Monday, May 31, 2010
Project Impact: Haiti Download Site
We have put together an online download site at www.dr4christ.com/projectimpact This can be used for viewing or downloading Hi-Resolution newsletters, posters ect. for professional print jobs. Also included is a new 4-minute powerpoint presentation (Keynote also available) with music and presenters notes that we think you will enjoy. The presentation documents our response from the day of the earthquake through today. We plan to finish up our response by rebuilding two churches and two pastors homes, which will be no easy task. Please keep our team and us in your prayers and enjoy the site.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Project Impact Haiti Announcement
Dear Friends and Family
Our ministry seems to always be moving in high gear and for quite awhile we have been in overdrive, and what a ride it has been! Praise God! We are preparing to leave tomorrow for our ninth trip (tenth week) into Haiti. It doesn't seem like that many trips but time flies when there is so much to do. This week we are inviting all the people from our church in Tamboril & Mission in Don Pedro who have been working on relief projects in the D.R. to join our family in Haiti for the first time for "Relief Retreat 2010". We have food distributions, shelter projects and "Quantum Base 300" (see brochure below) improvements planned for this trip. We finished relocating the First Baptist Church of the Truth in Croix des Bouquets to an adjacent property and built a temporary tarp shelter for church services last week. We now must move on to demolition and site clearing which is going to take a few months.
Regina and I are excited as God works through us in Haiti and in the Dominican Republic. We’ve settled into a routine, have good contacts, finished with our first church group from Ohio and have seen God bless what we are doing in ways we did not know were possible. The Haitians have responded incredibly; some have even bonded with us and us with them. We have made vital contacts with different government and non-government agencies. God is good!!
Just to bring you up to date, last month, the application I made with the World Food Program came through and they gave us a little over $100,000 of food. (Great Contact! - SMILE) This is by far, the largest donation of food to independent Baptist churches we have seen so far. Again, God is good and He receives the honor and the glory for the victory. James Collins who we hooked up with through Missionary Flights International as moved and taken over warehouse distribution for Operation Blessing and loads us up every week with food and supplies. Jean Dial (one of our Haitian men in training from the D.R.) and I continue to preach in many different churches and every time he or I have preached, many people have been saved and only God knows how many encouraged. God is blessing and it is so thrilling to know He is using us. Again, we give him all the honor and the glory for the multiple victories we have seen in Haiti.
However, in all this triumph and joy and without "grand standing" let me say that we are dealing with death and devastation on such a scale, which very well may become the largest natural disaster in our hemisphere. With over 230,000 dead we are still coming to grips with the significance of this and know, deep down, that it will take many years for the churches and pastors to recover and or the Haitian economy to stabilize to some resemblance of what it was before the earthquake.
Last week, another group with the Baptist Bible Fellowship came in to assess the situation on the ground and meet with us. The group consisted of Pastor Housley (Dominican Field Rep), Pastor Bales (Haiti Field Rep) and our Mission Director Jon Konnerup. Pastor Housley preached Wednesday evening to a packed and overflowing church and afterwards we had the opportunity to show our guests the projects God has laid on our hearts (Project Impact Haiti brochure attached below) as well as Quantum Base 300 before eating Regina's special spaghetti. (MMmmmmm - Most definitely the best meal I've had in awhile) The meeting was very profitable and everyone left encouraged and excited about our plans in Haiti to "Build Back Better".
Amazingly, God has moved us into the middle of the disaster and he has moved in us and all around us while in Haiti and He continues to do so in very special ways. At this time and for the near future we are convinced that we need to continue to respond to His will and having done all, as the word says, STAND, Stand firm for God, the assisting of the Haitians God has connected us to, others that he will lead us to, as well as serve those churches that support us as independent Baptist Missionaries, and of course as representatives of the fellowship and their long time mission effort on the island. We have a good team in place, both here in the D.R. and in Haiti, and with all of our state side pastors and Churches, it is working very well.
Please allow me to state clearly, we have no plans on backing off from our one Church and single mission in the D.R., it is just that we can’t back away from either the D.R. OR HAITI, God is not leading in that direction. Perhaps ours is the advantage due to our experience in Cuba (church planting, Feeding Centers, Santeria, weird governments ect.) the number of our works we have in the D.R. and don't count out the Haitian leadership we were actively training when all this happened. So for now, and in the near future, we are sure that God would have us to enlarge our tent stakes to the southwest for a time such as this and with our churches, our team from the D.R. the Haitians God has given us in Haiti, the Missions Office and above all else the wisdom, strength, and leadership of our great God, we plan to carry on as we have these past weeks and begin shifting from relief operations to reconstruction projects.
Obviously there is a great need for new churches as well. Believe me there is more than enough room and very hard work for several good Baptist church planters to work in Haiti as long as they are called by God, backed by God and prayerfully supported by their churches. It is the way we have always worked as a Fellowship and I believe we can do it again in Haiti. Maybe this will be the defining hour for our movement on the Island. We need to challenge others to come to Haiti. We need to pray God gives them a burden, wisdom from on high, the contacts and the financial backing needed so they can turn this nation from Voodoo to God. I see it has a strong possibility - what an opportunity for the Caribbean which has been dominated way to long by African syncretistic religions since the 1500's. May God help us all to reclaim the old and new territory for His name.
CONCERNING FINANCES: Bro. Hylton in the Missions Office gave us permission to pay an accounting firm here in the Dominican so that our Association could keep record of the expenditures. Last month our association in the Dominican hired a great firm to set this up and is keeping track of everything.
CONCERNING OUR PLANS: God has laid on our teams hearts the rebuilding of two specific churches, along with two pastors homes. Unfortunately, this is only a small portion of the 16 works our team and I have visited. With us moving into the reconstruction phase we most definitely need more help. When groups and money begins to dissipate we will have to close the base and return to the D.R. unless God opens another door.
CONCERNING OPPORTUNITIES: Not only is rebuilding needed, but because of the relocating of thousands of refugees (400,000 alone, just in the area where Quantum Base 300 is located), the need for new Churches is great! Even if we double the size of the building that existed here now we would still need many more churches in the area for the amount of people headed our way and - soon.
CONCERNING NEEDS:
A. We need the involvement of quality reconstruction teams from churches. We have already had several teams come and they have been a tremendous blessing. Even if construction work is not your cup of tea, please look at the enclosed brochure and pray about being apart of our campaign to "Build Back Better" by giving towards a specific project that God lays on your heart or even coming to Haiti on a construction or evangelistic mission trip. It may just change your life.
B. Regina and I need to increase our monthly support. New monthly expenses in relation to travel and base operations have been taken on. All we can ask is that you make this a matter of prayer and let the Lord lead.
Obviously there is a great need for new churches as well. Believe me there is more than enough room and very hard work for several good Baptist church planters to work in Haiti as long as they are called by God, backed by God and prayerfully supported by their churches. It is the way we have always worked as a Fellowship and I believe we can do it again in Haiti. Maybe this will be the defining hour for our movement on the Island. We need to challenge others to come to Haiti. We need to pray God gives them a burden, wisdom from on high, the contacts and the financial backing needed so they can turn this nation from Voodoo to God. I see it has a strong possibility - what an opportunity for the Caribbean which has been dominated way to long by African syncretistic religions since the 1500's. May God help us all to reclaim the old and new territory for His name.
CONCERNING FINANCES: Bro. Hylton in the Missions Office gave us permission to pay an accounting firm here in the Dominican so that our Association could keep record of the expenditures. Last month our association in the Dominican hired a great firm to set this up and is keeping track of everything.
CONCERNING OUR PLANS: God has laid on our teams hearts the rebuilding of two specific churches, along with two pastors homes. Unfortunately, this is only a small portion of the 16 works our team and I have visited. With us moving into the reconstruction phase we most definitely need more help. When groups and money begins to dissipate we will have to close the base and return to the D.R. unless God opens another door.
CONCERNING OPPORTUNITIES: Not only is rebuilding needed, but because of the relocating of thousands of refugees (400,000 alone, just in the area where Quantum Base 300 is located), the need for new Churches is great! Even if we double the size of the building that existed here now we would still need many more churches in the area for the amount of people headed our way and - soon.
CONCERNING NEEDS:
A. We need the involvement of quality reconstruction teams from churches. We have already had several teams come and they have been a tremendous blessing. Even if construction work is not your cup of tea, please look at the enclosed brochure and pray about being apart of our campaign to "Build Back Better" by giving towards a specific project that God lays on your heart or even coming to Haiti on a construction or evangelistic mission trip. It may just change your life.
B. Regina and I need to increase our monthly support. New monthly expenses in relation to travel and base operations have been taken on. All we can ask is that you make this a matter of prayer and let the Lord lead.
Thank you for your backing in this endeavor, thank you for everything you have already done and are still doing for missions. I will stay in contact; you will be informed of every move. Thank you again and God bless.
Because of Christ,
Tom and Regina Franklin
P.S. The brochure is a scaled down Jpeg so that we could try and fit it in your mailbox. We will get one out as soon as possible via the post office.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Heritage Baptist and Brian Weed in Haiti
On March 22, Heritage Baptist Church in Lebanon Ohio sent a diverse team to Quantum Base 300 in coordination with Missionary Brian Weed from Nicaragua (Our Brother-n-law). The team built tent structures and trained nationals which has turned into what we call here “Project Family Tarp". These temporary PVC shelters are very important due to the torrential downpours and sunrays that make conditions in most IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) camps unbearable. Today, Haiti’s greatest problem is moving over 1.5 million people into more permanent housing. During there trip Heritage took over 300 pictures, which can be found here.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Dr4Christ Emergency Response eNews for February 13, 2010
Moving Forward
Thought I'd write you from Haiti today. I'm headed back via Dajabon as fast as possible to see Tyler, he was hospitalized yesterday with Influenza. I hope I can get back in time for the young people's meeting tonight and take them to see him in the hospital. Please pray he recovers and gets home soon.
Galations 6:10 says "As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith." Pastor Jean Dial, Luis Manuel and I with your prayers and finances continue do exactly this and left for Haiti on February 8th. We came in from Elias Piñas so we could check on different entry / exit points for future operations. We had over 1500 lbs pounds of food, water, medicine, tracts, ect. As we came in we went to six different churches and did not finish until late at night. We went directly to the church building locations we had logged via GPS and got back to them with out any problems. However, several times we had to get in the truck and move to another location close by because people wanted our supplies. One man took out his machete for a bottle of water. Our distribution methods will improve as we look for better mobile drop off points around these affected churches.
Every day we continued relief efforts with what we brought in and on the third day we got some general distribution items for the first time from MFI. I also attended the shelter, camp management and food cluster meetings at the U.N base and met with Mr. Aslam of the World Food Program (WFP) about our original food application made three weeks ago. I do not want to be negative but we need to commit this to prayer and try and partner as much as possible with other Non-Government Organizations who are working outside the U.N. structure. There are a conglomerate of agency's working together that direct you to the WFP desk for food. I confirmed last time before I left that we were in the computer and Mr. Aslam recognized who we are but so far they have not distributed anything to us. Mayby it is due to so many requests or due to bad organization or mayby its because we are Baptist, I really don't know but God does and I feel that He may have someone out there reading this that can give us a contact that will meet this continuing need. If so please send me an e-mail to Tom@DR4Christ.com and I guarantee you we will follow it to the end of the rainbow.
We spent one night getting Pastor Leny Funtecha's generator up and running. We rigged a gasket with paper and cleaned the carburetor / fuel lines. I pray that he can use this to charge up his batteries and power some lights that are needed for security. This will help out a lot. Nationals are still working on shoring up the wall and they currently have half of the cement we originally donated. Currently, 65 people are staying on church property and the tent we gave has been put to good use. We decided to check out a local hotel that had been recommended to us and it was full with International NGO's which has had quite an effect on the price of things (more than double) and our team decided to look for more economical and secure accommodations that can house future teams. The Lord really worked and we were able to find an area just outside of Port-au-Prince close to one of the church buildings that has been destroyed. We knew instantly that this was the place and rented it for six months for $250 a month. This is going to save 10,000's of dollars over the months to come. God is good!!
Things at Eglize du Tabernacle are moving forward.
It has taken over a week and finally we were able to remove the bodies of three ladies Wednesday. If you compare the above picture with that of the one below you can get an idea of how much of a miracle has taken place in the last week. All of the work has been done by hand and the members buried the remains close by and put some flowers over where the recovery took place. Amazingly the ladies were all found in a fetal position and my only thought was that they looked like they were praying. Pastor Gerald wanted to continue clearing the rubble to have services. I'm very sensitive to listening and following national leaders but in this circumstance I counseled the Pastor to take a step back, take care of his family and wait until plans are made for the demolition of surrounding buildings which look as if they are about to fall on the property. Luis who has been involved with construction projects in the Dominican Republic his whole life calculated that the four story building would take by hand a strong crew approximately 45 days to clear. The church is His people in this local area and an alternative sight I believe by faith can be found in this local area sooner. Please pray that this place can be found so that spiritual healing can begin. Also, pray that in the future large back hoes can be found to speed up clearing and rebuilding. I have got quotes from CAT and have investigated several other leads and the prices are very expensive. We must rely on the Lord. The Pastor is living in the street and I gave him a cash offering so that he could take better care of his family.
Thought I'd write you from Haiti today. I'm headed back via Dajabon as fast as possible to see Tyler, he was hospitalized yesterday with Influenza. I hope I can get back in time for the young people's meeting tonight and take them to see him in the hospital. Please pray he recovers and gets home soon.
Galations 6:10 says "As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith." Pastor Jean Dial, Luis Manuel and I with your prayers and finances continue do exactly this and left for Haiti on February 8th. We came in from Elias Piñas so we could check on different entry / exit points for future operations. We had over 1500 lbs pounds of food, water, medicine, tracts, ect. As we came in we went to six different churches and did not finish until late at night. We went directly to the church building locations we had logged via GPS and got back to them with out any problems. However, several times we had to get in the truck and move to another location close by because people wanted our supplies. One man took out his machete for a bottle of water. Our distribution methods will improve as we look for better mobile drop off points around these affected churches.
Every day we continued relief efforts with what we brought in and on the third day we got some general distribution items for the first time from MFI. I also attended the shelter, camp management and food cluster meetings at the U.N base and met with Mr. Aslam of the World Food Program (WFP) about our original food application made three weeks ago. I do not want to be negative but we need to commit this to prayer and try and partner as much as possible with other Non-Government Organizations who are working outside the U.N. structure. There are a conglomerate of agency's working together that direct you to the WFP desk for food. I confirmed last time before I left that we were in the computer and Mr. Aslam recognized who we are but so far they have not distributed anything to us. Mayby it is due to so many requests or due to bad organization or mayby its because we are Baptist, I really don't know but God does and I feel that He may have someone out there reading this that can give us a contact that will meet this continuing need. If so please send me an e-mail to Tom@DR4Christ.com and I guarantee you we will follow it to the end of the rainbow.
We spent one night getting Pastor Leny Funtecha's generator up and running. We rigged a gasket with paper and cleaned the carburetor / fuel lines. I pray that he can use this to charge up his batteries and power some lights that are needed for security. This will help out a lot. Nationals are still working on shoring up the wall and they currently have half of the cement we originally donated. Currently, 65 people are staying on church property and the tent we gave has been put to good use. We decided to check out a local hotel that had been recommended to us and it was full with International NGO's which has had quite an effect on the price of things (more than double) and our team decided to look for more economical and secure accommodations that can house future teams. The Lord really worked and we were able to find an area just outside of Port-au-Prince close to one of the church buildings that has been destroyed. We knew instantly that this was the place and rented it for six months for $250 a month. This is going to save 10,000's of dollars over the months to come. God is good!!
Things at Eglize du Tabernacle are moving forward.
It has taken over a week and finally we were able to remove the bodies of three ladies Wednesday. If you compare the above picture with that of the one below you can get an idea of how much of a miracle has taken place in the last week. All of the work has been done by hand and the members buried the remains close by and put some flowers over where the recovery took place. Amazingly the ladies were all found in a fetal position and my only thought was that they looked like they were praying. Pastor Gerald wanted to continue clearing the rubble to have services. I'm very sensitive to listening and following national leaders but in this circumstance I counseled the Pastor to take a step back, take care of his family and wait until plans are made for the demolition of surrounding buildings which look as if they are about to fall on the property. Luis who has been involved with construction projects in the Dominican Republic his whole life calculated that the four story building would take by hand a strong crew approximately 45 days to clear. The church is His people in this local area and an alternative sight I believe by faith can be found in this local area sooner. Please pray that this place can be found so that spiritual healing can begin. Also, pray that in the future large back hoes can be found to speed up clearing and rebuilding. I have got quotes from CAT and have investigated several other leads and the prices are very expensive. We must rely on the Lord. The Pastor is living in the street and I gave him a cash offering so that he could take better care of his family. 
We also gave Pastor Sylvio of Maranatha Baptist Church an offering to repair his wall and gate. This will help to control the flow of people moving through his property. We also gave a cash offering to Pastor Odvin of Good Shepard Baptist Church for body and rubble removal. Pastor Odvin's church is up, but the smell of a house that has fallen into the property is one of the obstacles we need to overcome to establish services in the building. Pastor Odvin found a local area to meet in but can do more if he has his building back.
Pastor Odvin has many ministries one of which includes The kids at the Good Shepherd Baptist Children's home who will absolutely touch your heart.
During our time away Pastor Odvin had a clinic with the medical supplies we brought him, so we loaded him up with some more supplies from our friends at Missionary Flights International (Thanks Mr. Cheeseburger man!! - Article on ESPN under Hendrick Team Racing). MFI gave us so much we were able to give Water and Medical supplies to two other church pastors as well. The list of those you have helped goes on and on. Your prayers and finances are making a difference and I know He is planning something special for Haiti's Spiritual future.
One month Passes
Yesterday, February 12th marked the beginning of three days of mourning, prayer and fasting. Many christian leaders petitioned this from the government and the people have really responded.
Everything I've seen open this last week (Gas Stations, Banks ect.) was closed and the streets where virtually empty. Churches and people gathered everywhere so they could to listen and pray.
I heard Near the Cross, Amazing Grace and many other hymns in Creol during the National Broadcast. Many who spoke quoted scripture and portions of Isaiah were read. Government officials recapped the tragedy and announced that more than 217,000 had died. Pastor Job from the First Baptist Church of Port-au-Prince had a great message and several including the Mayor of Port-au-Prince spoke out strongly against voodoo during the program. I was excited to hear this development due to the national governments openness to the occult. Be in prayer that this wickedness that is practiced by many will disappear entirely.
This is a Voodoo temple a couple blocks away from one of the churches we are ministering to. I had to do some cropping to keep our e-mails kid friendly. But the ugly truth is that this African Syncretistic religion must be attacked one soul at a time by courageous national christians who have the boldness of Paul and who will bluntly proclaim truth of the scriptures through every creative medium imaginable - no matter the cost.
Spanish Translation
For those who habla el español we have our latest letter up on http://www.dr4christ.com/february2010/EmergencyResponseSP.html
Thank you so much to Pastor Francisco Chavarria (Atlanta) and Missionary Marvin Robertson (Spain) for your help.
Gheskio
God is using all kinds of people to bring people to Christ. Alan Conner a member of Bible Baptist Church in Buffalo, MO (which is just a hop skip and jump from our sending church) sent us an encouraging note yesterday. I met Alan in the Gheskio University Field Hospital. You probably will never here about Gheskio again but a lot of lives where saved there and Alan Conner and the Missouri Haz Mat team were a large part of that. It was a bit crazy when I got there but the Marines looked like they were managing it pretty well.
Hello Pastor Franklin,
I wanted to thank you for seeking me out and checking on my well being while I was serving Homeland Security in Haiti. I was touched that you would at the risk of personal safety check on me! I hope and pray that you and your ministry are safe and sound. I'm back in Missouri, it was a tough mission, we did touch many lives, and I'm happy to report to you that many also accepted Christ while we where there at GHESKIO .
Please stay in touch, let us know if our church can be of any assistance.
Love in Christ,
Alan Conner
Monday, February 08, 2010
DR4Christ Emergency Response eNews February 8, 2010
Dear Pastor, Church, Friends and Family
I’m headed to Haiti once again this morning and wanted to give you a report and ask you to pray once more for our trip. The Baptist Bible Tribune asked us for an update this week and some of this information may coincide with information we submitted for the upcoming issue, but for those that like the long version – this is for you. Wink!
I have learned over the years that not everything we experience can be explained. Especially things like disasters, persecution, suffering, etc... There are no easy answers. I know God uses trials and tribulations many times so that we can grow. I believe also that He desires to teach us to wholly rely on Him, which always makes us stronger. It's tough, no matter how strong you are, to see people go through so much like what we are witnessing in Haiti. During these times I remind myself that God has a plan and even though we don't know all the details, He does and has everything under control. I’m thankful He has me busy reminding people of this and that no matter how impossible a situation might look, nothing is to hard for God. Jer 32:17 says, “Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee” and Jer 32:27 says “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?” There is NO WAY MAN can resolve this problem. In my opinion, we must rely on GOD. We must pray that He shows us the way and stay everyday in His will.
On this side of the border many hospitals in Haiti have been sending patients to hospitals here in the Dominican Republic. Gary, which many of you know from previous letters, has been visiting the hospitals, giving out food, printing tracts, preaching and helping Regina with the Bucketsfull of Hope project. When we returned, he fell ill and has been diagnosed now with Dengue. Please pray for Gary. He is a faithful worker and he really wanted to go with me to Haiti today. I prayed with him in the hospital and shared with him the details of my message Sunday morning, which I’m sure he will share with those around him – Smile – He’s quite the preacher.
Regina and the kids have been absolute warriors during all this and we have had some great family time this week. It has been decided that I will not miss Sunday’s unless we have a group going into Haiti. I will preach in Haiti during the week, when invited, and get back as soon as possible to preach at our church.
In Haiti, I see what we are doing now as: Relieving the suffering of independent Baptist Church leadership / membership (when possible) and ministering to the spiritual needs of each local church while rebuilding places of worship and full time worker's homes so future ministry can continue under pre-earthquake national leadership.
Preaching, counsel & prayer has occurred throughout my response. I've completed Initial Evaluations on 16 different churches in the affected area. When I left, there was still some body recovery left to do at Eglise Baptise de Don Burger and Eglise Du Tabernacle, which I will check on this week. I’m still prioritizing churches and members needs, applying for aid from the World Food Program, OCHA (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) and several NGO's (Non Govermental Organizations), coordinating & organizing efforts from different church groups (our first team arrives March 23), meeting with leaders at the American Embassy, United Nations base, field hospital's and clinic's. I am logging GPS Coordinates & Elevation data and this week began contacting specific NGO's that could advise us on low cost permanent housing that can withstand future earthquakes and hurricanes.
Sadly and with a heavy heart, I can preliminarily report the following: Approximately half of the churches evaluated have been initially classified as destroyed and/or condemned, attendance is down approximately 50% in most of the churches and in several cases churches cannot have services. I have, in my first group of initial evaluations, 16 pastors/full time workers who have lost there homes and 3 pastor's homes/full time workers that need repair. Between 2,000 to 3,000 in these works need food and approximately 35% need shelter. In most cases everyone has lost their job and all report deaths and/or injuries to church members. One pastor lost approximately 50 of his 300 members and reported that he has had 26 funerals in the last few weeks.
As I travel in with teams from our church, we are being very careful and using a lot of discernment. The government of Haiti and the United Nations now reports that there could be as many as 2,000,000 IDP's (Internally Displaced Person's) and there is plenty of evidence that people are hungry. This combined with the problems of Aids, Outlaw Gangs, Poverty and Voodoo makes the current work in Haiti very challenging.
Financially, from the 20th of January through last week Regina and I have received $74,718.16 from 53 churches, missionaries & individual donors. No phone calls have been made, just e-mail / blog correspondence which are recorded on www.dr4christ.blogspot.com. 33 of these are our regular supporters & 4 BBF missionaries have also given. The first church to respond was Burleson Boulevard Baptist Church in Burleson, Texas / Pastor Terry Williams and our largest donor has been Heritage Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas / Pastor George Newcomb who has given $12,060. Both have supported us since we were in Cuba and we are humbled by each & every church, missionary & friend who has given.
$37,448.16 in Haitian Relief Project Sub Account in Missions Office
$19,800 is in Transit to our Dominican Association's Account
$17,470 has been spent, we are trying to save as much as possible for the long term
With that $17,470 we have done the following as of last week:
1. Over 200 "Bucketfulls of Hope" have been made & most are now in Haiti.
2. Over $1000 of medical supplies have been distributed to the D.A.S.H
3. 70 bags of concrete were purchased to begin the process of
4. A small, used, enclosed truck was purchased for $1,700 to transport
5. Over 20 bundles of water, an inverter, several new car
6. 1 large 8 man tent has been donated for base camp operations and
7. A used Toyota van was purchased for $3500 to save money on
8. Paid Armed Guard from the Dominican Military to
9. Initial Gasoline & Diesel Deposit has been established
10. Offering's to Haitian Pastor's have been made in extreme cases.
Thank you for what you are doing. In times of natural disaster the needs seem overwhelming. We realized that many people are reluctant to give financially to the Haitian Relief efforts, because so many try to take advantage in times of tragedy. We understand this, desire to be transparent and do our best to do our part. We will continue to be available to help in what ever way we can. We give God the honor and glory for what He is doing. Knowing that you stand behind us in prayer is a big comfort. Thank you and we will continue to report what we are doing as timely as possible.
Lord Bless,
Tom
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
DR4Christ Emergency Response eNews January 27, 2010
God's Blessings, Photos, and Planning
Will you pray for the churches and Christians in Haiti who so valiantly march on in the face of the unthinkable? 
Jean Dial and I at Eglise Baptiste Solidarite in Port-au-Principe Sunday Morning January 24, 2010
Testimony after Testimony - All testified that at the moment of the earthquake they asked there Lord Jesus Christ to save them.
Jean Dial translated from French to Spanish. Most definitely the most moving testimonies of God's power, grace & mercy I have ever heard.
Over 100 in services (they normally run 300-400), I preached on Making the Impossible, Possible with God - Acts 12:1-19, Jer 32:17,27
7 came forward for Salvation
Tent cities are springing up all over the city.
Luis Manuel Regalado and Pastor Jean Dial giving medicine to the Dash clinic on Delmas #48
Standing in line after line, filling out application after application from the World Food Program, OSHA & various other organizations for Internally Displaced Persons (IDP's). According to the UN the process takes 3 to 4 days before we can see any food, hygiene kits, plastic sheeting, jerry cans ect. Wes and I know that there will be other Baptist works affected but we can only support (with God's help) 3000 IDP's . So at this time we are not looking for more churches. Initial evaluations of the churches we have had contact with over the last two weeks will begin today and needs to be completed by the end of the week so support personnel can be informed, organized and mobilized to meet the specific needs of these churches while at the same time gathering supplies from MFI & Missionary Aviation Fellowship. Sadly the Agape Plane went down a couple of days ago in Jacmel. Humbly, in my opinion an operation this size will take massive amounts of prayer, the guidance of the Holy Spirit, many months (if not years), outstanding coordination, great planning & blessed funding. Wesley identified the need for a warehouse from day 1 which is very important due to security purposes. We don't want the churches to become distribution points due to the chance of looting and death. IDP camps (10,000 in size) are currently being set up by the UN and they will become future distribution points for food, water, shelter ect. NPO's like ourselves are being encouraged to participate. While this may ensure food and shelter it would require around the clock management and lots of time and man power. I believe at this time the man power would be best served focusing on the support of national church and leadership reconstruction so the main thing (the preaching of God's Word - Acts 8:4) can continue.
Many many people still have not been recovered. My men from our church in the Dominican Republic while waiting on me to finish an errand here will go and find out a particular story of different site locations around where we are moving in and out of. Often they tell me the number of people the locals believe lie under a particular house or business. We have seen ladies with just hammers pounding large slabs so as to remove their children. It is an impossible task and I've told our men to comfort those we can but to keep moving forward and focus on the churches we are supporting.
There are so many pictures of destruction, I'm not sure of the value of showing them all. Missionary Leny Funtecha and I sat down for several hours last night and discussed what information needed to be included on our Initial evaluations of church/minstry locations. This is what we came up with and I will begin collecting the information on particular church & ministry locations today while balancing relief efforts. These evaluations will be available on our blog at www.dr4christ.blogspot.com and will include the following information:
Name of Evaluators:
Name of Church/Ministry:
Name of Pastor:
Name of Missionary (If Applicable):
Location in Creol:
GPS Coordinates:
Pre Earth Quake Attendance:
Post Earth Quake Attendance:
Number of Full Time Workers (including children):
Number of Full Time Workers (including children) living on site pre earthquake:
Structure Report of Full Time Workers Homes not living on site pre earthquake:
Number of Part Time Workers (including children):
Number of Part Time Workers (including children) living on site pre earthquake:
Deaths: (Percentage Estimate of Pre Earth Quake Attendance)
Injured: (Percentage Estimate of Pre Earth Quake Attendance)
Need Food: (Percentage Estimate of Pre Earth Quake Attendance)
Need Shelter: (Percentage Estimate of Pre Earth Quake Attendance)
Current Status of Church/Ministry:
Structure Report broken down into 4 categories
A. Needs Slight Repair
B. Needs Repair
C. Needs Major Repair
D. Destroyed/Condemned
Pictures of Current front so outside teams can easily locate site & damages incurred
Will you pray for the churches and Christians in Haiti who so valiantly march on in the face of the unthinkable? 
Jean Dial and I at Eglise Baptiste Solidarite in Port-au-Principe Sunday Morning January 24, 2010Testimony after Testimony - All testified that at the moment of the earthquake they asked there Lord Jesus Christ to save them.Jean Dial translated from French to Spanish. Most definitely the most moving testimonies of God's power, grace & mercy I have ever heard.
Over 100 in services (they normally run 300-400), I preached on Making the Impossible, Possible with God - Acts 12:1-19, Jer 32:17,27
7 came forward for Salvation
Tent cities are springing up all over the city.
Luis Manuel Regalado and Pastor Jean Dial giving medicine to the Dash clinic on Delmas #48
Standing in line after line, filling out application after application from the World Food Program, OSHA & various other organizations for Internally Displaced Persons (IDP's). According to the UN the process takes 3 to 4 days before we can see any food, hygiene kits, plastic sheeting, jerry cans ect. Wes and I know that there will be other Baptist works affected but we can only support (with God's help) 3000 IDP's . So at this time we are not looking for more churches. Initial evaluations of the churches we have had contact with over the last two weeks will begin today and needs to be completed by the end of the week so support personnel can be informed, organized and mobilized to meet the specific needs of these churches while at the same time gathering supplies from MFI & Missionary Aviation Fellowship. Sadly the Agape Plane went down a couple of days ago in Jacmel. Humbly, in my opinion an operation this size will take massive amounts of prayer, the guidance of the Holy Spirit, many months (if not years), outstanding coordination, great planning & blessed funding. Wesley identified the need for a warehouse from day 1 which is very important due to security purposes. We don't want the churches to become distribution points due to the chance of looting and death. IDP camps (10,000 in size) are currently being set up by the UN and they will become future distribution points for food, water, shelter ect. NPO's like ourselves are being encouraged to participate. While this may ensure food and shelter it would require around the clock management and lots of time and man power. I believe at this time the man power would be best served focusing on the support of national church and leadership reconstruction so the main thing (the preaching of God's Word - Acts 8:4) can continue.
Many many people still have not been recovered. My men from our church in the Dominican Republic while waiting on me to finish an errand here will go and find out a particular story of different site locations around where we are moving in and out of. Often they tell me the number of people the locals believe lie under a particular house or business. We have seen ladies with just hammers pounding large slabs so as to remove their children. It is an impossible task and I've told our men to comfort those we can but to keep moving forward and focus on the churches we are supporting.There are so many pictures of destruction, I'm not sure of the value of showing them all. Missionary Leny Funtecha and I sat down for several hours last night and discussed what information needed to be included on our Initial evaluations of church/minstry locations. This is what we came up with and I will begin collecting the information on particular church & ministry locations today while balancing relief efforts. These evaluations will be available on our blog at www.dr4christ.blogspot.com and will include the following information:
Name of Evaluators:
Name of Church/Ministry:
Name of Pastor:
Name of Missionary (If Applicable):
Location in Creol:
GPS Coordinates:
Pre Earth Quake Attendance:
Post Earth Quake Attendance:
Number of Full Time Workers (including children):
Number of Full Time Workers (including children) living on site pre earthquake:
Structure Report of Full Time Workers Homes not living on site pre earthquake:
Number of Part Time Workers (including children):
Number of Part Time Workers (including children) living on site pre earthquake:
Deaths: (Percentage Estimate of Pre Earth Quake Attendance)
Injured: (Percentage Estimate of Pre Earth Quake Attendance)
Need Food: (Percentage Estimate of Pre Earth Quake Attendance)
Need Shelter: (Percentage Estimate of Pre Earth Quake Attendance)
Current Status of Church/Ministry:
Structure Report broken down into 4 categories
A. Needs Slight Repair
B. Needs Repair
C. Needs Major Repair
D. Destroyed/Condemned
Pictures of Current front so outside teams can easily locate site & damages incurred
Sunday, January 24, 2010
"Bucketfuls of Hope" are Being Delivered.
Saturday
Pressure has been high but that's ok, "this too shall pass". We've been pretty busy building "Bucketfuls of Hope" with our Church.
We finished 100 and are beginning on the next 100. The challange was sending them to Haiti and getting them into the right hands. Security there has been a major issue. Also, there is no gasoline to deliver them to the Churches. A fellow missionary, Wes Lane, who speaks criole, went in to secure transportation, make contact, find a warehouse and security. He finally contacted Tom, so Tom with a team of 4 men, in two trucks, left last night - Friday. He called me Sat. morning to let me know they were crossing the border.
He said they were tired but had a plan. They were carrying the 5 gal. buckets, lots of fuel, construction tools and lots of medical supplies.
They went very well prepared material wise but most of all because they are covered with everyones prayers. His plan is to be back by Saturday 30th.
I'll be solo for about a week, and although I'll get alot done I'd rather be next to him and already miss him, but I'm happy that were able to serve the Lord and be used by Him.
Sunday
I just talked to Tom on the phone. They are camped out in front of the church,Legliz Baptiste Solidarite on a patio/court.
Tom will be preaching this morning there on "Making the Impossible Possible".
He said the pastor and his wife are safe. Several in the congregation were hurt but none fatally. The Church building is destroyed as well as the pastors home. The food and medical supplies came at a much needed time.
Tom can be reached at 1-809-434-6571.
Keep praying.
Regina franklin
Pressure has been high but that's ok, "this too shall pass". We've been pretty busy building "Bucketfuls of Hope" with our Church.
We finished 100 and are beginning on the next 100. The challange was sending them to Haiti and getting them into the right hands. Security there has been a major issue. Also, there is no gasoline to deliver them to the Churches. A fellow missionary, Wes Lane, who speaks criole, went in to secure transportation, make contact, find a warehouse and security. He finally contacted Tom, so Tom with a team of 4 men, in two trucks, left last night - Friday. He called me Sat. morning to let me know they were crossing the border.
He said they were tired but had a plan. They were carrying the 5 gal. buckets, lots of fuel, construction tools and lots of medical supplies.
They went very well prepared material wise but most of all because they are covered with everyones prayers. His plan is to be back by Saturday 30th.
I'll be solo for about a week, and although I'll get alot done I'd rather be next to him and already miss him, but I'm happy that were able to serve the Lord and be used by Him.
Sunday
I just talked to Tom on the phone. They are camped out in front of the church,Legliz Baptiste Solidarite on a patio/court.
Tom will be preaching this morning there on "Making the Impossible Possible".
He said the pastor and his wife are safe. Several in the congregation were hurt but none fatally. The Church building is destroyed as well as the pastors home. The food and medical supplies came at a much needed time.
Tom can be reached at 1-809-434-6571.
Keep praying.
Regina franklin
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