Unique Story out of Haiti
This is Adam, Global Impact Pastor at Flood. While we continue to pray for the people of Haiti, here is a unique email I received from a past Floodster. Andy Lurker led one of our first teams to Uganda back in 2007. His mother-in-law has been on a mission trip in Haiti and survived the earthquake. Read below for a challenging yet encouraging story!
Andy Lurker wrote:
I am not prone to sending out emails like this, but in light of recent events and the general interest in what is going on in Haiti, I feel compelled to share our family’s story with you all in more
detail. Some of you may be aware that Erin’s (Andy’s wife) mom, Judy Beltis, left last weekend for a missions trip to Haiti with her church. The church has a partnership with an orphanage near the Capital and have been sending teams there for years. When we first got word of the earthquake, it became very clear that God’s plan for this group
would be unique. Obviously, without any news that the team was alive and OK, worry can settle in quickly. Rest assured that we have received direct contact confirming the miraculous health and safety of Judy’s team, but we grieve in a very personal way for those who are suffering from this tragedy and those that Judy and the team of
survivors are now working to assist. Copied below is the email that Mr. Beltis received from Judy just a few hours ago. I have edited it for purposes of this email, but all the words are her own. I have to tell you with tears in my eyes what
an incredible journey we have been on this year and how excited we are to be experiencing so personally what God is doing in the midst of such a terrible tragedy. In trusting God with everything that goes wrong, He has managed to bring hope and redemption yet again. Judy’s story is a powerful reminder of that to me and a confirmation
of the peace we had experienced even when we had no word of safety. I hope you find encouragement in her report and please remember her in your prayers as they continue to adapt to the needs around them.
On Wed, Jan 13, 2010 at 10:09 PM, Judy Beltis wrote:
Well, – now I know that you know that I – and everyone else are
alive, unharmed, and well. I cannot imagine what it must have felt
like for all of you to think that we might all have died. And,
truly, we should have. I cannot even begin to describe here the
sights and experiences i have had these last 44 hours. I don’t know
how I’ll ever explain to you what God has done here and what he
called us here to do. Could you ever have believed that your
squeamish wife would be doing a real life version of a MASH episode?
You will not believe you when I tell you what we as a team needed to
and did do and how God provided miracle after miracle through this
nightmarish scenario to equip us and help us to do it with all the
right people already put in place to manage it. Do you realize that
the hospitals in Port-au-Prince closed their doors and turned the
populace away because they were unprepared to deal with this?
Somehow word got out about what was going on at Maison de Lumiere
and they came to us – and still are coming – it has been non-stop
since it happened. Today, I think was maybe the toughest because
they began to bring in those who had been trapped in the rubble -
and all I want to say about it at this point is that God overcame
every natural reaction to what I was seeing and hearing and doing
and filled my heart with the deepest love and compassion I have ever
known as I worked with precious people in unrelievable and
indescribable agony. I saw outright heroics being performed by every
person on the team, by the Manasseros, and all the other people
(including several medical professionals) who God miraculously
called together to do this indescribable act of ministry.
We expect that tomorrow may be worse yet because of how long people
have been trapped in the rubble. I probably should go to bed, but
I’m going back over in a minute – there are so many who need comfort
or a cup or water or a someone to just sit with them and cry with
them and hold their hand or give them a sip of water…and on and on
and on. It has been difficult to witness the suffering we see here -
but the miracle of the Lord’s constant protection over every single
one of us gives us more than enough strength to continue to do what
needs to be done, tired as we are. I love you and I am rejoicing
with everyone else here tonight that you know there’s going to be a
reunion. Praise our most holy and loving and mighty God. Please
forward this to the kids and my family back east; I don’t know when
I’ll get the chance to do this again. I love you all. Thank you for
your prayers for us – WE FELT THEM! And know that I am more than
allright!!!
I love you -
Judy
January 21st, 2010 at 10:34 pm
This was so encouraging to hear, you are doing amazing things. God is softening my heart and helping me to hear his gentle voice through this horrifying event. Though I am not immediately impacted by the earthquake, I have been very touched by the amount of help and offering that people are putting forth in this tragedy. Thank you for being an amazing example of a person with compassion, great faith, and great love for God’s people.