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How You Can Give to Haiti

How You Can Give to Haiti

Makes check payable to: Woodruff Road Presbyterian Church

On the memo line of the check: PMH—Earthquake Relief

Mail checks to:

Woodruff Road Presbyterian Church
Attn: Scott Clark, PMH
2519 Woodruff Rd.
Simpsonville, SC 29681

100% of your donation will enable PMH to continue ministering in Word and Deed to the earthquake victims in Haiti. No administrative fees are deducted from any PMH funds collected by Woodruff Road Presbyterian Church (WRPC).

In the near term, your donations will be used to purchase urgently needed items such as medical supplies, food, and fuel. This will equip PMH to care for the immediate needs of patients in the medical clinic, the displaced families within the churches and schools of PMH, and those within the communities in which PMH serves.

As we move beyond this state of emergency, PMH will use any remaining funds designated for "Earthquake Relief" to help rebuild the lives of those Haitians within the reach of PMH who have lost their homes and possessions. We pray that the airport will be open soon for our PMH friends to begin sending short-term teams to assist us in this long-term rebuilding effort.

As you know, PMH was founded by our Haitian brother in the LORD, Reverend Charles Amicy. Not only is he a faithful Reformed Presbyterian pastor, but he is also a Haitian. He is especially equipped to use your donations with wisdom in the context of the Haitian culture. Your donations will make a difference.

Please feel free to call me with any questions.

In the Lord,

Scott Clark
Secretary of the PMH Board
Missions Committee member of WRPC
864-335-9640 (home)
864-483-1512 (cell)
tscottclark2000@yahoo.com

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. —Ephesians 6:10

#10 Feb. 10 2010

It has been 2-1/2 weeks since our last report to you. Time has passed, but the days have been full, and the Lord has been at work. We thank you again for your prayers. From this point forward, to save time (for me!) we will be posting updates here on the website instead of sending emails.

Prepare yourself. This is a long update. The recommended action plan for PMH and visiting short-term teams is towards the end.

Operation SHORT-TERM RE-SUPPLY

As you know from Jay Cherry's email that we posted, Operation SHORT-TERM RE-SUPPLY was a success. A combination of two teams (MTH Canada and Lespwa Worldwide) met in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on Jan. 20-21. The Lord blessed their efforts in remarkable ways. By Saturday noon, Jan. 23, two 22 ft. cargo trucks of supplies were being unloaded on the PMH campus. This will keep PMH supplied for many weeks until things start flowing in Haiti again (Lord willing!). We are so grateful to the MTH Canada and Lespwa men for tackling this operation like a team of Marines. Think about it—within 10 full days from the earthquake, these guys made it to the DR and then to Haiti via helicopter and truck convoy with the supplies PMH needed most so that PMH could continue to minister the grace of Christ to those in need. Furthermore, these two teams raised the funds through their own organizations to generously provide for this effort. Thank you MTH Canada—Bill Dejong and the three men who came down with you. Thank you Lespwa Worldwide—Jay, Jeremy, Kyle, Austin and Lockwood.

Check out the Lespwa team's video-story of their adventure. It also contains footage of the PMH campus, patients, etc.

Medical Clinic

We would like to share a testimony from Dr. John Gale, one of the men with Flying Doctors of America who was one of the first to arrive on the scene. He served for two grueling weeks. In this email quote, he is writing to Pastor Amicy

I told your wife [Antonine Amicy] one evening in the kitchen...that she, and all of her friends that sang truly soothed my soul. If not for them singing, and the patients singing...I would have gone mad. There was so much chaos, and so much hurt, and so much death, I had no where to turn. One morning I awoke at 3:45 am to cries of pain. I went down stairs to the clinic/church and a man was wailing in pain. He was the man with the bars attached to his broken hips ( one we got on the helicopters ). He was hurting so badly. I gave him pain medicine and stayed with him until it began to work. After everyone settled down I visited a man with a head trauma. His wife and mother were there with him. They comforted him and tried everything they could to alleviate his pain. The only thing that could have been done...even in a hospital...was to drill holes in his skull to relieve the pressure building inside his head from internal bleeding. We all knew it was a matter of time before he died.

I saw that there on your desk was a cordless drill. Yellow if my memory serves me correctly. I took it upstairs to the room we were staying in and asked the other doctors if they thought we could help him by drilling a few holes. They all agreed that the infection we would induce would be far worse than the problems he presently had...so I returned the drill to your office. I sat with him for an hour. He asked me to pray for him, in perfect english. I told him that I already had, and would continue to pray for him, but asked him to pray for me. He said he would pray for me........ That morning we went to the city, and he passed away while I was gone.

Here is one thing that helped me through this...

I told my wife, Tracy, when she arrived that there was a tremendous faith in this camp. Even the patients sing. I told her I would carry my phone into the hospital and record their singing early in the morning..... One lady led the hymns, and the others followed. It was HEAVEN to me...in the middle of HELL. The next day the early morning singing stopped...the lady that led the singing was one that "BroFad" and I carried out of the church... she passed away. I did record her along with your beautiful wife. Music to my soul.... I will NEVER forget you, and your family, and your hearts...You are truly a man I admire.

Singing

More Singing

...and then, Pastor Amicy's response...

Thank you very much John. With tears in my eyes by reading your encouraging words I praise the Lord for what he has done for me and through me. I also give thanks to Him for sending people like you to come right in the beginning of the chaos to share the suffering with me. Your presence was a blessing and an encouragement to me! I will never forget that time; I will never forget how God used you and so many of His people to come alongside us while we were facing those difficult moments.

MAY THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST CONTINUE TO BE WITH YOU AND GUIDE YOU MY BROTHER!

MAY THE LORD CONTINUE TO USE YOU FOR HIS GLORY AND THE BENEFIT OF HIS PEOPLE!

Serving Him In Haiti,
Charles Amicy

Dr. Gale, his wife, and the other Flying Doctors of America have returned the the US. We thank them from our hearts for all they did for us at PMH.

Following their departure, our long-time PMH friend, Dr. Billy Alexander, led another medical team to PMH. Because the critical patients were re-located from PMH, they spent most of their time volunteering their skills at the General Hospital in PaP.

We would like to see medical teams continue to be formed and sent to serve at PMH, in Cabaret, and in PaP.

Campus Pastor and Administrative Assistant

You may recall that we sent PMH Board member, Pastor Bob Bradbury of Chestnut Mountain PCA in Georgia, along with Ms. Allison Davis of Hope Church PCA in Winston-Salem, NC, to come alongside the PMH staff. Wow, are we glad we did that! Allison served from Jan 26-Feb 1, and Bob served from Jan 26-Feb 3. They were a HUGE help. Please allow me to share an email quote from Allison.

First off, I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to serve and witness firsthand the Lord at work through PMH in Haiti.

I’m not really sure what you need from this ‘report’; I’ve included some observations of life 2 weeks after the earthquake.

To me (an occasional visitor to PMH), campus seemed ‘normal’, except for the 10 tents set up in the courtyard and the hospital in the church building. The grounds were clean and there did not seem to be excessive numbers of people hanging around. The folks living in the tents (I assume that’s who they were) usually had devotions with singing in the dark of the early morning around 5:30. The ladies had a time of prayer and singing on Wednesday morning around 10:00. An afternoon walk in the village seemed ‘normal’ except for the occasional collapsed wall or building. There are a couple of tent/shelter communities set up in open spaces in the village.

The food distribution on campus on Saturday (1/30/10) was orderly. While a crowd gathered around, Lionel checked names off a list and sent people in groups of 3 or 4 to back of the church building. Women of the church provided ‘crowd control’ and actually distributed rice and beans. Young and old alike arrived for the distribution. If a bag sprung a leak of rice or beans, most people stopped to pick up all they could from the ground. Not much, if any, was wasted.

I spent some time trying to navigate the distribution system for relief aid. Paul and Charles went to meetings at the UN command center and I submitted an application to USAID on behalf PMH. Each process involves signing up/submitting applications and then waiting for results. A lot of international aid agencies are involved in the relief supply distribution system. That system was not a well-oiled machine during my week in Haiti . Granted, those folks have undertaken an incredibly difficult task. Hopefully it will become more efficient as they become better established on the ground.

On Tuesday (1/26/10) when I arrived, the women of the church were still cooking meals significant numbers of people, including hospital patients. They used propane stoves in a room in the back of the church building. There were probably 13 or so patients left in the ‘hospital’ at that time. It was hard to tell exactly how many patients were there because family members accompanied most patients.

Patient injuries I witnessed ranged from head wounds to fractures to amputated limbs. Of all the patients, two kids stand out to me. A mother brought her severely ill 5 year old son (Jean) to the FDOA hospital prior to my arrival. He stopped drinking and urinating 4 days earlier after being ill with a fever. In addition, Jean suffers from cerebral palsy and developmental disabilities. The FDOA doctors worked for several hours on him trying to get a line in for re-hydration. A replacement doctor, a pediatrician, arrived on campus in the midst of work on the boy. She was eventually able to improvise a way to re-hydrate the boy. He was treated for an infection and dehydration and recovered over a period of several days. However, Jean’s mother left the first day when his condition was most dire. She never returned. Jean has and will continue to require special care for life. He cannot walk or feed himself or even communicate. The women of the Messailler church cared for Jean in the hospital. They fed him and washed his clothes and simply held him.

Armani is an 11 year old girl who was injured during the earthquake in PAP. Armani was an orphan before the quake occurred. She fended for herself in Port au Prince at 11 years old. When the quake occurred, a wall fell on her and broke her femur. She couldn’t walk. Charles found her on a trip into Port au Prince and brought her back to the FDOA hospital for treatment.

Representatives from Mission of Hope and an organization called Danita’s Children visited the campus on Thursday (1/28/10) as Jean and Armani were recovering. Danita’s Children has an orphanage near Cap Haitien . The representatives stopped to see if PMH had any orphans who needed a place to go. They arranged to take Jean and Armani to the orphanage via plane. Isn’t it amazing to see how the Lord miraculously provided for these 2 orphans?

I’ll stop there, but you get the idea - the Lord is working in Haiti. Thanks again for the opportunity to serve.

Thank you, Allison, and you, Bob, for serving Christ at PMH.

Bob is leading a team on from Chestnut Mountain PCA to Haiti on Feb 20. Allison is part of a team from Hope Church PCA to Haiti on March 6. Please pray for their team trips. Also, check out the article about Allison's recent week at PMH in Winston-Salem's local paper.

We continue to send campus pastors and administrative assistants to come alongside Charles and the PMH staff. It is such a tremendous help to Charles. Currently, Pastor Scotty Anderson from Woodruff Road PCA, Steve Omli (member of the Lespwa Worldwide Board) and Josh Dickinson (a water engineer) are there now (Feb 6-13). We currently have coverage for this type of assistance through March 13.

Mindy Love

Your prayers for Mindy Love, and, I might add, the persistance of some very determined ladies in Florida, were graciously blessed by God. Mindy Love was released to the Zuschlag family and she is now at home in Mauldin, SC with her new Dad, Mom, and two big brothers. What a lovely family! Read more about the story on Jay and Diana Cherry's blog.

Short-Term Mission Teams

PMH Board member, Paul Snyder, went to Haiti from Jan 28-Feb 3 to meet up with Pastor Charles Amicy and Pastor Bob Bradbury. Together they helped us develop a prioritized plan of action for PMH and short-term mission teams that come down in the coming weeks.

First of all, please understand that this "plan of action" will take place within the context of PMH's core, day-in-and-day-out, normal routine of ministry—worship on the Lord's Day, discipleship, prayer, and Bible study, leadership training, running the schools and orphanage, distributing food and supplies to the needy, and taking care of the endless details of daily life as it is lived each day in the community of Cabaret.

Second, please realize that while we are committed to this "plan of action", it is flexible. In Haiti, one must always be prepared for change. Also, we are open to suggestions and are willing to be opportunistic if an unexpected course of action seems prudent and fiscally responsible. We don't claim to know it all, but we are deeply concerned that we use the resources donated to PMH as faithful stewards. So, we hope this plan will provide some wise guidance for our joint efforts and for the financial donations given to bring relief, rehabilitation and development to our friends at PMH and the Haitian community in which they serve. Costs have been estimated and some are to be determined. So, as the Lord wills...

"A" List Priorities—Immediate Needs

The items on this list stem from the damage caused by either Hurrican Ike (Sept 2008) or the recent earthquake. Several of our PMH pastors (and their wives and children) are living in tents on the PMH campus. The goal is to locate them in temporary, but suitable housing as soon as possible.

• Design and build a home for Pastor Gabrielle Eugene on his lot in Cabaret. His rental house in Cabaret was destroyed. He already owns an empty lot on which we can build a house for his family. He has a wife and three children. Approx. cost - $20k
• Finish the apartment on the 2nd floor of the Foveau Presbyterian Church so that Pastor Michelle, his wife and one child can have a place to live. His house in PaP was destroyed. Clean up and rebuilding at that location will have to wait. Foveau is a small village (similar to Messailler) near Cabaret. Approx. cost - $10k
• Finish the 2nd floor of Pastor Leon Amicy's home in PaP. It sustained no visible damage. Pastor Octavius Delfils and his family can live on the 2nd floor for the time being. Clean up and rebuilding of Octavius' home in PaP will have to wait. Octavius has a wife and two children. Approx. cost - $10k
• Complete the new bridge across the river to join the road to the PMH campus. The old bridge was ordered to be demolished by the local mayor of Cabaret after Hurrican Ike. So, the old bridge is now lying in pieces in the river bed and we have no way to get vehicles from the road to the PMH campus. You may have noticed the make-shift wooden bridge in the Lespwa team video. Approx. cost - $80k
• Find a location for the 6th Presbyterian Church in PaP to meet until a more permanent location can be found. Approx. cost - $TBD (going rate for rental space)
• Relief and outreach to the Cabaret community. Given the local mayor's change of heart toward PMH, and the dire needs faced by Haitians since the earthquake, we want to seize the opportunity to be salt and light in Cabaret. The mayor's staff is very excited about our ideas. They have offered to let us use a nearly finished medical clinic (built by Habitat for Humanity) located about 5 minutes up the road. It has 10 rooms, 3 bathrooms, but no water or electricity. Nevertheless, it could easily be used by one of our short-term medical teams to hold clinic for this community. The clinic sits on 2 acres of land that we could also use as a "community garden" to train the locals in various gardening techniques. There is a dfferent piece of land in another location that they offered to us to use as a "refugee camp" for displaced families. They were willing, excited even, for us to host VBS for the children on the days we hold clinic. In light of this, we thought it would be good for each short-term team to devote one day of their week to the broader community of Cabaret—to host a "community work day". Projects could include holding a medical clinic and VBS, of course, but also things like painting government buildings, rebuilding someone's home, giving food, etc, anything that would be of service to the leaders and people of this community so that the grace of Christ would become visible. These are tremendous opportunities for the PMH staff and our short-term mission teams. Approx. cost - $TBD

"B" List Priorities

• Finish the 2nd floor of the orphanage (tile work, plumbing, windows, electrical). This is actually going to be tackled by Bob Bradbury's team due to the short notice of our report. Approx. cost - $5,000 (already paid by Bob's team)
• Plaster the exterior walls of all remaining buildings on the PMH campus. Approx. cost - $4,000
• Clean up ruined home and build new home for the family of Pastor Octavius. His home was demolished by the earthquake, but he does own the property. Also, evaluate the damage to the home of Pastor Michelle and Mr. Remy Amicy (Charles and Leon's brother) in PaP and assist with repairs. Approx. cost - $TBD
• Build the new building for the St. Marc Presbyterian Church. Approx. cost - $80k gross (we will get back $15k once we sell the old St. Marc church location)
• Design, build, and stock a legitimate medical / dental / pharmaceutical clinic on the PMH campus. Approx. cost - $100k+
• Purchase land in PaP to build a permanent home for congregation of 6th Presbyterian Church, but also for the future Reformed Presbyterian Seminary in Haiti (classrooms, dormitories, etc.). Approx. cost - $150k+

"C" List Priorities

• Encourage business development in the Cabaret community. Possibly build a building that could house a bakery, etc. Land adjacent to PMH campus has already been purchased for such a purpose. Approx. cost - $50k
• Build an administrative office on the PMH campus to provide space for the pastoral and administrative staff. Approx. cost - $50k
• Build a guest house on the PMH campus to provide more room for teams. Approx. cost - $100k

PMH has always been a full-orbed ministry rooted in the Reformed Gospel. A ministry of Word and Deed—worshipping, preaching, teaching, discipling, healing, encouraging, comforting, organizing, cleaning, repairing, tearing down, designing, building up, playing, celebrating, singing...a ministry in which we can all find a part to play. Though times are especially tough in Haiti, we are joyful about what God has done, is doing, and will do through the Body of Christ working together for His glory.

Between now and the first part of August, we already have about 12 short-term teams on the calendar. If you are interested in leading a team, or joining an existing team, please contact us. Many of you have already done so, and we have your names on our list. As you can see, you are welcome and you are needed at PMH.

On behalf of the PMH Board, and especially of Pastors Charles Amicy, Octavius Delfils, Leon Amicy, Gabriel Eugene, Michelle Claude, their families, the entire PMH staff, the church members, the students, and the orphans—THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS YOU!!!

Scott Clark
Secretary of the PMH Board
Missions Committee member of WRPC
864-335-9640 (home)
864-483-1512 (cell)

Article in World Magazine

Aftershock

Article in Christianity Today

"Lord, I pray this house is as solid as I think," Haiti quake survivor prayed.

Operation SHORT-TERM RE-SUPPLY

We made it there and back. I will try to write more when we return to the USA. We had a long and very successful trip. We took two big cargo trucks full of supplies, including five (5) ten-person tents, 165 gallons of diesel, 55 gal of of gasoline, 10 propane tanks, and literally tons of food donated and purchased food.

There were no security issues, and God went before us the entire way. The whole trip was completed in less than 24 hours, and we are wiped out.

Thanks for all of your help. We fly out at 4:20 am Monday morning. Please pass this on.

Jay Cherry
Founder, Country Director
Lespwa Worldwide

Mindy Love Update

Diana Cherry (wife of Jay Cherry on the Lespwa Worldwide team) and Mindy Love are in FL now. They US Customs officials have not released her to the Zuschlag family, but she is in foster care with a Catholic organization, and the Zuschlag family has been able to visit with Mindy Love.

Pastor Amicy gave the necessary document to Jay and Jeremy just now that will allow (Lord willing) Mindy Love to be released to the Zuschlags. Jay and Jeremy are unloading the supplies from the truck convoy as I type. Please pray for the safe return of Jay and Jeremy, and Mrs. Delfils, to the Dominican Republic.

Operation SHORT-TERM RE-SUPPLY has been a success. Thank you, Lord, for hearing the prayers of your people.

In the Lord,

Scott Clark
Secretary of the PMH Board
Missions Committee member of WRPC
864-335-9640 (home)
864-483-1512 (cell)

#9 Jan. 22 2010

Quick update. Time is short, but praise the LORD. He is showering PMH with blessings!!!

I talked to Charles this morning. Last conversation was Wednesday morning. The LORD has been on the move!

• Mendilove, an orphan much loved by us all, was allowed to fly to the US accompanied by Diana Cherry (Jay's wife, this is part of the Lespwa team). She was wearing a princess outfit. Can't wait to see pictures. Mendilove is in the hands of US customs officials. Pray that she is released into the waiting hands of the Zuschlag family (of Mauldin, SC) who have been trying to adopt her.
• Wednesday night, Charles was contacted by the UN. A team arrived to assess the campus. They asked if it was OK for two helicopters from Fox News to come visit the next morning. At 6:30am, Thursday, two helicopters descended on the campus of PMH. Out stepped the head of Fox News accompanied by US Military escort. Lights, camera, action. Keep an eye on the TV tonight. They also airlifted 12 of the most critical patients at PMH to get extra surgical care elsewhere. I expect Charles and Dr. Gathercoal will get to go find more patients in P-a-P today. Praise the Lord!
• The local mayor of Cabaret (responsible for ordering the destruction of our bridge) came to Charles. He thanked Charles for all PMH is doing for the community. PMH is the only group doing anything for this area. He said he was sorry for ordering the bridge destroyed. Pray that we can continuing "building bridges" in Cabaret.
• Mission of Hope gave Charles 50 boxes of food. Enough to feed 200 people for 1 week.
• Our DR team is on the move. Phase 1 is in process today. Jeremy in the UN helicopter. Touches down by noon. Phase 2 is on schedule. Truck convoy should arrive tomorrow. The UN in the DR gave our team a 3rd truck full of supplies. Can you believe it! Praise God. One more important note—thanks to a contact of a contact of a contact of Jake Tamminga (one our close advisors in Canada), a Colonel in the DR Airforce is personally escorting our convoy with his men all the way to PMH campus. We did not know this man personally. When our team was talking to him yesterday, he said, "We can provide you with security, but you must know, the only security is in Jesus Christ." The LORD led us to a dear brother in the DR Airforce! Can it get any better than this???? I still don't even know his name, but I hope he gets this update somehow. Sir, we thank you.

Pressing on with overflowing joy in the LORD,

Scott Clark
Secretary of the PMH Board
Missions Committee member of WRPC
864-335-9640 (home)
864-483-1512 (cell)

#8 Jan. 21 2010

Forgive me for the delay in getting a new update to you.

It has been 9 intense days since the earthquake for our brothers and sisters at PMH and for the people of Haiti. While Pastor Amicy and Dr. Gathercoal's team of Flying Doctors of America are putting in 20-hour days amidst unspeakable physical and psychological trauma, those of us on the PMH Board, the Lespwa Worldwide team, the Flying Doctors team and many of our close advisors have been working intensely to re-supply our friends at PMH with the people and the tools they need to continue ministering in the name of Christ.

Our brothers and sisters at PMH are truly exhausted. They have seen patients die, lose limbs, and cry out in despair. They have prepared meals for 150 or more people a day. They have courageously gone into P-a-P to find more patients that are not receiving care by anyone. They have had to scramble for food and fuel and medical supplies while tons of supplies merely sit on pallets waiting to be distributed. They are tired and exhausted.

And yet when I talk to Pastor Amicy and Dr. Gathercoal, I do not hear despair or cynicism. I do not hear any anger or fear. Rather, I hear determination and commitment. I hear hope and compassion. I hear their sense of humor and laughter. But mostly, I hear love and joy. Love for the people of Haiti. Joy in serving the Lord Jesus Christ. And finally, a desire to keep pressing on with the Lord's work in Haiti. Through it all, we are seeing the sovereign power, wisdom, and love of the Living and True God at work through our feeble and exhausting efforts. To Him be the glory! Amen!

Carlens Delfils

The surgery on his right hand went very well. Please check out the links to the Wilmington, NC newspapers and TV station. What a great testimony! In addition, Mrs. Mary Delfils found her passport/visa in the rubble of their house and will soon join Octavius, Carlens, and Farah in Wilmington.

Haiti victim in Wilmington for surgery

Haitian boy hurt in quake has operation at Cape Fear

Food, Fuel, and Supplies for PMH

The Lord had some suprises for us the last two days. Mission of Hope Haiti donated some food to PMH. We don't know yet how much, but it should get PMH by for a few more days. We thank the Lespwa team and Jeff Hulbert for making requests for us. Charles and Dr. Gathercoal met someone at the P-a-P airport with a relief agency that was leaving the country. They had a few supplies and a bit food left over and so they gave it to PMH. Every little bit counts. Thank you Lord!

Don't ask me how, but Charles and Dr. Gathercoal also managed to get about 60 gallons of diesel fuel which was badly needed for the truck, bus, and generator. Of all places, they received some from the US Army. But more than that, we thank God that the local Cabaret Police Department donated the lion's share to PMH. They are so grateful for what Pastor Amicy is doing at PMH for the community.

Medical supplies such as guaze, pediatric medicines, and surgical drapes/sheets have been running low. However, they are in decent shape for adult pain meds and antibiotics for now. Dr. Gathercoal told me that John Garvin with Medical Assistance Programs Int'l visited PMH yesterday to see what was needed. He was out of most everything except a little guaze, and was still waiting on MAP's shipment to arrive in Haiti. It arrived today, and I got an email saying Mr. Garvin was heading to PMH with supplies. Don't know the details of what Mr. Garvin brought, but we praise the Lord for his kindness!

Two more doctors and two more nurses arrived yesterday (Wednesday, 20th). That provided some relief to the first FDOA team that has been there since Sunday, 17th. Another team is arriving this Saturday, 23rd, and then more teams next Wednesday, 27th and Saturday, 30th. Many of our PMH friends in the medical profession are coming on these teams. Dr. Billy Alexander's team is coming on Wed, 27th. Praise the Lord! Continue to contact Allen Hord with Flying Doctors of America to get on a team if you are interested.

Campus Pastor to the Aid-Givers and All-Around Administrative Assistant

Due to the overwhelming nature of the work at PMH, Charles, the PMH staff, and the FDOA medical teams are close to hitting the wall. The PMH Board agreed to send PMH Board member, Bob Bradbury to comfort and encourage the aid-givers at PMH. He has been to PMH many times, is a life-long pastor, and well-trained and experienced as a disaster response team member through MTW's program. He will arrive next Tuesday on an MFI flight accompanied by Allison Davis, a "tough cookie" according to Ann Klein, who is a business owner and more than capable to become an all-around administrative assistant to Charles by keeping track of the busy schedule, answering the phones, checking emails, and probably much, much more. We intend to send more PMH friends to help in these roles in the weeks ahead, so please contact me if you are interested in a rotation. Bob and Allison can only stay a week or so. Again, praise the Lord for this!

Operation RE-SUPPLY

As you know by now, it is critical that we re-supply the PMH campus with provisions that will be scarce in Haiti until the constipated UN, US Military, and other large relief agencies get their systems flowing into the NGO's all over Haiti. Until then, we do what we must to take care of our own and to serve those we can serve. We are encouraged by reports that commercial airlines such as Spirit Air and American Airlines will resume flights into P-a-P as early as next Wednesday, and that the port of P-a-P may be reopening tomorrow. Short-term teams here we come! Containers of supplies here we come! Praise the Lord!

Meanwhile, to address the current and pressing needs of PMH, the Lespwa Worldwide team and the Mission to Haiti Canada team are on the ground in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Lord willing they will be sending enough supplies over to PMH by Saturday morning, 23rd. Please pray for the success of this effort. The Lord has already proved Himself faithful and wise since they arrived there on Wednesday. They have made good contacts at the UN and the US Embassy / USAID, which, I know is hard to believe, but it is true. There are people there that really want to help us. Praise the Lord! In addition, our teams met some Baptist brothers in the Lord that have experience with convoys to Haiti. They are surrounding our teams with incredible love and helpfulness, running around gathering provisions to fill up the trucks, etc. Amazing! In addition to that, Bernie van Eyk (PMH Board member) and I were talking late last night and decided to ask a man in Bernie's church who is bi-lingual and from the D.R. to fly down to meet our teams today and help them out. We conferenced him in and he said "Sure!" His name is Emanuel, or Mannie for short, and he has many Christian family members and friends in Santo Domingo. Mannie is there with Jay and Bill's team, serving as a translator, and surrounding our guys with the Body of Christ.

So, Lord willing, these provisions will arrive at PMH by Saturday morning. Please pray for this effort! We know you already are. We see the Lord's hand in our efforts. We feel like we are groping in the dark at times (a lot of times), but we know and we see that He is sovereignly orchestrating every detail according to His good wisdom and purpose.

Outpouring of Support

So many of our PMH friends have contacted me over the last 9 days. It is so encouraging to us. Thank you for your generous outpouring of support - prayers, financial contributions, volunteering to go to PMH when it is possible. All of this is tremendously encouraging. We thank you for helping us to press on.

Is it Safe to be in Haiti?

While we do seriously ponder the news stories about gangs running the streets of P-a-P, the government and police force of P-a-P disappearing, the chances of conditions deteriorating in Haiti such that the people get desperate and violent, and so forth, we are very positive about the general stability of the country. There is an ever growing presence of the international community in Haiti. The airlines and ports are beginning to function again. Supplies and basic necessities will start flowing again soon. Furthermore, PMH has the benefit of a friendly local police department and a secure campus. These are good signs and we are thankful.

In addition, we feel strongly about supporting Pastor Charles, Leon, and Octavius, their families, the orphans at PMH, the medical team, and the survivors of this devastating earthquake. We cannot abandon them. We must do what we can to re-supply them, to send in more medical teams, and to send in other PMH friends to encourage them and relieve them of their heavy burdens.

One might say that Haiti is never particularly safe. It is Haiti. But we love the people there, and we see no compelling, seriously life-threatening reasons to stay away. So, lets press on together with the courage God supplies us.

In the Lord,

Scott Clark
Secretary of the PMH Board
Missions Committee member of WRPC
864-335-9640 (home)
864-483-1512 (cell)

#7 Jan. 19 2010

Carlens had more surgery today at 5pm. See update from Paul Snyder below.

Octavius, Carlens, Farah, and Allen arrived at the Myrtle Beach, SC airport last night around 9pm after a long travel day from Santo Domingo.

Many thanks to the medical team from Savannah that did such an outstanding job of cleaning and stabilizing Carlens hand last Wednesday. When the bandages were removed today, there was no infection and the doctors said to thank the triage doctors in the field for being so competent in their work.

Carlens was examined today by a hand specialist. The pinky and ring fingers on his right hand sustained a crushing blow. He will have surgery on Friday afternoon with 2 hand specialists to insert a pin in his pinky finger to better connect his pinky to his hand as that joint was badly damaged. They will also repair the tendons and the nerves that connect to these 2 fingers as they appear to be severely damaged. He also has a slight fracture in his right thumb. These injuries were sustained when Carlens held up his hand to block a wall that was falling on his sister.

Also, praise the Lord that an emergency medical team with 3 doctors and a dentist have made PMH their base camp.

There is still no word on what the longer term needs are of PMH because supplying the basics of food and water is the top priority. The various supporters of PMH are working right now to determine how best to accomplish this. Bringing in supplies from the DR via truck or helicopter is being discussed.

We will update you again when we have news to share.

Grace and Peace, Paul

We continue to pursue avenues to re-supply PMH with food, fuel and security. Medical supplies seem to be steadily arriving through Medical Assistance Programs International. Dr. Gathercoal with Flying Doctors of America continues to lead the medical clinic at PMH. Anyone with medical skills can contact FDOA to plug into a team if interested. There are already 30 on the waiting list to go. Missionary Flights International seems to be the best way for getting to P-a-P.

Our partners with Lespwa Worldwide are sending a team of 6 into the Dominican Republic tomorrow. They are meeting with another team of 4 from Mission to Haiti Canada, another dear group of friends to PMH, that will arrive in the DR on Thursday. They will be seeking food, fuel and security in the DR and possibily chartering a helicopter to take up to 1,600 lbs. directly to the PMH campus (or the campus of Mission of Hope which is nearby and perhaps equipped with a better landing field). If a helicopter is chartered, it will probably go in to Haiti on Friday with Jay Cherry and Jeremy Scharke of Lespwa Worldwide. They are will know by the children in the PMH orphanage.

Read Ann Klein's story Experiencing the Haitian Earthquake.

Please contact your Senators. Tell them about PMH. Tell them about the hundreds of other NGOs (non-governmental organizations) like Quisqueya Christian School and Hopital Lumiere that are all over Haiti that are serving the Haitian people with food and medical care. The UN and the US Army should be re-supplying these NGOs instead of pushing bags of stuff out of helicopters to mobs of Haitians. Why isn't this happening? They all need food, fuel, medical supplies and security. It is one of the most effective and efficient ways that the UN and the USA could help Haiti. It is an opportunity tha is being squandered.

PMH coordinates are--
N 18 degrees 44 minutes 43.04 seconds
W 72 degrees 25 minutes 15.85 seconds

Please give this information to your Senators. I have already contacted the two in S.C. Give this information to any military contact that can make a difference.

In the Lord,

Scott Clark
Secretary of the PMH Board
Missions Committee member of WRPC
864-335-9640 (home)
864-483-1512 (cell)

#6 Jan. 17 2010

Short-Term Team

The short-term mission team (Ann Klein, etc.) made it out of Haiti and are safely home in Savannha, GA. They took a C-130 out of P-a-P to Homestead Airforce Base, and then a private jet to Savannah. They are tired and emotionally drained, but thankful to be home. Ann was glad to report that all structures on the PMH campus were preserved from any damage. This is a testimony to God's kindness through Bill Dejong (Mission to Haiti Canada) and the many others who have been rebuilding PMH since Hurricane Ike in September 2008.

Octavius and the Children

Charles drove to the Dominican Republic on Saturday with Octavius and the children in order to get them to the US (either Wilmington, NC or Savannah, GA). No doubt he will ge supplies as well to bring back with him. Please pray for Charles' safe return to Haiti.

Medical Team

The Lord has opened a door for a team of 3 doctors and 1 trauma dentist with Flying Doctors of America to fly into P-a-P airport on an MFI plane on Sunday morning. The team should arrive at 11am. With the help of Alexander Amicy here in Greenville, SC, we finally got a message through to Mrs. Amicy at the PMH campus in Messailler to meet this team at the airport.

The FDOA team plans to set up a base of operations at PMH and rotate doctors into Haiti on a go-forward basis. This is a tremendous answer to prayer. We are learning that many of the injured and displaced in P-a-P are flooding out into the nearby towns and villages seeking help, food and medical attention. Perhaps the Lord has preserved PMH from this disaster for such a time as this.

Pray for Fresh Supplies and Security

However, it seems that food and diesel fuel are also running short in the area where PMH is located. Please pray that the ports of St. Marc and Gonaive open up to receive cargo, containers, and badly needed supplies. We have the supplies ready to send, but no way for those supplies to actually get onto the shores of Haiti. We are thinking about driving supplies over from the D.R. or even chartering a helicopter from the D.R. to fly supplies in. Pray that God gives us wisdom. There is also an ongoing concern that our friends at PMH could be in danger if the circumstances in Haiti get worse. Please pray for their safety and that the international presence in Haiti will begin to improve conditions at all levels.

In the Lord,

Scott Clark
Secretary of the PMH Board
Missions Committee member of WRPC
864-335-9640 (home)
864-483-1512 (cell)

#5 Jan. 15 2010

I just spoke with Charles Amicy and Jeff Klein. Here is the latest.

The 4 Americans (Jay and Diana Cherry, etc.) from Jacksonville, Fl staying in Haiti for 1 year to work with the orphanage and to build the sponsorship program through Lespwa Worldwide are safely back in the USA.

The mission team from Savannah , GA is currently at the PaP airport awaiting room on an outgoing military C130 transport plane. No time of departure is known nor is the destination (probably Santo Domingo , DR or Miami , FL ).

Octavius (pastor of the PMH church in PaP) still has not heard from his sister who is believed to be trapped in her collapsed house. Her husband was very seriously injured when the house collapsed and he has not received any medical attention yet (it is not available). We need to pray for his healing and for her to be saved ASAP.

Leon Amicy (Charles’ brother who is also a pastor for PMH in PaP) and his family are OK but their home in PaP was destroyed.

Quisqueya Christian School, where Charles’ son Allen (11) is enrolled, is closed for school operations and will not reopen for a long time. We are currently looking at the possibility of having Allen join his brother here in Wilmington to attend Myrtle Grove Christian School.

Charles just returned to the PMH campus in Messailler/Cabaret after another day in PaP. An answer to prayer is that Carlens passport was found today in the rubble of their demolished home. Charles went to Ocatvius’s house today and still cannot believe that Octavius and his 2 children survived when the house collapsed with all 3 of them on the 2nd floor. He learned that Carlens right hand fingers were trapped under cement block and that it took over 10 people to move the block to free his hand. Through dark times, we can still see that God is good.

A possible plan we are assessing is to have Octavius travel to Wilmington with his 2 children (Carlens and Farah) and Allen Amicy ASAP. Carlens would immediately be seen by Dr. Bill Sutton at Wilmington Orthopedic to assess next steps on his fingers/hand. He has generously volunteered his group to provide whatever surgery is required for Carlens hand. The other option is for him to travel to Savannah , GA to receive similar care.

Antonine Amicy (Charles’ wife) cannot travel to the USA at this time because her visa has expired. In a sense, this is a great blessing because she is such a tremendous help to Charles and he needs her to stay with him. Their oldest son, Alex, traveled to Greenville , SC last week to start college at Greenville Tech and their daughter Alexandra is in her last semester at Covenant College in TN.

Alex is doing well in Greenville, SC knowing that his family is safe. Thank you for all of the calls we/he has received concerning his family and the situation in Haiti.

Please continue to pray for God’s mercy, grace, and provision for Charles, his family, his flock, and the people of Haiti.

Grace and Peace,

Paul Snyder (member of the PMH Board)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I also had a chance to talk to Charles today. He said that he is still able to buy food in Cabaret which is a relief to hear. Also, he has heard that more diesel fuel will be available for purchase on Saturday. He needs this to keep the campus generator running (PMH's only source of electric power). He is completely out of medical supplies. He plans to drive Octavius, Carlens, Farah, and Allen to the Dominican Republic tomorrow (Saturday) so they can fly to the U.S. It is about a 5 hour drive from P-a-P and he plans to return to the PMH campus on the same day. Pray for their safety.

The biggest challenge is getting anyone and anything into Haiti. An MTW Disaster Relief team (an ER doctor, two counselors, and a structural engineer) are ready to go. We were also in contact with a top-notch surgical team of five to six doctors with Flying Doctors of America, but they couldn't find a way in either. We are asking MFI (Missionary Flights Int'l) to help, but can't get a response, and we are considering entering through the Dominican Republic. Ministries in Action has a couple of containers on a boat floating around the P-a-P harbor with no port available to unload the supplies. We are trying to find out if St. Marc or Gonaive's docks could handle it.

My friend, Steve Hersey, the director at Quisqueya Christian School, has turned the campus into a refugee camp and medical clinic for 50 to 60 people. Lord willing, he will be meeting with leaders of the U.S. Army tomorrow to determine what role QCS can play. I asked Steve to keep Charles and PMH in mind as a possible location for relief efforts. Much good could come of this. I also learned from Steve that the area of Carfeour (sp?) southwest of P-a-P, closest to the epicenter, was hardest hit and sadly, has received the least help so far. Please pray for the people in this area.

Lastly, pray for the members of the congregation of PMH's 6th Presbyterian Church that met at the Canadian Reformed Church's building near Delmas 35 in P-a-P. Many of them lived in the immediate area and we do not have a full accounting of them yet.

In the Lord,

Scott Clark
Secretary of the PMH Board
Missions Committee member of WRPC
864-335-9640 (home)
864-483-1512 (cell)

#4 Jan. 14 2010

Thank you for continuing to pray.

Carlens Delfils

In order for Carlens to fly out of Haiti he needs to find his passport in the rubble of their home. Octavius spent the day looking for it but as far as we know it has not been found.

Please pray for the passport to be found.

Short Term Mission Team at PMH

There has been a change of plans for the teams departure. The Gulf Stream jet will not be allowed to come get them. The team will be going to the U.S. Embassy on Friday morning. They will be placed on a C-131(?) military plane and flown to an available airport where they will then have to schedule a flight home. On one hand this is discouraging because the Gulf Stream jet was going to bring in a medical team with supplies to serve at PMH. Pray that God provide for this need.

Amicy Family

Charles' relatives in P-a-P were accounted for and have joined him at the PMH campus. Charles' wife, Antonine, and son, Alan, may be sent to stay with church friends in Wilmington, North Carolina (Christ Community Church) until stability returns to Haiti. This will relieve Charles of some worry if things continue to deteriorate and will allow him to focus his mind on the urgent needs at hand.

We have learned that the home of Leon Amicy, Charles' brother and PMH pastor, was also destroyed by the earthquake. Thankfully no one was injured when it collapsed.

Port-au-Prince

The Canadian Reformed Church's building in P-a-P at which PMH's 6th Presbteryian Church meets was destroyed. No one was injured. This was located around Delma 35.

Farther up the mountain at Delma 75, the campus of Quisqueya Christian School was preserved. The facility is being used to serve those in need. The soccer field has become a camp for many to rest and sleep. The chapel has become a medical clinic and surgery center. Please see their web-site for more details.

Prayer

Please continue to pray for these concerns. The biggest challenge is getting trained people into the country with adequate supplies and the know-how to survive in such a situation while distributing aid. Even if we gave Charles money, food, and medical supplies he would not be able to safely give it to those in need. He needs help. Please pray for this.

In the Lord,

Scott Clark
Secretary of the PMH Board
Missions Committee member of WRPC
864-335-9640 (home)
864-483-1512 (cell)

#3 Jan. 13 2010

I spoke with Charles Amicy and Ann Klein this evening. They are safe at the PMH campus in Messailler (Cabaret). Here is what I learned.

Octavius and Carlens Delfils

Octavius and his son, Carlens were in the 2nd floor room of their house in P-a-P when the earthquake hit. Their house literally crumbled around them. They survived by God's grace. Octavius had scrapes and bruises. Carlen's right hand was crushed and mangled. P-a-P was mayhem, so they headed out to the PMH campus in Messailler. In God's kind providence, the short-term team that was there for the week had two doctors and two nurses. One of the doctors repaired Carlen's hand and it seems to be functioning correctly. They are concerned about infection and want to avoid amputation, so the team hopes to take Carlens back to the USA with them on Friday. Pray for this, please. In spite of the P-a-P airport being shut down to commercial airlines, one of the team members has a contact in the USA that is able to send a Gulfstream jet to pick them up on Friday. Praise the Lord!

Medical Care at PMH

Charles and Ann said that dozens and dozens of people are streaming to the PMH campus hour after hour all the way from P-a-P. These people have broken bones, lacerations and other wounds. They are leaving P-a-P because there is no medical care to be had. They are finding it at the PMH campus that has been preserved from damage. We must praise God for this. And that there are two doctors and two nurses on this short-term team with the abilities to set broken bones and repair mangled hands and stitch up cuts. Ann washed the wounded feet of a man who is a Haitian government official. To Him be the glory for preserving PMH as an oasis for some of the injured in Haiti.

Pray

Please pray. The short-term team with their doctors and nurses will leave this Friday. Food, medical supplies and water will start running out. Pray for reinforcements. Pray for the replenishing of supplies. Many of you are willing to go and to give, but the airport is closed to commercial airlines. Pray that God will open doors for relief to get in to Haiti and for that relief to get to the people. Pray that the bureacracy of Haiti will not get in the way. As the desperation escalates, please pray for the safety of our friends at PMH, for the Hopp family and the Etienne family—and all of our dear friends in the faith that are in Haiti.

We still do not have clear direction from Charles about exactly how to help in practical ways. Until air transportation opens up and some stability returns to P-a-P, it is both impossible and unsafe for untrained civilians to send teams to Haiti. P-a-P is a dangerous place right now. We would be more of a burden than he help. Charles asked us to pray, so please do that.

Financial Contributions

If you would like to give financially to PMH so that they have funds to use for the relief of earthquake victims, you may do so through the normal channel. Make checks payable to WRPC and please write "PMH-Earthquake Relief" on the memo line.

Mail the checks to:
Woodruff Road Presbyterian Church
2519 Woodruff Rd,
Simpsonville, SC 29681.

Once we have clear instructions from Pastor Amicy, we will make these funds available to PMH so that every penny can be used to help the many suffering people in Haiti.

In the Lord,

Scott Clark
Secretary of the PMH Board
Missions Committee member of WRPC
864-335-9640 (home)
864-483-1512 (cell)

#2 Jan. 13 2010

We are still waiting on news about Octavius and his son, Carlens.

We are also still waiting on news about Quisqueya Christian School and other missionaries in the P-a-P area.

We received word that Mission to the World (MTW) missionary, Esaie Etienne, his wife and children are all right. Their house in P-a-P sustained some damage but everyone is OK. Praise the Lord.

MTW will be making a Minute Man appeal for relief funds. They plan to put together a disaster relief team that will go to Haiti, assess the damage, and report back with recommendations. They will be guided by our brothers on the field in Haiti—Charles and Leon Amicy (PMH), Ben Hopp (OPC), and Esaie Etienne (MTW). Octavius will also be included in this group assuming he and his son are physically OK. If you have questions about the Minute Man appeal and disaster relief team through MTW, please contact Oscar Aylor at MTW. His number is 678-628-6692.

As far as giving through Woodruff Road Presbyterian Church (WRPC) for specific "earthquake relief" needs faced at PMH, we ask that you keep praying and waiting until our brothers at PMH give us feedback on how to best help them. We will let you know ASAP.

In the Lord,

Scott Clark
Secretary of the PMH Board
Missions Committee member of WRPC
864-335-9640 (home)
864-483-1512 (cell)

#1 Jan. 13 2010

A 7.3 magnitude earthquake occured in Haiti yesterday afternoon (Tue, Jan 12). The epicenter was about 10 miles west of Port-au-Prince and about 5 miles deep. It is front page news. The following link is from World magazine and quotes both Charles Amicy (PMH) and Ben and Heather Hopp (Orhtodox Presbyterian Church missionaries).

For a blog written by Jay and Diana Cherry (volunteers at the PMH orphanage this year through Lespwa Worldwide) go to this link.

First of all, everyone seems to be all right except for Octavius and his son, Carlens. I don't have any details at the moment. Charles' email said they were "seriously injured" and were seeking care at a hospital in the Port-au-Prince area. I think Octavius' house in P-a-P may have suffered damage (perhaps the cause of the injuries) but need to confirm. Charles, his wife Antonine and son Alan, as well as Leon Amicy his brother were all at the Messailler campus at the time of the earthquake and are fine. Charles is currently checking on things in P-a-P and will get back to us as soon as he can.

PMH's main campus at Messailler is all right. No significant damage seems to have occurred, though some windows broke and other small items broke as they were jarred off of furniture.

As you can see on the news, most damage occurred in the city of Port-au-Prince. It is terrible to see.

Currently, Ann Klein is in Haiti with a short-term mission team for the week. Another strong team led by Bill DeJong is scheduled to go down this weekend for a week or two.

I will pass on info as it comes in and let you know about any disaster relief efforts that you may be able to pray for and/or participate in.

Thank you for your prayers. They are greatly appreciated by our brothers and sisters in Haiti.

In the Lord,

Scott Clark
Secretary of the PMH Board
Missions Committee member of WRPC
864-335-9640 (home)
864-483-1512 (cell)