http://www.oakbrookchurch.com/blog/ en mark@oakbrookchurch.com Copyright 2012 2012-01-30T16:42:19+00:00 http://www.oakbrookchurch.com//blog/entry/haiti_update_curtis_stout http://www.oakbrookchurch.com/site/haiti_update_curtis_stout/#When:19:18:55Z One of our very own, Curtis Stout, has been in Haiti since Jan. 1 (pre-earthquake) and has committed to being there until the end of September. While we were in Haiti, Brigit and I had the chance to spend 4 days serving alongside of Curtis. He is doing a fantastic job teaching English and he has also launched a soccer program which includes an 18u team that he coaches! Here are some pics of Curtis in action but let me represent the Oakbrook family by saying, "Way to go Curtis. We are so proud of you!" Brigit and I were personal witnesses to the way God is using Curtis to touch these children's lives with the love of Christ and we are convinced that his efforts will have ETERNAL rewards. ps...check out the 'feet' pics. These were taken of the kids that were playing soccer. Curtis would like to see each child that comes to his soccer school provided with some adequate footwear so we have decided to partner with him on this project. Don't miss this great opportunity to be a part of something special. Details to come this weekend!     Haiti 2010-05-20T19:18:55+00:00 http://www.oakbrookchurch.com//blog/entry/haiti_update_spring_2010 http://www.oakbrookchurch.com/site/haiti_update_spring_2010/#When:14:17:31Z Haiti Update Spring 2010 How do you put into words the state of the poorest country in the Western hemisphere after a devastating earthquake? You don't. And I'm not going to try. But amazingly, the people of Haiti continue to press on despite the chaos that they find themselves embalmed in every day. Unfortunately, due to the post-earthquake realities facing Haiti, Oakbrook's team trip to Haiti was canceled but God left the door open for Brigit and I to still go. The purpose of our trip was two-fold: to continue building bridges 'on the ground' with Double Harvest and Heart to Heart, the missions we have been led to partner with and to also treat any orthopedic injuries needing some attention (for those of you that didn't know, I am also a physical therapist). The first 2 days of our trip were spent at Heart to Heart, an orphanage that was hit hard by the earthquake. This was actually the first time anyone from our church had been to H2H, so it was important for us to see this incredible place function in 'real' time and to witness the destruction brought on by the earthquake. As I write this, all 114 orphans continue to live in tents along with their provider Pastor Luc. Because their kitchen and dining hall collapsed, they eat, cook, and clean under a few trees. There is also a school at H2H that serves 400+ students but it was all but destroyed in the earthquake as well. Despite the devastation, the children seem happy and H2H is well under way to starting all over again. In fact, a team arrived while we were there to begin the construction of a temporary shelter to eat and cook in. Temporary housing has also been built for serving teams to stay in. The other main piece of H2H is their church, a beautiful building that suffered a lot of damage. For now, this local community church has relocated under the cover of many tarps but this has not squashed their faith as many people are finding Christ. So what is our role with Heart to Heart in the days ahead? That is yet to be seen, but here is something to consider: each child needs 4 sponsors to provide for their care. Heart to Heart is still about 100 sponsorships short of meeting this need which costs about $35/month. What if our church took care of this need? I know we can and I assure you that this is an organization we can trust and is committed to the spiritual, physical, and emotional development of these children. These are amazing kids that have been dealt the worst of circumstances. Call the church or email me (jason@oakbrookchurch.com) if you want to become a sponsor or would like some additional information. Part two of our trip took us back to Double Harvest, the mission that all of our teams have served at in the past. Double Harvest is an agricultural mission foremost but their other focuses include a medical clinic, a school, and a church. Fortunately, DH was not impacted greatly from an earthquake standpoint so it became a major orthopedic hospital for the months that followed the disaster. Things have finally slowed down and some normalcy is returning so it was good to meet with Arthur Spalding (missionary) and to dream about the future. He informed Brigit and I that the church has just exploded over the past several months. The explosion started after our church sent a team down in November to help them with a crusade and then the earthquake lit a fire of spiritual renewal in the hearts of the Haitian people. Arthur said the church has grown so much that they are no longer meeting in their building and they have also outgrown an outdoor shelter they have been using. He said they are praying for the resource and ability to build a new church so they can meet the demands of the ministry. How exciting is that!! Pray about our ability to partner with this sister church in Haiti as they seek to share the message of Jesus in their community. I was also provided with a list at Double Harvest containing the names of nearly 20 patients within walking distance that had been seen at the clinic for various orthopedic injuries after the earthquake. Our mission was to go and find these people and to see how they were doing. What an adventure! Each day we would walk to 2-3 villages and find the people on the list. With the assistance of a translator, I was able to assess and schedule future follow-up for those that needed it. In one case, we came across a 13 year old boy who still had a fixator in his leg. This should have been removed a long time ago and its a miracle no infection had set in. This little guy also had a badly broken arm that needed surgery. I could tell you many many stories but I will leave you with some pictures. Brigit and I are so thankful for those of you that prayed for us! Going into remote villages all by ourselves was quite intimidating and not without many risks so your prayers for our safety were answered. Our goal at Oakbrook will be to continue to take at least 3 teams/year to Haiti in the days ahead as God leads. There is so much need but ultimately they need Jesus. We are sending a team in July and later this fall. Some of the trips are open and some are closed but if you would like to consider going please let me or Gretchen Lee know! I will let these pics tell the rest of the story but don't forget to consider sponsoring an orphan....I would love for Oakbrook to answer the call and get all of these kids taken care of. Don't Just Talk About It, Be About It! Jason Braun Post Earth Quake Port-Au-Prince: Heart to Heart Mission: Directors of Heart to Heart: Physical therapy near Double Harvest: Arthur and Becky Spalding (Missionaries at Double Harvest) >blog home<  Haiti 2010-05-13T14:17:31+00:00 http://www.oakbrookchurch.com//blog/entry/im_update_from_haiti http://www.oakbrookchurch.com/site/im_update_from_haiti/#When:19:30:44Z 1.18.09 12:09pm CurtisHow's it going back home?MorganFine of course---how bout you??CurtisI'm doing alright.Morgando you have electricity, water, food?Curtisyeah for now...the owners of Double Harvest came back, they're trying to get more fuelMorganThere are TONS of people praying for you & DHCurtisthanks... that means a lotwe built a water pipe to get water to people in PAP (Port Au Prince) but we're having trouble letting people know about itMorganAny specifics we can pray for??Curtisum... that we get fuel so DH can operate still. they're going to harvest all their crops and send it to PAP.Pray for the people of Coupon and all the villages and PAP—for food, water, safety, and that they find God in the midst of the chaos--that's the most important thingMorganGood. How is Bruce (Donaldson)?CurtisHe's good. We were in separate villages when the quake hit but he's okay---being the MAN as usual--helping out.20 some people stood up as new believers yesterday in church!MorganWOW. Amazing!. Are you questioning if you should stay or come back?CurtisI'm staying.I might visit a little sooner than planned but I want to stay---unless it gets too unsafe.Pray that god helps me communicate effectively with these little boys I've been playing soccer with every morning--I had another 40+ kids today!MorganGreat! Do you sense God called you there knowing this would all happen?CurtisYeah totally.He made this trip happen for me. And he knew what time I would be here.MorganWould you like me to tell anyone anything?CurtisJust keep encouraging my mom if you see her. Tell Mark and everyone I love them.MorganCan do. How is Coupon?CurtisI would say 70+% of the houses have damage and close to 50% are ruined or pretty rough shape. Everyone is sleeping outside their houses under tarps.MorganWow. Did new concrete homes take more damage?CurtisSome did & some didn’t. The biggest factor was how heavy their roof was; the heavier ones fell more. I think we're going to start helping them clean up some stuff today or tomorrowMorganWhat do you appreciate most in light of everything?CurtisUm... that I'm alive and god is using me here.MorganAmen. How is your faith / your spirits?CurtisPretty good. I'm sad for my mom and family because I know it's hard on them. I'm sad for the people of Haiti and hope they'll come together and help themselves out---they need to be a part of the solution--we can't just fix everything for them then leave.That's one thing I've noticed about coupon: a lot of the people expect Americans to come and rebuild their houses... they just sit there doing nothing. I understand they're scared and have had severe loss but they have got to be part of the solutionIt has been pretty frustrating at times. The soccer thing has been awesome for me but work to do besides that has been pretty slow. I want to go help the villages more but it all needs to be organizedMorganYou are good at drawing people out--you can help them help you and be part of the solution--I know you can.CurtisThanks.MorganAny particular worship songs going thru your mind lately?Curtis“Even When” an Upstreet song. All the new songs on North Point's “Awake” cd. “Glory to God Forever” sticks out.MorganHow is your "hope?”CurtisI believe God is going to use this to bring people to Him. I believe Haiti can go two ways; unite and become stronger or fight and people will die and suffer even more.MorganAre there other missionaries @ DH?CurtisThere is a team of 10 people serving for 2 weeks.MorganDo see Arthur much? How are he & Becky?CurtisLuzanie--a girl that works here died in the quake--she was at school in PAP and the building collapsedArthur's family is close to her and he did her funeral yesterday.MorganWow--I read of her on his son's blog. Very sad.CurtisI went downtown the day after the quake to find her-- that's when he found out she died. I saw her body trapped in the building. I'm never going to forget all the death I saw.MorganWhat are your days like now?CurtisEvery day is different. Devotion at 6:40, then I prepare for soccer at ten. I try to talk about important issues like fair play and teamwork but it's hard because I don't know very much Creole.I do soccer at 10 am every morning with the younger boys for an hour and a half, lunch, then I do manual labor of some sort in the afternoon. Some times I play soccer with the older boys in the afternoon at 4I've been journaling a lot since I've been here. I'm going to try to type a couple of them up soon and put them on Facebook.MorganIs fear any concern for you right now?CurtisNot really. DH is far enough from the city that I'm not too worried about riots or anything-- PAP was pure chaos when I was down there the day after.MorganThat's gotta be a blessing to be at DH away from PAP.CurtisYeah definitely.MorganHave you seen Roselore? (maid/cook at DH)CurtisNo I think she is stateside.MorganPastor Gary?CurtisHe's good. His wife was at school south of PAP and walked all the way home--there's tons of crazy stories like that.MorganWOW. Faude, Nahma, Jean P all ok?CurtisYep. I live with Faude.MorganHe talkin your ear off? (sarcasm)Curtislol sometimes It takes him a while to get stuff out at times lol.CurtisWell I need to get going. Take care Morgan.MorganAlright--love you & praying for you all!!! Haiti 2010-01-21T19:30:44+00:00 http://www.oakbrookchurch.com//blog/entry/thoughts_from_haiti http://www.oakbrookchurch.com/site/thoughts_from_haiti/#When:15:13:41Z At 2:45 in the wee hours of Thurs. morning Nov 12 we arrived at Oakbrook sluggish and tired.  Tom Hearn graciously took us to Indy airport through the kindness of First Presbyterian Church’s bus. By dusk the same day, after flying to Chicago and Miami, we touched down in Haiti. It’s a strange feeling stepping onto the tarmac knowing this is a ride that you can’t get off of until it’s over, (given you’re on an island and your ride won’t be ready for another seven days).The airport brought us face to face with the language barrier we would encounter all week. It also brought forceful cabbies trying to take our luggage from our nervous hands. The airport made it clear that we were far from home.Outside we awaited, Arthur, our charming American host. The drive through Port Au Prince was eye-opening: Traffic was chaos. Lack of electricity was everywhere. The road tested the shocks and our nerves. And then we headed off those “good” roads toward the village.The prior rain had made the dirt fitting only for a 4x4. Just short of Double Harvest our mini van got stuck and we all evacuated to push it free. (CB managed to jump from the van squarely into the thick of it all.)Our main purpose in Haiti was to join the local church in putting on an outreach crusade the likes the area had never seen before. Our team was joined by our Canadian counterparts: Jason Braun’s dad, cousin and second cousin (Len, Albert & Lauren, respectively). We learned that the stage we’d build would be an ambitious 32’ wide, 16’ deep and be 6’ off the ground! (‘ = feet) It would have an 8’ high wall all across the back of it and include a roof! It would be erected in a bean field on a crossroad of three villages. It would be fully lit, electrified and even have video projection! Without a doubt what we were in for looked more like “Haiti-stock” than a church crusade.Albert “The Machine” lead us through the construction with amazing know-how and speed. He has a way of doing things to be sturdy enough but not to excess—“Burt-fect” as it is known.By Sunday night we were launching into the crusade in the bean field next to the village of Coupon—with not a minute to spare. Our band (that I dubbed “The Coupon Yankees”) would perform the first 20-30 minutes. As our sound carried, people would close in on our bean field of dreams.I don’t think we had less than 400-500 people the first night and by night three 800 and by night four over 1,000 in my estimation. Different talented Haitian musical groups performed. Pastors prayed and led worship (the “great white drummer” played w/the Haitians), Minister Guion preached passionately and effectively. And people came forward and accepted Christ. And hundreds of Haitians danced and worshiped in response! It’s a sight I will not forget.The days were long. Devotions at 6:40. While the crusade was on we’d pray with the Haitians for two hours in the morning. Then we’d walk to a village offering to share Christ with people in their homes. By 2pm we eat a wonderful Haitian lunch. By 5 pm we’d be gearing up for the crusade. We’d get back to our “home” by 8:30 or 9—bodies tired, but feeling used by God.Everyone on the team was amazing. Amazing servants. Always handy with a smile or a joke. Always ready to do whatever for whomever. There’s so much more to tell, but that’s all for now.    --Morgan Pictures 1  |  Pictures 2  |  Pictures 3 Haiti 2009-11-26T15:13:41+00:00