Feb 27, 2010

So much for a quiet day. I think David ended up having meetings until about 3pm today. The physical therapist came in Mom's room to evaluate her in order to start rehab. She touched a place on Mom's thigh and Mom told her it was real sore. After inspecting the site...and then an ultrasound it was found she had a large blood clot. Dr. Hurley was on call...PTL...he immediately called in a general surgeon to put in a filter. The surgeon arrived quickly but after looking over her lab work decided there was a problem in the kidneys and would need to flush them out before continuing. There will be more lab work tomorrow morning early and if all looks okay they will do the procedure tomorrow. We covet your prayers. Every procedure on a 92 year old is serious.

Feb 27,2010

Long week and little sleep. My mother is doing as well as can be expected. She was moved last night to the rehab floor of the hospital. They will do intensive rehab with her for the next two weeks. Pray for her strength and patience as she goes through this phase of her recovery. Not easy for a 92 year old.
David continues to deal with daily needs of the mission. Wednesday Kevin and Willis from Hopkinsville, Ky came to Haiti to see the Bruns ( their home church) and to do some filming of the devastation. On Friday David drove them down to the southwest to film some of the worse areas. That afternoon he picked up an assessment team of four men from VA that have been to Haiti many times and they are wanting to see what they can do to help.
Today David is trying to prepare for sharing God's Word tomorrow. Pray that he will have some quiet time to do this.

Feb. 24,2010

It's been a long three days since we have updated the blog. Monday afternoon I flew from PAP to Nashville. I had a scheduled 7 hr layover in Miami that turned into 9 hrs. I arrived in Nashville at 1:30 am Tuesday morning. Our friends...Hartsel and Rita...picked me up and brought me to Owensboro. I was in bed by 4:30 am and up and at the hospital at 7am and found my daughter Cindy standing in the hallway of ICU talking with Dr. Hurley. Great to see him. I appreciated him coming by to check on her. I stayed with my Mom most of the day. Dr. Milem...who did the surgery... had been in early to see Mom but was gracious enough to come back to ICU and talk with me later in the day. Mom had a restless afternoon but PTL she was able to sleep most of the night.
Wed. morning she was checked by all three doctors and they have her scheduled to go into a private room sometime today. I was there until 9 am this morning and my brother came. I will be spending the night with her tonight.
I talked with David and he has two men flying in this afternoon and 4 more on Friday. Pray for his continued strength to handle all that is being "put on his plate."

Feb 21, 2010

SUNDAY....great services. Our first service started at 6:15 am in town so we had to leave about 5:45am. Hundreds were outside the church and they were still coming at 8:15. David preached a wonderful message and 3 people made decisions for Christ. At 9:00 am we met Pastor Etienne and went to a new church near Croix-des-Bouquets. This church had just completed a 5 day crusade where 371 people were saved. Again David had to preach under the tarps. When he gave his invitation 4 more accepted the Lord. PTL! Peoples hearts are so open.
We received a call from our daughter Cindy after we returned home. She told us my 92 year old mother fell late last night and broke her hip and top bone in her leg. She is stable but they did not have any openings for surgery today. Looks like it will be done in the morning. When they arrived at the ER Cindy asked for Dr. Milem or Dr Hurley....these are the surgeons who were just at our compound a couple of weeks ago. Dr Milem was on call. He was very kind and explained to my brother and Cindy exactly what the breaks looked like and what he would have to do. I will be flying out to KY tomorrow. Please pray for my Mom and all the family as we minister to her needs.

Feb 20, 2010

Yesterday afternoon we had a visit from Wallace and Eleanor Turnbull. They are a couple who have lived and ministered in Haiti for 62 years. They had just flown in on American Airlines first flight since the earthquake. They had a meeting with someone at Samaritan's Purse and stayed and visited with us for a couple of hours. They are certainly a wealth of stories and information about Haiti.
This morning we needed to pack up the Kendall house and get things ready to ship out to them. We asked the young people from Friendship ships if they would help us. What workers !!!!!!! We had the house packed up and in the trailer waiting for the container to arrive in less than 5hrs. It is amazing what that many extra hands can accomplish.
We are leaving in the morning at 5:45 am for David to preach at Second Baptist Church in town. He will preach a second service in an area called Santos at 9:30am. Pray for his strength as he delivers the message the Lord has laid on his heart.

Feb 19,2010

The 40ft container that we purchased on Wednesday arrived today. PTL! It wasn't cheap but we were thrilled to find it so we would have a place to store some of the donated items when they arrive. We continue to try to help the other American organizations personnel adjust to this culture and answer their many many questions about living in Haiti.
The Burn Clinic is being used not only to minister to the medical needs of the people but also to the spiritual. The hearts of the people are open and as they sing, pray and share the Gospel each day during clinic hours many have accepted Jesus as their personal savior.

Feb 19,2010

Thursday we spent most of the day trying to meet and get to know the many different organizations on the compound. Two of the smaller organizations were wanting fresh vegetables and didn't know how or where to purchase them. I helped them make a list and then sent our buyer to purchase these items. Tomorrow I am going to take the lady that is cooking for the NC Baptist group to the TiTanyen market to show her how to buy there. Samaritan's Purse was finally able to unload the ship of supplies that had be waiting at the dock. Now they have a lot of tarps and building materials to work with. Many of our crew spent the day cleaning out our lower depot so we would have a place to store some of the steel and materials we purchased on Wed.

Feb 17, 2010

Yesterday while we were traveling around the city ....on Madi Gras Tuesday....we were so blessed to see that church services were replacing Rah Rah's everywhere. Haitians were were worshipping all day long. Friends of ours sent us pictures of the hundreds of thousands of Haitians that lifted their voices and hands to the Lord as they gathered in front of the destroyed National Palace on Feb 12...one month after the earthquake.
Today we spent most of the day trying to purchase sand, gravel, blocks, steel and lumber for construction of new houses for Haitians. We have not been able to find any tin roofing any where in the country. The factory was destroyed and they said they are hoping they can have some tin shipped in by next month. Our first construction of a home in the village of TiTanyen is finished all but the roofing and looks like that will have to wait. It may be that we will have to ship a container of tin roofing into Haiti. No quick fixes....

Feb 16, 2010

Nothing could prepare me for what I saw today as we drove through the capital. I had seen lots of film footage on TV. David had sent me pictures but NOTHING could prepare me for the devastation that I witnessed. The main street of PAP looks like it has been bombed and bombed again. Very few buildings standing and the ones that are standing will fall when they try to clean up the damaged ones.
It amazed me to see how the people continue to try to do commerce on top of the rubble. Please pray for their continued resilience in the midst of devastating circumstances.

Feb 15, 2010

Sunday David preached at TiTanyen church. No one is going back into the church buildings right now so the service was held outdoors ....actually in the yard of the kindergarten. It was full and outside the fenced area were approximately 700 more people. David gave an invitation and then turned the service over to Pastor Kelly. David had to leave to take Pete to Jacmel. Monday Kelly told David there were 168 first time decisions. Also on Monday the church had a class for the 400 new converts. (many of these saved during the three days of fasting and praying). They divided them up into groups of 30 and had a teacher for each group. They taught the book "All things new" explaining the complete plan of salvation and the new birth written by T.D. Hall and translated into Creole by Pastor Kelly many years ago

Feb 14, 2010

Yesterday I went to Louisville. I spent the night with David Jr and Betsy so we would be ready to leave for Haiti on Sunday. We flew commercially to Ft Lauderdale spent the night there. At 8:30 am we had "wheels up" on a Samaritan's Purse charter plane with 7 other passengers aboard. What a blessing to finally arrive "home". It was a wonderful reunion with David and the rest of our staff. So good to see all our Haitian staff too. They've been so busy since the quake with all the people on the compound. A lot of the Haitians from the village have been hired by all the organizations on the ground at our campus. This is so good since the village has been short on jobs for a long time.
David along with the Brumley's took Pete to Jacmel to catch the private plane back to Jamaica. After the ride there Pete told David he should have asked the pilot to pick him up in PAP. The mountain road was all to pieces with rock slides and in some places a third or the road was gone. the reason they wanted to go to Jacmel was to visit with Cody and Maria and see how they were doing.

Feb 13, 2010

Pete Gibson...Global Outreach's missionary personnel Director, arrived in Haiti yesterday. I know that he will be a blessing to David and the rest of our staff. David is also showing Pete the devastation that occurred during the earthquake.

Feb 12, 2010

What a way to start a day.! I had the pleasure of going to the open morning assembly of West Louisville Elementary School. The purpose of my visit was to receive a check for the earthquake relief fund. The kids had brought their coins into the school for several days and they presented it to me today. Yesterday I had an appointment to receive another large donation from Southern Oaks Elementary School but they didn't have school due to snow. Today two of the schools representatives came to the house and presented the check to me. They had made a large replica of the check and took pictures to show the kids on Monday just how much money they were able to raise. They did this by having a penny day, a nickel day, a dime day, a quarter day and a dollar day. A couple of weeks ago Country Heights had several fund raising events and they gathered a large amount of cash and medical supplies to be sent to Haiti. It is amazing how much can be accomplished by people with a vision.
WE WANT TO THANK EACH AND EVERY TEACHER, PARENT AND STUDENT FOR REACHING OUT AND HELPING THE PEOPLE OF HAITI. We are overwhelmed by the lives that have been touched. God bless each and everyone

Feb 11,.2010

Snow has slowed me down for things outside the home but has been very good for getting reports, etc ready to send into the GO Office. '
David continues to take care of the day to day operational problems. People continue to stop by and need a place to stay. He told me last week that it looked like maybe the Volunteer quarters would be empty for a few days. That has not happened. I think it has been full most nights. Several groups stopped by yesterday looking for a place to land....even with tents and food we don't have enough showers and bathrooms to accommodate any more. So much activity. Trying to get some food out to the community. So difficult with so many needs.
Today David called at 6 am saying they had a refrigerator and freezer go out so he needed to go in town and try to buy one of each. The main store where we purchase these types of items ...near the US Embassy...had damage and it was closed. Their downtown store amazingly was still standing and they had what he needed. PTL! The heat there is so hard on any type of refrigeration and refrigerators don't seem to last very long.
While I was talking with David this morning he had a knock on the door. It was Frankel....our boss mason...for many years. ( David had the privilege of leading Frankel to the Lord in the early 80"s) David had called him yesterday and asked him to come out to the compound because he had some work for him. David asked Frankel to come in and speak with me on the phone. So good to talk with him but so hard to hear that he had lost his home and that some of his family had cuts and bruises but praise the Lord they were all alive. The entire family is sleeping in a little tent outside the home and last night it rained. He said..."I was so cold." Rainy season is coming and the Haitians are sleeping out in the elements. Please pray that many more tents will be available for shelter.

Feb 9, 2010`

So many supplies needed but Silvadene (burn cream) and Coban always seem in short supply. We are so fortunate that one of the doctors here in Owensboro is willing to allow us to purchase these items through him at cost. I was able to purchase 80 jars and I sent some Silvadene in with David over a month ago. I asked the NC Baptist teams if I could ship some cream and coban to them and have their teams take it to our compound. They were willing so yesterday I shipped 30 jars and a case of coban. PTL! Now to figure out how to get the last 24 jars to Haiti.
At 6pm last night I was honored to be able to speak with a Women's group at Walnut Memorial Baptist Church . They had asked me to share my testimony. They were gracious enough to allow me to go first...even before the meal....because I had another appointment at 7pm. Becky and Jim Ivy invited me, Dr Hurley and wife and Dr Milem (he and his wife have 5 children so it was too difficult for her to come) to have dinner with them.. These are the surgeons that went to Haiti couple of weeks ago. It was great to hear their stories. ...some so tragic, some of great victories and of course a few funny things too. It is always amazing to me to see how Haiti effects peoples lives. David and I know and share with people that come....that once you've been to Haiti your life will never be the same. This is as true today as it was before the earthquake.

Feb 7, 2010

David preached today at Shekina Church. There is damage to the church but it is still usable however the Haitians are just too fearful to go inside a building. They moved the pews out under sheets and tarps and had the service outside. The services now start at 6 am till 9am. Trying to get the service in before the sun is too hot. In all this....hearts are open and 16 people accepted Jesus Christ as their personal savior this morning. PTL!

Feb 6, 2010

GOOD DAY... Friendship Ministries boat arrived in Haiti a few days ago. They are docked at the cement plant that is only about 4 miles north of us. Pete Gibson had purchased seven pallets of food products to be shipped on this first trip down. Yesterday David and crew were able to pick up all the pallets and bring the items to our compound. Just in time....we were out of rice to give out to the "elderly feeding program" on Monday. PTL! God is never late.
Tommy and Becky Scott...Nashville, TN...have been so gracious to allow us to ship containers out of their warehouse. They have a 10,000 sq ft warehouse where they receive and ship containers to missionaries all over the world. Their businees is electrical contracting and this warehouse ministry is something the Lord called them to many years ago. The Lord pours items into them and they ship them out both locally and internationally.
David Jr and his wife Betsy brought a group of 10 people to Nashville from Louisville. Paul and Joyce Scott came from Orleans, IN with 6 people from their church. They picked me up in Owensboro on their way to Nashville. We met at the warehouse to sort and box items that had come in to Becky and Tommy for Haiti. Joan Tollman....a missionary living in Nashville right now...joined us. It is amazing how much can be done with so many willing hands. By late afternoon 48 pallets had been sorted, boxed, palletized, shrink wrapped and lined up for loading on a container Feb 12th. The container will be shipped to Haiti on Feb 16th. This will be the first of many. THANKS to everyone who participated.

Feb 5, 2010

It's Friday already. I had a good week in Tupelo. Betsy....my daughter-in-law ....drove down with me. I had a chance to teach 5 sessions during MOT and the rest of the time I spent sharing with people on the phone and in person. Met with several pastors that are interested in bringing teams to Haiti in the next few months. West Heights Baptist Church in Pontotoc, MS invited our GO staff and MOT class to have dinner at their church on Wed. night. The pastor was so gracious and gave me the night service to share about what was going on in Haiti. I was really blessed to have a huge group of RA boys and GA girls in the service. When I finished sharing I opened it up to questions and these young ones were very quick to raise their hands to ask their questions. Praise the Lord we are bringing our children up to be aware of missions.
David continues to be involved in all the day to day ministries. Yesterday he was at the bank cashing a check and the teller asked him if he had a tent. He said, "Pastor, I have a wife and an 18 month old baby and my wife is pregnant again. We have no place to sleep". Another teller asked the same thing. David said he didn't have tents but he would try to get them some plastic or some tarps. They said anything he could do would be a blessing. David then asked how many people there on staff needed some plastic. They told him 22. The need for tents is so great. Rainy season will come in just a few weeks.
The Friendship ship arrived with some of our supplies that were shipped out of LA. David, Chris and Josh went to the dock to check and see if our things had come. They were touring the ship when the daughter of the owner of the ship asked Josh if he liked ice cream. WHAT???/ are you kidding? She gave him about a gallon of ice cream to take home. What a treat!!! It is amazing what a simple thing like ice cream can mean at a time like this.
Today Franklin Graham and two of his board members came to spend some time checking on how all the Samaritan's Purse ministry was progressing. After dinner tonight Franklin shared for about 30 minutes with all the people on the compound.... (a blessing to have some more of the 82nd airborne on the compound). We know this was a great encouragement to all.

Feb 1, 2010

David had an opportunity this morning to take a filming crew from LOI out to see many of the devastated areas. First they went to a hospital where many of the medical teams staying on our compound are working. One of the doctors allowed them to come in where he was doing surgery. They were able to travel out the main road going to the southwest of Haiti. David said Grand Goave had a lot of damage. Petit Goave didn't have as much destruction but he traveled 5 miles further west where Pastor Neance (first pastor we worked with when we went to Haiti) ministers and he had some damage to his church. It is so hard seeing the total destruction of homes, etc.
After waiting until about 9am ...hoping the ice on the roads would melt....Betsy (my daughter-in-law and I started out for Tupelo. Gary Richardson came to the northwest side of Nashville to meet us with the new brochures and prayer cards he had printed for our ministry. We were completely out and had many people and churches asking for copies to hand out. This week I am teaching in MOT (missionary orientation training) for our Global Outreach home office in Tupelo. What a blessing to a part of sending out new missionaries to the field. Being here is giving me the opportunity to meet with churches and individuals who want to come and be a part of our lives and ministry.