From Pastor

Trinity Mission Team

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 10:48:44 -0700

Greetings in the name of our Lord. Amen.

Our mission in Ouanaminthe, Haiti has been healthily busy.

MADO (Le Maison des Agneaux de Dieu Orphelinat -The House of the Lambs of God Orphanage) is hosting a four member mission team from Trinity LCMS Lake Placid, FL this week--their members are: Noel Johnson, Susan Norris, Leslie McConnachie,and Ansley Stewart. We request your prayers for their safety and that they may have a good experience in serving the Lord.

The Northwest District of Lutheran Women’s Missionary League (LWML) granted the mission another gift. They purchased a Montero for Rev. Daniel Paul 3-4 years ago. For the 2010-2011 biennium, they granted funds to install windows. This has been a concern during the rainy season and with high winds. The rooms, bedding, and clothes can get soaked. We are indeed greatly appreciative to this organization and their ability to support other dear souls.

Thank you for your time to read this update. We are humble as we observe the mighty things the Lord has done through Rev. Paul's ministry. Let us continue to lift the whole mission up in our prayers as students, children, and adults in Haiti are receiving the Good News of Great Joy.

The Lord be with you,

Rev. Sam Wiseman

Missionary Blog

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 11:43:33 -0700

Please read the missionary blog to read about changes occurring at the orphanage.

Rain and Preparations

Fri, 25 Jun 2010 11:59:02 -0700

Bon jou mwen zamni nan ap Senye Jezi Kri. Amen (Good day my friends in the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen)

Our friends in Haiti have been receiving consistent rain, sometimes torrential downpours and otherwise soaking rains. They are very thankful to not be living in tents as many are in Port au Prince. Rev. Daniel Paul stated, "In Port-au-Prince, the tent people are having trouble keeping their clothes, bedding, and food dry. It is very difficult." I have heard other horrific concerns dealing with sewage in the Port-au-Prince area.

Clynie, Rev. Paul's wife, has had the flu for the last three days. Some of the children are ill also. Let us lift these dear souls up in our prayers for their health.

Rev. Paul's sister is getting married Saturday, June 26th. His brother, Esau, went down to Port-au-Prince for this celebration. Rev. Paul was not able to get away with the many responsibilities before the orphanage at this time and Cliney being ill.

They have repaired the transmission in their Montero for local errands (as far of Cap Haitian-about 40 miles). It still leaks some transmission oil and is only two-wheel drive now. We are pleased that they have some transportation. This repair was done for "very little expense."

There is a group that has expressed interest in providing a chicken coop for the orphanage. Rev. Paul has figured out a location on site for the time being for this gift. In the long run the farm animals will be cared for at one of the other properties. They have a couple other small plots that they garden.

Peace LCMS from Monroe, WA is preparing to go to serve with social ministry and proclamation ministry leaving June 30th. There are seven short term missionaries going. NEHLM is excited to have other sister congregations involved. Let us pray for them also.

Thank you for your interest and prayers in this work of God.

Rev. Sam Wiseman

End of the School Year and Rain

Fri, 11 Jun 2010 16:05:38 -0700

Greetings in the Name of the Lord. Amen.

I had the opportunity to speak again with Rev. Paul with his wife, Clynie, at his side. We are now able to community via Skype--this allows for longer calls, ability to see some of the nonverbal communication and it is free! (For myself remembering how expensive any long distance call was just a few short years ago, this ability to see and talk for free is amazing.)

They have been receiving "lots of rain--yes, lots of rain!" I have attached two videos that he sent that shows the intensity of this Caribbean rainstorm during this their rainy season. The film was taken from inside the buildings at MADO (Acronym in French for The House of the Lambs of God).

School finished today for the summer. Now these ambitious servants of God are running a VBS starting Monday from about 7:00 a.m. until noon! Praise God for these servants sharing the "good news of great joy"--Jesus Christ.

We talked following their Friday night Bible Study which was on justification. Rev. Paul said, "We taught it the way the Bible teaches--by faith in Jesus."

The Lord be with you,

Rev. Sam Wiseman

Pastor Daniel Returns to Haiti

Thu, 3 Jun 2010 16:14:51 -0700

Greetings in the Lord of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Rev. Paul called Wednesday evening, June 2, to let me know that he is home. He left Haiti May 14th and had many opportunities to report on life in Haiti, express his thanks, and maintain or create relationships with us in America. Above is a picture of the NEHLM officers with Pastor Daniel: Jennie Yancy (Treasurer), myself (Pastoral advisor), Rev. Daniel Paul, John Herbst (President), and Susie Rahn (Vice President).

I asked if he did OK with American food. He said, "My stomach did very well with the food--it was all very good!"

We of the Nord Est Haiti Lutheran Mission (NEHLM) are very thankful for the resources that were made available to allow Rev. Daniel Paul visit this may. He did get to meet with both mission teams that will be working with him this summer (Peace LCMS Monroe, WA and Trinity LCMS Lake Placid, FL). He also had several days each with Lamb of God LCMS-Lake Stevens, WA and Faith LCMS-LaGrande, OR. The five days that he was in the La Grande area he had 8 formal speaking opportunities. A front page article in LaGrande's paper resulted from one of these presentations. We are fortunate to work with a servant that does such an admirable job representing the work of God.

The Lord with you,

Rev. Sam Wiseman

School Feeding Program Begins

Mon, 17 May 2010 15:03:33 -0700

All 140 students who attend school at the orphanage, College le Lutherien de Ouanaminthe, now receive one meal per day at the school. Above is a video of the feeding program.

Rain

Fri, 16 Apr 2010 13:01:59 -0700

Greetings,

Haiti is receiving several days of rain! According to Rev. Paul's call late Wednesday they received three straight days of rain. This is a muddy situation since the roads are predominantly dirt. The potholes grow larger (12' in diameter and 2' deep). I asked if the girls were able to keep dry. He responded, "The wind is not blowing so is not coming in through the windows, but they are cold. They think it is very cold!" Several of the children have colds or fevers. Let us pray for them as they receive much needed rain during their rainy season. However, the moisture does bring challenges for them.

I am thankful for the help that has been sent through NEHLM to help them at the orphanage. Funds sent to Rev. Paul and Clynie’s families in Port-au-Prince allowed a couple families to move off the street and under a roof.

The NEHLM website has some pictures taken by Rev. Paul showing them distributing food in the Port au Prince area. Thank you to all that have contributed to caring for these people.

Below is a weekly distribution of funds the NEHLM has sent to Rev. Paul for earthquake relief. All designated earthquake relief gifts received so far have now been distributed. Rev. Paul has been responsible with caring for his own ministry and providing mission support elsewhere.

On January 12, 2010 Port-au-Prince, Haiti suffered a devastating earthquake. In response to this, many people donated to support the Haitians in their hardship. Nord Est Haiti Lutheran Missions (NEHLM) is one organization that distributed funds through Rev. Daniel Paul and his ministry in Ouanaminthe, Haiti. Funds were distributed to both Port-au-Prince and Ouanaminthe which suffered an influx of refugees from Port-au-Prince along with greater expenses throughout the country of Haiti.

Following is a rough accounting of use of Haiti relief funds:
Week of
January 17 Rev. Paul to Port-au-Prince with Danita’s Children
--conditions were intense and funds were distributed to individuals to help with immediate needs.
January 24 Rev. Paul’s second trip to Port-au-Prince with Danita’s Children
--Rev. Paul distributed water and funds to individuals and families in immediate need.
February 1 -Rev. Paul fixed his Montero in order to make trips and obtain supplies. Home base (Ounaminthe) is starting to receive refugees and experiencing inflated prices in goods.
February 8 -Clynie, Rev. Paul’s wife, travels to Port-au-Prince via bus to meet with extended family. They brought water and food to three areas in Port-au-Prince.
February 15 -Clynie still in Port-au-Prince with brothers and in-laws to continue to distribute water and food to those not receiving through UN and Red Cross.
February 22 -Many efforts made to secure resources and take care of needs in Ouanaminthe. Hungry refugees beginning to steal food from gardens—some aid is distributed.
March 1 -Rev. Paul in Port-au-Prince with leaders of the LCMS and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Haiti work together to make best use of resources to benefit the greatest number of people. Rev. Paul explained the many abuses of those who steal and excessive custom taxes. A bag of rice costs half the price at a Haitian market than the same size bag in customs.
March 8 -David, Rev. Paul’s brother, lives in Port au Prince and is a carpenter. He received funds to help with restoring efforts in Port-au-Prince.

The Lord bless and keep you,

Rev. Sam Wiseman

Easter Blessing

Tue, 6 Apr 2010 12:50:19 -0700

He is Risen!
He is Risen indeed. Alleluia! Amen.

Last night, Rev. Paul and I shared some of joys of the Easter season. As Christians we surely have a wonderful message of eternal truth to share!

Rev. Paul said there were seven new people who attended their Passion Week services. Rev. Daniel Paul and his younger brother, Rev. Essu Paul, are excited about following up with "teaching" these dear souls which the Holy Spirit brought to their ministry. Let us all followup in our lives and words the message of Jesus' victory.

Rev. Paul has outlined possible projects for the two teams that will be visiting this summer. This information was sent to the President of NEHLM, John Herbst. It sounds like some challenging construction work. NEHLM received generous donations over the past several months, which has allowed us to send more than the monthly sponsorship money. Rev. Paul's ministry has been effective in helping with relief in the Port-au-Prince area and in maintaining their ministry with the influx of refugees and increased expenses. Note: NEHLM is ahead of the 40% average of Haiti relief funds distributed. When I shared with Rev. Paul that I heard that only 40% of the money donated for Haiti relief to the many social services has been distributed, he responded, "I think that it is much less than that, maybe 20%!" NEHLM is sending the last of the special giving that Rev. Paul is using to get the living quarters finished.

Part of this desire to complete the living quarters is from some official visitors to MADO (French acronym for "The House of the Lambs of God"). On March 31, two United Nations (UN) representatives visited. It appeared as though the UN wants to work with some of the Non-Government Organizations (NGO's) to help Haiti now and the future. NEHLM is MADO's NGO.

The Lord be with you,

Rev. Sam Wiseman

School Feeding Program

Tue, 23 Mar 2010 12:40:15 -0700

Greetings in the name of our Lord as we begin to remember His Passion week Sunday with Palm Sunday.

Rev. Paul had an eventful time in Port-au-Prince as he and many others gathered for the funeral of Rev. Doris Jean Louise (considered the Father of the Haitian Lutheran Church). Rev. Louise was shot to death by criminals wanting money. As it is for many of us, this time allowed Rev. Paul to visit with his fellow comrades in the preaching ministry and see many friends he had not seen in a while. There was also the proclamation of Christ victory over the evils of this world and death.

A tense atmosphere defines the Port-au-Prince area. "There is a lot of fighting over food and other supplies," said Rev. Paul. Let us pray for the Haitians living in the atmosphere as well as those who are serving them. While in Port-au-Prince, contributions from LCMS Missions shipping containers were sent with Rev. Paul. His vehicle ended up being fairly well loaded and he distributed the food and clothing to those in need in Ounaminthe.

On Tuesday, March 23 Jay Brinkmeyer visited the orphanage representing the Trinity Feeding Program. Jay has been working with Haiti missions for several years. In 2003 when we were planning our first mission trip to Ounaminthe, Jay served as a facilitator for our mission team. He gave a presentation to our team and gave advice for the many questions we had preparing for the trip. Things are looking positive for the Trinity Feeding Program to add Rev. Paul's school. This program will provide daily lunches for the students. I am in the process of working with completing the necessary agreements that NEHLM will have in this partnership. Jay was impressed with the orphanage and school. He mentioned to Rev. Paul that he is going to try to arrange a medical mission team to come serve them. Praise God for these connections with other groups who are able to come alongside and help us serve.

Rev. Paul continues to use mission funds sent through NEHLM to help meet all of his extra expense as well as helping others. Danya, a 18 year old who lived with Rev. and Clynie Paul for several years, was living in Port-au-Prince with her family when the earthquake hit. Her dad perished in the earthquake. Danya is receiving help so that her family will not have to continue living on the street under a tarp. Praise God for the many donations that NEHLM has received.

The Lord be with you,

Rev. Sam Wiseman

Continual Prayers

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 10:48:14 -0700

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Let me first share some encouraging news from Rev. Paul. The orphanage/school/church continue to care for people. Specifically, the girls at the orphanage continue to be fed, receive medical care, a place to sleep, and loving Christians continue to share the love of Jesus with them. This is truly and blessing to be involved with this ministry.

Now a point of a heavy heart. Last week Friday, March 12th, Rev. Doris Jean Louise was shot to death outside his home in Port-au-Prince. Rev. Louise, often referred as the father of the Haitian Lutheran Church, was the first Haitian to study at Fort Wayne Concordia Theological Seminary in the late 1970's and early 1980's. Since Rev. Louis' wife is related to Clynie Paul, she traveled to Port-au-Prince to be with family. With her return, Rev. Paul drove Rev. Eliona Bernard from Cap Haitian and himself to Port-au-Prince on Thursday. While in the capital city, Rev. Paul assisted with transporting other pastors. (We are so thankful that Rev. Paul has taken care of his gift vehicle from the Northwest District's LWML and uses it to serve many.) The funeral service will be Saturday, March 20th for Rev. Louise--please pray for family, friends, and the church.

This death occurred due to money issues. Rev. Paul said--"Port-au-Prince is more dangerous now. Yet if you know how to act and get around, you are OK." Let us pray for the safety of those in Port-au-Prince.

The Lord be with you,

Rev. Sam Wiseman