’s more to this story than just a guy attacking her with a machete. This lady is involved with voodoo.” He explained that she had said some things to him in Creole that I didn’t pick up on. From there, we proceeded into a conversation about the voodoo culture and the things that are practiced and believed in Haiti connected with voodoo. It is truly something that most Americans simply cannot wrap our brains around. One thing is for sure. It is very sad, very violent, and very evil. I am praying that Marie realizes that Jesus loves her and that He is the reason she has survived this terrible act of violence. I pray that she will return to our clinic soon to see Tony and hear more about the love of our savior, Jesus Christ. I pray that she will be saved and healed and will no longer be tormented by the life she has been living under the curse of voodoo and violence. I pray that she knows she is loved. My heart is heavy for Marie tonight. I wonder if she is at home now. I wonder if she is thinking about the prayers she heard whispered over her. I pray that the Holy Spirit will give her peace tonight and that she will KNOW where that peace is coming from. 

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