July 26, 2010 Haiti
Update July 26, 2010
God is so exciting! If we tried to figure out what His next move would be, our heads would spin! There are so many angles to consider in seeing a new Haiti emerge from the rubble… so many avenues to help Haiti’s desperate people, at the same time to open doors to live the Gospel! Let me explain…
A Haitian doctor who returned from the States to Haiti is now working with Samaritan’s Purse, and has a limited amount of temporary housing designated for those who make applications and are pre-approved.
He contacted his friend, who has been watching what Light Ministries is doing with medical clinics, eye clinics, feeding and caring for the needy. He has been amazed at the favor Pastor Terry has had with those in authority.
These two men have been working on a solution to a great problem: Many of our local policemen lost everything during the earthquake. They will help, but they want Light Ministries to distribute the houses to these desperate families. The Police Commissioner heard so many good things about us and said ‘I know if those people at Light Ministries can help us, the job will get done! We can trust them. Look at what they have done for our people.’
They asked if we could help them. We said YES! Why? Because we know that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to touch the hearts of the Police Department in our area with the love of Jesus. This isn’t just about delivering homes; it is about delivering the Good News of Jesus to those who otherwise may never hear!
We will begin this project in the coming weeks, bringing the houses from Leogane to Carrefour, approximately 30 miles, and use volunteers from our church to help do the job: Bring them a home and bring them the Gospel! We praise God for the big flatbed and other trucks that are already on the ground, ready to go!
God’s Word says, “Let your light so shine before men that they will see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven!” Here is another opportunity… Pray!
Cary
July 25, 2010 Haiti
Update July 25, 2010
The service today was amazing! God is dealing with “little things” in our lives that are not right, and many are responding. This morning, about 200 people came forward to get clean before God. Three people were saved. That always is such a great joy for the whole church!
Church of Light is becoming a beacon to the nation, just as God said it would be!
Guess what else… Sherly’s father received Jesus Christ as his Savior today, too! Sherly is one of our worship leaders, whose mother went home to heaven last week. (Her funeral was yesterday). We have prayed for her father for a long time. He didn’t live with Sherly’s mom. He did not treat her well and was not faithful to her. He did not know Jesus.
After the funeral, he began to think about his own condition. He said he always made it difficult for her, but yesterday, he was so shocked to see how many people knew and loved her. She really had a big family he didn’t even know! He recognized who she really was, and that what she had in Christ was what he needed. He said, “I was very wrong. Now, I want to follow in the way she knew…” and today, he committed his life to Christ!
One of Sherly’s brothers, living in the Dominican Republic, came home for the funeral. He said he used to hear bad things about our church, but… “now I know what I heard is not true.” He said “It is very powerful at that church! The Pastor doesn’t even use notes… He speaks the Bible without ever reading the Bible! It’s like it’s in his head!”
Yes, lives are changed because Terry has ‘knowledge’ of the Word because he has hidden God’s Word in his heart but the fact is, Terry knows the Author of the Word and when the Holy Spirit speaks through him, things happen… lives are changed! It is God confirming HIS Word!
God is good! Thanks for praying. This is just the beginning of the harvest from yesterday’s funeral ‘celebration’.
Cary
July 24, 2010 Haiti
Update July 24, 2010
The funeral today for Sherly’s mother was powerful! Sherly was strong and even helped lead Praise and Worship. No one could believe she did that, but she said she knew God wanted her to sing! Thank you for praying for her!
Sherly’s Mom wanted to have a celebration, not a grief-filled, sorrowful get together! Many people didn’t know how to handle this since they are used to the religious churches where you can’t lift your hands or praise God freely. At a funeral, the spirit of grief takes over and there is wailing and carrying-on for hours. At our church, there is freedom no matter what the occasion, because WE are free!
Some of the family shared about their mother’s influence on them. When one of the young men was sharing, those in the audience began to wail uncontrollably. Terry asked them to stop. She is in heaven! This is not what she would have wanted. We are not to sorrow as those who have no hope!
Terry took the microphone and talked with the family, now all young adults. The Bible says to ‘train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it.’ She taught you in the best way she knew. Don’t shame your mother, but rather carry out her legacy; go with the Gospel!
He preached an anointed message of the days we are living in and talked about salvation and life in the Spirit, challenging the packed-out crowd to not only reflect on the one whose life we remember today, but to examine their own hearts and be ready to meet the King! There really is a heaven and there really is a hell! There was silence. He then gave an altar call for those who wanted to give their lives to Jesus Christ. They had never been in a funeral like this before! Many were thinking; no one responded, but we know the seed was sown and we expect a harvest in the morning. Haitians often come to church for the express purpose of being converted. A funeral, to them, is not the time… Continue to pray!
Thank you for standing with us in these daily challenges. Thank you for allowing us to represent you in this precious land!
Cary
July 23, 2010 Haiti
Update July 23, 2010
We continue to host teams from every walk of life. In two weeks, we will have a team of teenagers again. Just to see how the Spirit of God speaks into their lives during their stay is really exciting for us!
Recently, we had a team from Somebody Cares. This is a little of what they experienced the few days we had together:
Somebody Cares took a team of pastors and leaders to Haiti for a Leadership Conference to a network of about 700 Haitian pastors led by Doug (Stringer) and attended by Pastor Terry Nelson and several of the leaders from Church of Light.
Several on the team were thoroughly impressed with the makeshift hospital that they (Light Ministries) had created on the fly after the earthquake. We witnessed a spirit of excellence in every area. They may not have had a lot, but they were willing to share out of what they did have.
We witnessed that first-hand as Light Ministries graciously and lavishly hosted our team Saturday night before Doug Stringer was to preach at the church on Sunday… (When asked if they needed a miracle during the service, over 300 responded to the altar call.)
Pastor Marti Owens, team member from Houston, Texas said she was impressed with the way Pastor Terry is teaching members to give out of their need- the way out of poverty is not dependent on others, but on their giving in obedience and the Lord’s faithfulness. At Church of Light, the Haitian people are learning that God is their source and they will break out of poverty by giving!
Light Ministries has a vision and a plan for the future. The Word says that without a vision the people perish. Pastor Terry has both a vision and a plan to assist the Haitians to fulfill that vision. He took us to the mountaintop and shared his vision for City of Light…
While in the natural, Haiti has seen much adversity, God is using this church as a standard for the nation. The people at Church of Light are becoming the Pearl of the Caribbean – expressing the beauty of the Lord – borne out of the adversity they have endured.
Continue to pray for us that, as we host teams, we can impart vision to them for this nation. God is not done with Haiti! In fact, we are just beginning to see His hand free to do what He has promised! It is a joy to be a part of His plan for a new Haiti.
Thank you for believing in us. Thank you for supporting us in prayer and finances. Thanks for coming to visit us, to see first-hand what God is up to!
Cary
July 22, 2010 Haiti
Update July 22, 2010
Thank you for responding to my updates. Each day, I look forward to hearing from you in the same way you wait to hear from me!
Here are some recent responses. To know you are praying for progress in all we do among the Haitians is such an encouragement!
Regarding victory as we attack the spirit of poverty:
- Hallelujah!!! What a miracle. I’ve been awaiting the day when I would hear that bit of news. I’m rejoicing that the Haitians have gotten the revelation of Giving; now they we see the abundance come to their lives. It must have been glorious to see the people dance = one day we’ll see it on the web site! It’s great to hear that they’ve been speaking the Word. I’m realizing that we need more time to speak the Word in our churches. We give to much too mental assent to the messages preached, but don’t have the Word deeply rooted in our lives -
- This was WELL worth the read again.
God is SO unique, who would have thought (not what you are taught in schools or politics) that to get more you have to give away what you have. Holding tight on what you have, or using it all for yourself, never does you any good.
It’s so great to hear of the people moving on. Imagine that if the World sees the Haitians pull themselves out of the situation!!! -
- A timely and great message for not only Haitians, but North Americans as well. Thanks for the reminder. Praying for doors to fling open and provisions to pour forth. -
Regarding Mama Sherly’s death:
- Oh, what a bittersweet story. I am so grateful to hear that Sherly’s mother had such glorious last days here on earth. And how beautiful to hear how she spoke into her children’s lives before moving on to be home with her Father. I will certainly be praying for Sherly and her family. Please give her my love and let her know I am praying, praying that many would come to the Lord through the service Saturday morning. -
- Yes, you got it right! It is the Baptism With the Holy Spirit! What an edifying story of God’s power in one’s life Ac 1:8!
Yes, preach the message of salvation & invite them to receive Jesus Christ as their Savior. Then boldly, invite the people to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost
Ac 2:38, the Power that will empower the people to live for Christ & to witness Him! As you invite the people to respond, they will! Lk 11:13 states ‘If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?’ Teach them how to receive Baptism With the Holy Spirit!
My daily prayers are with you! Keep up the good work in establishing God’s kingdom in Haiti! May God grant you favor, wisdom, strength, protection & help! Amen! -
- I will be praying for Sherly & the family. I will be praying as Terry shares, that ears will be open to hear & hearts will be open to receive the salvation message. -
Please continue to pray for the “Celebration” service on Saturday morning. The family is greatly encouraged, knowing you stand with them in prayer.
Continue to pray for us as we tackle plans to rebuild our city. It’s an awesome responsibility! God told us over 20 years ago that we would do it, so it’s no surprise, but we need daily wisdom and guidance that only HE can give! I guess Nehemiah was probably a bit overwhelmed at times, but God was there to instruct and lead him… just look at the results!
Cary
July 21, 2010 Haiti
Update July 21, 2010
Many of you have met our Worship leader, Sherly and her husband, Rodolpho. They are like our children, so precious to us!
On Sunday, Sherly’s Mother came to Church of Light. She has come from time to time from her little religious church. Though she had been a Christian for a long time, she never knew about life in the Holy Spirit. About a month ago, ‘Mama Sherly’ received the baptism with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in tongues. She was so excited and said to Sherly, “I pray in tongues now!’ She got so free!
After the Sunday Night Miracle Service, she was running around the church! She said, ‘I’m not going back to my church again. There is such life here! I’m coming to your church from now on!’
On Monday morning, she had been out witnessing. Then she began talking with Sherly’s brothers about dying. She said ‘I don’t ever want to go to a hospital to suffer. I just want to go.’ She told one son she had been saving a little money and where it was hidden, so, in case… he should know where it is! To another who was backslidden, she said, “Get back to church!” She was fine, just talking with her sons…
Later in the day, Mama Sherly was making food, when suddenly she had severe pain in her stomach. Her family left with her for the hospital. On the way, she said ‘I’m going to die!’ and… she did, right then!
Pray for Sherly’s family. The funeral viewing will begin at 6:00 a.m. and the service at 7:00 a.m. on Saturday, before the heat of the day. The last days have been spent finding a casket, burial site and planning a ‘Celebration’ service. “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.”
Pray for Sherly. She is the only girl among four brothers. They are looking to her for strength. She is a strong, young woman who was close to her Mama!
The family expects about 500 people at the funeral, many who are unsaved. Terry will give a salvation message, and we believe many will give their hearts to Jesus Christ because of Mama Sherly’s Homegoing! Pray!
Cary
July 18, 2010 Haiti
Update July 18, 2010
Every day, our people get more and more revelation of Who God is and the authority He has given them in this life!
Voodoo can no longer affect us! When new people come to Church of Light, bound by the devil, our young people are quick to recognize that spirit and cast it out!
In the same way we rooted out the spirit of witchcraft, we must now get rid of the poverty that controls our people. First, we judge ourselves; then speak what God speaks about our condition and battle against the devil in the Spirit. When we get together to pray, we PRAY; we touch heaven and shake hell! You’ve never prayed until you pray with Haitians who are led by the Holy Ghost in prayer!
We will continue to root out poverty! Deliverance and freedom from poverty must come to Church of Light and filter out into every neighborhood in Haiti.
Last Sunday, we had our first breakthrough! When Terry said ‘It’s time to give…’ the whole place exploded! People jumped out of their seats and shouted and danced forward, offerings in hand! When we counted the offering; it was 4,000 Haitian Dollars, about ten times what they usually give!
Today, offering time was the same! It wasn’t so long ago that, when we mentioned the offering, there was complete silence as they hung their heads in shame. They quote ‘Give and it shall be given unto you, good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over…’ but remained poor.
The only way out of poverty is to give! How can you give when you are poor? You start where you are… You let the Holy Spirit shine a light into your heart, revealing the reasons for poverty. You deal with those reasons, then you begin to give what you can!
Today our people are dealing with shame. They are examining their own hearts and attitudes and are getting rid of jealousy toward those who have income. They are getting rid of pride and rebellion. They are giving!
They now understand that it is not God’s will for them to never have their needs met. They now see this spirit of poverty that has attached itself to their families for many generations must be broken off of them if this country is to survive. No amount of outside help will meet the need. They must take authority in the Name of Jesus over their own lives, rooted in poverty!
It is no longer enough to quote God’s Word about giving, but to act on His Word and give! If they don’t give, they will never have anything to give…
Terry and I know giving is their only way out, for we have proven it in our own lives and ministry. We love to give! Whenever we see lack coming our way, we give! Because He is faithful to His Word, we are able to move forward.
The Haitian people need to see that God is their Provider. He is their only Source! When they abide by God’s laws, God is Faithful to give back to them! Conditions in the Bible are not to bind us but, when we abide by those conditions, the devil is automatically bound by God’s Word!
This is the reason we can continually move forward… We judge ourselves, we obey God’s Word and we give! He multiplies our giving and others are blessed! Terry and I live to give! When we see Haitians giving cheerfully, we know they will soon see results of their giving and know the joy of obedience!
Cary
July 14, 2010 Haiti
Update July 14, 2010
You missed me! I am blessed! We have had major problems with the internet in Haiti, so I was unable to send anything out… Sorry!
We are all fine, though we are still experiencing tremors. Last week, about 1.5 miles from us, the wall around the stadium fell down. We barely felt it at our house!
I’m attaching the latest newsletter, so we are all on the same page. Please continue to pray for us. Finances have nearly dried up. It’s been six months now, and many have forgotten their promises to help us to the end.
It seems everyone here is experiencing the same thing. Please don’t forget us and our people!
Cary
July-August 2010
Dear Family,
“Be not weary in well doing, for in due season you will reap if you faint not.”
There are so many things happening simultaneously! We are forging new paths of progress in this country of slow progress. At the same time, we must maintain what was already established before the earthquake…
We never sit still! We continue to teach, train and disciple as we wait for funds and expertise to continue to rebuild. You, our partners have helped us do the impossible! God has multiplied our efforts, and countless lives have been saved because of your compassion. The church is growing to maturity and we can see that new believers are finding their place in the Body of Christ.
We will sign the final Deed for the first carreau (3.19 acres) of mountain land next week! The other parcels, though technically ours, have multiple owners through inheritance of the land. Each piece must be signed-off on and re-surveyed as one large parcel before we can proceed. We are working on this as fast as things can happen here!
There are 10 major areas in Haiti that will be rebuilt, Carrefour being one of them. A group of City Planners and Architects will come to Haiti in August to meet with our Mayor and us to re-plan our city. In addition, they have agreed to help Light Ministries by donating architectural designs for City of Light and other developments as needed, such as our church, schools, and housing. Pray!
The church is moving forward. We see constant hunger, leading to salvation and deliverance. Many couples, converted since the earthquake, were living in sin and now want to please God by getting married. We have been counseling some of them and are planning a ‘mass wedding’ in the near future. There is always something new going on…
We thank God for the new folding chairs at Church of Light, set up to seat extra people in the services. Everyone is so thrilled to see these red chairs, so bright and new, along with the freshly-painted walls in the sanctuary, covering the repairs! It says ‘Progress’ to them!
As far as major progress, we, today, are at a standstill. Probably the hardest thing is to have the vision and people, but not adequate funds to move forward. In the beginning, funds were here to work fast, but now, it seems people have forgotten we are still here and need them to fulfill their promises to fund what we have started. The reality is that we cannot go into debt with these projects. We see God’s hand on what has begun and we must trust Him daily for His miraculous power and provision.
We have never been dependent upon the government of Haiti to do anything. We have been promised many things and much money to finance projects, but we are currently waiting for private funds to reach us. We have been offered grants, housing, water treatment and roads. We cannot even rebuild the walls around our house, or work on the land or the church without finances to do so. Work teams are standing ready to assist, but we need money for necessary supplies to keep them busy.
Please continue to pray for us and to give so we can move forward. We need approximately $150,000 to repair or replace the church roof, electrical, ceiling and floor tile and to finish the gate, plumbing for toilets, clean and pave the adjoining land. Then we can set up the big tent next door to the church for overflow and children’s ministry.
We continue to host visitors with expertise. Last week, we had an eye doctor with a state-of-the-art machine that reads prescriptions within seconds. He saw over 1400 people in three days! Many were given prescription glasses that he brought with him! You cannot believe how many Haitians need corrective lenses!
We will not grow weary in well-doing, for we know that if we don’t faint, we will reap from the goodness of the Lord! We are all tired, but really know that our God is our strength through this very-stressful time. We have had no break since the January 12 earthquake. With such a magnitude of responsibility and few to carry the load, it is impossible to rest yet. We know our day is coming…
We are so grateful you are on our team and know how to pray! We couldn’t be here without you!
From the frontlines,
Terry and Cary
July 3, 2010 Haiti
Update July 3, 2010
We are back from Santo Domingo! We had a good time with our staff, shopping for car parts (not my favorite!) along with food and house supplies. We took them to explore some big shopping malls. Wow! Were their eyes big! We stayed in a hotel and ate in restaurants, a first for three of them! Today, they are still trying to sort out what they experienced. Remember, they had never before seen anything except their little world within Haiti!
We were finished with our task early, so started on our way home on Thursday. Everything was going well until, eight miles after the Dominican border, into Haiti, we came upon a road block. We went through it and tried to continue, but there were many more road blocks with big trucks, tree branches and rocks and only one way out of the town. We were stuck!
We learned the Mayor and his Director had been arrested over a land dispute. A man claimed he had inherited 100 acres of land and he was taking it because he had sold it for development. He came with big tractors and began to clear the land, destroying the crops in the fields of the hard-working farmers. The Mayor and the people stood up for the farmers working the land.
The so-called owner paid the Judge to have the Mayor and his Director arrested. This had gone on for three weeks and the people in the town now demanded that their mayor be released. (Because the airwaves were filled with World Cup Soccer, no one outside this little town knew what was happening, so they decided they would let the rest of the country know what they were dealing with by blocking the roads until they were set free.) The Mayor was then released; He said he would not leave until they released the Director too.
In Haiti, when the people take the law into their own hands, often the police stand with the people, as in this case. They were helping to block the roads until authorities released the Mayor.
We were ‘outsiders’ and they knew it, but the police said if they let us through, they would have to do it for others also. We stopped outside of the police station, turned off the van and waited. The Haitians with us were starting to get nervous, sitting there on the street where the whole population was demonstrating. In our area, a demonstration like this would be violent, but this was calm, except for a few people!
The next thing we knew, out of nowhere, a man appeared to us and said he didn’t want us to be traumatized, so he would like to escort us to his home. He was an educated leader in the community. He got inside our car and took us to his house with a gated yard where we could park the van safely. We had total peace! We were so blessed! The next thing we knew, his family made up fresh beds in their own bedrooms and invited us to spend the night because they knew nothing was going to open up before morning. We actually slept a couple hours! Then we heard gunshots and we knew the authorities had come on the scene! The roads would be opened soon; the Mayor and his Director would be released!
We got up and left about 4:30 a.m. The roads were cleared and, because there was no traffic yet, we were back in our own yard at 6:00 Friday morning!
Every day is an adventure in this country! Continue to pray for wisdom…and safety!
Cary
