Last Saturday, the College Group went on a trip led by Flood’s TJ Orphanage Impact Team. We built a fence and ministered to the children at the home. It was a great day!

You are invited to attend the second Microfinance Impact Team meeting March 28th. We will discuss a future fundraising event to raise money to provide financial services to people in Malawi and Uganda. We will also share how we hope to merge Flood’s involvement in Africa with microfinance services. Please join us Sunday March 28th at 6 pm in the Kearny Library.

The update below if from Jessica Edwards, a Flood member who is a full-time missionary with GBA ships, aboard the ship Logos Hope. She will have the unique opportunity to train youth workers in Haiti. Let’s keep Jessica in our prayers!

Hi Pastor Matt and Church Family,

Thank you for your prayers and support. Since the earthquake in January in Haiti, Logos Hope has been looking for ways to respond to this tragedy, especially since we are so close geographically. After teaming with OM Caribbean, who is on the ground in Haiti working with 16 different orphanages and teaming with other Christian Charities, it was decided that a small team of 3 would be sent to train Youth Workers.

The team will be myself, as team leader and two fellow crew members, both from France. On Saturday 20th we will fly from Jamaica, where our ship is currently berthed, and arrive in Haiti on Sunday 1 April. While we are there we will visit 5 orphanages in 10 days teaching the teenagers how to develop and implement children programs. There are no open schools in Haiti and it is unlikely that schools will reopen before summer. Many of the teenagers are taking it upon themselves to care for the kids throughout the day. Our goal is to provide some practical childcare training and resources so the teens can be better equipped to handle the number of kids that need care. The orphanages will rage in numbers from 30 to 130 children at each.

Everyday this week God has amazed me with his generosity and love. My team is wonderful and as we prepare we can see the hand of God leading our way. I’m in awe to see the different talents that God has given each one of us coming together. We are busy creating a two day training program for the orphanages we will visit. Everything is falling into place. Tonight is prayer night and ship’s company is going to pray for us. I look forward to seeing what grand things God has in store for us as we follow his leading to Haiti. I can’t wait to share this experience with you once I’ve returned.

Thank you for your faithful prayers. Some prayer request:
Health, safety and unity for the team.
Wisdom while teaching the teens.
That we can be used by God and share love and HOPE with every child we meet.

If you would like more information about the ship ministry, check out:
http://www.gbaships.org

If you would like to learn more about OM’s work in Haiti or donate monetarily toward Haiti, check out:
http://www.omships.org/haiti

If you are interested in supporting me while I serve on board the Logos Hope, check out:
https://usa.om.org/GiveOnline/

Joy Always,

Jessica Edwards
Volunteer Coordinator
Logos Hope

Headquarters Office
Alte Neckarelzer Str. 2
74821 Mosbach, Germany
E-mail: jessica.edwards@gbaships.org

Children of the Nations (COTN) is continuing to send teams of medical professionals to work in response to the Haiti earthquake.  Our teams are currently based in the Dominican Republic. serving the children and families we were able to transport from Haiti.  For a more detailed look at our plan, please visit http://www.cotni.org/pages/360-our-plan.

We are still in great need of the following professionals, as we compose Haiti Emergency Teams:

Medical Professionals
o   Doctors (Family Pract., Internal Med., ER, Pediatricians, PA or Nurse Practioners)
o   Registered Nurses
o   Physical Therapists
o   Non-medical
o   Team Leader with strong administrative skills

Interested? Please send the following information to venture@cotni.org, and a COTN Venture Representative will contact you as we assemble each team.

o    Name
o    Email
o    Phone
o    Specialty
o    Available trip dates
o   Affiliation (i.e. ABC Hospital)

The Sunday after the earthquake hit in Haiti, our church was introduced to John Compere. John is from Haiti and has attended Flood for the past several years. As a church, we were able to financially support John as he returned to Haiti to care for his family and nation. Below is an email update I just received. Thank you for your generosity!

Pastor Adam

Well it was a fun FIESTA night at Rob Bautista’s house last night (2/27) for TJO team’s first quarterly prayer night of 2010.  After learning a little about the orphanage and the kids, we read over some of their prayer requests for January and February.  It was great to see so many new faces at Fiesta Night and to pray together as a group for a good hour.  Afterward, Robert’s roommate Cesar cooked up some delicious food!  Chicken & steak tacos, pinto beans, yummy rice, chips & salsa, and Maiko & Lily’s homemade brownies and cheesecake.  To top it off, we ended the night with Dave Gladson dressed in an authentic Mexican sombrero playing a mini-accordion bought at the TJ/USA border.  Rob attempted to accompany him as a singer. Let’s just say it was the BEST and the WORST mariachi band ever!

Here are a couple prayer requests from the night. To see more prayer requests or learn more about TJO, email orphanage@diveintoflood.com or find us under Flood Church Mexico Impact Teams on Facebook. You can read prayer requests and submit your own under the Discussion tab on FB.

  —Luis: Please repair the road and for my friends.
  —Byboh: We don’t want any theft here.
  —Rodrigo: For all my family and the whole world.
  —Moises: I’d like to ask to take care for my dad and mom.
  —Salvador: Pray for my family and friends. That I could find good friends in school.
  —Antonio: That Casa Hogar is taken care of and pray for it and all of us.

 We also want to pray for Bertha, a staff member at the orphanage, who is no longer in touch with three of her children due to a past of drug abuse. Although she is now recovered from her addictions, she is still suffering the painful consequences of losing contact with 3 children. She requested prayer for their health and safety, as well as for the safety of El Faro orphanage. We as a team also want to lift up Bertha’s life so that she can experience God’s grace, goodness, peace, and redemption in her life.

Here are updated prayer requests from the 5 Flood members currently in Dominican Republic…

+Trauma/Grief Conference here in Barahona w/local teachers, counselors, and pastors. It started this morning and will happen the next 2 mornings.

+Our team seems to be running on fumes right now, so some supernatural energy and presence for us

+There was another quake (maybe an aftershock) that happened in Haiti this morning and then another this afternoon. Needless to say, this brought up grief and trauma reactions for the kids and families at the Clinic (which is where we’re spending nearly all of our time). Evidently, there was minimal damage, but we are seeing the depth of the pain for the folks we’re with.

+Continued healing (physical, emotional, spiritual, and psychological) for the folks we’re working with here in Barahona

+Miraculous healing and reconstruction for Haiti as an entire country

Click below to read an article written by Ryan Jackson on the grief/trauma counseling his team is doing in Haiti/Dominican Republic.

“Need in Haiti extends far beyond the physical” – San Diego News Network

Follow future blogs by Ryan Jackson on the SDNN website.

We are here now, arrived safe and sound with our luggage =)  We are settled in at the COTN compound in a town called Barahona, we will be starting our day tomorrow at 8:00am at a clinic.  I am not exactly sure what to expect but prayer for just meeting those we will be working with just where they are at, that we just love them well, counsel in the best way that we can connect and relate to them. Also, that we keep up our good health and energy, we need it.

In Him,

Ruby

The team of Flood counselors will depart San Diego for Dominican Republic tonight, Feb 17 and return Friday, Feb 26. They will serve by offering grief & trauma counseling to Haitians affected by the earthquake, and also toChildren of the Nations’ Dominican Republic staff . The team of five includes Ryan, Tiffany, Ruby & Minna, and Garret who will be assisting Children of the Nations with construction work.

Here’s how you can be praying for the team. Check back for updates.

1) That God would be preparing our hearts, souls, and minds for what we will face down there.

2) That we would be fully aware of God’s presence with us and the people we’re working with–giving us a deeper ability to be present with the people we will sit with.

3) That we will be conduits for healing.

4) For God to give us soft hearts, open minds, listening ears, and hopeful eyes.