Summer 2017 Part one!

Sam has his last day of school today and as soon as it was over he asked 'Are we going to Bangor now?'  He is so excited to see his Granny & Bampa, Auntie Leah, Jack, baby Ben, Auntie Claire and Uncle Robert and many more friends!! He has been on the countdown for the last couple of weeks.

While we are coming home to visit family and friends and get the boys vaccinations updated, go to the dentist, doctor etc, our main purpose and goal for this summer is to raise support for both Emmaus Biblical Seminary and Bethesda Medical Center where we work.

Here is our speaking schedule if your free and would like to come and hear us.  We will also be free during the day to meet up if you would like to ask us a bit more about what God has been doing in Haiti this last year.


May
Monday 29th - Leave Haiti
Wednesday 31st May - Arrive in Northern Ireland

June 

Sunday 4th - Bethany Baptist Church pm service
Thursday 8th - OMS Newtownards prayer group
Saturday 10th - OMS Charity Shop Portglenone
Sunday 11th - Glenarm Baptist Church am & pm service
Wednesday 14th - Millisle Baptist Church
Thursday 15th - Brooklands Gospel Hall Dundonald
Sunday 18th - Lifebuilders Bloomfield Presbyterian Church Belfast
Monday 19th - OMS Broughshane prayer group
Wednesday 21st - Lower Clonaneese Presbyterian Church
Saturday 24th Family Fun Day fundraiser in Bangor Aurora
Sunday 25th - Straid Congregational Church
Wednesday 28th - Great Victoria Street Baptist

July

Sunday 2nd  - Ballychrochan Baptist am & pm service
Wednesday 5th - Moira Baptist
Tuesday 11th - Leave for Canada!

We would appreciate your prayers as we travel on Monday & Tuesday and as we speak over the next couple of months in different churches.

Today I was explaining to Sam how we will get a plane to America and sleep there, then a really long plane to Iceland, then a third plane to Dublin where Bampa would pick us up and drive us to Bangor.  He thought for a second and then said '  I don't want....is there going to be loads of ice there? Where?  I said.  Sam ' In Iceland!'

First year done

Last week was final exams for our students and now semester 2 is over and Bill has finished his first year teaching.  This past month here at EBS has been very busy.  Dr Jocye Thorton was here the first week in April teaching a masters class.

Then a couple of weeks ago we had Dr Ray Easley for faculty training.  He did 3 afternoon sessions on writing a syllabus, creating learning objectives, best practices of teaching, learning styles and lots more.  Bill thought it was the best thing ever and now is disappointed he can't start putting it into practice until August!

Then there was  Emmaus 50th  Anniversary talent show.  They had a few people singing, one even with a live band, but it was ti Esther who stole the show with her incredible voice at only 10 years
old!!

Last week we had the last chapel service of the school year which was a special service for the 4th years, who are about to graduate.  The 4th years spoke of how they found community, support, counsel, good teaching and much more.  One student said ' I know we work, but we can work harder.  We can work harder in our classes and more faithful in our ministries.'

Saturday was the final event in the celebration of the 50th.  There was a huge thanksgiving service in the Vaudrieul church.  I had to stay home with Joel who wasn't well, but Bill was there...... for all 4 1/2 hours of it!  There was many singing groups, speakers, past students, former staff and the founder, Dave Graffenberger all sharing.  It really was a celebration of what God has done over the last 50 years at EBS and a chance to also look forward to what God is going to do for the next 50 years.

Classes are finished for the year, Bill has finished marking his final exams and this week was busy!  Wednesday was the graduation banquet, where the graduates and two guests of their choice come together along with EBS staff for a celebratory dinner.  Graduating in Haiti is a big deal.  There are not many people who finish high school let alone go on to graduate from university.

This morning was graduation. We had 13 students finish their time at Emmaus and graduate.  Graduation was held in Pillatre church about 10 minutes away as our chapel building is too small for all the guests.  The service consisted of speeches, special music, worship lead by EBS students, a special prayer for the graduates, a sermon from a former academic dean and a speech from the valedictorian. Afterwards there was a reception at the EBS campus.

Its exciting to see the potential in these men and women and we pray that will continue to use them to build his kingdom in Haiti.

Meanwhile as all this has been going Phil and his team have been faithfully working on a new outdoor space for graduation and other events. Unfortunately it was not ready in time for this year's graduation as we have had a lot of rain since, well since November really!  But so far it looks great.

Roque day 2

Saturday morning we got up around 6ish to get ready for the day.  Breakfast was bruilion, a Haitian stew with potatoes, plantain, carrots and meat.  Some of us had seen a little goat running about which was not there now so we can guess what was in our breakfast!!.  By the time we were ready to start at 8am there was around 100 patients already waiting outside the church even though it had been raining all night and didn't look like it was going to stop.

So we moved everything and everyone inside.  The church has already been split up into two consulting 'rooms' at the front, two at the side, the pharmacy to the other side and registration and vital signs outside.  To have everyone inside was going to be a very tight squeeze.  But Dr Rodney did not want people waiting outside in the rain so they came in and we got going.

Just as we started 4 men came in carrying an older lady on a 'stretcher', it was 2 pieces of wood with the plastic tarp pulled on it.  We brought her into the one of the rooms and Dr Rodney assessed her straight away.  They had walked just over an hour in the rain to be here. The lady had suffered from a stroke in January of this year and had been in bed since.  Her left arm was very stiff and already beginning to contract.  I took the opportunity to teach her son some exercises and positioning and was able to give them some advice as to how to look after her.  We agreed that once a month we would send up blood pressure medicine with Pastor Christianne.

We continued on with the clinic, it was very busy and packed inside but the people were so patient, just sitting waiting for their turn to see the doctor.

We had two more patients brought in on a stretcher, both older men.  One of the men was really very ill, he hadn't been out of bed for a few months and was having difficulty breathing.  We decided to keep him in the church for the rest of the day and let him sleep there so we could bring him back down the mountain and back to Bethesda with us on Sunday.  I just heard today this man passed away in the clinic on Friday. We can only hope we were able to make his last few days more comfortable.

We continued to work all day and even in the rain more and more patients came.  There was a bit of a lull around 4ish and the team took this opportunity to give out some gifts they had brought for the kids.

At this point we thought we were almost done but people were still coming so we kept seeing them. Even as we were packing up the pharmacy a few people showed up at the church to be consulted. Finally around 7 pm we were finished for the day.

We saw around 360 patients in one day and each of these patients were also prayed for.  Many of the patients were Christians and our team were able to pray and encourage them

For 8 people this was their time to accept Jesus as their Saviour, it was a privilege for our team to be able to pray with these people. I want to share just one man's testimony...

' Last night I had a dream, in the dream I saw missionaries and doctors at the church here in Roque.  In the dream I was told to come to the church here today and I would find someone to pray with me so that I could accept Christ as my Saviour.  I did not know there was going to be a clinic here today but after my dream I got up and walked over an hour to be here to find missionaries and doctors here.' 

Pastor Tyson and Orienel were able to pray with this man and lead him to the Lord.

Day 2 was exhausting and busy but a privilege to be able to serve the people of Roque.