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Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Making A Difference

Just before Wesley returned home to Canadian, TX, the local newspaper The Canadian Record interviewed his wife, Ashleigh, about his response to the news of the earthquake in Haiti. The paper even included scripture and the MGM website address, to give people an avenue of how they can help the ongoing efforts. The newspaper wants to do a follow up in this week's addition.

Last Sunday Wes was asked to speak about his trip at his boss' church and how they could help the relief efforts and yesterday Amarillo's channel10 newscast did an interview with Wesley.

It's people like Wesley, people from your community, that can make a difference in people's lives Not only in times of natural catastrophes, but daily reaching out to ones who are hurting and searching for a reason to life.

Be a Light!

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Brian called!

Heard my man's voice!

He'd just arrived at the border for another transfer of supplies from our relief team in the DR.
Looks like his time will be extended another several weeks as he continues to make these supply runs, and distribution of supplies to the Haitians coming to SonLight Children Home and Nutrition Center for aid.

His passport was returned to him!

Keep him and the others in your prayers, that their health and stamina stays in tact, as they pour out themselves for the hurting.

Prayers For a Friend

I'm asking for all to be in prayer for a special friend, Andrea Sutton, and her family (husband, David and daughter, Ashleigh), who've just lost their little boy, Daniel, who was 3, in a tragic accident at home.

Andrea has always been there for families who've lost loved ones, from cancer or sudden accidents, lifting them up in prayer and being by their sides to comfort them while they grieve. I want to try and walk the walk she has walked.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Another earthquake!

As most of you may have seen on the news, Haiti was hit by a 6.0 earthquake this morning.
They have felt many aftershocks but this was stronger than those.

We have heard from Brad and he is OK. Also just heard that Roberta is OK as well. The children just moved outside quickly. They were surprised when told how strong this earthquake was because it did not feel that strong. Thankfully they are all safe!

Our small group with Brian and Monica that was traveling in decided, because they were so fatigued, to sleep in a hotel before they began their travels. They are on the road now so still have about 5 hours to reach Port Au Prince.

Manna Global Update -A Week After the Quake

We appreciate all of your prayers and concerns for our efforts to support Haiti! I will try to catch you up on what has happened over the past couple of days.

We were informed that the borders between Haiti and the Dominican Republic were wide open and supplies could be brought through this way. A successful delivery to the border was made on Sunday night and Roberta and 4,000 lbs. of supplies made it safely back to her home (Sonlight Children's Home). The supplies that she received have been a blessing to all she has been in contact with and serves.

Our Diahatsu truck is finding a new home in Haiti (the borders are currently open with no one stopping supplies or vehicles of supplies entering, so this is the time to get it through. The paperwork for this transfer any other given day would take months to complete). Norm and Holly drove it to Santo Domingo and picked up Monica from the airport and Brian from the bus station. They loaded it with pounds and pounds of supplies. Say a prayer for them before you go to sleep tonight that they have a safe trip over the border and Norm has a safe trip back to Rio San Juan. We will be purchasing a new Diahatsu for the MannaDR compound sometime this week.

The full amount of each of your Haiti donations (100%) have been helping buy supplies including fuel, gas, food, tents, water, etc. for those suffering in Haiti. We are continuing to find ways we can be of service! The Lord has blessed us so much with safe trips and exchanges of goods. Please continue to be in prayer that the borders will stay open.

It is important for each of us to recognize that the need for clean water, food, medical assistance, and other things that sustain life will not end in a month or even six months. We are committed to staying focused on the needs of those in Haiti for as long as we are needed.

Sincerely,Laura Beth Lamb
Manna Global Ministries

P.S. If you are trying to make a donation on our website through paypal, some have encountered a small glitch; please log out of your personal paypal account before pressing the donation button. This hopefully will not continue to be a problem when our website is updated within the next few days.

Manna Global Ministries
PO Box 2993
Clarksville, Indiana 47131

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Heard From Brian!

Received a call from Brian. He's well.

He'd just arrived at Santo Domingo in the DR by Terra Bus to meet up with Norm there in order to drive the Daihatzu and another load of supplies: fuel, food, water, tents, as well as Monica (who has been keeping us posted of happenings on our blogsite: http://theheartofmanna.blogspot.com , so updates there will stall temporarily) and several medical people, who Brad works with, have come in to give assistance and more medical supplies.

The bus company lost his passport and he was waiting at the bus station hoping that the next scheduled bus crossing over the border may have retrieved it and brought it with them. He doesn't feel that this will hinder his return into Haiti as he had not had to show his passport in his previous crossings until the bus he was traveling on was required to show the passengers PPs at the border.

Our son, Wesley, flies out of the DR today to return to his family. Please keep him and others who have been part of the relief efforts and are returning home, in your prayers as they process all that they've been a part of.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Today's Update from MGM

Please be in further prayer about something that we have been praying for since we knew that it may be a possibility. Norm, and some of his trusting Dominican helpers, are on their way to the Dominican Republic/Haiti border with about 4,000 lbs. of supplies for Roberta, including 2 tents, rice, beans, oil for lamps, water, 75 gallons of gas and diesel, etc.

He will be picking up 5 of our team, including Wesley Wallace, Melissa Jung, Holly Eckhart, Luckson Previl and Josh Wyatt. They will be staying near Santiago or Santo Domingo tonight and the ones who are traveling back to the states will be hopefully on their way back within the next 24 hours! The border authorities allowed Roberta to drive in so that they can do an easy transfer from truck to truck of the supplies he has for Roberta.

Please, please pray that this transition goes well! This could open up so many possibilities for us and you to be of service to those in Haiti that need our help!

Please don't forget to email Laura Beth Lamb if you are interested in serving as a doctor, construction worker, cook or just feel the need to help (and can speak Creole!). We do not any decisions made yet but will be in contact with you as soon as we have any details and prayerful decisions from Brad and Brian.

Laura Beth Lamb
Manna Global Ministries

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Norm's Haiti 01/15/09 Update

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Day 2

Our group was in Port au Prince today and were able to check the children's home run by Roberta. She was out of town at the time of the earthquake but is booked on a flight through MFI in the morning. Sadly, we had gotten word earlier in the week that one of the children had been killed when an outer wall fell, but the rest of the children are well. Most of the outer walls are down, but their home appears to have no structural damage. The kids are managing very well and and will have part of our group staying with them for the next few days. They have the food they need and are boiling water from their well. Thankful to hear the children are doing well and have a safe place to sleep at night!

Most of the group was going out into the city to be of help where ever they are needed. As they were driving through the city, they "happened" to see a surgeon and director of an NGO that they had met in the DR. They stopped to talk with him and he told them there was a hospital that was in serious need of help and how to get there. They went directly there and hundreds of people were waiting, needing medical attention and very few medical personal. Our team was put to work immediately and worked there all day. They eventually had to leave to insure they were back to Mission of Hope before dark.

There is a water and fuel shortage now, so travel is limited and difficult. Through a conference call this morning, we were able to discuss some options for taking groups but we are praying that God gives us guidance in making some big decisions.

Words cannot express the gratitude we feel for all of you who have sent encouraging words, verses, offered help, donations, and really the list could go on forever! Please continue to relay all communication through Laura Beth Lamb whether you are interested in going on a relief trip or would like to make a donation. 100% of your donation will will be sent to Haiti for relief and on-going support. Donations can be made through our website or by sending a check to MGM (PO Box 2993, Clarksville, IN 47131).We're praying that God directs those working in Haiti to where they are needed most and that they will take His light and hope with them as they go. With each moment, we continue to pray for those who are trapped, that they will be found, and that those who are hurt will receive comfort. Lord, make yourself known in a mighty way.

"I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, because I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints. I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints." - Philemon 1:4-6

Sincerely,
Laura Beth Lamb
Administrative Director

Friday, January 15, 2010

Haiti Update

From DR MGM Missionary, Norm Curington
Friday January 15th, 2010

First of all, we are all safe and where I believe God needs us to be. Thank you for your prayers, I promise they were answered. We saw some miracles yesterday just in the DR, on the way to Haiti. Most of you know that I (along with an amazing team) have been involved in the work in Haiti and the Dominican for some time. I'm now permanently based in the DR helping lead the program along side of some incredible folks. My co-directors are Brad Gautney and Brian Wallace. They are leading our on-going Haiti project and are also now leading our relief response to the earthquake in Port Au Prince. We've moblized our team to assist with the earthquake disaster. Below is the latest I know.....If this update doesn't answer your questions, I (or somone on the Manna team) will do our best to get back with you.

The update is long but hopefully is helpful to get perspective.Yesterday, Thursday, getting our Manna crew from the DR to Haiti was just about impossible to describe, and just about impossible to do, short of God delievering. But even more amazing is that God, by nothing sort of a few miracles, did get ALL our relief crew there! I live in the DR permanently, but many other of the Manna team flew in Wednesday night. My job here on the DR side is to basically assist with staging of folks and resources to get to Haiti. WE have vehicles, a large compound, and folks to assist when needed. I'll stay in the DR to assist with whatever I need to, to the relief in Haiti.

We arrived to Santo Domingo, DR yesterday morning (Thursday) thinking that they would either fly or drive to the Haiti boarder. Turns out, that plan was shared by countless other relief teams; news crews (ABC, NBC, FOX,etc.) and other profit seekers (yuk!!). And, as you have probably heard,the boarders between the DR and Haiti were closed, reopened, closed again,etc. And, the airport in Haiti was already so full of planes, and with theneed to get C-130's to deliver supplies, most of the folks in the DR at the airport were not able to get to Haiti. The airport was closed. Planes has no space to park in Port Au Prince and we thus turned away. However, God delivered a UN (United Nations) plane to us!! (which was very expensive, see below) And UN planes had clearance to land, when none others did. So, by the grace of God, I saw the last of our crew take off from the DR around 8:30PM last night, and arrived there 20 minutes later to Port AuPrince (it's a very quick jet ride from the Santo Domingo to the DR).

I then drove back to Rio San Juan, arriving around midnight last night. The Manna team has satelite phones and other communication services where they are, but communications may be limited just based on the task they need tofocus on now. They are staying at a children's home compound (Mission of Hope, I want to say) 30-45 minutes out of Port Au Prince, which is safe and has full supplies (for now).

Our Manna relief team consists of literally some of the most skilled workers you could ask for in terms of medical relief and helping in this situation. Many of you know Brad and Monica Gautney and his clinical skills and their relief work in Cap Haitien for years in Haiti. Brian Wallace and his son Wesley are two of the most versitle and familiar folks with Haiti, also speaking Creole. Brian is a former member of "special forces' for the S.African army but has been a missionary for the last 30 years; of which many of those were in Haiti. He will keep our team as safe as possible. Also among there are Holly Eckhert and Melissa Jung, two RN nurses and former Haitian missionaries who "just happen to be" working in the DR withour team here for a 3 month period, when the earthquake struck. Also visiting me was Luckson Previl, a 2nd year optometry student, but a person who can only be describe as my brother, who happens to be Haitian and is one of the finest persons I've ever met. Our entire team has a collective ton of Haitian culture and conditon experience, clinical experience,and they all speak Creole! I don't think we could have asked for a more incredible team.

You'll be hearing from us as soon as updates are available. But, to be perfectly honest, the financial need is very strong. We were able to borrow money to purchase about $5,000 in bandages, drugs, andmedical supplies here in the DR. In addition, the transportation cost to get folks there was very very expensive, but we kept saying that if our child or our brother or our mother/father were there waiting to receive relief, what expense we would pay to have that relief come? And we concluded, there was no price we wouldn't pay. And that was just the approach we had to take. For whatever reason, we had the skills and abilities to help in this crisis, so we trusted that we were meant to go. Yes, prices have sky rocketed like you could not even imagine. Transportation cost now about 400% higher than two day ago, and likely will go higher. And we had/have two choices, pay what we have to do help; or stay resolute to not pay the profiteers. Perhaps we were wrong, but we made a choice that we believed was God's desire, and that's to help at all cost. (Haiti, unless you've been, is just undescribable. Such pricing is totally to be expected. When any critical event occurs in Haiti, prices go through the roof and supplies get very scarce; you can only imagine what will happen in this situation.) The very fact that many relief worker folks are still waiting to get in, regardless of their financial resources (and some had deep deep pockets), and we were able to get on the UN plane was just amazing.

We don't have all the answers and we can't heal all the hurting. But I promise the team we've placed there (or more properly stated, God placed) is incredible and honorable and I'm so thankful and proud to have a tiny role in their work. They will do excellent work.

Many have asked how long we will be there and what physical help we need. That answer will come as we learn more and hear from those on the ground there. We will let you know as soon as we know.It was an amazing day yesterday. I learned a ton about emergency relief efforts in a third world country. How it works, and just as importantly how it doesn't work. But, in the end, our folks are where they need to be, saving lives, helping the hurting, and changing lives. It's good to be on this team. Thank you God. If you'd like to help, please direct those communications to Laura Beth Lamb at laurabethlamb@mannaglobalministries.org or Monica Gautney at monica@mannaglobalministries.org. They are two amazing women, both former missionaries here and Monica in Haiti. They work in theory"part-time" for Manna, but the reality is, they work full time for Manna, along with other jobs and responsiblities for their family. Again, just a super super team.

Again, thank you all for your prayers. I said it up front, but I need to repeat, they were answered. Please continue. Only God can solve this. We cannot no matter what skills we have; we hope we are used by Him.

God bless,
Norm

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Prayers for Haiti (MGM Haiti Update)

Brian, Brad and Norm just got off a conference call regarding the desire to help in Haiti. As you may recall, Brian and Brad both speak fluent Creole and are currently working together on several Haiti projects. Brad is a trained Nurse Practitioner and Brian has excellent skills for extremely harsh physical conditions, and both have a ton of missionary experience in Haiti. So Brad and Brian are flying in to the DR tomorrow evening, and will be crossing the border into Haiti the following morning (Thursday) to do an assessment. After which, we will coordinate our efforts to lend whatever support we can be to the folks in Port Au Prince based on their assessment and recommendation as to how we can help. Lord willing, Brad will have communication tools (satellite phone) to keep us informed and updated.

Once Brad & Brian decide how best to respond, our administrative team (Laura Beth, Monica and Norm) will communicate how we think we can help, and what help we need from folks stateside.

We hope and pray that our contacts in the US could join us in our efforts once we know exactly what we think we can do. Likely that will entail a much larger medical and relief team and financial assistance, but we need to hear from Brad and Brian after they get to PAP to do see the conditions. (Our plan is also to try to get to Roberta's place as soon as possible. Roberta, some of you know, is not in Haiti currently; Thomas is in charge and fully capable, but may need some reinforcements.

Pray for all of those working in the days ahead to meet the needs all around them. Pray that Brian, Brad and Wesley (Brian and Tammie's son) have safe travels.