And the Students Respond

Once again, the students of Grace have stepped up and filled a need! We requested that they bring in items for the "Haiti Baby Shower" and they responded! We received about 20 Wal-Mart bags full of blankets, clothes, formula, wipes, Pedialyte and other items that are a necessity for young children.

While many small groups went together and purchased things, we had one student, Erika H., that had her mom post the flyer at work, and received several bags of items from her moms co-workers, and also pitched in and bought a bag full of clothes and other items with her own money!

We also had one student, Naomi F., that took the time to make a few blankets for the children in Haiti. Here is a photo of one of her blankets (taken with my cell phone, sorry for the poor quality)

And as we were wrapping up this evening at small groups, I received a text from a student that was not at church because of illness, but wanted to make sure she could still get her items on the truck!

What an example these students have been to those around them! And I pray that these items will bring hope in the name of Jesus to those still suffering in Haiti.

Let's fill a truck!

REMINDER: Bring you HAITI RELIEF supplies to Wooster Grace Church today. Praise God for what has already been given!!! I am excited to see how God will continue to use the people from our church for Haiti.

Sunday, Feb 14th

I thought the first Sunday went well. There were people donating funds and others making commitments to bring in shelter supplies. Thank you God!

We will need more flyers for next Sunday and I think I will bring a container to put supplies in, just in case people bring them in.

Now we just need to get something final on the truck. Tom? Rob?

Please keep praying for this outreach and that people will allow God to use them to help our Christian brothers and sisters so they can continue to reach out to the lost and hurting people of Haiti.

Waiting for a reply back regarding the dates for teams. Yesterday, I talked to a couple people who had signed up to go. Keep praying for this also.

"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up" Eccl 4:9-10

Thank you. I believe God will bless those who reach out to the "church" in need and the lost.

Come Together Now - Haiti Benefit

Here is a YouTube Video of the Come Together Now song that Michael W Smith wrote for Haiti benefit. The Contemporary Christian Musician community recorded this song (think We Are The World) to Benefit Haiti and you can purchase it on iTunes

Carol Mills Bio

My name is Carol Mills and I have been attending Wooster Grace Brethren Church for over 12 years with my husband Nate. We have three beautiful children that have since joined us!! Taylor is almost 12 years old and active in Children's Choir and SMM Amigas at church as well as keeping us busy playing OSU Soccer. Our son Drew is 8 years old and also involved in Children's Choir as well as whatever sport is in season! Our youngest Toby is almost 5 years old and has been with us, from his birth country of South Korea, since he was just over 2 years old.

As a family, we enjoy spending time together watching movies, visiting the zoo or various museums, playing Wii, and attending sporting events of our children, local community and when we are afforded the opportunity, even our local professional teams (Go CAVS!) We enjoy going to Contemporary Christian Concerts as well, my favorite of which include Third Day, Skillet, Barlow Girl and many many more! Some of my favorite movies include Fireproof, The Ultimate Gift and Disney movies!

Books that I enjoy reading include those by Nicolas Sparks and Karen Kingsbury. I have also recently read Crazy Love by Frances Chan with my adult Small group and continue to be challeneged by what I learned. Of course my favorite time reading is in the mornings, in God's Word.

I am currently working with Student Ministries in organizing a Baby Shower for Haiti with my wonderful High School Small Group girls, Lindsey J., Hope F., Micaela H., Erika M. and Erika H.

Why the Children

During times of crisis, as the Haitians have recently encountered, it is easy to sit back and be overwhelmed by the devastation. It's easy to see broken buildings, and broken homes and broken bodies, but sometimes it's even harder to look deeper into the broken spirits and the broken lives of the people of Haiti. The burden of the broken buildings and broken bodies is heavy on the hearts and lives of the adults of the country, but it is the broken spirits that will most greatly effect the children. These children count on those around them to care for them and to help them to see what life is about. They are fully dependent on the adults around them and when they are broken, or all together gone, where can they turn? That is where, as believers, we can step in and be that encouragement and hope that these children need.

Several years ago, as my husband and I began to investigate International Adoption, the orphans of Haiti soon became a tender spot in our lives. Personally, after reading the book Hands and Feet by the band members of Audio Adrenaline, my heart has not been the same and I have had a desire to make a trip to Haiti and work with a ministry in orphanages. Following the Hurricanes of 2008 that devastated Haiti, my heart grew even closer. Now, following January 12, 2010 I feel like there is a piece of me that is not here. All I can see are the children's faces, pleading for help.

Did you know that prior to the earthquake, almost half the population of Haiti consisted of Children, ages 0-14? I am sure since January 12 that percentage has unfortunately increased.

Here are some statistics (2006 figures) taken from the Hands and Feet book:

• 8 percent of children born in Haiti will die before their first birthday
• 30,000 children under the age of 5 will die each year
• Minimum wage in Haiti is approximately $1.70 a DAY

So "Why the Children" you may ask? Because they are the future of Haiti. They are often the lost and forgotten, but without them, without reaching them in the Name of Jesus, this tragic situation will continue to be just that... tragic. Lets take this opportunity God has placed before us to make a difference not only in the lives of a few children with diapers and formula, but to be an impact in a country that has been hurting for a very long time, and needs the Healing Grace of a God that loves them more then they may yet know.

We Are the World Video for Haiti

We all heard it was coming. Hear it now....
We Are The World" Video for Haiti:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApSMiXUTZ3Q
or
http://bit.ly/bcCvMF

Now let us show them what Christians can do. :)

Volunteers

If anyone is interested in helping on Sun, 2/14 or Sun, 2/21 at the Haiti Relief tables please let me know. (330-262-3474) We need people prior to each service and after 3rd both Sundays. Also, need a few volunteers to help on collection day, Sunday, 2/28, any hours between 8am -7pm. I am anticipation being busier in morning and again at 6pm.
Thank you very much for you willingness to serve.

EVERYONE can help Haiti!

Praise God, we are almost here!...kickoff day. On Sunday, Feb. 14th, we will have a table set up before and after the church services with information regarding our Haiti Relief efforts.

Our main focus is shelter (and baby supplies*). There are thousands of people without housing, especially dry housing and the rainy season usually starts in May. Locally, I found we can bring shelter to a family of four for $70. (At Walmart - tent $54, tarp $12. At Dollar Tree - 4 ponchos for $4.00) I personally can't imagine trying to keep your family and yourself healthy amidst ongoing rains - with no shelter!

We will be shipping the items to one of our partner organizations, Caribbean Vision Ministries(CVM), in Florida. They are collecting items to fill containers and ship directly to ministering churches and orphanages in Haiti.

Everyone can help in some way! Even if you do not attend our church and would like to contribute, you may. We will be collecting on Feb. 28th 8am - 7pm at Wooster Grace Brethren Church on Burbank Rd, Wooster.

OR you may check out the following links to recommended items and have shipped directly to the Florida address provided. Pastor Joseph is with Caribbean Vision Ministries. There are some great online deals!

If you desire to ship directly to Florida please ship to Pastor Joseph at the following address. (Please let us know if you ship directly to Pastor Joseph at CVM. You may comment on blog, email me at jwfish7@msn.com, or leave a message at 330-262-3474.)

Pastor Elysee Joseph
11760 NW 27th Court
Plantation, FL 33323
Ph# 954-588-5016

Some recommendations:
TENTS:
GREAT ONLINE DEALS at Walmart
(This is great to ship directly to the Florida address. When I checked it out shipping was less than $4.00! Please use gift message option and add “Wooster Grace Brethren Church” to it for tracking purposes. You may add your name too)

3-4 person Kodiak tent $45.00
http://www.walmart.com/ip/The-Kodiak-Tent/10756674

4-5 person Wenzel “Beartooth” Dome tent $89.00 (This is a GREAT deal!)
http://www.walmart.com/ip/14-x-10-Family-Dome-Tent/5623425"

7-9 person Wenzel tent $134.00
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Wenzel-Great-Basin-18-x-10-Tent-Blue-and-Taupe/13228640


TARPS:
Tarpaflex Hurricane Tarps – ONLINE
20' x 25' available single ($20.31) or 3pack ($58.50)
http://tarpaflex.com/acatalog/Hurricane tarps/html

*Baby supplies (mainly: formula -ready to serve preferred; diapers -cloth preferred; wipes; baby food; bottles; and Pedialyte) are also being collected. Information regarding this will be available from the Student Ministries Center or see the prior blog with the link to SMC website.

We THANK YOU for however God lays it on your heart to help. We are so blessed to live in a country that has so much and can share God's love openly. May God bless our efforts to share the love of Christ Jesus to the Haitian people. And above all, please continue to pray for Haiti.

Students want to help Haiti

Thanks to Carol Mills who is mobilizing her small group to get things for babies in Haiti.  View the news on Wooster Grace Student Ministries blog. 

I finally received information on the Troyers who are in Haiti! Praise God they are doing ok. Please pray for them to get enough rest, downtime and time with God. They have been there since a few days after the quake and will probably not be back to Honduras for another month. Despite all they, their fellow workers and the Haitians are going through Kathy wrote this:

"the Haitian people are a resilient people. Their lives have never been easy and they have always needed to be flexible, innovative to solve problems and self sufficient. They are a people of deep faith in many cases and are very generous in sharing what they have with others they see in need. We as North Americans have so much we could learn from them."

It makes one take a step back to realize we can learn from others who have so little and are undergoing such trials. But so true! From my own experiences I know God uses many of our trials to help us to learn to rely on and grow closer to Him. It again reminds me how all the "stuff" we have beyond what we need doesn't make us happy. And do we really do our kids any favors by trying to provide the "best" in everything? I don't think so. I also pray that the "faith" she refers to is in the one and only true God.

As we continue down this journey to help Haiti, I ask for your prayers for the Haitians -that they will have open hearts and minds to not only see God at work but He will open their ears to hear His word and how it applies to them; to help this team to come together; to help us to have discernment in the best process; to help us with good communication from our partnering organizations; and above all to help us to "hear" the path God wants us to take and lead -all for His glory. Thank you for your time and interest in this mission.
Stephanie

Buy from the Need List; NOT "what you think they need"

yoga gear photo from Akuppa

I discovered this post from Xeni Jardin from Boing Boing. Xeni debunks the myth that anything's better than nothing. I agree with Xeni--it's not.   I appreciate the link to the Red Cross post as well as the yoga mat donation placard.  That's why I put a yoga mat picture with this post. 

Claire Dunham provides insight why you need to get things for the list given to us by our partnering ministries. Her post ," Help not hinder Haiti" challenges everyone who wants to help Haiti with the Red Cross as its conduit. 

So when you start thinking, "Oh! They could use this!" or "They probably could use that!" But as Claire advocates, "Relieving suffering should be guided solely by need and not what people have to donate." I believe she is right.

Claire shares from her perspective that "unwanted donations create chaos, waste and confusion for an already stricken country." So please donate the things that are on the list.

Likewise, we would do well to think about standardizing the things on our list.  We need to be just as efficient and effective as the Red Cross is.  Her tent community analogy is helpful.

"Imagine you have to help 10,000 families put up aid tents. What would you do? I would probably train a handful of volunteers how to put up said tent and get them out training others. Now what would you do if every single one of those tents was different? Replace the word tent with the following: incubator, water pump, dialysis machine.  With these items you will also have maintenance and spare parts. We standardise items and put them in our catalogue for a reason."

So I suggest we either create our own standard to pattern our purchases after the Red Cross catalogue. What does that mean? We need to buy the same tent & same tarps so there is standardization for the future when spare parts will be needed.

We may not be able to do so. But we are going to do our best to help Haiti; not hinder or hurt Haiti. I wonder what you think about standardizing our list for CVM.  We may need to contact them with this information. 

Please read part of an email I received from Caribbean Vision Ministries regarding work and current situation in Haiti.
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/24510360/?key=Nzg3ZDI4NmQt&pass=MjVhYi00NDQ1

As you can see, their needs are great. I hope you find it in your heart to contribute in some way to our Haiti Relief drive. Above all, we need to continue to pray! And may God have the glory in all that is done!

Stephanie

Who blog works--collaboration

How collaboration works. An author offers a first idea, others add their input, together they create a final product.


Collaboration = "to work together, especially in a joint intellectual effort."

"collaboration." The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. 11 Dec. 2009. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/collaboration>.

This is what I envision for this ministry blog.  I wonder what you think about collaboration via blog.

Bio of Stephanie Fish

Hi, I am Stephanie Fish. I have been a member of Wooster Grace Brethren Church for many years. My husband, Jim, and I have each been very involved over the years with Sunday School classes, choir, outreaches, mission trips, bible studies, and men's/women's groups and activities. Currently, I have been enjoying the Beth Moore study on Esther, participating in our "ladies night out" -which involves a lot of international ladies, and Women of Grace ministry. Jim is teaching a SS class on Sun mornings, mentoring a young man during the week, and getting ready to go on another mission trip to Central African Republic in March. We both are on the International Task Force, leading The Truth Project study, and help out with outreaches when we can. Plus, we both work full time. Needless to say, we are quite busy.

I love music! I enjoy most kinds (not into rap or "twangy" country -sorry). I usually listen to a variety of Christian radio stations. CD's...well, the list could just go on....it would take me all day.

Recent movies we saw were Blindside, Imagine That, State of Play, I hate Valentines Day, and Whiteout.

I have this thing about reading too many books at a time. I have been reading Becoming a Woman of Influence, A Jewel in His Crown, and I am starting Beth Moore's new book - So Long Insecurity. (if I could only figure out why I can't underline)

My "spot" on the team is to help gather information, implement, brainstorm, organize, advertise, communicate between team and partnering organizations, collect/purchase supplies, and deliver. In the future, I hope to go on a team to Haiti and help get a team from our church to go at some point.

I have been married to Jim for 15 yrs. We have a blended family with five children, which were all teenagers at one time for a bit! They are 27, 26, 23, 22, and almost 21. We also have one precious grandson, a son-in-law and a daughter-in-law. We had been very busy with kids stuff, but are now "empty nesters". That is the reason we have time for all we do. (Plus, I had a meltdown one day a few months after the last one went to college and cried to God asking what I was suppose to do NOW! Let that be a warning!! -lol) Loving this time of life with my hubby, family and friends!!!

How to create your bio

9 Steps to create your bio:

1. Insert picture LAST.
2. Begin writing your post by introducing yourself and your ministry position or title here at Wooster Grace or how long you have attended Wooster Grace.
3. Share a few things you enjoy
4. Briefly share your place on the team (if you are unsure, make it up) and your role at the retreat
   
5. List what music you are listening to and what you have on your iPod (or if you had an iPod--what would be on it)
6. Offer the last few movies that you have rented.
7. Give us a couple of the books that your are reading or going to read.
8. State your status (single or married) and why you love being single, married, or married with kids.
9. Now, post your picture by inserting the cursor where you want to insert your picture.  The best place is at the beginning AFTER you have typed in your text.

If you need help, please contact me at dbutler@woostergrace.org or (330) 264-9459 ext. 236.  The blogger help tab at the top right hand corner is useful too.  I have inserted links into this post to help you on writing your post and inserting a picture.  Please let me know if this is helpful.

Bio of Pastor Daron

Hi. I am Pastor Daron Butler. I am the Pastor of Cross-cultural Ministries here at Wooster Grace.  I enjoy learning new things, reading books, listening to music, playing my guitar, watching sports, playing sports, and rooting for the Ohio State Buckeyes.  Go Bucs!

My place on the team is to help out with the brainstorming, recruiting, and implementation of the help we can provide to Haiti. I will also provide oversight and direction for what we can do.

I am listening to a lot of music.  I have P.O.D. Beatles, Starfield, Chris Tomlin, U2, and Lincoln Brewster on my iPod Shuffle. I love all music (maybe not rap), but I enjoy seeing God's image in all musicians and groups.

Movies I have recently rented begin with "That Thing You Do," "Valkryie" & "Barbie and the Three Musketeers (not for me, but for my girls)." I recently saw "Blindside" with Melissa. Good movie to go see. I also took my girls to see, "Alvin & the Chipmunks 2: The Squeekquel." 

Books that I am reading start with The Hole in our Gospel by Richard Stearns, Crazy Love by Francis Chan, The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp & 31 Days to a Better Blog by Darren Rowse.

I am married to Melissa (Buriff) Butler for 19 years. We love parenting our four kids--two boys and two girls. 

So, if you can post a picture of you and your family and edit the above paragraphs to fit you, then you can offer us your introduction post.

What to post or write on this ministry blog

photo by MShades
Five things to write and to post on this blog:

1. Title each post you make--the best titles give you a general idea of what the article or post is about, while being entertaining at the same time. But the best way is to be simple and informative.
   
2. Be brief.  Please write short, focused posts--no more than 250 words and five paragraphs.
3. Send us away.  Create a link and point us to another website from your post so we can see what you saw, read what you read, or laugh at what you found funny.  
4. Use spell checker.  Please write well.  We take serious your thoughts and we want to move the team forward, so please hit the goal as quality writing done well, not perfection.
5. Help us learn from your perspective.  We are the Body of Christ.  Different gifts.  Different foci.  But we are all on the same team. 
   

This blog is intended to cast vision for the retreat and to connect the staff together.  So I am going to post a mini-bio as a way to introduce myself to the team.  I will ask the authors to introduce yourself to the team.  I'm first.

Welcome & Guidelines for this Haiti Relief Blog

As you read and make comments or post your thoughts here, please remember the following blogging policy:

• If you are unsure, then ask.
• Recall the disclaimer
• Respect confidentiality
• Respect Wooster Grace and its staff
• Respect Copyright--if you use something or post content, then please give credit
• Respect your time--post only what you can
• Respect the Statement of Faith
• Keep in line with the Wooster Grace Employee Handbook
• Use common sense.

So, there you have it!  Our best attempt to layout the guidelines for this ministry blog.

Next Steps to Help Haiti--Big Picture

Wooster Grace is responding to the great need of the Haitian people.  We followed the networks that we have in place to connect with and to partner with Caribbean Vision Ministries CVM and Hope for Haiti Foundation HFHF.

I am learning how disaster response works.  There are three stages for how we can best help the Haitian people: Respond, Recovery, Reconstruction. I want to thank Lloyd Alter who cited Cameron Sinclair's article, "Haiti Quake: what next?"

Cameron speaks to some things that we are seeking to do also at Wooster Grace: Collaboration, Think Local, and Community Lead Reconstruction.  We are partnering with two organizations in Haiti. As I see it, one focuses on local churches, their pastors, and their communities--CVM.  The other focuses on long-term medical help and education--HFHF. Thus we are collaborating with these organizations who have local connections to communities in Haiti and each are making assessment of what needs done in that area. 

Wooster Grace is helping with the first level of help: Respond.  We asked our church to give to a special offering. And they gave sacrificially. 

Next, we are seeking to mobilize our people to help with the recovery.  CVM has provided a list of needs coming from local Haitian communities.  As a church we are targeting two areas of interest: shelter & babies.

We are going to coordinate our efforts in two areas.  Rather than try to get things from the whole list. We are going to focus our efforts on two areas. 

pic from madmac66 
Stephanie Fish is coordinating our efforts to gather shelter needs because the rainy season is on the horizon.  Many families will need temporary shelter while home are being reinforced or reconstructed.  So, tents, tarps, and rain ponchos are primary items we will gather. 

Carol Mills is considering coordinating our efforts through her small group to gather items for babies and moms.  There is such a lack of materials for infants. A list will be available soon. 

Together we want to gather materials and have you bring them to Wooster Grace on Sunday, February 28.  We will ship what we get to CVM.  So your help will go from Ohio to Florida and then on to Haiti. 

Shelter Need List:

• four-person tent (like this one at Walmart)
• any sized tarp (like this on from pic from madmac66)
• rain ponchos (like this one from Custom Leather Craft)

If you discover a sale on items or know of anyone who could help with store discounts or business donations, then please let us know.  Put your information in the comments below.  Thanks.  

Next Steps to Help Haiti

Wooster Grace wants to coordinate all efforts of our people to help the people of Haiti.  We feel it is important to update you on what we are working on next as well as thank everyone for praying and giving. There is a great deal for us to discern.

God has opened two doors for us in Haiti to help the churches there reach out with the love of Jesus in their communities: Caribbean Vision Ministries (CVM) and Hope for Haiti Foundation (HFHF) (include links here).

Wooster Grace responded to Haiti Relief by sending a special offering of over $14,000 to CVM.  CVM shares how offerings are being used (link to blog post Thu Jan 28) to help pastors and their congregation as well as people in their communities.  Please be assured that CVM seeks to wisely and effectively steward the generous gifts of people from churches for maximum help and to potentially foster spiritual follow-up.  Wooster Grace desires to help facilitate outreach.  We pray for our local church to help other Haitian churches to reach out to their community.

We know that some of you want to know when you can go to Haiti to help out. We praise God for your willingness to go.  The answer is that we will be ready to send teams as soon as we have an open opportunity with CVM or HFHF.  The best thing to do right now is give a donation. The next thing to do is give towards the needs cited by CVM or HFHF.

According to our partnering organizations, trying to get into Haiti is difficult. Subsequently, getting teams of people into Haiti is even more challenging and nearly impossible. Besides, it’s not yet entirely safe. We will not be sending a team from Ohio in the near future.  But we hope to post opportunities we come across for those interested in serving on medical or work teams in fields such as medical support, demolition, construction etc. As soon as we find out, we will post those opportunities. If you come across an opportunity, please post it in the comments below. 

For those interested in adopting children from Haiti, please be patient and work through existing organizations, rather than doing something on your own. You don't want the headache that some Christians are facing (Christians detained by Haitian government).  It is reported that the records for many children awaiting adoption have been destroyed. The challenge remains of working with the Haitian government to ease adoption restrictions; yet working with Christian organizations that may have a way to expedite the adoption process.  Please do your homework.

Lastly, CVM reports that many of their pastors are trying to help many in their communities who are homeless. Most of the buildings in the area are rubble and there is very little help from the government in the villages surrounding Port Au Prince. Many people are relocating by mass exodus to places out of the city. Some people are going to the villages, and others are being relocated to new cities made of tents and temporary shelters.
.
We as United States citizens who are used to a world of social help organizations who can display efficiency and speed, the seemingly slow response to this disaster can be very difficult to understand; even frustrating.  However, with God's patience and wisdom, we don’t just want to do anything, we want to do the most important things the most effective way and so we are moving as fast as our partnering organizations are moving.  We want to be wise. More details will be forthcoming and more plans unfolding. Until then, your prayers are essential.  Thanks for your heart of prayer and ready hands of compassion to help. 

Precious new life

Click on the link to view.
(Bringing life in Haiti from a place so many want only to escape - NYTimes)
http://bit.ly/9pthPt
Precious babies being born. Thank you to the medical teams helping in every way they can! It is great to see what they are doing. Yet, it still breaks my heart at the conditions and the fear these new moms are experiencing!

Dear Lord, I lift up to you these little lives that are coming into this devastated place. I know you are in control. I know you know the fears of their mothers and how they want to protect and care for their babies. I pray you will put your people in their paths and you will help them to put their faith and trust in you! Give them courage when they need courage. And give them peace when they need peace. Send your angels and surround them, and all the children of Haiti, with a hedge of protection. Help them to find food and shelter. In Jesus precious name, Amen.

Relief Needs List to help Haiti

I posted the list of needs on my blog.  Please check back as we begin to get things organized for collecting things to help Haiti.