March 20, 2010
Hello to all,
I am headed off to Haiti again today. I’ll be gone for three weeks. The first week I will spend in Gonaives working on some ongoing micro economic and homebuilding projects we already have in process. We will have a team arriving on the 31st and that is when we will continue our work in Port au Prince. We will also have a prayer team joining us on the 6th in Port au Prince. On this trip we will begin focusing on individual families to assess their specific needs to try to get them at least back to where they were prior to the disaster.
I have commented to a few people since my return that I found the end of myself numerous times on this last trip. I welcome that happening again, as I know I have to get out of the way so Jesus can be seen. That being said, it is very difficult. I want to learn to operate with compassion at all times. The hard part is the constancy of the despair that I encounter. You see it is fairly easy for me to be compassionate circumstantially, but to live it as a lifestyle requires that I set aside my own emotional/physical desires. I have come to find I am a very selfish person. Many times when things get difficult, I stop fully engaging those that I serve because I don’t want to feel hurt. As I look back on this I am ashamed that I wasn’t always willing to enter into the suffering of the Haitian people. Sometimes it was just work. How do I expect to make a difference if I don’t make effort to identify with those that are in despair? My prayer is that I/we would learn to fully engage those people that are in the disasters we see here and around the world. That we would make effort to love those who are “down and out” physically, emotionally, spiritually, financially and every way they experience disaster. We all have disasters we are called to respond to; we just tend to overlook them because we are busy and selfish. What I do is no more significant than the disaster of a family breaking up or the death of a loved one. Sure from a newsworthiness perspective not every divorce or death from disease is known by everyone. But isn’t that where we are called to work, the places where there is no glory to be had, where no one else sees except the one you’re caring for? Because to them, it is a disaster worthy of aid. I believe it is always about caring for someone where they see their need to be the greatest. Hopelessness is the greatest disaster we encounter and I believe that to the measure we are willing to “sit in the dust” with those who are suffering - to that same measure they will be brought hope and relief. Just as Job’s friends did when they originally came to comfort him. Then as we all know they got a little mouthy. Let’s be friends like they were when they first arrived, willing to suffer along with those in need, keeping our advice to ourselves so as to value them. Rather than try to find a reason they or their society caused the disaster they are in. Many of the things we see as causes of the disasters in peoples’ lives come from hopelessness. I believe we should do all we can to remove all of the obstacles to hope, and let God bring what we can only make room for. Hope and Peace. That is my prayer for all of us that we receive His Hope and Peace so that we could spread it to those who have not yet experienced it.
Thank you so very much for your continued support. We truly cannot do this without you nor do we want to. The love, prayers, and support we have received have been amazing. I am humbled to know that you care for us. This work many times is not easy, but I know it would be unbearable without you all. I pray that what we do would mirror the heart of so many of you that have given so selflessly to us financially, emotionally, and in praying for us. Please continue to do this, as we are still in need of finances, emotional support, and prayer so that we may continue to do that which God has called us to do. Thank you for your faithfulness to us, it brings us Hope and Peace.
Gratefully,
Brian Smith
As the Lord leads, checks may be sent to: ORR, PO Box 642323, Omaha, NE 68164 with a note saying it’s for Brian & Cody. Donations may also be made online through our website http://www.omaharapidresponse.org/.
Dear Leadership Team and Board,
Remember when I talked on Tuesday night about Darnell’s Universal Soldier group and the young men they are working with?
Anyway, one of their young men was shot last night. It was on the news last night and again this morning. His name is Birdell Murell. I worked with him at the Hope Center when he was just a kid. I think he’s 22 now. He was shot three times, once in the face, in a drive-by shooting out front of the Florence Tower on North 20th Street.
I’ll be trying to go see him tonight with Darnell and LaShanda at St. Joe’s hospital.
I know you guys will lift him up in prayer.
Blessings.
Ken
Eric,
Thank you so much for rallying people together in helping with my move - to me it was quite remarkable how smoothly everything went. The Storehouse is a great place to be - thank you for hanging on to the destiny of it all.
Blessings.
Delni and Hannah
Dear Ones, things have changed even since Thursday, and we wanted you to know so you can be praying accordingly. We were expecting to start radiation this week, but found out last Friday that the doctor wanted to delay it a week because things were more “complex” than he initially thought, and needed more time to map out the treatment plan.
I talked to the doctor this morning and he explained it a bit more. In studying Thursday’s scans, in addition to the mid-spine mass, he found two additional areas of chordoma that have to be shrunk to control the pain and prevent serious debilitation. So Dale will be getting radiation in three areas: mid and upper back, and upper left shoulder. He’s now scheduled to start March 10.
In addition to this, over the weekend Dale started experiencing significant equilibrium problems, making it difficult for him to walk without holding on to something. The doctor is hoping that’s from the spine issues, but we’re not sure.
This afternoon we saw a pain oncologist at UNMC, and we were so pleased to learn she has some experience with chordoma. She changed all of Dale’s pain meds to more specifically target nerve pain. He’s only taken one pill so far, but it seems to be making a very positive difference. What a j0y to see his face relaxed and not grimacing with pain.
We are SO blessed with wonderful medical professionals who are doing everything they can to make Dale comfortable. They are very hopeful at this point that they can alleviate some of his excruciating pain through the change of meds and the radiation. But please realize all our decisions now are about Dale’s comfort, not getting rid of the cancer. They’re hoping to just slow its growth a bit.
Please don’t despair about this news … we’re not. Obviously there’s some sadness involved, but we have found more joy and victory during this seemingly horrible time than I can even express. We have grown so much deeper in our relationship with our Lord, and He’s proved Himself faithful in every way. We’re filled to overflowing with His goodness and mercy.
So just pray God’s best - that His Kingdom come, His will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. That’s more than enough.
Love, Jill
“I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.” Philippians 1:20 (Dale’s life verse) I love the next verse as well, and SO expresses my Dale’s heart: “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”
We’d like to welcome Cynthia Speckman as a Storehouse venue leader in international disaster relief. Many of you will remember Cynthia from the time she spent here in Omaha; but since that time, she has been in
“When she was accepted into the Social Work Master’s Program, she knew she wanted to do an international practicum/internship that would give her overseas experience. And, after pursuing opportunities for five months, she chose a challenging position with World Relief as a program consultant in
Her first stop will be
She knows she will be challenged, but she is excited! She will be in
If you’d like to connect with Cynthia, her email is cynthiaspeckman@gmail.com. To learn more about World Relief, the organization with which Cynthia is traveling, visit http://www.wr.org/.
Dear Prayer Partners and Friends,
As I’m sure you have all seen on the news, there was a terrible earthquake in Haiti. I will be going with my son Brian to assess what we can do and set up a base camp. We will be organizing for many teams to come. The response so far has been overwhelming. Of all the disasters I’ve been to, I am confident that this will be the worst. Haiti is already one of the poorest nations in the world with little or no resources. Please pray that God would give us strength, our hearts are already heavy. We can’t meet all the needs, there are so many. But our God can. Here are some words from my morning devotions. Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. O Lord you preserve both man and beast. How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings. I’ve been writing over the last couple of days, and you may have seen this letter already. But if you haven’t, please read this slowly and give it time to sink in. Jonie titled this for me and called it
SUFFERING
I want to dispel some of the misconceptions about relief work in the midst of a disaster. Others are probably more experienced than me, and they have degrees in relief work. I can only speak from my experience and how I’m feeling at this time.
We in America are only a phone call away from medical help and police protection. If our furnace doesn’t work, we call a repairman and he is here within an hour. Our homes are always warm in the winter and cool in the summer. If we are sick, the doctor is only a phone call and a short drive away. Most hospitals are within five minutes of our house. If we have a toothache, within an hour it’s taken care of. “Are you hungry?” There are many restaurants and fast food places close. Even if we didn’t have a car, we could walk there, but most of us get in our car and drive.
This is never the case in the Third World. There is no 911. Police are generally the enemy. If you call them, they demand something from you. Sometimes they’re your abuser. Your home is only warm if you gathered lots of wood in the summer. Cool is only on cool days. The electricity is only good occasionally. Most of the time you’re in the dark, and if you can afford electrical appliances, they only work when the electricity is on. If you have a headache, it will go away eventually, or it will be something serious and you will die from it. If you have money to go to the doctor (and most don’t), you generally get a bad diagnosis. So your medical problem persists. In the midst of disasters, these nations fall below Third World status. No one comes when they call. And the call is how loud you can yell. The weaker you become, the less your voice can be heard. And when many are yelling, no one hears your voice. And those that try to help have no means to help their friends and family. They are also very afraid because all the crying they hear only scares them more. And they are gripped with fear. Just a few minutes before, their world was miserable. Now it’s become unbearable. Complete hopelessness begins to settle in.
It takes months and sometimes years for people to get any help. I know this because I experienced it in Pakistan in a remote village, four years after the disaster; we were the first to help.
For most of us in America, the disaster in Haiti will be over in about one week because we won’t see it anymore on the news. For us, life returns to normal. American Idol will have our full attention. Haiti will not be in our world anymore. God is only looking at us, so he’s not seeing the Haitian people. So we can forget about them. We are America, and we are a nation that’s close to God. God loves our nation. Anyway that nation Haiti is only getting what it deserves, because it gave itself over to voodoo.
Or maybe God really cares about Haiti, and he’s seeing the suffering and cries over the people as he cried over Jerusalem. Jesus wants to respond, but he’s given the job to us. He keeps asking us to love the world with his love. He wants the world to know him and love him. But when given the opportunity we seem to always have a reason not to respond. When did we see you hungry Lord, and when did we see you thirsty?”
We are faced with a new opportunity. All the angels of heaven are watching. What will we do?
Ken Smith
We plan on being there as long as there is need and God gives us provision. For updates, visit our website www.omaharapidresponse.org.
by Lindsay Carstensen
I left O.M.A.H.A. 163 days ago, and unless the Lord brings something about, I have no immediate plans to return before April of 2011.
Today, September 3, I left Panama. After nearly three months, I was finding my way around this city. I knew how to take the bus into town, which places to buy my necessities, how much a taxi should cost, and which coffee shops had w.h.i.p.p.e.d. c.r.e.a.m. for my Americano. Faces became familiar and friendships formed with locals. For a brief moment, I was making Panama my home.
While not the typical “outreach” experience, God was still very evident in my everyday life. Like Phillip’s journey to Samaria, this was anything but a direct route and amazing outcomes came from my team following God’s leading - no matter how off beat it may have been at the time.
We’ve had a whirlwind of opportunities and experiences while living in this country including …
speaking in churches, living in a tribal village, baking cookies and praying for prostitutes, being lost in the city, passing out water bottles with verses in the rain, preaching the Gospel to a hospital waiting room full of people, teaching four classes of sixth graders about Jesus, learning to love and live in community, painting on a city wall, launching the Voice for the Voiceless prayer booklet in Spanish, praying with indigenous Panamanians, living in La Jungla Hostel, photographing a wedding, working/playing with kids at a community center.
I’ve had the privilege of meeting and conversing with many memorable people including …
Maria (owner of a cute shop in the old city) - I spent a few days listening to Maria share her life story and praying with her. Maria’s story is one of trials and brokenness, but there is still beauty and the hand of God in her life, that is very evident.
Efe (waiter at the Canadian Cafe) - long ago Efe loved Jesus, but somewhere along the way he decided he loved living for himself more. “Maybe tomorrow I will decide to follow Jesus again,” he told me during our conversation. He knows the truth; he just needs revelation (Side note: This little cafe has the best tomato soup I’ve ever tasted).
Five random people (listening to my testimony at the Canadian Cafe) - Each said my story touched them.
Jonathan (10 or 11 year old at the community center who loved taking photos with me) - through a translator I told him about Jonathan of the Bible and how God wants to be his friend no matter if his life is good or bad.
Julia (from the Ngobe village) - she invited me into her home and fed me, and while we could not understand each other, we used the language of love and laughter to communicate.
The next generation (in churches) - I had many opportunities to pray with and challenge many young people to be radical for Jesus and to be LOVE to those on the streets of their city.
Alesandra (my four year old Panamanian princess) - I met her at a church service and through a translator we talked about what Alesandra loved to do in her young life. I told her to forever love Jesus with all her heart. She told me “OK!”.
Barbara (my neighbor and friend) - Barbara opened her home up to my friend, Tina, and me. We talked about life, Jesus, and her baby, Jack.
Our group prayed with and for numerous prostitutes at a clinic. Many asked God for hope and freedom from prostitution. The ache heard in their voices and read in their written prayers was overwhelming at times. One woman wrote: “Lord Jesus, I thank you for always putting me in the path of people that tell me Your word. Please forgive me for my sins and for the sins of my family and everyone that I love. Amen.” Please pray for this woman and countless others caught in prostitution. Ask God to make His love real to their hearts and situations, as well as freedom from prostitution. Pray for new job opportunies to come about.
I am about to enter into a new phase of this journey, and I’m so excited about what the Lord has next. I believe the Lord is planning out seasons for these next two years of my life. Always to mature me and make me more like Him - the continual process called life. To teach me how to serve and lead in greater ways. To prepare me … The time frame for these seasons or months of my life may not make sense to me … Some seasons will be shorter, some will be longer, but each will have purpose. In the end, the Lord will reveal new things about Himself, as well as manifest the fruits of the Spirit through me in new ways … Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control (Galations 5).
He’s already begun to give me a glimpse of what He’s doing in me:
Chapter 1: DTS (the last six months) has been a lesson in self-control. This has been a chllenging experience, but it’s in this challenge, this struggle, that the Lord reveals the “ugly” in our hearts as well as bring His beauty and love to situations and people. He’s drawing me closer to Him and in doing so, drawing others to His love.
Please continue to stand with me as He molds me into the woman He created me to be. Also, that He would continue to give me grace to live in community; for relationships to deepen; for doors to open; for lives to be changed and a revolution back to the heart of God come wherever I step; for my photography skills to improve and for the Lord to use my talents and skills to bring glory to Him, revelation to the church and hope to the hopeless; finally, for protection as I travel … for health and J.O.Y.
Praise reports: 1. My car, bed, and video camera sold. 2. The Lord provided my computer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! God is so good and knows our needs. It is a real relief.
I am still looking for ongoing monthly support. While my car sale covers much of the next three months, I am still in need of monthly support. Would you please consider supporting me financially? I have set up an account with The Storehouse in Omaha, Nebraska that is fully tax-deductible. At the moment, this is the simplest and most reliable way to walk with me financially on ANY level. Checks can be written to: The Storehouse, and attach a note designating the money to Lindsay Carstensen (don’t write on the memo line). Send to P.O. Box 540782, Omaha, NE 68154-0782.
May the Lord bless you and keep you. May He cause His face to shine upon you. May you reflect the love and peace of God as you live out your life and draw closer to His heart. May you know without a doubt that your prayers can in fact move mountains and impact lives all across the world.
Thank you. For loving me. Praying with and for me. Believing in me. Supporting me. Laughing with me. Showing God’s love to the world with me. YOU ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE! I am forever grateful. You are loved by me and the King of the universe. Enjoy life. Love. Laugh. Live.
Lindsay
P.S. I’m headed to Cape Town, South Africa where I will spend the next three months working with A Voice for the Voiceless (http://www.avoiceforthevoiceless.co.za/).
We’d like to welcome Amy and Teeg Stouffer as venue leaders in the area of environmental stewardship. Both are passionate about and annointed in the area of “Creation Care”, and their obedience to God’s specific calling in this important and timely arena is a modern-day incarnation of Mankind’s earliest kingdom assignment … to care for “the garden”.
Amy works in Marketing for the Arbor Day Foundation, which involves layout and design, writing ad copy, and taking photos. And one of these days, she’d like to try her hand at watercolor painting.
Teeg is Executive Director of Recycled Fish. Teeg is a life-long angler, who is truly passionate about the sport of fishing and the resource on the whole. “I came from a fishing family both on my mom’s side and my dad’s side. We grew up fishing. I had a rod in my hand at age three, and I don’t think I ever put it down.” Here is a short (3 minute) video introducing Teeg http://vimeo.com/6077170.
Recycled Fish is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that started out talking about Catch and Release, but it’s grown into a national movement of anglers who live and promote a lifestyle of stewardship both on and off the water. “We’re doing stuff like putting in low flow shower heads and changing how we care for our lawns because that stuff matters as much or more than catch and release. If we want more and bigger fish in our waters, now and for our kids, the choices we make every day matter because our lifestyle runs downstream.”
To learn more about Recycled Fish visit their website at http://www.recycledfish.org/.
Here are a few photos from this weekend’s cleanup at Carter Lake. We hit the lakefront and some of the open park areas from the Levi Carter Park boat ramp out toward Abbott Drive, select areas along the shoreline from the boat ramp down to the red pavillion/shelter inside, and along Abbott Drive.
We had a couple guys in boots/waders working the marshy shoreline margin, a canoe working the shoreline, and the rest of our team traveled on terra firma.
Most abundant trash by volume: drink containers (cans, cups, bottles)
Most abundant trash by number: cigarette butts
Most repulsive trash: stench filled carpet/rotten jug of liver
Most disturbing trash: crack pipe (yikes!)
Most awesome trash: Superman figure
Most discussed trash: pair of women’s pants
Most photographed trash: lost picture frame
A truckload of trash was transferred from mesh bags to plastic garbage bags, and then to the dumpsters inside the park.
Weather: Perfect.
The handful of us who stuck around for burgers after enjoyed sllowwww roasted burgers in front of a little bit cleaner lakeshore.
May the nature of the place be affected for the better for our efforts.
Blessings and cheers,
Teeg Stouffer, Executive Director, Recycled Fish
Dear Friends,
Prayer Points:
1. Peace and wisdom as we try and finish up projects we have started. Needing to know what projects to have nationals continue while we are gone and what to just leave undone until we come back again.
2. Safety and health as we prepare to travel back.
3. Our emotions, as it is stressful finishing all we have started and then the emotions and backwards culture shock of coming back to America, especially for the kids.
4. Once we return, there are 4 days until school starts. Pray everything would fall into place, we would get clothes, school supplies, laundry done, and the kids would feel ok emotionally and physically (to be transparent, we tend to suffer from stomach issues once we return)!
We are nearing the end of our time here. Our plan is to leave Gonaives on Monday morning. We will spend a day and a half at the beach/hotel and unwind a little, then we will spend Tuesday evening in Port au Prince and leave on the first flight out Wednesday morning, arriving in Omaha around 11:15 PM. So, we have very little time left here, and we are feeling a little pinched for time trying to tie things up. Here is a recap of what has happened recently:
Brian and Emory brought in the team of 20 from Virginia. It was a whirlwind to say the least. While they were here, they held VBS for the kids in Jubilee, did house to house evangelism, fed the kids, visited prayer mountain, and on Sunday went to several different churches. There were here 3 days, then Brian took them back to Port and Emory left to return to Georgia. It was a difficult time for us while they were here because that is when all of us, with the exception of Emma, got sick. So, we stayed in the house the whole time, (I cooked for the team) and the kids puked and pooped their way through that week. Brian even took sick the night before having to drive them back to Port. God is faithful, and we made it through that, although at times I wondered if we would.
Once Brian returned from Port, we had a few days to ourselves. He continued on with the remodeling projects on the houses in Jubilee. I think he is on house #7 that they are remodeling now. I started a program for the elderly that have hypertension in Jubilee. There are many there with high blood pressure that do not know they have it; and if they do, they cannot afford to be on the medicine. So, I plan to start with 10 (as of now I have six that I have started with, but we are still looking). It is a matter of walking house to house and asking people if any elderly live there and then checking each one, which takes some time. So, the plan is to continue to monitor the people at least once every 2 weeks initially and supply them with the medicine they need. I have a Haitian nurse (Clauteed) that has been working with me to learn what we are doing. She will continue this for me once I am gone. She will also check on the kids in Kim’s nutrition program as well. She has been working with me when we do medical clincis, as well.
We had a team of 8 from Florida that came to do medical clinics. They were doing most of their work in Port so came here for a day and a half. There were 2 doctors, a nurse, and several pre-med students on the team. We held a clinic one day at Pastor Genada’s church, then the next morning in Jubilee. We saw probably 200 people one day and 100 the next. We were exhausted by the time we were done. Brian translated and had to drive them back and forth, so he was really tired! The kids just went along with us to the clinics and did balloons and stickers for the kids.
Brian is now back and we are working to get stuff done that he wants finished. I still need to go to the pharmacy here and see what they have for BP medicine and get that ready for hypertensive people. I only gave them enough initially for 2 weeks so need to buy enough to last hopefully the next 3 months for them.
The kids are doing great. They are really excited about going to the beach. Kendra’s birthday was Tuesday and Brad’s is Saturday. I am going to make one cake for them tonight to celebrate. Kendra did get to go with Brian to take the team back to Port on her birthday, so her little “present” was that she got to stay in a place with air conditioning for the night. The past few days haven’t been that hot because a rain came through and brought a little cool air with it. We were on the roof last night, and it felt almost chilly for a few minutes. Then the wind stopped and mosquitoes came back out!
Another little thing I will mention is that Momi Evans (our house lady) had a few days off last week because her grandma died. Me and the kids had to do our own laundry and had to do all the dishes for the feeding program (200+). It was an interesting week. I will send pictures of us doing laundry and the medical clinic in another email.
Thanks for all your prayers. We love you all.
Cody Smith