Report from Barbie & Ralph Porter
Dear Prayer Partners,
We just want to thank all of you who prayed for us while we were on our 10 day mission trip to Jolivert, Haiti for Missions of Love. This trip was unlike any other.
Although Jolivert is over 120 miles away from Port-Au-Prince (PAP), the epicenter of the January 12th earthquake, the rippling effects has deeply affected this area. Allow me to explain…
Jolivert is a small area located about five miles away from Port-De-Paix ( a 30-minute across-water-flight from PAP). However, over the past three months nearly 1,000 PAP refugees have flooded this tiny area seeking shelter and refuge. The refugees are without homes, any earthly possessions, food and clothing, and many are ill. During good times, Jolivert has few jobs, relying mostly on gardens and small entrepreneurship of roadside stands or market spots. However, for the past three months, there has been a drought in this mountainous region, rendering gardens fruitless and money scarce. The situation has resulted in more and more people and animals who are becoming thinner and thinner and more diseased.
In an attempt to help, The Missions of Love Medical Clinic has been serving 60 – 100 patients per day, charging minimal or no fees and giving free medical treatment. The clinic as also become a medical distribution site to other area hospitals and clinics. And, in the meantime, Missions of Love (MOL) has also been distributing, beans, rice and oil to 300 of the poorest of the poor families on a bi-weekly basis, while the Mamba program (a highly nutritious peanut butter mixture comprised of locally-grown peanuts, sugar and formula for under-nourished children) has also expanded its outreach.
Prior to our arrival, MOL shipped 70 barrels and seven pallets of earthquake relief supplies (donated by friends of MOL from KY, IN, IL, OH, FL) to the compound. The supplies included medical items, food and clothing. It was our job to unpack, sort, organize and distribute these items. No small task within itself. We were also expecting and received a large shipment (500 cases) of pre-packaged meals from Feed My Starving Children.
Many of the men on our work team were responsible for the assessment of the safety of our MOL buildings, general maintenance of those buildings, installing an updated solar power system and servicing the MOL vehicles, which are constantly in need of repair to due to the poor road conditions.
Let me say that from Day One to Day Ten, our work team was busy and blessed!
Although plagued by the sweltering heat and humidity, by the end of the mission trip we had accomplished three distributions: one medical to outlying clinics, one food, and one clothing distribution to the refugees, poor mountain people and a few locals.
Other tasks accomplished included: The assessment of the structural soundness of the MOL compound buildings, rat-proofing the Conference Center kitchen, plumbing, wiring and general maintenance of every building, the installation of new solar energy system, and both MOL vehicles were serviced and up and running.
Additionally, several house calls were made for medical, spiritual or physical needs. And, the fun part was playing games in the late afternoon with the children.
On the spiritual side: We witnessed one lady as she prayed and accepted Jesus Christ as her Saviour, a healing of one of our team members who was down in her back, and a overnight trip to the mountains of Marotier to attend a special Ordination Service of a young preacher and 10 deacons. While there we had an encounter with a Voodoo priest who let us know he was unhappy about the growth of the church on the mountain, because it was “stealing his business.” However, we let him know that Jesus loved him too and he was welcome in the church just like all the others. Who knows, perhaps, one day he too will find Christ as his personal Saviour and friend. It’s happened with witch doctors before!
With all of that being said, let it be known that we could not have done all this work without you, your support and your prayers. I can honestly say, that there were many times on this trip that during difficult situations we could feel the presence of the Lord carrying us. I know it was largely in part from the prayers of all our family and friends back here in the states.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We love you all so much.
Many Blessings,
Barbie and Ralph Porter