Category: Missions

HAITI RESCUE

On By Daniel CooleyIn MissionsLeave a comment

WOW!

You may know by now that our friends and missionaries, Byron, Shelley, Sue, and those who were serving with them from the States are safe. It was covered in a news report here. If you watch closely, you will see them at 29-31 seconds in.

But that is only part of the story. Below I put the story from Byron and Shelley’s perspective. I’ll put some notes in italics to help give the needed backstory.

They started their letter with this song:

When peace like a river attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll,

Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Dear Friends,

We are well. We have, again, placed our lives in God’s hands—and He has established the path before us.

Perhaps you’ve seen some familiar faces on the news the last couple of days?

God decided it was time for us to depart Haiti. We are grateful that He chose to make it very clear.

We received an invite to a WhatsApp group at 2:00 pm on Saturday, March 16th. It was titled “Evac 3/17”. This was the beginning of several strings of conversation with staff members in Corey Mills’ office, and with a gentleman in Haiti who is part of Haiti’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Shortly into the conversation, Byron was asked to be the point person for all of those people who would be gathered together to be evacuated. There were 7 from our mission (Byron, Shelley, Isabelle, Sue, Beka, Addie, and Ariana), another gal who lives full-time in Haiti, plus 5 individuals who have been traveling to Haiti regularly for work and ministry for many, many years. The day involved discussion about safe locations to land, where we would gather together, how we would safely navigate to our “pick up” location, and what time this all needed to happen.

Byron and Shelley have run Maranatha Childrens Ministries since its beginning after the earthquake of 2010. I first met them when they were working for another organization in PaP in 2007. We stayed in their house, and they ran a generator at night, which meant FANS! As a result, we have stayed there for every trip since. Do you want our help? Keep us cool. We are fair-weather missionaries.

As for the others, Isabelle is their daughter, Sue runs a home with four children, and Beka and Ben Remy have two daughters, Addie and Ariana. Ben has been trying but has not yet been cleared to enter the States. Beka had to come home with their daughters without him.

We spent the day gathering more supplies; preparing the April payroll which we had the staff come and pick up; (thank you AnchorPoint) and trying to mentally prepare for a departure that we had hoped would never come. It was a gift to see each of our staff members, to have an opportunity to explain what had happened, and to let them know we may not be seeing them for a while. There were tears, and also many sighs of relief. Our staff loves us, and they have been concerned for our safety.

It was 7:30 when we left our home. Alex (their guard and driver, a wonderful young man who came to faith at their place, and recently got married and had a child) took Byron, Shelley, and Isabelle in the pickup. We had to get a special key to leave out a back gate which is only supposed to be used for foot traffic. We made our way to Sue’s house, and then turned around and headed toward the airport – where we were told a helicopter would be picking us up in the wee hours of Sunday morning. Ben drove Beka, Addie, and Ariana from their home. The remaining six people came from different parts of the city, and we were all together by 10:00. The hotel was gracious to let us congregate in their lobby but ready for us to pay for some rooms. We obliged. By 11:30 everyone was in their rooms, and we all knew to have our phones close and ringers on.

At 12:30 am, the gentleman from the Haitian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called to inform us that permission to land the helicopter at the airport had been revoked. He was going to try and locate another option but admitted that it was not a good time to reach people. He called us back shortly to say that the one option he found required approval from two additional people, but he had been unable to reach them. It would need to wait until morning. We contacted the other members of our group and gave them the news that the evacuation had been canceled and we would regroup in the morning.

Fifteen minutes later we received another call. Corey Mills’ office wasn’t ready to give up for the night. They wanted us to find a solution. Our new friend from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs gave us permission to look for options. He’d told us, “You’ve got all of the permission needed, they’ve just got to have a spot to land.”

It’s weird when you’re not part of putting something together, but suddenly you’re thrust into the position of trying to make something happen. We were a bit baffled to start with, what business did we have looking for a place to land a helicopter? It was at this time that we received a message from a relative who is in the military. “Whatever you are told to do—just do it. Don’t question it. Corey Mills is a retired veteran with many tours under his belt who has been involved in evacuations from Afghanistan. Do whatever he tells you to do! He knows things you don’t.”

WELL. That lit a fire under us. If he says this has to happen tonight, we had better do our part. So, we prayed, and we did our best to contact the director of QCS, and the pastor of Quisqueya Chapel. We found Pastor David Nelson of Quisqueya Chapel, and began to talk through the possibilities, the challenges, and what steps would have to be taken to put everything in place. By 1:30 am, it was all arranged. We would be departing from the soccer field at Quisqueya Chapel. We contacted everybody again to let them know THINGS WERE BACK ON! The plan had changed, and everyone needed to be in the lobby by 4:00 to prepare for transportation to our new evacuation location. At 3:30, Brian, who was the OPS guy, contacted us and said they wanted us to leave ASAP. “We want you there sooner, rather than later. It would be best if you were there by 4:00.” GULP!! It was impressed on us that an evacuation under the cover of darkness was key. While we did not arrive by 4:00, we did arrive by 4:15.

I believe this is where many of us have been to church and played soccer on this field. It was a brilliant place to land as there isn’t much open space in PaP. However, it’s around thirty minutes from the airport . I can’t believe they made it from the airport to the church soccer field safely. The intersections can be deadly. Divine help is the only answer.

God graciously put people in our group who were self-controlled and patient. Although there had to have been some anxious thoughts, people were kind and quiet. We all did exactly as we were instructed, and as we waited dawn broke, and we were flooded by the beautiful Caribbean sunshine. There is no way to describe the silent glances that were exchanged. In spite of losing the cover of darkness, the helicopter landed at 9:15 and we were gone within minutes. We landed at the Santo Domingo Airport around 11:30.

Although we did not plan, nor even desire to be evacuated, we are thankful for the gift God provided through the group which Corey Mills spearheaded. They did not chastise us for remaining in Haiti, nor did they charge us any money. Rather, they thanked us for our service to the people of Haiti.

Upon arriving in Santo Domingo, DR, we were met by a beautiful Christian family who has shown our group of seven amazing hospitality. Beka was able to fly to Arizona with her two little girls yesterday. Sue, Byron, Shelley, and Belle will all fly to Miami tomorrow. We’re looking to God for direction for the next few days, in particular.

We continue to ask for prayer for all of those who are left in Haiti.

Specifically, would you please pray:

  • Ben Remy—would receive his visa and be able to travel to the US with his family.
  • God would post His guardian angels around our homes, and all of those who come and go each day to do their ministry work and provide them with protection.
  • Those of us who are currently out of Haiti will have clarity for the next steps.
  • That we will rejoice in God’s goodness to us, and not believe any lies of the enemy.
  • That our staff and students would be drawn close to Jesus, and that their hearts would become more wholly His. Same for us!
  • That we would steward our time well, whether it is in rest, ministry, work, or caring for our families.

We love you, Jesus!

Thank you for caring for us.

And now back to Dan

I am concerned. Shelley is putting a good face on an awful situation. It is hard after all these years not to love these kids—and workers. I don’t know what we will be able to hear from this point on. So, I’ll add another couple of requests…

  • The gang leader for their area of town has kept things relatively safe for them. Now BBQ—the one who has consolidated the other gangs and taken over most of PaP is coming for him, and their area. Barring a miracle, the “good” gang leader won’t survive. He has been to the house, his kids to the school. We would love to see him know Jesus before he meets Him.
  • Their son Andrew lives on the South side of the Island. Please pray that things remain calm in their area. He has only been married a few years, and they have a young son. UPDATE – they were able to get out over the weekend

When peace like a river attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll,

Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Dan

Did God Leave Haiti?

On By Daniel CooleyIn MissionsLeave a comment

Ro 12:15 (NIV2011)  Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.

This blog I wrote for the church just last Friday, but I thought it wise to shoot it out here as well. Above is one of my favorite Haiti pictures, with my daughter Megan and one of the school kids. Can you guess which one is Megan? I used to keep a website with a weekly blog about my writing and traveling to Haiti and dumb things I’ve done. Sometimes I just wrote about dumb things I did while in Haiti. You can read my old Haiti blogs here. I’m no Haiti expert, but I’ve been able to go every year or so since 2007.

I didn’t go this year.

I may never go again.

The last time I saw our Haiti missionaries Byron and Shelley and their family, it was in Boise ID, where we got to be part of their daughter’s wedding. But then they went back to Haiti, where many depend on their support.

  • The 200 kids who come to their school need their support – not just in education, but also for food.
  • Three orphanages depend on our missionaries to keep them supplied with food and supplies. When you give to AP and missions, it does a lot more than pay for electricity and childcare. It goes around the world.
  • NOTE: We CAN still get finances to them, which helps them to barter or buy off the street. You can support them directly here. Or through AP here, just designate it for Haiti.

Currently, the nation is in chaos. The two airports are shut down. The unelected Prime Minister Ariel Henry (accused of having links to the assassination of the previous prime minister Jovenel Moise) couldn’t even get back into the country after visiting Kenya for assistance. He resigned on Tuesday. Jimmy ‘Barbecue’ Cherizier (so named for incinerating his enemies—although he claims it comes from his mother selling chicken when he was younger), has consolidated most of the gangs and taken over 80% of the capital of Port-au-Prince.  

On one of my first trips there, in 2008, I believe, I had a Haitian tell me how his slave ancestors had fought for their freedom from the French over 200 years ago. Not being able to win their freedom, they pleaded with the voodoo gods for help, “And,” he said, “we’ve lived in hell ever since.”

Haiti seemed bad back then, but now we realize hell was still a long-distance call. Now it’s local.

Reuters said that, “According to the U.N., some 360,000 people are internally displaced while close to 1,200 have been killed and nearly 700 injured since the start of this year, with widespread reports of rape and torture, and access to basic supplies and services blocked.” By some reports, there have been more deaths in Haiti this year than in the Ukraine, and with morgues unable to pick up the bodies due to gang rule, the city of Port au Prince is beginning to stink. ABC News reported this morning (last Wednesday) that according to the World Food Program, there are 1.4 million people in Haiti one step away from famine.

And I was frustrated this morning because my earbuds wouldn’t sink to my phone while at the gym. Hmmm. Perspective.

And this from the Human Rights Watch a few days ago,

“Criminal groups, which control much of the country, including nearly all of the capital, Port-au-Prince, have killed over 1,100 people and injured nearly 700 others just since the start of 2024, according to the UN. Nearly 13,000 people were killed, injured, and kidnapped by criminal groups between January 2022 and early March 2024. Thousands of women and children have been victims of sexual violence and over 362,000 people have been internally displaced. The rates of food insecurity in Haiti are among the worst in the world. Many children are out of school, and child use and recruitment by criminal groups are on the rise.

“We are abandoned to our own fate; nothing works in the country,” a 23-year-old mechanic in Port-au-Prince told Human Rights Watch by phone on February 19. “There is no state, the police are scared, and they have no way to defend us from the gangs that shoot, kill, kidnap, rape women, and take away everything from us on a daily basis.”

Our missionaries, Byron and Shelley, are still in Port-au-Prince with their daughter, their fellow missionary, and friend Sue at the children’s home with four children, ages eight to fifteen. Ben and Becca are also there with their 3-year-old and newborn. (Please be praying for them as Ben is waiting for his US visa, and the baby is waiting for her passport so that they can leave when the airport reopens). At a different location missionary and son Andrew is with his wife Dawn and new baby. Bryon, Shelly, Sue, and Andrew have been at AnchorPoint at one time or another. There is also no electricity, but that isn’t all that unusual. What is different is that it is also pretty impossible to obtain diesel for the generator.

Here is some information directly from Byron and Shelley that I gave on Sunday, as well as some updates from talking to them this week. Communication is a bit sketchy, but you can get a feeling of what life is like I believe from what we have received.

Thank you for your prayers. There is a lot of trouble in Haiti right now. We’re in unchartered territory, and just doing our best to process as we go.

The gangs have been holding food containers hostage at the port. There was already a shortage of food. Now the distributors can’t open to sell, even if they were able to obtain the containers. We are seeking to purchase food items for distribution at three orphanages where we steward food supplies, but do not know what we will be able to do.

The food sacks for our especially poverty-stricken students were distributed on Thursday, but I don’t know what we’ll be able to do this week. For now, school is closed – so those children will not eat either.

Saturday night was very bad – they are trying to take the police station … and they were all over our neighborhood. If you are caught out of doors between 6 pm and 5 am, expect to be arrested or shot.

They did make another effort to take the airport yesterday. Both airports are closed, meaning we cannot leave Haiti, nor can we leave PAP. It is bizarre.

We have a lot of unknowns right now. Lots of heavy gunfire last night, some of it moved behind our house.

For now, we would appreciate prayers for cool heads, wisdom, and the availability of supplies. Specifically, water. We have 12 – 5 gallon containers left for our house and for the children’s home.

Right now, the gangs are fighting against the government and police. Should they succeed, things could change very rapidly for us. We’re quite aware of this.

We do need wisdom for when the time comes.  Thanks for your prayers.

It’s awful. Hungry children, nothing to feed them. 

So where is God in all this? He is in Haiti, with the suffering. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote from a German prison before his execution during WWII, “Only the suffering of God can help” (Letters from Prison). And as Kenneth Surin wrote, “The only credible theology for Auschwitz is one that makes God an inmate of the place.” (The Impassibility of God and the Problem of Evil).

I’ve been asked, and you may be asking yourself this question, “Why didn’t our missionaries leave already!?” The simple answer is that it is more difficult than you can imagine. There are children there that may not be their blood children or their adopted children, but they have raised them since infancy. How do you leave them at a time like this?

And how could Jesus leave Haiti at a time like this? He can’t. 1 John 3:1 says, 1Jn 3:1 (NIV2011)  See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!

God doesn’t ever leave us or forsake us. Dt 31:8 (NIV2011)  The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” If Jesus was in the fire with Shadrack, Meshack, and Abednego, He will be with Byron and Shelley and family in PAP.

And if you know Him, He is with you, in whatever you are going through.

This is when theology gets real.

I hope you can support them financially and in prayer. That’s all we can do right now, so let’s do it. Let’s Ro 12:15 (NIV2011)  Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.

3 Reasons to Go to Haiti

On By Daniel CooleyIn MissionsLeave a comment

I just got back from Haiti a couple of days ago. We were asked not to post when or where we were going, as that information on social media can make you a target when you arrive. Later this week I’d like to post some things about our trip there, especially about what we learned about the current political/gang situation.

For now, I’ll repost why we went in the first place. When I posted on my Facebook page that I might be going back to Haiti, I had an old friend let me know what he thought about it.

He wasn’t impressed.

He had two complaints, both of which have merit. One was, “We have plenty of poor here in America, why don’t you care for them first?” His second complaint was more about short-term mission trips in general. It ran something like this. “You go there not knowing the people or what they really need. Then you make changes and leave them in worse shape than before.”

Ouch.

Here’s my answer.

1: What is poverty?

In the United States, we think of poverty as a lack of money. Under that definition, we certainly have plenty of poor in America. But the true definition of poverty isn’t lack of money, but lack of opportunity. In contrast to Haiti, this country is still the land of opportunity.

Temporary ambassador (everyone in government is temporary right now) Louis Harold Joseph estimated the Haitian unemployment rate last year at 60 percent. Lack of opportunity is something different than lack of money, something many times worse. You probably remember the missionary kidnappings in 2021. Kidnapping is even more dangerous for Haitians today. When kidnappings take place, there is no international outcry. This has made getting an education to get a job almost impossible. They have no public school system. The few private schools they do have are unaffordable to most. Free schools like our own have been forced to close due to gang activity and fears of kidnapping.

Haitian poverty is a lack of opportunity.

2: Are short-term mission trips helpful?

The truth is, they can be either helpful or harmful. I suppose it is like television, or the internet, or even church for that matter. What is good can be twisted for evil. As for short-term mission trips, it all depends somewhat on preparation, who is going, and what is done when the team arrives. But it depends even more upon relationships. We only go on both the invitation of our missionaries and with God’s leading, we only go with the intention of continuing a long-term mission relationship (we have been involved in this area since 2005, with our missionaries Byron and Shelley since 2007), and we only go to encourage our missionaries and to do what they need and ask us to do.

Byron and Shelley were able to come to AnchorPoint last year on their way back to Port-au-Prince. On a side note, we also wouldn’t go if Byron and Shelley didn’t feel like it was safe enough from the airport to their place and back again. They make the final determination for the timing of any trips we take.

3: What will you be doing?

Our church and friends have been mighty generous! The three of us who went brought 320 pounds of supplies with us. We do our best to live out of our carry-on bags for the week. We are bringing what they have asked for, as certain supplies are difficult to obtain on the island.

Four days a week our school feeds 240 people two meals a day (about 190 students and teachers) or so who can make it to our place for Bible Club and tutoring. We also give food to other orphanages that are struggling to feed their kids.

  • We did devotions, helped with the school, and did lots of upkeep. There are always broken vehicles we get to repair, generator and solar issues, well issues, and toilet issues. Speaking of which, did you know centipedes can live in septic lines? Learning that was frightening. Living in the salt air, in the largest city in the world with no running water or sewer and little electricity, leads to a constant need for upkeep. Sometimes one of the best ways we can encourage our missionaries is just to get things working for them again.
  • We brought two Proclaimers from Faith Comes By Hearing. These are really cool. They are solar-powered players pre-loaded with the complete Bible read in a dramatic style in Haitian Creole. Because electricity is rare in Haiti there is little access to online scripture, so they will be a real blessing long after we are gone. By the way, since you have electricity, you can download the audio Bible in most over 1800 languages to listen through your phone. Uh, yes, English is included—just click here for the link.
  • I think being an encouragement was our best help. I read somewhere that when we go visit someone in the hospital we are “Jesus in the room.” We aren’t actually Jesus, of course, but just our silent presence, a prayer, can help them feel His presence. That is what we want to be in Haiti for those we love each time we go. Only one other group had gone since we had last been there in 2019. That’s a long time without visitors.

And finally,

If you would like to give to the needs in Haiti, you can do so directly at their website here.

OK, the next blog may be a bit more about the immediate gang crisis. Thanks for reading!

And as always, the Bizarre Books are available here.

Dan

What Would You Do if God Called You to Haiti?

On By Daniel CooleyIn MissionsLeave a comment

I was sitting in a Pastor’s meeting when one of the guys suggested, “How about we go around, and each say how God called us to ministry?”

All I could think of was, “Please, no.” That and, “God, please call this meeting to an end.”

He didn’t.

I would love to have one of those “Burning Bush” stories of God calling me into ministry. Rahab’s deliverance is dramatic. Paul’s going blind isn’t bad either. My story is more like Jesus’ disciple Thaddaeus.

Who was Thaddaeus?

Exactly.

This Sunday, I hope to give some suggestions on knowing and following God’s call on our lives, even if it is to Rio Rancho. The call of God is how ordinary people become extraordinary.

But today I have a question for you.

What would you do if you thought God was calling you to pick up your “normal” life in the USA to live in Port-au-Prince Haiti? What would it take to move you from our wonderful, magic flush-and-goodbye waste system to one of the largest cities in the world without a central sewage system, a non-system which would also mean moving from safe tap water to “Haitian Happiness” on tap, and from fresh air to yuck? Of course, you would also be moving from city electric to a generator when diesel is available, from A/C to fans when the generator runs, from safety to danger, from English to Creole, from, well, I could go on. What would it take to move you there and bring your family?

A divorce for starters? OK, let’s assume if you’re married that both of you agree. Sorry kids. You think a low IQ would help? Sorry, the quotient doesn’t go that low. It would take a clear call from God to convince most of us to make a move that drastic. But, if it is from God, then it’s worth it, because God’s will is best, all the time.

It may be hard to swallow, but it is always best.

This Sunday at church Byron and Shelley Tlucek, our Haitian missionaries will be here. The plan is to interview them at the end of the service for a few minutes, and after church to let you ask them questions on your heart. This will be a wonderful opportunity to dive into Byron and Shelley’s answer to God’s calling, what they’ve faced and are facing, and how they have overcome the obstacles that appear to be beyond overwhelming to most of us. You should be able to get the YouTube Livestream, or on Facebook Livestream at 10am New Mexico time, or watch the replay after Sunday on our website.

For more on their ministry in Haiti, or to donate, click here.

Needing a Miracle

On By Daniel CooleyIn Confessions of an Idiot Pastor, MissionsLeave a comment

If you could buy God one gift, what would it be?

I’d get Him a watch.

I want to get God on my time. I want Him to see things like I see them. Am I the only one who has wanted to shout, “God, can’t you see what is happening here? Help out already!” God on our time would be handy, no?

To illustrate, here is what happened to my mother, in France, in the ‘50s.

After WWII my parents went to France as missionaries with my oldest brother and sister. The picture is of my mother and older brother David and sister Janice. The country was still rebuilding from the war, and things were… difficult. My mother remembered two things in the French language. One was she could always quote John 3:16. The other was “Don’t poop in our yard!” Difficult times. While there my folks had two more daughters born in the American Hospital in Paris, but my parents lived in the smaller towns of Dijon, St. Michele sur Orge, and Arc-sur-Tille.

After some years of living in France, my dad developed a severe case of pneumonia. They had dad hanging almost upside-down to help with postural lung drainage. It got so bad that it looked like they were going to have to remove a lung, something the hospitals in France were ill-equipped to do. Their mission board sent plane tickets (they had gone over by ship) to fly the family back to the States so dad could have surgery. Dad was under care at the hospital in Paris, but my mom, brother, and three sisters were in Arc-sur-Tille. All four kids were under eight years old.

Thankfully, no one had thought about me yet.

My mom was stuck with having to pack up all their belongings and close the apartment. She got everything ready to go except for one thing she could not do.

They had no money to get to Paris. As in NO money.

But she packed up anyway, knowing they needed to be ready. It seemed impossible God would leave them without help. How my dad was supposed to get to the airport without help I don’t know. How mom was supposed to live in post-war France without dad I have no clue.

First, the good news. The day before mom was to leave for Paris, she checked the mail. Sure enough, God made sure the money was there. Her sister and brother-in-law, who had promised to support them while there, had, for some reason, not been doing it. Now they took three years of back financial support and sent it by one check. Had they been sending it all along, my parents probably would have spent it on immediate needs. Now it had been saved for them and it arrived at what seemed to be just the right time.

But it wasn’t the right time from my mother’s perspective.

The bad news is that when mom went to cash the check at their local bank, they told her they would have to put a hold on it. The check was from the United States after all. It would take weeks or months to clear, and they had no way of knowing if it was valid. She tried other banks with the same result. I still remember mom telling me how defeated she felt walking back to the packed-up apartment with four kids in tow.

I bet she wanted to give God a watch.

Had that check just come in a month earlier, how different she would have felt. And being human I bet mom was praying, “God, can’t you see what is happening here? Help out already!”

On the way back to the apartment she thought of the American Consulate in Paris. Was this a God idea? Would they back the check? They had no reason to back it, but still, it seemed worth a try. It was closing time at the bank, so she went back as fast as she could. The bank called; the American Consulate was still open. They backed the check, somehow, they got dad through the airport and to the plane in a wheelchair, and my parents and siblings flew home together.

A little side note, my sister Judy, the youngest at the time slept in a hammock in the plane made for infants. It would sway as the plane flew and rock them to sleep. Brilliant! Well, until you hit turbulence anyway. There might be a reason we don’t have them anymore.

And side note number two, when the plane landed in the states and everyone got off, they were spraying around it. I have no idea why. What I do know is that my brother David loudly said, “THEY MUST HAVE KNOWN WE HAVE FLEAS.” Mom was mortified.

Maybe they did know?

Still, I love that mom trusted God enough to pack up with no clear way forward.

1 Corinthians 13:12 says, “Now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face.”

I’m convinced that peace comes from trusting in the love (God wants what is best for us), wisdom (God knows what is best for us), and power (God can bring about what is best for us) of our giving God.

Life is hard.

God is amazing.

Would You Like to Live Off the Grid? Do You Like Kids? HAVE I GOT AN OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU!

On By Daniel CooleyIn MissionsLeave a comment

Imagine this for a minute…

Imagine having no city water or sewer, but you do have an electric-powered well and a septic tank. You can’t drink the water because it is dangerously polluted, so you use it for bathing and order your drinking water delivered.

You have no dependable city power, but you do have a generator and some solar panels for partial power.

You teach in an old-fashioned one-room school for preschool through grade five. Life is difficult but rewarding.

Then the world goes berserk.

Gangs go to war against each other. They aren’t zombies, but they are evil. It’s no longer safe outside of your walled property. There is no more gas, so you can’t get around by driving with windows up and doors locked. Walking is a sure ticket to being kidnapped or killed. The city is weirdly silent with no traffic, no generators, and businesses boarded up. The water company closes as they can’t make deliveries. Your generator is out of gas, so the dirty well is also dead.

You smell. You are thirsty. You are stuck.

What will you drink? How will you eat? How can any children come to school?

What do you do?

Welcome to Port-au-Prince, Haiti. I’ve spent a lot of time there over the last 15 years, but never in circumstances like today. But, if you like living off the grid and like kids, I bet our friends at Maranatha Children’s Home have some openings. If you don’t want to go, can you pray for them?

Here are the most recent requests from our friends at Maranatha Children’s home.

Will you please be praying for us as we look for God’s help to overcome the following challenges?

  • Safety for all of our staff, including our US staff in Haiti. As one of our students said…..people with your color of skin are being stolen right now. It seems everybody is at risk of being a target.
  • The safe return of the 18 people, including 16 US citizens, 1 Canadian, and 1 Haitian, who were kidnapped last month.
  • The gangs will permit the fuel trucks to deliver fuel to the gas stations. Culligan water company has closed, and many of the businesses are only days from closing. They do not have electricity and are unable to obtain fuel to run their generators.
  • Our weather will include lots of sunshine. Our solar panels are our main source of power right now, and they don’t provide much power on cloudy days.
  • We will be sensitive and obedient to God’s direction as it pertains to our US staff remaining in Haiti.
  • Wisdom and safety as we locate food to feed the children at school, the children’s home, and the orphanages.
  • We will be able to keep the school open and functioning.

Thanks for your prayers.

Dan

Voodoo Caesarian

On By Daniel CooleyIn MissionsLeave a comment

HAITI TRIP, June 24, 2019

What a fun day! I got to tell an opening assembly Bible story—chose the one about King David’s 3 friends sneaking into Bethlehem to get him a glass of water while others acted it out. We added some xtra-biblical events like crawling backwards and falling into the pool. Good fun.

Sue from our church taught four Science classes today, while Jenn rotated through them all to see how things run. I believe Jenn is teaching the Bible class for the rest of the week. One of the new folks, don’t know if she is an interpreter or junior counselor, accepted Christ during training!

Not to be out done by a simple salvation, I did a quick supply errand and then went to Sue Spinny’s house, the crèche, to put the brain back in her car.

I forgot about the stares when a white guy is driving around here. I keep thinking I blend in, but maybe not.

I also forgot just how frustrating it can be living here. The car has sat since the brain was stolen (again) back in January. So, there was also a tire to fix, a dead battery, stuff they broke when taking the brain, and side mirrors they stole to replace. Of course they cut the wires when taking the mirrors rather than simply unplugging them, so replacing is taking longer. And they took the running lights. And of course stuff is busted, including a window, to get inside and get the brain. Anyway…

I got the tire, battery, and brain done, car running, and thought I’d drive over here to Maranatha to finish things. All went well till I turned on the main road. It’s the width a desert two-track, with deep cement trenches of death cut in the sides of the road to total cars and kill people who aren’t paying attention, filled with cars and trucks and tap-taps, as motorcycles weave in between at 40mph. I hit the road and floored it.

Nothing.

I crept down the road at 12mph idle speed.

Thankfully I didn’t have far to go—and thankfully I don’t know Creole. I imagine the motorcycle riders leaning on their horns were yelling, “Sorry I can’t help, but my wife is getting an emergency caesarian at home by the voodoo doctor at 3.”

We may need to find a way to raise some $ to help to make the crèche safer. Losing a Toyota brain is one thing. Losing your own is another.

So much for Monday!

Pictures are:

Top is just a fun homemade see-saw we use for camp. Bottom is the Bible class, Science class, driving through town (yes, it is a two-way road. Aren’t they all?), and the final is stolen from the Babylon Bee. It seems Lot’s wife was actually taking a selfie. Even Haitians need humor.

Dan

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lots wife

Missionaries Lie

On By Daniel CooleyIn MissionsLeave a comment

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Haiti June 22, 2019

Missionaries Lie.

That or I’m a bit slow in understanding. It did take me 8 years to get that 4-year-degree.

THE GOOD

When the missionaries say “English Camp,” they are referring to the entire camp, from training of leaders through the end of camp. I didn’t realize that. So this coming week is…

Training for the junior counselors and interpreters. That means there will just be 100 or so of us here at the house, rather than the 400 campers plus the rest of us. During the training they will go through some “normal” camp days, so everything does need to be up and running. But it is way less stress knowing all classes and meals will be smaller. At the end of next week, they will pick which interpreters and junior counselors will be used for the next 5-weeks of English Camp.

Our little team has been trying to do what we can. Sue and Jennifer are about finished with the Science and Bible curriculum. Today will hopefully wrap it up—pretty much has to as they or someone will be teaching it on Monday. Sue was able to give a grand devotional to the staff last night. I’ve been able to give a few also, one to the national staff yesterday morning. I hope to record them singing hymns one day, and will try to upload. Mercy it is beautiful. Otherwise I’ve kept busy repairing and installing all the trampoline stuff, putting up shade cloth, getting the tool room organized, a bit of small electrical repairs, and totally enjoying talking with the staff and missionary family. They have some amazing kids!

But, there is still an opportunity, as I see it.

THE BAD

Once we leave they have a team coming in, and are pretty well covered for the first couple weeks of the real, not training, English Camp. And, wisely, they have shortened Camp to just 5 weeks, 6 with training. But there is a major issue with so few teams coming in this year.

Stuff.

Each team that comes brings 2-50lb bags of stuff with them that the missions team then doesn’t have to buy for Camp. Everything from crayons to peanut butter to back packs normally comes in those bags. A team of 10 brings 1000lbs of stuff. Also, because teams are invested here, they tend to also bring money. So, there is a double issue. Less stuff and less money to buy the stuff here.

Help?

 So, if you would like to help, their website is www.mcmhaiti.org, for the giving page click here. You have to scroll down past the sponsorship stuff and then there is a place for one-time gifts.

THE UGLY

I believe the dogs have taken a liking to me. They have three dogs here, and a little white curly-haired thing that I have yet to identify. Some call it a dog; I have my doubts. The dogs, it seems, are quite good hunters. Yesterday I thought they had forgotten me, but then, late in the day working on the trampoline, they showed up, rat in mouth. If they do to intruders what they do to other unwelcome animals, they are good guard dogs indeed.

OH – the pool was also a bit ugly. But, it is now empty, cleaned, and being refilled with wonderful generator power and well water. We will shock the typhoid out of it and have a grand time swimming before doing it all over again in another week. Blessings!!

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The Man Named Jabez

On By Daniel CooleyIn MissionsLeave a comment

image1170x530croppedHaiti June 21, 2019

Yesterday I had the most amazing conversation. I met Jabez, a man from India living in Haiti.

Jabez came to Christ in India. From there he immigrated to the States for higher education. While in Bible School for his undergrad, he married a Haitian gal—apologies I forget her name. Jabez went on to get his Masters and PhD degrees, and became a pastor.

He and his wife have… 4 kids I think. The oldest works for YWAM in Texas, the youngest was with them.

Anyway, they believe God is calling them to start a school here in the Port-au-Prince area. They met our missionarys, Byron and Shelley and family at church. So, yesterday, they were here visiting to learn how things can be done. I really learned a lot just listening to him, it’s amazing what some folks have done for the Lord.

It is good to see things taking shape here to prepare for next week. Yesterday the pool got bailed out, cleaned, painted, and re-filled with water. Sue and Jenn got much of the Bible and Science curriculum completed. Today I hope to repair the trampoline and install the pads and net, and re-install two toilets, among other misc. jobs that keep coming up. There was a long meeting yesterday with nationals who will be hired to help with the meals and kids ext week. Lord willing, we will be up and running by Monday!

Blessings,

Dan

What’s Up With Haiti?

On By Daniel CooleyIn MissionsLeave a comment

Lately I’ve been getting asked, “Are you going back to Haiti this year?”

The short answer, yes. I hope to bring a tiny group to Haiti this June, if God allows. And, if you want to give to that endeavor, that information is at the end of this blog. Mostly, this year especially, we covet your prayers. The place is a mess.

But, if our missionaries can live there, I suppose we can go for 10 days. We will rely mostly on the recommendation of our missionaries in Port-au-Prince shortly before the trip to make our GO or STAY decision. Here is some information to bring you up to date. For some odd reason, the U.S. news isn’t big on giving Haitian news.

The “AND” Mess

1: No Prime Minister. Haiti President Jovenel Moïse just picked Acting Prime Minister Jean Michel Lapin, to lead the government. (The president is more like a vice-president, but not exactly. Google it, that’s all I know) Parliament still has to affirm the nomination. AND It’s the third government in two years. AND Lapin has been acting as PM for just a month. AND The last PM lasted for six months. It’s not great job security.

2: Financial problems: Last year Haiti hit a record $350 million budget deficit. That doesn’t sound like much by US standards, but then Haiti only has 11 million residents. AND This year they look to hit a $450 million budget deficit. That makes the US debt look responsible. AND Lapin needs a budget ASAP, or Haiti could lose $100 million in international aid. AND some folks with extreme creativity found a way to embezzle around $2 billion through the Venezuela oil program. You can’t make this stuff up.

3: The UN is leaving. When I’ve been there, folks liked to call them the U-Nothing. Maybe, but it sure made me feel safer when I saw their white Toyota Land Cruisers, or heard a helicopter flying overhead. Made me jealous too, those are cool Land Cruisers! The UN was around before the earthquake, they seem to be everywhere after the earthquake, and seemed as nonexistent last summer. AND They plan to be totally gone by October. I believe their timing is just before yet another election. Why is that?

4: No Petro, no life. Electricity has always been a rare luxury when it happens to come on, but now there are lines to buy petro for cars and generators. The gas isn’t being delivered because the government that owns the stations, owes the gas suppliers. 95 degrees and humid is one thing with a generator powered fan blowing on you at night, it’s enough to make you riot with the only breeze coming from mosquitoes.

5: Enough already: Inflation is at 17%, AND unemployment over 50%. The people have had it. AND Since December, there have been over 200 protests government, business, and school shutdowns; AND a Level 4 travel warning from the US State Department, simply stating, “Level 4: Do Not Travel. Last update April 9, 2019.”

But all these problems are only symptoms. There is a failed 200-year-old system of corruption and dysfunction. As one young Haitian man said to me a dozen years ago, “We sold our souls to the Devil, and we’ve been living in Hell ever since.”

I believe the island could flip. Not flip-over because it is heaver on one side, but turn from selfishness and corruption to unselfishness and redemption. Jesus died to redeem people and cultures. Even our planet groans for the day of redemption (Romans 8:19-23). Even before the earthquake, our missionaries and others were educating children and youth in a culture with no public education. Catholics and Baptists, Nazarenes and Mennonites have been sharing their faith, language, morals, standards, and education for some time now. One child from Compassion International has made it into Parliament.

If the nation needs those with good skills in French, English and Creole; if it needs leaders with good math and science backgrounds, then there is really one clear place to look. For the most part, the up and coming educated will be educated with a foundation in Christ. AND That can change any culture.

OK, if you want to help me go, please pray. If you want to financially help, that’s cool to. But, truth is, I’ll go either way. The price this year is $1500. We’re making sure to get tickets with insurance in case things change last minute.

To give go to AnchorPoint Church online giving app by clicking here. The page should look like this.

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Yes, I know – it’s an extremely ugly page. But it’s secure, and cheap for the church.

Just fill it out like normal, no need to “Login or Register,” with this exception. Where it says “Message” write “Dan Cooley Missions Trip” in the box. Otherwise the church may spend it on the Pastor’s Ferrari Fund.

Thanks,

Dan