Left to right; Frank Andino, Ramon Morales, Dr. Scott Rice, Andy Berger, Dr.Paul Berger, Pastor Randy Landis
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Some of Our Team Sharing After Returning From Haiti
Left to right; Frank Andino, Ramon Morales, Dr. Scott Rice, Andy Berger, Dr.Paul Berger, Pastor Randy Landis
Friday, February 26, 2010
They Will Only Forget If We Let Them
Bill Dedman who is a reporter with MSNBC will be doing a follow up report on any updates about our clinic and orphanage since he returned to the US after spening time with our missions team in Port-au-Prince.
We continue to get requests for people who would like to travel to Haiti and help our teams and also phone calls for donations.
We continue to get requests for people who would like to travel to Haiti and help our teams and also phone calls for donations.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
New Options for Getting Donations and Teams In
We are researching some options for our next shipment to Haiti. Love A Child has been so busy with their shipments that they encouraged us to send our supplies through another source. We will find out soon the status of our last shipment. Unfortunately the pallets were separated, 3 of them are on route to Port-au-Prince and we are unsure if the other 3 1/2 have been placed on another ship. One option is to send our next shipment through Compassion Alliance on the Royal Caribbean cruise ship. The challenge is Royal Caribbean's port is in Cap Haitian several hours from Port-au-Prince. The positive is it will get there in 2-3 days.
More good news is that as of March 13th,American Airlines and Delta will now be flying into Port-au-Prince.
More good news is that as of March 13th,American Airlines and Delta will now be flying into Port-au-Prince.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Every Contact Brings New Possibilities
We were able to get in contact with Pastor Dave Beril who has been in Haiti conducting the Willow Creek Leadership Summit for several years. The summit is held every year in the Carabie Prestigious Hotel to attract all the top leaders. He said Haiti is very class conscious and this is a challenge to break. Right now his main focus is taking an airplane into Haiti though and bringing in much needed medical supplies to remote locations that have not received anything since the earthquake. He would like to also help us get more medical supplies for our clinic.
Also Jaccii Farris from WFMZ, Channel 69 News in Allentown, is the reporter who traveled with our medical team into Haiti in January. She will be airing her documentary she has been working hard on about the trip on March 6th.
Also Jaccii Farris from WFMZ, Channel 69 News in Allentown, is the reporter who traveled with our medical team into Haiti in January. She will be airing her documentary she has been working hard on about the trip on March 6th.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
With Change Comes Praise
Luz told us of how Thursday night the team had a powerful time of singing and worshipping with the beautiful Haitian people. They sang in English, French and Creole.She described as to how simply amazing it was and how it lifted everyone's spirits and all the heavy burdens they have been and still are carrying. Everyone truly came together before our team splits off to go home, move the orphans to another location and shut down the clinic temporarily for one month.
The One Voice for Haiti Benefit concert was held last night. Carmen represented Pastor Randy and Maribel and Pastor Ramon & Luz for the event since they were all still in Haiti. There were about 200 people there. She was able to share with everyone as to what we are doing in Haiti and showed a CD with Arnie’s pictures. An offering was taken and it will be shared with LC, New Covenant, and Calvary Temple. One of the churches that New Covenant supports lost 700 members and are ubable to find most of them. Shortly after the earthquake, the Haitian church members from the congregation filled the streets and worshipped.
The One Voice for Haiti Benefit concert was held last night. Carmen represented Pastor Randy and Maribel and Pastor Ramon & Luz for the event since they were all still in Haiti. There were about 200 people there. She was able to share with everyone as to what we are doing in Haiti and showed a CD with Arnie’s pictures. An offering was taken and it will be shared with LC, New Covenant, and Calvary Temple. One of the churches that New Covenant supports lost 700 members and are ubable to find most of them. Shortly after the earthquake, the Haitian church members from the congregation filled the streets and worshipped.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Some New Changes Are Coming
Pastor Ramon and his wife Luz have decided to only temporarily close the current clinic for one month while they re-establish the new home for our RCO children and also work on moving the clinic to a new indoor location. Supplies are very low now and local communities are still asking for help daily, but the needs can only be filled as the supplies are re-delivered. Packing was just completed again for new shipments to leave LC soon for Haiti. Pastor Ramon and Luz will not be coming back to Allentown now until April sometime.
Very sadly,one of the triplets delivered, passed away. Ramon,Rafael and Jose all helped in the burial of the little boy.
Pastor Ramon has become the unofficial sheriff in town! He has calmed crowds, stopped fights, and told people to turn from their wicked behavior. The locals have also now asked him to settle their disputes! He also will not allow special priority to anyone no matter how important they make think they are. All are treated the same.
Very sadly,one of the triplets delivered, passed away. Ramon,Rafael and Jose all helped in the burial of the little boy.
Pastor Ramon has become the unofficial sheriff in town! He has calmed crowds, stopped fights, and told people to turn from their wicked behavior. The locals have also now asked him to settle their disputes! He also will not allow special priority to anyone no matter how important they make think they are. All are treated the same.
Friday, February 12, 2010
The Generosity and Work Continues
Update on LC Haiti Clinic
The clinic continues to treat several hundred patients each day and the critical ones are transported out to area hospitals as need be. Dr. Iqbal Sorathia who was one of the 3 doctors who flew down with our second team in, has stated that he is ready to assist the clinic both financially and by helping medically with other doctors. There is also a German doctor who would like to do the same as well as get involved with the orphanage. Doctors and nurses continue to remain impressed with the clinic and how the team has committed themselves to working there.
We have had several organizations recently donate more items to help in the efforts. The Columbian Red Cross donated 500 units of blankets, tarps, water and hygiene kits. The Half-Moon Confederation also donated a good amount of supplies to distribute as well. Pastor Randy also worked with Feed The Hungry who has donated 250 family meals. There are 15 families living at a dump who sent Pastor Ramon a letter requesting food,water and shelter. Our team went and delivered all the items they needed and set everything up. The families invited Pastor Ramon and his team to come and share dinner with them because they were so grateful. Pastor Ramon was overwhelmed by their generosity and so he went with Rafael and his son Itai to share in a dinner celebration with all the families.These families were the first ones to benefit from the Feed The Hungry meals which were just donated.
Thanks go out to all who continue to donate and offer their services to help the Haitian people. The needs are so great and every donation of time, items and money all help!
The clinic continues to treat several hundred patients each day and the critical ones are transported out to area hospitals as need be. Dr. Iqbal Sorathia who was one of the 3 doctors who flew down with our second team in, has stated that he is ready to assist the clinic both financially and by helping medically with other doctors. There is also a German doctor who would like to do the same as well as get involved with the orphanage. Doctors and nurses continue to remain impressed with the clinic and how the team has committed themselves to working there.
We have had several organizations recently donate more items to help in the efforts. The Columbian Red Cross donated 500 units of blankets, tarps, water and hygiene kits. The Half-Moon Confederation also donated a good amount of supplies to distribute as well. Pastor Randy also worked with Feed The Hungry who has donated 250 family meals. There are 15 families living at a dump who sent Pastor Ramon a letter requesting food,water and shelter. Our team went and delivered all the items they needed and set everything up. The families invited Pastor Ramon and his team to come and share dinner with them because they were so grateful. Pastor Ramon was overwhelmed by their generosity and so he went with Rafael and his son Itai to share in a dinner celebration with all the families.These families were the first ones to benefit from the Feed The Hungry meals which were just donated.
Thanks go out to all who continue to donate and offer their services to help the Haitian people. The needs are so great and every donation of time, items and money all help!
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Who Would Have Ever Thought When This All Began?
Luz shared that Dr. Mike Marshall from Harvard Humanitarian Organization leading the medical efforts on the compound of LAC spoke to them and told them that they will be using the LC Haiti Missions Clinic on the grounds of RCO as a model clinic for other clinics they are setting up in Port-Au-Prince. He also told them that they are the top clinic giving the most vaccinations in Haiti. They are vaccinating the youngest and smallest first.
Another group seeking to set up a clinic came to visit.HHO referred them, telling the group they needed to see the LC Haiti missions clinic and try to duplicate it.HHO will then go visit their site to see if its possible to accomplish this.
Dr. Mike Marshall from HHO said they will be there for the year and have no plans of leaving as they are anticipating great medical needs to arise. Also he said he can continue to supply them with doctors and nurses. They are very impressed with how things are running and our organization not to mention the amount of people they have been able to vaccinate since the earthquake hit.
Another group seeking to set up a clinic came to visit.HHO referred them, telling the group they needed to see the LC Haiti missions clinic and try to duplicate it.HHO will then go visit their site to see if its possible to accomplish this.
Dr. Mike Marshall from HHO said they will be there for the year and have no plans of leaving as they are anticipating great medical needs to arise. Also he said he can continue to supply them with doctors and nurses. They are very impressed with how things are running and our organization not to mention the amount of people they have been able to vaccinate since the earthquake hit.
The Great Work Continues...
Our Life Church Haiti Missions Clinic has been been able to accomplish so much! Some updates for everyone:
-They have already treated over 1000 patients.
-An average of 150 to 200 people a day have been seen but today they were able to see 160 patients.
-All types of illnesses, pregnant women, vomiting, diarrhea.
-Yesterday they treated a boy who had part of his foot amputated and it was infected so they had to rush him to the LAC clinic to be treated there.Today they found out they were able to stabilize the infection for him.
-Our team is now making food deliveries to the people in the nearby neighborhoods instead of directly at the clinic,since it can be too chaotic. It has been much more calm and peaceful as a result of that change.
-The clinic continues to treat quake victims but is now also seeing people that have needed care for a very long time.
-Doctors from all over the world are working together with our team at the clinic.
-Over 100 tents have gone up for people in the community.
-Rene is in the DR working with a Pastor and attorney from another church looking to purchase a nice used pick up truck. We hope this transaction will be complete by Monday.
-Doctors keep stressing that when the rain starts in April there will be another wave of death and so the Harvard group begged our team to stay.
-We now have an attorney able to assist us on the grounds who is credible.
-Luz stressed how proud we would all be to see how everyone from all races, religions, and countries are working together!
Update on some developments here:
Pastor Randy has been busy before returning today to the DR;
-He has worked with some business men who wanted to buy an SUV for us. The plan is to purchase the SUV in the DR next week.
-He also secured Valarie Lowe from Charisma Magazine who is now travelling with he and Maribel. She will be writing a story that will be featured in Charisma. Valarie Lowe is also the person who wrote the previous story on Church on the Move years ago. The story will be on the secular working with the sacred.
-He distributed "How to Donate" flyers at the Lehigh World Events Forum yesterday.
In addition;
-$3000 was donated by a Charity concert organized by Rice Bowls President Dodd Caldwell.
-T-shirts and magnets were purchased with our logos for our team to wear and to place on our vehicles while traveling,so the team can be easily distinguished.
-Angel was able to acquire a light and siren for the top of the cars.
-Thank you cards have gone out to the people who went to Haiti and those in lead positions who helped here in Allentown. We are working on postcards for everyone else.
-John in South Carolina has four churches that are partnering with him and donating supplies.
-John (RCO Board Member) and Dodd have traveled to Haiti with the group that just arrived in the DR today.
-Dairan is meeting with the 4 man team that is traveling out on Sunday to prepare them for the trip.
-Monday, The Morning Call will feature 2 articles on Haiti thanks to Carol Landis.
-Jaccii Farris is also getting these updates and she is willing to keep the people informed as much as possible. Jaccii is also working on a documentary about her entire time spent with the second team going into Haiti as well as why LC is in Haiti and doing the work we continue to do. This will air in March.
-Pastor Randy and Maribel told us that the MSNBC journalist,Bill Dedman is still looking for updates so we are going to try to keep him informed.
-Luz said that Arnie has great pictures from Ramon’s camera and that Sarai actually has video footage of the mother Dr. Scott assisted in her baby being delivered in the back of the truck!
The mission continues with hopes of helping and healing the Haitian people. The donations and wise advise and volunteer support are all so important in making this a success so far and we thank you! Let's not forget the work still to be done going forward and never forget what our Haitian friends have had to and still are enduring.
-They have already treated over 1000 patients.
-An average of 150 to 200 people a day have been seen but today they were able to see 160 patients.
-All types of illnesses, pregnant women, vomiting, diarrhea.
-Yesterday they treated a boy who had part of his foot amputated and it was infected so they had to rush him to the LAC clinic to be treated there.Today they found out they were able to stabilize the infection for him.
-Our team is now making food deliveries to the people in the nearby neighborhoods instead of directly at the clinic,since it can be too chaotic. It has been much more calm and peaceful as a result of that change.
-The clinic continues to treat quake victims but is now also seeing people that have needed care for a very long time.
-Doctors from all over the world are working together with our team at the clinic.
-Over 100 tents have gone up for people in the community.
-Rene is in the DR working with a Pastor and attorney from another church looking to purchase a nice used pick up truck. We hope this transaction will be complete by Monday.
-Doctors keep stressing that when the rain starts in April there will be another wave of death and so the Harvard group begged our team to stay.
-We now have an attorney able to assist us on the grounds who is credible.
-Luz stressed how proud we would all be to see how everyone from all races, religions, and countries are working together!
Update on some developments here:
Pastor Randy has been busy before returning today to the DR;
-He has worked with some business men who wanted to buy an SUV for us. The plan is to purchase the SUV in the DR next week.
-He also secured Valarie Lowe from Charisma Magazine who is now travelling with he and Maribel. She will be writing a story that will be featured in Charisma. Valarie Lowe is also the person who wrote the previous story on Church on the Move years ago. The story will be on the secular working with the sacred.
-He distributed "How to Donate" flyers at the Lehigh World Events Forum yesterday.
In addition;
-$3000 was donated by a Charity concert organized by Rice Bowls President Dodd Caldwell.
-T-shirts and magnets were purchased with our logos for our team to wear and to place on our vehicles while traveling,so the team can be easily distinguished.
-Angel was able to acquire a light and siren for the top of the cars.
-Thank you cards have gone out to the people who went to Haiti and those in lead positions who helped here in Allentown. We are working on postcards for everyone else.
-John in South Carolina has four churches that are partnering with him and donating supplies.
-John (RCO Board Member) and Dodd have traveled to Haiti with the group that just arrived in the DR today.
-Dairan is meeting with the 4 man team that is traveling out on Sunday to prepare them for the trip.
-Monday, The Morning Call will feature 2 articles on Haiti thanks to Carol Landis.
-Jaccii Farris is also getting these updates and she is willing to keep the people informed as much as possible. Jaccii is also working on a documentary about her entire time spent with the second team going into Haiti as well as why LC is in Haiti and doing the work we continue to do. This will air in March.
-Pastor Randy and Maribel told us that the MSNBC journalist,Bill Dedman is still looking for updates so we are going to try to keep him informed.
-Luz said that Arnie has great pictures from Ramon’s camera and that Sarai actually has video footage of the mother Dr. Scott assisted in her baby being delivered in the back of the truck!
The mission continues with hopes of helping and healing the Haitian people. The donations and wise advise and volunteer support are all so important in making this a success so far and we thank you! Let's not forget the work still to be done going forward and never forget what our Haitian friends have had to and still are enduring.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Charisma Magazine Article
Uncommon Courage During Haiti Crises
Wednesday, 03 February 2010 09:53 AM EST J. Lee Grady Newsletters
Fire In My Bones
How a Pennsylvania pastor led a four-man team into the quake zone in Port-au-Prince to save a handful of orphans.
Psalm 27 was posted on the orphanage wall.
At the Rescue Children Orphanage in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, a small sign was hanging on one of the building's concrete walls on Jan. 12, the day the city was leveled by a devastating earthquake. It was a verse from Psalm 27, written in English and Creole: "When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take care of me."
Those words have rich meaning today, not only to the 11 children in that orphanage who survived the quake but to Randy Landis, a charismatic pastor from Allentown, Pa., who helped lead a dangerous search-and-rescue mission when he learned about the calamity. He knew the children had survived the quake, but when phones went dead he had no idea if they had food, water or protection from falling debris. So Landis and a small team of men from Lifechurch of Allentown sprang into action.
"At one point I cried for 45 minutes. I just felt I wanted to do more than I could do to help."—Pastor Randy Landis
While most Americans were still learning the facts about the disaster, the men packed 400 pounds of medical supplies, said goodbye to their families and caught a flight to the Dominican Republic. Two photographers from MSNBC tagged along.
Landis told those reporters: "I don't think Jesus would be in America sitting and watching television. If He had a way to get to Port-au-Prince, He would get there. He would be a first-responder."
These are the 11 children who survived Haiti's earthquake after the Rescue Children's Orphanage was damaged.
The odds of this ragtag team actually getting into the quake zone were not good, but a string of miracles made it possible. On the flight to Santo Domingo, the guys met an Haitian doctor who knew key people in the Haitian embassy. When they arrived in the Dominican Republic and went to the embassy, they were ushered past lines of people and into an official's office. He promised safe passage through the border into Haiti.
The men rented a vehicle and loaded it with tents, gasoline, potatoes, bananas, vegetable oil and other supplies, and then drove more than four hours on rough roads until they arrived at the orphanage.
When they pulled up in front of the building they found the children and four adult workers sleeping in a courtyard under the stars. The compound's walls had collapsed, and the 7-bedroom structure was cracked and uninhabitable. The men called out the names of every child to make sure they had survived.
All the kids were accounted for. There had been no casualties.
Landis tried not to cry in front of the kids, but he's been shedding lots of tears since that emotional reunion. "I haven't cried that hard since my daughter was born with Down syndrome," Randy told me last week. "At one point I cried for 45 minutes. I just felt I wanted to do more than I could do to help."
Each day after the quake, things grew more volatile because people in the area were without food, water and electricity. Up to 100 people a day came to the orphanage seeking help. Sometimes they simply wanted to recharge their cell phones so they could try to call missing relatives.
"We were about to run out of food," Landis said. "And at one point there was another 4.5 aftershock."
This Haitian boy is all smiles after the Life Church team arrived from the U.S. to aid the Rescue Children Orphanage.
It soon became obvious that the men could not keep the children at the Rescue facility, which Lifechurch had started operating in 2009. Through another series of small miracles, Landis learned about an orphanage operated by the Tampa-based Love a Child organization in the town of Fond Parisien. He soon got approval to transfer the orphans from Rescue to the Love a Child facility.
Said Landis: "Our kids were a little apprehensive when we drove into the Love a Child compound. It had horses and swing sets. But then all 70 of the Love a Child orphans came out to greet us. They started embracing everyone."
Landis actually went back to the damaged Rescue orphanage and set up a makeshift relief center that is still being used today to treat victims of the quake. In fact, it has been tagged by the United Nations as a designated "safe place." The Rescue facility has been compromised structurally, but Landis is already making plans to build a new orphanage for his kids. He came home last week for a few days but is planning to go back to Haiti on Feb. 11.
Meanwhile the children from Rescue Orphanage are reminded daily of the promise from Psalm 27:10 that used to hang in their former home. When everything around them shook, and even their national palace crumbled, the Lord gave these Haitian children a future and a hope.
J. Lee Grady served as editor of Charisma for 11 years and is now contributing editor. You can follow him on Twitter at leegrady. If you'd like to contribute to Lifechurch's work with Rescue Orphanage in Haiti, go to www.lifechurchlv.org.
Wednesday, 03 February 2010 09:53 AM EST J. Lee Grady Newsletters
Fire In My Bones
How a Pennsylvania pastor led a four-man team into the quake zone in Port-au-Prince to save a handful of orphans.
Psalm 27 was posted on the orphanage wall.
At the Rescue Children Orphanage in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, a small sign was hanging on one of the building's concrete walls on Jan. 12, the day the city was leveled by a devastating earthquake. It was a verse from Psalm 27, written in English and Creole: "When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take care of me."
Those words have rich meaning today, not only to the 11 children in that orphanage who survived the quake but to Randy Landis, a charismatic pastor from Allentown, Pa., who helped lead a dangerous search-and-rescue mission when he learned about the calamity. He knew the children had survived the quake, but when phones went dead he had no idea if they had food, water or protection from falling debris. So Landis and a small team of men from Lifechurch of Allentown sprang into action.
"At one point I cried for 45 minutes. I just felt I wanted to do more than I could do to help."—Pastor Randy Landis
While most Americans were still learning the facts about the disaster, the men packed 400 pounds of medical supplies, said goodbye to their families and caught a flight to the Dominican Republic. Two photographers from MSNBC tagged along.
Landis told those reporters: "I don't think Jesus would be in America sitting and watching television. If He had a way to get to Port-au-Prince, He would get there. He would be a first-responder."
These are the 11 children who survived Haiti's earthquake after the Rescue Children's Orphanage was damaged.
The odds of this ragtag team actually getting into the quake zone were not good, but a string of miracles made it possible. On the flight to Santo Domingo, the guys met an Haitian doctor who knew key people in the Haitian embassy. When they arrived in the Dominican Republic and went to the embassy, they were ushered past lines of people and into an official's office. He promised safe passage through the border into Haiti.
The men rented a vehicle and loaded it with tents, gasoline, potatoes, bananas, vegetable oil and other supplies, and then drove more than four hours on rough roads until they arrived at the orphanage.
When they pulled up in front of the building they found the children and four adult workers sleeping in a courtyard under the stars. The compound's walls had collapsed, and the 7-bedroom structure was cracked and uninhabitable. The men called out the names of every child to make sure they had survived.
All the kids were accounted for. There had been no casualties.
Landis tried not to cry in front of the kids, but he's been shedding lots of tears since that emotional reunion. "I haven't cried that hard since my daughter was born with Down syndrome," Randy told me last week. "At one point I cried for 45 minutes. I just felt I wanted to do more than I could do to help."
Each day after the quake, things grew more volatile because people in the area were without food, water and electricity. Up to 100 people a day came to the orphanage seeking help. Sometimes they simply wanted to recharge their cell phones so they could try to call missing relatives.
"We were about to run out of food," Landis said. "And at one point there was another 4.5 aftershock."
This Haitian boy is all smiles after the Life Church team arrived from the U.S. to aid the Rescue Children Orphanage.
It soon became obvious that the men could not keep the children at the Rescue facility, which Lifechurch had started operating in 2009. Through another series of small miracles, Landis learned about an orphanage operated by the Tampa-based Love a Child organization in the town of Fond Parisien. He soon got approval to transfer the orphans from Rescue to the Love a Child facility.
Said Landis: "Our kids were a little apprehensive when we drove into the Love a Child compound. It had horses and swing sets. But then all 70 of the Love a Child orphans came out to greet us. They started embracing everyone."
Landis actually went back to the damaged Rescue orphanage and set up a makeshift relief center that is still being used today to treat victims of the quake. In fact, it has been tagged by the United Nations as a designated "safe place." The Rescue facility has been compromised structurally, but Landis is already making plans to build a new orphanage for his kids. He came home last week for a few days but is planning to go back to Haiti on Feb. 11.
Meanwhile the children from Rescue Orphanage are reminded daily of the promise from Psalm 27:10 that used to hang in their former home. When everything around them shook, and even their national palace crumbled, the Lord gave these Haitian children a future and a hope.
J. Lee Grady served as editor of Charisma for 11 years and is now contributing editor. You can follow him on Twitter at leegrady. If you'd like to contribute to Lifechurch's work with Rescue Orphanage in Haiti, go to www.lifechurchlv.org.
'An incredible, amazing feeling'
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God is good. He is good for us.
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Passing time with dominos.
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A joyful reunion, but now what?
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Haitian orphans look toward a new beginning
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Wednesday, February 3, 2010
2/2 – As of today, over $100,000 has been give to our Haiti Relief fund. Truly remarkable considering many of us have been negatively impacted due to the recession. Also, thousands of pounds of supplies (medical, food, tents, etc.) have been donated and are being taken by truck (driven by two Lifechurch volunteers) to Florida to be shipped to the Dominican Republic then delivered to Port-au-Prince by land. This is all so amazing!
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