19. January 2010 by admin.

Nancy writes:

Greetings PRAYING friends –

Just a few things to share with you this evening.  All this information came from my conversation with Pastor Beril’s son Adony, who lives in Pittsburgh.

As I shared the other day, I was able to put time on 2 of Beril’s phones and 1 of Ossmine’s at a local Haitian market here in West Palm.  Adony said he had a wonderful, long conversation with his sister Ossmine.  She was excited and told him that when she checked her phone at one time, all of a sudden there was all these minutes available.  She told Adony it must be some sort of humanitarian aid to the quake victims.  Adony laughed and told her it was ‘Nancy Aid’!!!! 

Adony told me the following –

·         Pastor Beril still has some water available from the cistern in his back yard.  Food is dwindling but some local ‘markets’ have some supplies and of course the black market is jacking up prices.

·         Pastor Beril’s church is OK but the 3^rd floor children’s church area was damaged and some walls are cracked.

·         He has been busy performing funerals.

·         The church in Cote de Fer was destroyed.  This is much cause for concern because Cote de Fer is not that far from Gode’, Doriol, Cupidon, Lubin, and Laval.  We had no idea the earthquake had reached THIS far out from Carrefour.

·         Also,  one of the churches on La Gonave (the island) was heavily damaged but Adony did not know which one.

PRAY, dear friends, PRAY as you never have for the hundreds of thousands of desperate Haitians.

The earthquake has had an overwhelming affect on Grace Mission churches.  The people in our church communities have been hit hard.  We will be responding quickly and will be looking to long-term recovery as we address their needs.  The needs in the Grace Mission communities will be considerable. While the large relief agencies may be able to help with some of the human needs, they do not usually fund church and school reconstruction nor are they in this for the long-term recovery.

We have established the GMTH Earthquake Recovery Fund and are requesting donations from our supporters.   Donations can be made to GMTH with the notation ERF and sent to Grace Mission to Haiti, PO Box 211025, Royal Palm Beach, FL 33421 or through JustGive here or on our website,  www.gracemissionpage.org.  

Click the link below.

We would also appreciate any appeals for this fund that can be made in your local churches.

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17. January 2010 by admin.

We just received word that the guesthouse we normally use lost it’s security wall, but seems to be okay otherwise.  Security would be an issue if we were to stay there, but perhaps by the time we will have teams going in, it might be repaired.

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17. January 2010 by admin.

What a difference 24 hours make. The Martsolfs as well as Pastor Butch Lee and the other 14 from the construction team are back home safe and sound.  George just talked with Brother Butch and he had planned to take it a bit easy today but they have been called and interviewed by newpapers, TV and radio stations. Brother Butch did share that they have lots of stories to tell and George and I can’t wait to hear them!   Through this terrible tragedy doors are being opened to share the Gospel and tell people about the work of GMTH.

We still have not heard anything from Pastor Beril but we do know he and his family are safe.  I spoke with Adony, Pastor Beril’s son who lives in Pittsburgh, and he gave me the cell numbers for Pastor Beril’s and Osmine’s cell phones and I was able to go to a local Haitian market this AM to add minutes to the phones for whenever they become usable and charged.

While at the market I had the opportunity to speak with the owner who grew up in Cape Haitian (northern Haiti).  He told me that he heard that Leogane (lay-o-gone) was severely damaged and we have a church and school not far from there in Flon so that is cause for great concern.

Please continue to pray for the following –

·         Food, water and medical supplies to be able to be dispersed to all those who need it.

·         Word from Pastor Beril about our people in the damaged areas, especially Carrefour, Riviere Froid and Flon.

·         Word about the physical damage to our churches, schools and medical/dental clinic.

I do want to share a huge PRAISE THE LORD with you.  Our church here in FL has a Haitian Church we sponsor in Belle Glade, a community about 40 miles west of West Palm.  Their pastor is Pastor Saintil and he has been here in the US for 4 years and has been working the entire time to get his wife and children here in FL to join him.  Numerous times it seemed things were moving forward and then more Haitian ‘red tape’ would happen.  I sent a post out on Facebook on Wednesday to see if any of my friends from church had heard how his family was and was overjoyed when my friend Connie responded “After 4 years of separation,  his family arrived in the US on Tues!!!! and are safe with him now.  God is right on time!”  That’s right, his family arrived here in FL from Haiti on Tuesday before the earthquake hit!!!

The earthquake has had an overwhelming affect on Grace Mission churches.  The people in our church communities have been hit hard.  We will be responding quickly and will be looking to long-term recovery as we address their needs.  The needs in the Grace Mission communities will be considerable. While the large relief agencies may be able to help with some of the human needs, they do not usually fund church and school reconstruction nor are they in this for the long-term recovery.

We have established the GMTH Earthquake Recovery Fund and are requesting donations from our supporters.   Donations can be made to GMTH with the notation ERF and sent to Grace Mission to Haiti, PO Box 211025, Royal Palm Beach, FL 33421 or through JustGive here or on our website,  www.gracemissionpage.org.  

Click the link below.

We would also appreciate any appeals for this fund that can be made in your local churches.

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15. January 2010 by admin.

The rest of the Grace Mission team has arrived in the US.  They landed at Homestead airforce base in Florida this afternoon, Jan. 15.  As they landed, their military transport caught fire, and they had to be evacuated from the plane.  When they left Haiti they were only allowed to bring a small carry-on, like a backpack, and had to leave everything else, including tools, in Haiti.  They are hoping to get back on the plane to retrieve their backpacks, but at least they are home!!

 You can give to Grace Mission to Haiti by clicking on the link below, or send directly to Grace Mission to Haiti, PO Box 211025, Royal Palm Beach, FL  33421.  All gifts are tax deductible.

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15. January 2010 by admin.

An update on our people in Haiti.  I received word from Rob Martsolf this morning.  He and Donna are at McGuire airforce base in NJ.  When he talked to me, he said he was looking at Butch Lee.  Pastor Butch and two team members are on their way to Georgia, and the rest of the team is still in Port au Prince. 

They are apparently sitting on the tarmac at the airport, waiting for a flight.  They could end up at a number of military bases from NJ, to California, but they should be in the US today.  Praise the Lord! 

Pastor Beril and Louise are fine.  They are living in their back yard, partly because their house was damaged, but mostly because the area keeps getting more tremors, and people are afraid to go inside.  Most people are living, literally, on the streets. 

Grace Center sustained some damage.  A balcony sheared off and interior walls are cracked, but otherwise we will have to have an engineer assess the damage, then begin the repairs.  We are still waiting to hear how things are at the Carrefour church, Riviere Froide and the medical clinic.

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14. January 2010 by admin.

We have just received word that the Grace Mission work team, and Rob and Donna Martsolf are at the US Embassy awaiting evacuation.  We do not know the evacuation schedule, but we are relieved they are safe.

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14. January 2010 by admin.

At about 4:30 PM, Tuesday, January 12, 2010, a 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti with devastating results.  The death toll will surely reach the thousands and this already desperately poor nation will need massive amounts of outside assistance to begin recovery. 

GMTH currently has a work team in Haiti, and the last message we received is that they are safe and expected to be evacuated today, Thursday, January 14.  Rob and Donna Martsolf are also in Haiti and we have received confirmation that they are safe, at their hotel and should be evacuated on Friday, January 15.  We also have received word that Pastor Beril and his family, including Thony, Berline and Berthon are safe, and at home.

This situation is devastating for Haiti, as you can well imagine.  We will be updating the situation as we receive information.  In the meantime, we are asking those who support Grace Mission to Haiti, and others who are interested, to consider a monetary donation to Grace Mission to Haiti to help with the recovery.

We have several ministries which are located in the area of Carrefour and very close to the epicenter of the earthquake.  The medical clinic, the church and school at Riviere Froide and the mission office and Pastor Beril’s church school are all located in, or close to Carrefour.  Some of these buildings, particularly at the medical clinic and Riviere Froide may have been in direct line.  Damage is expected to be extensive and may require total rebuilding.  We do not know the extent of damage, if any, at Grace Center. 

As we assess the situation we are expecting the need to rebuild and replace Grace Mission facilities and equipment to be substantial.  Any help you may be able to give will be greatly appreciated.  We encourage you to get your church involved by taking an offering to send to Grace Mission, and you can send gifts directly to Grace Mission to Haiti, Inc., at PO Box 211025, Royal Palm Beach, FL  33421.  Grace Mission to Haiti is a religious nonprofit corporation and you will receive a tax deductible receipt for your donation. 

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