Living through disaster...

Recent update from Hans Meinardus, out friend at Frontier Camp
See Pastor Gersan Valcin's heartbreaking update below...

� There are so many exciting things to tell you about in Haiti. We have had the privilege of receiving several emails from Gersan and even a couple of pictures. These have all be placed on our Facebook Page. Anyone can visit the Facebook page and you can add your comments, pictures, etc. if you are a member of Facebook. We are so pleased that over 200 people have joined our group and are interested in the ministry of Gersan and Betty. We will probably start sending fewer emails and encourage you to visit the Facebook page often as there is up to date information posted there as soon as it is received. Please look under the Discussions tab to see the longer messages from people.

� The leadership team met tonight and it was decided that the group will be referred to as ECC Haiti Recovery. ECC is for Evangelical Community Church which is the name of Gersan and Betty's congregation. So don't be confused if you start hearing that name.

� Noelle was interviewed by a Houston TV station, you can see the clip online http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/video?id=7225548

This weekend in Haiti brought the beginning of the total reality of what families in Gersan�s church, The Evangelical Community Church of Haiti, are now dealing with. A much smaller than normal group of believers gathered at church on Sunday. Through tears of grief, they also praised the Lord for many miracles that occurred. They shared their pain as they recounted the stories about those who are now on �heaven�s side� and also those for whom they are still searching. Gersan tells us best in his own words:

Friday the 16th

It's 9:30 pm and there is no electricity in the Port-au-Prince. It's unusually cold. Betty and I are in the van for our third night. All around us
on the street are people. Some are sleeping in their car and others just on the ground. We had a surplus of mattresses from last week
camp and we gave them all away. I keep in the Van one jacket just in case I might be called for funerals. So far, the situation is so bad that we don't have time for proper burials. People are just put in a common grave.

Out in the dark people are singing songs of praises making harmonies. I don't know how long they will sing, but it's beautiful.

Because of news about criminals breaking out of jail, we put cars on each side of the road and put a brigade overnight. We are fortunate to have water and so far the food we need for the day. We take one meal a day and save what we can because we don't know how long the situation will last. Each night

I pray for it not to rain. With so many people outside and no tent, it will be good not to have rain. God has been faithful to keep all the rains in Cap-Haitian area. We also need to pray for the people there because their crops are receiving too much rain and they will have a hard time this summer. We share everything and it's such a great testimony for the unsaved. One woman in our neighborhood starts to develop some interest in the Gospel. She realized how we as evangelicals we life our faith: how we care for each other and love each other. I shared the gospel with her.

Saturday morning the 17th

I left home to drop a family member to a place where she can take a tap-tap. After I dropped them in Petion ville, I turn to go back home. 4 people get into my car and ask me to drop them to where they were going. As they were in the car, I took the time to hear each one story and each one had a family member that was under the wreckages. One particular man who was silent all along started to tell his story. 8 family members are dead under his house and he was going to try to find a way to get to them. When he started, there was no emotion on his face, but when he came across the house he broke in tears and pointed to the place: here is the house; here is the house he cried!!! Tears came down all over his face. I stop and let him step down the car. I stood there for a few minutes hopelessly and looked around; but there was nothing I could do. He turned with his hands up over his head in despair. He turned around at lease three times and looked for help; but there was no help. That was one of the most painful minute of my life! There is nothing as painful as hopelessness! After this crisis, there will be need for a lot of counseling. People that seem to be strong now, when face with the reality of their lost will probably lose their mind.


Sunday, Jan. 18
Today at church, few people show up as this is unusual for Haitians, we knew that something has changed. Most of the people are out of their home and not able to travel because their car has been damaged. We have heard many stories of how God miraculously spared the lives of friends, family and coworkers in spite of the disaster all around.

We have also heard of some difficult stories. One woman shared how her husband and three of her children were buried aive under the wreckage of her house and she stood there crying with no help around. They all passed away and she was at church to share the story. Another father stood with his baby girls with almost not cloth sharing how his wife and her mother died. A young girl Regine Michel raised her only moving arm in the air to give praise to God for saving her life. Her left arm was broken in two places and no hospital wanted to help her because her wound was not life threatening. We praise God for one congressman that was present and that took her to the DR boarder in the hope that she will find help and they will not have to amputate her arm.

Like a sister wrote in her news letter, �this event has reminded us, once again, how fragile life is. We can be called home at any time and so we should live in such a way that we will not be ashamed when we meet Him.

Nothing in my life and training prepared me for a tragedy of that magnitude. That was the opportunity to turn to the Word of God. We read the third chapter of Lamentations and shared some words of comfort from the 46th Psalms. In the day a head, we will conduct symbolic funerals for the dead ones. Thank you for your prayers and support!

(Sunday evening)
This is the sixth night and again it may rain. So far, God did hold it back, but it would be a disaster with all the dead bodies out there and so many people sleeping outside. We pray again for the rain not to come. As the sun come down each day, I go to the refugee cam at the church to pray with the people before they go to sleep. This is a time they all look forward to. Before I get there, a tap-tap driver plays some Christian music and they are ready for me to come and pray with them. Using the Frontier Camp speaker phone we sing and recite a psalm and pray with them. On Saturday night, I had to pick up a team of Haitian doctors in Petionville and I was not able to make it back to the church. To night, the people at the camp shared with me how they missed that time of prayer on Saturday night. As I pray with them each night they always clap at the end. This is a way to express their gratitude to the Lord for just being alive. I see a lot of strength in them and I�m glad that they get their strength from the Lord. In Psalms 46:1, it is said that God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble. More and more people are finding their strength in God. I pray that Haiti will never be the same again!

Gersan

Share your experiences here...

Today we kicked off our church-wide campaign to listen through the New Testament in 40 days. Feel free to comment on your encounters with God and others as you let words or texts envelope you, meditate on them and pray them deep into the fabric of your life. Today we listened, or read, Matthew chapters 1 - 7. Anything jump out at you?