Yesterday my father told me about a pastor friend of his, Clint Rabb, who was missing in the rubble of the earthquake in Haiti. I found this story on the internet of his rescue after 55 hours trapped in a 3 food high cavity... READ IT we all need a little hope in such a devastating situaion!!!
This story is from the TIMESONLINE.. .
Clinton Rabb was dropped off at the Hotel Montana shortly before 5pm on Tuesday for a meeting with his fellow Methodist missionaries. Moments later, the ground began to shake and the building collapsed.
Mr Rabb's driver was one of the lucky ones: he had got away and was able to confirm the 60-year-old missionary's movements to his friends at the United Methodist Relief Committee (Umcor).
But that was the last anyone heard, until a team of French firefighters systematically picking through the rubble of the four-star hotel found Mr Rabb and another Umcor executive, Sam Dixon, trapped in a three-foot high cavity last night.
It was not to be a simple rescue. Some 200 people had been trapped or buried in the rubble of the hotel, which is on a ridge overlooking the devastated city.
The French firefighters used metal cutters to clear the way but Mr Rabb's right leg had been crushed by a large concrete slab, which had also trapped Mr Dixon's feet. The rescue workers set up IV drips to rehydrate the two missionaries and control their pain.
"When I get pain I ask for help and they give it to me," he said. "I have fantasies of ice-cold water, but I know I'm in good hands."
As their colleagues had made clear when it emerged that the two men were missing, both are experienced and resourceful travellers. If anyone could pull through, it would be them.
But back home in Westchester County, New York, Mr Rabb's wife Suzanne, a Methodist minister, had already admitted to her local newspaper just how frightened she was. "There's almost a part of me that's afraid to know," she said.
She explained that her husband had just come back from a mission to Cuba and had been suffering from a cold. She had asked him to delay his trip but he left anyway and arrived in Haiti on Tuesday morning.
In Port-au-Prince, as the French firefighters struggled to cut him free despite the ever-present risks of after-shocks, Mr Rabb asked a Times reporter to pass on a message. "Tell my wife I deeply love her and we're going to survive this," he said. "And I'm praying for all those who did not survive."
The message was duly delivered over a crackling phone line from Haiti although it was only afterwards that Mrs Rabb found out that her husband and his colleague had been freed after 55 hours under the rubble
"Miracles happen," she told The Journal News which serves the Lower Hudson Valley." "We couldn't believe it. Thank God."
Alongside the Frenchmen an American search-and-rescue team from Fairfax County, Virginia, was working alongside to free two others trapped in a toppled lift shaft.
One of them, a hotel worker, Luckson Mondesir, had survived since Tuesday's quake on one bottle of water.
"I slept a little and thought about my family," he said. "I never thought I'd die. I had no idea that thousands of people have died."
As the news piles out from Haiti many people are wondering how they can help but many are nervous of scams from people just wanting to make a buck. Here is a note from Seth Barnes, who is the head of Adventures in Missions, I know him personally and greatly respect him. I also have friends who have worked with the couple he speaks of, in other words this is a legitimate effort that is being formed. Please read Seth Barnes' email and help in whatever way you can...
Dear friends,
The news reports are still coming. I just saw one that said 500,000 are dead in Haiti. The number is numbing. That is 500,000 children, mothers, uncles, fathers. God's people must respond.
As you consider your role, know that we have a conduit established: Miguel and Kristen Shaul, a committed young couple who have led AIM's efforts in neighboring Dominican Republic for five years.
Miguel is heading across the border into Haiti today to meet believing churches and set up operations in areas where we can make a fast, meaningful impact.
More details will follow regarding both short and long-term opportunities to help in person. But right now, the greatest need is for donations to fund the purchase of essential supplies. We have set up an opportunity set-up for you to give online, which is fastest and easiest right now.
Click here to make a Donation to the AIM Earthquake Haiti Relief Fund:
100% of your donations are tax-deductible, and we will make sure that every donation gets turned into essentials like food and blankets. I will email more details as as I get them from Miguel. In the meantime, pray for him, Kristen, and Samantha, as he is heading into some chaotic areas soon.
Stand with us at AIM as we stand with Miguel. He is providing a lifeline for the Haitians. Make no mistake, that's what we are talking about right now: life and death. You can also visit our website for more frequent updates, as we receive them.
This is our hour.
Seth Barnes
Adventures In Missions
Online: www.adventures.org
Email: info@adventures.org
Phone: 1.800.881.2461
P.S. You have an opportunity to bring tangible hope to the people of Haiti. Please consider making a tax-deductible gift to the relief efforts AIM is pulling together. Read more about how you can help...
A year and a half ago I stood on this plot of land outside Beira, Mozambique with a Saint whom I like to call Mama Rita. It was a special day for Team Kaleo we went with Mama Rita and Peter to see the land that had just recently been purchased by Team Isaac, led by Gretchen Kiehlbaugh (my co-squad leader on this last race I lead). Team Isaac along with supporters had been able to help Mama Rita and her family purchase this land for the orphans she takes care of and her family. At this point we had only been with Mama Rita for a week but we already loved her eternally.
We had just come from a debrief with Team Isaac where they told us all about her and her need and the amazing love that she possesses. We were blown away with her story and couldn't wait to meet her. I remember hearing Gretchen talk about Mama Rita and being heart broken too just from the stories of her. There were only a few things that didn't have me excited to go to Mozambique. One was the 18 hour smelly bumpy bus ride the other were the rats they said live in her house. I cannot stand rats! While I was there I prayed A LOT about the rats not visiting us in the night while we were sleeping(in our tent inside her house) and they didn't, PRAISE GOD!!!
This is the home that Mama Rita and her children live in currently, it houses 30 people.
Now let me take you back a minute to tell you why Mama Rita even came into my life. In 2007 Ezekiel, her husband, was forming a relationship with some Muslim people who said they were interested in becoming Christians. He was invited to their home to share and on the way he was stabbed so harshly by some Muslim extremist that he ended up dying a few days later in the hospital. Ezekiel had started a denomination of churches in the north central part of Mozambique . As men and women from his churches would die because of the harshness of Mozambique life and the AIDs epidemic their children would be left without parents and a home. Ezekiel had a huge heart for the orphans and he took the children in as their parents would die. At the time of his death Ezekiel and Mama Rita had taken in 25 children plus the 7 of their own birth children.
When Ezekiel died the missionaries who had been involved with Ezekiel's ministry did not know who would continue the ministry or who would provide for all of these children. Peter, Ezekiel's nephew, ended up being the man with the job and heart for helping children. Peter grew up most of his life in Malawi because of war situations. Because of this he learned how to speak English, which is one of their national languages, but he also ended up with Malaria and no way to cure it so he ended up going blind. Peter and his wife, who is blind, both teach at a school for the blind in Beira, Mozambique. Peter, his wife and some of the church provide financially for the children to eat and live on. Through the death of Ezekiel the Lord told Mama Rita that he would send people to help her out, we turned out to be an answer to that promise.
Amazingly enough Mama Rita and her family served us beyond belief while we stayed with them. One day we felt so horrible when we found out that they had no food for the children but had fed us a nice supper that evening. As I think back to that situation I am reminded why I want to give back to this family. Their love for God and for his people is so amazing and inspiring!!! They never asked us for anything, no money , nothing the whole time we were there. Some people you meet along the way are beggers but not these people!
While I was standing at the plot of land that will someday be a home for Mama Rita and her children God spoke to me and told me I would return to see Mama Rita some day. Well that day is coming in January when I travel to debrief the June squad. I am so excited to see what God does while I am there. My hope is that God will use me to further the process of building the orphanage whether that be through fundraising, bringing teams to build or to minister or whatever God has for us.
Will you join me in praying for this process? Do you have a desire to serve in Africa? Do you have a desire to give financially to orphans and AIDS victims? Please let me know if through hearing about Mama Rita you have a strong desire to do something. I am excited to see what God is doing in Mozambique and how we can partner in that!
I am still in need of financial support please consider giving a year end tax deductible donation in my name!
This is the view from our balcony here in Israel, sorry you are not here to experience it with me.
Sadness came over me yesteday as we dropped off some of team
Illumoonations to meet up with their
contact. We traveled this past weekend
around Israel with our contact who is so incredibly brilliant and knows so much
about the Holy Land. He showed us to
Masada, En Gedi (where David hid away from Saul) and all around the Sea of
Galilee where so much of Jesus’ ministry too place. It was neat to be able to be in those places
and to see some of the land where God’s son literally walked.
(King David's Waterfall, which is the area where David hid from Saul)
We were gone for three days on this adventure and I would
have thought that the sightseeing would be my favorite part but it wasn't. The last day we split off in our two vans to
get home and deliver people to where they needed to go. Our van found some CDs in the glove box and
we began to explore them. With each new
song we belted out the words that we knew and came up with tons of motions and
silly things just like any great road trip. We don’t really get the
opportunity to be in our own vehicles on the race so it was even more fun to
get to navigate and explore Israel on our own.
(Our road trip crew)
As we began to drop the team off around Mt. Tabor I was
unsure why I was so sad, then it clicked I go home in 11 days. I hadn’t really thought too much about going
home because this is just what I have done for the past five months. I love doing life with the June Squad. Even in some of the most challenging things I
have ever gone through I have still loved being out here with this squad. It is not the places that make bring me joy
IT IS THE PEOPLE!!! I love seeing God
change the lives of these people and getting to play a small part in it. I know that Christ had only 12 disciples so
that he could pour so much into their lives in such a short time. I love being able to pour out into the people
around me.
One team asked me if I would like to stay here with them and
just be on their team for the next six months; I really had to think through
it! At this point it seems like it would
be easier to just keep on with this race. I know what I am doing, I know the people and who doesn’t want to go to
Africa. BUT that is not what I am called
to do. I was called out here to lead, train,
empower and leave these people to learn and that is what I must do. It is time for me to head back â€Å"home� for
however long I am there. I will get to
come back out and debrief this squad at some point and that excites me!
Back to the ledge of the cliff where God likes to keep me,
this way when he says to jump I am ready!
Thank you all for supporting me on this journey. I only need 20 more people or families to
support me with $50 to complete my goal by the 29th of this month
OCTOBER! Please give to the glory of
God. SHALOM!
We have been teaching English to Sudanese refugees here in Israel. These pictures are of Sunday and me, I got to love on her while her big sister learned English!
We leave tomorrow for what will be my last destination on this section of my second World Race. I am committed to this squad until May 2010 but will do the majority of my work after October through correspondence via email, blogs and the ever so lovely SKYPE. I will get to come back out to the field twice to visit the squad for debriefs, just not sure when and where yet.
It has been an incredible journey thus far. One of my main goals in coming was to learn to lead and teach to lead better. I have gotten so much practice leading and empowering other leaders, it has been really neat. I have loved watching people flourish as they step up and out and serve others through leadership and whatever other giftings they are growing in.
In coming out I knew that I would not be staying through the whole journey with this squad but I didn't know how long I would actual be out. As a need arose I ended up staying a month longer than my co- leader Gretchen, who is now back in Arizona. Since she left we have been in Turkey doing ethnographic on unreached people groups, specifically the Gypsy people. It has been so interesting to learn about Turkey, the Muslim culture and the different people groups that reside here. With the work we have done people in the future will be able to better reach the people of Turkey for the Kingdom of God! SOME INCREDIBLE WORK HAS BEEN DONE FOR THE KINGDOM HERE IN TURKEY!!!!
At this point I have transitioned out of leading the squad almost completely. Part of my job for this squad was to train up new leaders to replace me and that has been done in the last month. Tiffany and William are now in full swing leading the June Squad and my job is to sit back and enjoy the ride. It has definitely been a crazy learning experience to go from being upfront to barely even being seen and heard. There is a saying that "your greatest strength is often your greatest weakness", that is so true for me. Sitting back and letting someone else run the show is hard but I know it is ultimately what I came for.
I am excited to be headed to Israel, it looks like we will be working along some incredible people who are expanding the Kingdom in some unique ways. Please keep praying for us, pray that we would be the LOVE, TRUTH and PEACE that Israel needs.
A HUGE THANK YOU TO THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE BEEN SUPPORTING ME PRAYERFULLY AND FINANCIALLY ON THIS SECOND JOURNEY! I am still in need of 27 people to give $50 (or however much you feel led to give) for me to reach my financial goal by October 29th. If you are willing or know someone who would like to give please share my need with them. Blessings!
Recently four World Race Squads and 30 plus World Race alumni and a bunch more staff traveled to Brasov, Romania for the first every World Race Awakening. During that time the 200 of us were able to worship, learn and grow together as a body and as a generation that expects the return of Christ. This photo is of Michael and Kathy Hindes and the people from my original race in January 2008, all of whom are still working with AIM and the World Race in some way, Becky Miller, Andrea Wendel and Matt Peters were also present at the Awakening but were not present for the picture. There were 11 of us total, it was incredible to have that part of my family back together in Romania, God is so good!
Tomorrow morning I head out to start my last full month on the field. Many of you may not know but I ended up staying out on the field a month longer than expected and I am now going into my fifth month on the field.
Originally we were planned to head straight to Israel for the month but the Feast of Tabernacles is happening at the beginning of October, which makes it very difficult and expensive for us to travel to Israel. So our incredible logistics people have found us some friends to work alongside in Turkey(there has recently been flooding in Turkey) for 10 days and then we head to Israel until the end of October. At that point I will transition home to Texas for a while in between the few debriefs that I will travel to for the June Squad. I am committed to walking alongside this squad until their final debrief at the beginning of May. During the time in between I will still be working with The World Race helping to further advance the Kingdom of God.
I have seen a good response from supporters financially for this race but I am still lacking $2,000 for this year. My prayer is that God would have me fully support raised by October 30, 2009, which means I need people to pray with me for this to happen and I also need people to respond to the call financially.
This past week four World Race squads, alumni and staff came together in Brasov, Romania to worship, pray and activate ourselves spiritually. It has been incredible to watch as many of the racers have opened themselves up to the Holy Spirit and allowed him to renew and rebuild their hearts. Ultimately we want to be the generation to see Jesus Christ return to the Earth and it was incredible to see at least 300 people gathered together who are determined to help multiply the Kingdom of God on Earth as it is in Heaven.
I know the Lord has called me to lead this squad for many reasons and it has been incredible to watch them learn and grow and claim their identity and strength in the Lord God almighty. Thank you for your support and prayers. Please continue to pray that God would give me vision for this squad and give me eyes to direct them so that they can further advance the Kingdom of God.
Please pray that the people of God would respond and help me financially. I know God will provide, will it be through you?
Left is a picture from the First Annual Awakening Dance Off, which WE WON! It was amazing! You may think all we do is dance but it's not it's just one of the things we do to bring UNITY amongst the body. The picture on the right is of the squad at the Awakening with one of our coaches Tom Sipling! Keep praying for these 30 young people as they pursue the presence and power of God Almigthy in their lives.
Throughout this next month I won't be communicating through this blog to keep our contacts and ourselves free of too much trouble. Please be cautious what you send me on this blog and through email, no comments is an OK thing! Blessings!
The Kingdom of God is so important to me that the word Kingdom is tattooed on my wrist. Take a look at this video to see all of the June World Racers and hear about what the Kingdom of God means in their lives.
On the 22nd of September four World Race squads and many past World Racers will meet together for the first annual World Race Awakening, prophetic conference. As World Race squads travel around the World, dancing is one of the greatest ways we have fun and minister to and with others. A challenge has been set for a Dance OFF between the January (H) squad and the most incredible June (I) squad. The date and time is yet to be set but the competition is a must. Check out the video too see what is to come.
I have come to a place again in life where I am faced with the joys and struggles of living in community. On my world race I lived with 25 other people for the majority of the race. This go round I have typically been with 15 others. Every community has its' own quirks and rhythms. I feel like I have so much wisdom in this area from living in community on the race and at Shelterwood in Missouri, but even with this wisdom learning to live in community is still a process. I have a hard time not jumping ahead and telling people what the outcome will be if you do such and such things. I feel like I must give people grace and let them figure it out for themselves, but there are some things I just can't hold back on. Like for instance I know that if you leave hair in the drain of the shower it will eventually make someone mad. They may not come directly to you to tell you but they will spout off to someone about it passive aggressively. Also if you leave your shampoo in the shower people will tend to use it because no one is looking and they think you won't miss just a little. The big kicker of World Race community living is FOOD!!! We try to share things but we get so mad if someone took our Coca Cola out the fridge.
It really is so funny to watch groups go through a RIGHTS stage. We believe we have rights to things. We have a right to not share our chocolate because we bought it with our own personal money. We have a right to eat bread because we want it and we should always get to eat bread. Where did we get these rights? Who told us we could have rights to anything? We as believers and especially World Racers say that we have abandoned everything for the Lord but for some reason there always seem to be some areas we hold back and hold on to.
I have been reading Acts recently trying to compare it to our community living as World Racers. One part actually evoked fear in me the other day. In Acts 5 it tells the account of Ananias and Sapphira. Earlier in this book it tells that the Church of Acts decided to share all of it's belongings. It says "No one claimed that his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had." Ananias and Sapphire sold some land and kept some of the profits back for themselves but told the disciples they gave all the profits. "Then Peter said 'Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your hear that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn't it belong to you before it was sold?" It wasn't that Ananias was forced by the church to give his profits to them, it was his choice as to what to do with the money. It was that he lied to God and to man about the profits. Through this Ananias and Saphira at two different times end up dropping dead because they lied to God. WOW talk about justice!!! In the study I am doing it asks how serious is it when Christians pretend to surrender all to God but deliberately hold back from him? This is the part that evoked fear in me. Do I hold back things from God and his people? Am I really that honest? This is no laughing matter to God, these people died because of their lack of honesty to God.
I know sharing your Coca Cola or your chocolate on the World Race is not quite the same as in this account of Ananias and Saphira but the principle is the same. Are you being honest to the Lord? Are you giving with a pure heart to others? Are you sharing the gifts the Lord has given to you? Not just of possessions but also of the gifts the Lord has given you physically. Are you willing to serve the Lord and your church with the gifts the Lord has put in you? I challenge you today to examine your heart. Are there things you are withholding from God? Are you surrendering all? Only God knows.
