Pastor Lloyd

Haiti Relief Update - 1/25 1:24 pm

The majority of our first team is safely back in the US, with two members staying behind to help facilitate transition to newcomers from various CC’s that arrived over the weekend.

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN JIMANI:
Team members went to the hospitals yesterday and found things surprisingly calm and stable.  This may or may not mean ministry will be slowing down there — our team saw a similar “ebb” last week before a surge of new victims requiring emergency surgery poured in the following day.  We will return tomorrow, and meanwhile we’re praying that the Lord would clearly direct whether this will be a long-term focus for us.

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN JACMEL:
In Jacmel the Lord seems to be directing very clearly, and we are cautiously optimistic that several CC’s will be coming together to establish a long-term basecamp from which to minster not only to the immediate community but also to the surrounding area.  A piece of land has been tentatively set aside for this purpose, and team members are meeting with the mayor today to discuss next steps.  Lord willing, representatives from CC Ft. L will hook up with the team already on the ground later this week to look at ways to integrate their efforts as well.

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN PaP:
Teams from other CC’s are beginning to come alongside the various works in PaP, although by all accounts the need is still both acute and tremendous.  Two members of our team were planning to meet up with at least one of the CC’s in PaP today to compare notes.

TEAMS:
We are receiving many calls and emails about opportunities to minister on the ground.  At this point we are working to establish base of operations in or near Jacmel.  Our current basecamp, at a house provided by CC Delta (PA), is not close enough to Jacmel to be a good long-term solution.  We hope to begin scheduling teams by midweek, most likely on a Saturday-to-Saturday basis.  In the meantime, people interested in serving should email patrick@ccob.org with as much information about (a) schedule & availability (b) missions / relief experience (c) medical training or other special skills.

LONGER TERM:
We continue to hear from various sources that in the next week or so the various government agencies involved intend to implement a massive relocation effort.  Whether PaP is completely evacuated or just substantially reduced in size (we here both versions) the task will be monumental — all the more so considering the rainy season begins in roughly 60 days.  We are in touch with several organizations, including CC Appleton, that are already beginning to focus on this aspect of ministry in Haiti.

GREAT GOD STORY:
With most of our first team back in the US, we are beginning to hear many great “God stories” they didn’t have time to convey last week.  Here’s just one:

One of our missionaries went up to a little 12 year old boy who had both his feet amputated and said to
him, “I would like to pray for you.”

The boys earnestly responded,” No, don’t pray for me, I have Jesus in my
heart.  Pray for all of them” as he pointed to the other
victims.  He pointed to the space where his feet once where, “I
have Jesus in my heart, I know where I am going, pray for
them they have no hope!”

God has His people everywhere!  May He continue to pour out His love and the hope of Jesus Christ upon Haiti!

Haiti Relief Update - 1/22 10PM

Greetings from Calvary Old Bridge!

Things are beginning to pick up momentum….

JACMEL:

Much as He did after Katrina, the Lord seems to be bringing a number of CC’s together to focus on ministry in a specific area — in this case Jacmel.

As our recon team prepares to return to the US this weekend we are planning to insert a combined CCOB / CC Costa Mesa / Cornerstone CC / Castlerock CC team into Jacmel on Sunday with the specific goal of establishing a long-term base of operations.  Tim Wylie will be part of this group, and he’ll be looking to see how we can deploy the tents, huts, and other resources stored after the ministry at Bay St. Louis ended.  He’s also in touch with Mercy Chefs and other organizations who might come together in this endeavor as well.  We’re also in touch with Chet Lowe (CC Ft. L & Patmos Ministries) who is coordinating cargo transport via boat out of Florida.  Combined with the relationship we have with the Dominican navy, this seems to be a promising avenue.

We have a long ways to go before we’re up and running, but the Lord seems to be pointing us in a direction and we’re trusting that He will continue to open doors and redirect us as necessary.

JIMANI:

This morning’s USA Today had an article that mentions the hospitals in Jimani where our teams have been helping out since last Saturday:  http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2010-01-21-Haiti-Dominican_N.htm

We have heard from several CC’s that have medical personnel on standby to deploy, and we’ll be following up as soon as we have housing re-established in the area.  A hotel/motel we had negotiated to take over for the duration reneged on the deal — we’re guessing that someone made them an offer “they couldn’t refuse.”

We have one medical team scheduled to arrive this weekend, and Lord willing we’ll have alternative arrangements in place very soon and can begin facilitating additional medical teams.

PRAYER REQUESTS:

In addition to all of the above, please pray:

*  Wisdom and vision for the new leaders that arrived yesterday.

*  Travel mercy for departing and returning teams.

*  Medical supplies — still a desperate need for surgical supplies & equipment

*  Clarity and unity as multiple CC’s and other ministries come together to serve.

Haiti Relief Effort - Update 1/21 10:30 PM

The situation in Haiti continues to develop day-to-day, even hour to hour.
Among the reports coming in from our team this evening:

*  Aid is beginning to reach areas like Jacmel that were not receiving assistance early this week.  However, there are widespread reports (and firsthand observations by our team) that much of the food and medicine being trucked in is being “diverted” and is not reaching everyone in need.  Our team had resources it arranged to be brought to one location “secured” in a warehouse and only after much effort were they able to obtain their own supplies.

*  The team’s mobility has been greatly enhanced by relationships formed with pilots helping them get around in small planes.  However, the number of people flying into small airports in Haiti from other countries has led to a crackdown at several airports including one our team was using that is now under the control of the Canadian army.

*  Prayer changes things!  One of our teams spent much of the day attempting to obtain and deliver surgical equipment and pain medication so a team of doctors could perform urgent amputations on more than forty patients.  From communication breakdowns, mechanical problems, misdirection, aftershocks, and attempts to confiscate the supplies, it seemed that the supplies would never arrive and the doctors would be forced to perform amputations with no pain medication and improvised tools.  With people around the world praying, however, the resources ultimately arrived just in time.

*  Attempts to identify a suitable location for a large-scale “basecamp” are progressing slowly.  Many buildings are obviously destroyed, and continuing aftershocks make the use of many remaining buildings unwise.  We may be looking at a “tent city” scenario.

*  Doctors and nurses are showing up throughout the country in increasing numbers, but most medical personnel our team has encountered are underutilized due to lack of logistical support and profound lack of surgical equipment and medicine.  ”Don’t send any more tylenol” was a comment made by more than one team member as they searched frantically for stronger pain medicine.

WHAT’S NEXT:
*  Over the next 72 hours we will be rotating personnel in and out of the country.  Two CCOB elders arrived today to get a download on contacts, resources, and other information from our first responders.  They will be joined by a team of eight people from three different CC’s on Saturday, including a surgeon and two combat medics.

The medical team will deploy to Jimani to assist at the refugee hospital there.  The rest of the team will is planning to focus on establishing a staging area for long-term ministry in Jacmel and the surrounding region.  We are in contact with a variety of CC-related ministries that are eager to come alongside once better infrastructure is established.

*  Nine of our eleven first responders will rotate back to the US on Saturday.  The remaining to (one from CCOB and one from Cornerstone CC) plan to remain for a week, continuing to minister and assisting with the transition.

*  As soon as we are able to expand our basecamp near Jimani we will be sending additional medical personnel; we are soliciting donations of surgical equipment, antibiotics, etc. to send with each person going down.

PRAYER:
Every conversation with our teams emphasized how clearly they see prayer playing a role in the ministry happening in Haiti.  From bringing dead radios back online to connections with planes and pilots to opening doors for supplies and in many many other ways, prayer is directly and dramatically fueling the ministry that is happening on the island.  Please continue to pray for open doors, for safety, for necessary supplies, for secure staging areas and basecamps, for travel mercy, for additional contacts w/ planes and pilots, and for the many other needs implicit in this update!

Haiti Relief Effort - Update 1/21 3:30 PM

God continues to use the team in Haiti/DR to accomplish great things!  Below is the most recent update from one of our team members giving an account of God using them to provide for injured Haitians that are in need of emergency surgery. For the past 20 hours the team has been attempting to procure medical and surgical supplies as well as surgical narcotics but have met much difficulty.

Below is the correspondence we received from the team member mentioned above.

We serve a BIG God! Narcotics and medical equipment are on the plane and ready to take off to Jacmel where doctors will literally be standing by the victims ready to operate. Satan is really playing games with communication. False reports of the runway being down etc. Tremors still occurring today (not dangerous) but pilot has no reservations as this is literally a life or death situation. Please pray for safe travel for Gene and the pilot (John).

Urgent Prayer Request - Haiti

Please send out a prayer request. Our team is literally on knees praying as the doctors in jacmel have the patients lined up but can’t do procedures until the plane arrives back with saws and narcotics.

Many of these patients to not have another day to wait before they die or be amputated without narcotics or the proper equipment. We are on our way to a hospital to plead for something at least for the patients who are near the end then racing to the plane.

Haiti Relief Effort - Urgent Needs

I spoke with the Haiti team this AM…

There is an urgent need for the following items in Haiti. Docs they encounter throughout the country say there aren’t any of these things left on the island and so far they aren’t arriving in aid shipments:

Bone plates, esp for youth
Bone saws
Ortho drills and screws and pins
External fixtures
Intramedulla rods

Topical lidocaine
BET gel
Inrocethin
Augmentin
Oral antibiotics
Oral narcotic painkiller

Casting plaster / fiberglass

We have medical personnel travelling with us on Saturday who should have the appropriate credentials to help get such items thru customs.

Please have anyone able to help us source such items contact Pastor Brien at Brien@ccob.org or 732.679.9222.

Even after we leave Saturday we will try to expedite delivery of such supplies, so donations in days and weeks to come are welcome and needed.

That said, our team emphasized that docs are delaying surgeries as long as they can while praying for these items.

Please forward to anyone who might be able to help.

Haiti Relief Effort - Update 1/20 11:11 PM

Below is a portion of an update that one of our team leaders sent to his family over text message.

I’m still in Jacmel. Lived through my first earthquake. A 6.1. You definitely feel the earth move when it strikes. It lasted what seemed to be about 5 seconds, but they said it lasted about 10—thus making it another quake, and not a tremor.

We spent the day around the airport as relief planes came and went. Got a chance to pray with a girl who was there with her deceased friend’s body. She was an American waiting for a plane to take her and the body of her friend back to the U.S.  She was just sitting on the side of the runway with the bodybag.

We were also in downtown Jacmel today and the devastation was heartbreaking.  The doctors are amputating everyone with severe broken bones because they have no screws to put them back together. One of the team members went to the medical warehouse in Santo Domingo to purchase a bunch of ortho supplies.

We should be back in DR tomorrow night. Will update again as soon as I get the chance.

*************************************

Continue to keep the entire advance team in prayer as they seek the Lord and continue to be used by Him to bring comfort and hope in Christ.

Haiti Relief Effort - Update 1/20 5:06 PM

As you most likely heard on the news, the country of Haiti was struck with another earthquake early this morning.   The quake measured 6.0 on the Richter scale.  Everyone on our team has reported they are safe with no injuries.

Today, part of the team ministering had flown back to the capital city of the DR to get more medical supplies.  Please keep this in prayer as the pilot is ill and needed to go to the hospital.  We are not sure if it is a result of exhaustion or something more serious.

Some of the team based in the DR are planning to travel back with the pilot to Leogane as the rest of the team continue to minister at the hospital and lay the groundwork for future teams to make their way into Haiti.

We are waiting to receive contact from the rest of the team in Jacmel but at last contact have been told that things are going well and they are safe.

Please continue to pray for our team, the pilot, and the people of Haiti.

Haiti Relief Effort - Additional Teams News

CCOB will be sending additional personnel to minister in Haiti this week.  Donations of surgical gloves & masks, alcohol swabs, oral & topical antibiotics, ibuprofen and/or Tylenol, and gauze bandages are all welcome.

Haiti Relief Effort - Update 1/20 7:30 AM

Just heard from the CCOB team…a 6.0 aftershock hit this AM but structural damage was minimal where they are ministering and the team is fine. Ministry continuing and all appreciate your prayers!