A matter of concern...

Dear friends, I appreciate the prayers & concern that many of you have expressed over the past few days since my accident. For those who haven't heard, while working with the table saw, a board caught, jumped, & I lost part of my right (non-dominant) hand... Many have asked what they can do to help. I will be on bed-rest for a while, so there really isn't to much I will need for that. I have a lot of reading material saved up for that proverbial "rainy day" so I hope to get around to some of that. As you might have guessed, much like in the US, major operations like this can be costly (I spent a total of about 6 hour in surgery & 5 days in a private clinic). Unlike in the US, the insurance that can be bought here will not cover specialist or service at the facilities that offer quality health care, which only accept cash payments, so insurance isn't worth having. I am asking for those who would like to do something to help to make a (tax deductible) donation to CDMM, ear-marked "for David's medical expenses." Every little bit helps. Thank-you, & God bless.
David Klein

Mission Director, Gary Klein, is currently speaking about the great work here in cities across the U.S... Contact him directly at: cdmm@hotmail.com or call him at: 843-471-5215 for information on how to attend the presentation nearest you.

March

23rd -Grapevine, Tx.- 7:00 pm

27th -Springfield, IL.- 9:30 am

27th -Auburn, IL.- 11:00 am

29th -Sumner, Wa.- 7:00 pm

30th -Tacoma, Wa.- 7:00 pm

April

2nd -Yelm, Wa.- 5:00 pm

3rd -Olympia, Wa.- 9:00 am

3rd -Olympia, Wa.- 10:45 am

3rd -Olympia, Wa.- 5:00 pm

4th -Eugene, Or.- 7:00 pm

6th -Rochester, NY.- 7:00 pm

9th -Philadelphia, Pa.- INMED Conference

10th -Bloomsburg, Pa.- 9:00 am

10th -Louisville, Ky.- 6:00 pm

13th-17th -Knoxville, Tn.- Various engagements

Please feel free to Call Gary at: 843-471-5215 for details & directions

Needed Medicines

As many of you know, in response to the crisis in Haiti which occurred about this time last year, our medicine supply here has been used up and is in need of restocking. The medicines we are in greatest need for at this time are:

Antibiotics like: Amoxicillin, Sulfatrimoxisole,Vantin, Azithromycin,Doxycycline,Tetracycline,Ciprofloxin (any and all Ofloxins),Augmentin, Rocephin, Clarithromycin.

Topical antibiotics like:Muciprocin, clarithromycin,clindamycin. Topical steriods like:Diproline cream, Gel

Hemmorhoidal treatments, pads, creams, Ointments

Topical (creams, ointments, sprays, powders,shampoos) and oral antifungals like:fluconazole,miconazole,clotrimazole, ketoconazole, Terbinafine, Fungizone, Griseofulvin, metronidiazole,tinactin, Head and Sholders, Selsun Blue.

Antivirals like:Acyclovir,Famcyclovir,valacyclovir, Tamiflu, Flumadine, Amantadine, HIV Combinations.

Anti-tuberulosis drugs like:Rifampin,Ethambutol, Pyridoxine

BPH meds like: Proscar.

Rescue inhailers like: Atrovent

Vaginal infection Tx: creams, tabs, gels mostly for yeast infections, and PID, Vag/oral/topical Estrogen Therapy

Diabetic Supplies, Tabs like Glyburide, Insulin mostly Humulin 70/30, NPH, and Regular, Test strips for all monitors, a few new monitors with lots of their own test-strips (we always run out of strips, making the monitors we do have useless), monitor Batteries, syringes, Lancets

Gastrointestinal tx. like: stool softners, MOM,Mag Citrate, Reglan,H-blockers, laxitives, antacids(liq), Helicobacter Pylori Tx like Omeprazole, lansoprazole , Anti-diarrheals like:Loperamide

Vitamins of all kinds, for infants, children, and adults (mostly Multi-vitamin compounds), calcium (and Calcuim uptake inhancing) drugs (osteoporosis) like : Boniva, Actonel

Anti-inflamitory (Pain Killers) drugs: like Motrin, ASA, Tylenol, NSAIDS, Muscle relaxants

Cold preparations, liquids, caps, tabs. for children, and adults

These are the most needed medicines at this time.
Thanks again for your help in obtaining any or all of these medicines for us!
God Bless!
In Christ, and for His sake!

Gary

GARY V. KLEIN
DIRECTOR CDMM

CDMM ANNUAL REPORT 2010 12/30/2010

CHRISTIAN DOMINICAN MEDICAL MISSION

GARY AND CINDY KLEIN FAMILY/ DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Mailing address:

Forwarding agent

Dr. Dean Willett

149 Gaslight Blvd.

Summerville, SC 29438

Field address for mailing: Gary Klein

SDQ 589

P.O. Box 25725

Miami, Fl. 33107

Cell Phone: 809-983-6640

e-mail- cdmm@hotmail.com

1). Summary of Key Ministry Activities and Results for 2010:

In early January the devastating earthquake hit Haiti and we responded with medicines and medical care long before any other international aid was able to get into the airport to help. We responded immediately arriving in Haiti with thousands of complete regimens of desperately needed antibiotics, and pain medicines. Hundreds of lives were affected by these life-saving efforts of CDMM within 48 hours of the earthquake. Making frequent trips into Haiti bringing with us relief supplies, food, tents, and needed equipment to help. These efforts continued as resources were available for the months following. We did however in the process deplete our stores of medicine which still need to be replaced

Leadership Training at our Bible Institute (IBVT) continued with monthly training weekends. Our student body has grown from 15 students at the beginning of the year to 28 students at the close of the year.

Youth training continued with monthly training sessions and the youth programs have expanded from 4 church youth groups to a current 8 church youth groups.

At the beginning of the year CDMM was directly involved in the work of 8 mission churches here in the Dominican Republic, we are currently actively involved in the work of 20 mission churches on the island.

Sunday school program development in the past year has seen the average weekly attendance grow from 180 students each Sunday at the beginning of the year to 490 students each Sunday by the end of the year.

Church development, and structural integrity ( establishment of officers that direct the church) is advancing at a good pace with half of the mission-assisted churches (10) having a clear leadership structure with regular planning meetings of these church leaders.

This will be our 20^th year in ministry as missionaries to the Dominican Republic!

2). Key Ministry Plans and goals for 2011:

* The general goal of CDMM in working with mission assisted churches is not to be “in charge” of mission churches here, we are interested in working with “Independent Christian Churches” on the island. We desire to assist in their development, provide materials and equipment they need to stay independent, provide spiritual training, give direction when asked, help them offer interesting, spiritually sound and developmental programs and special events, and help them all get together for worship and fellowship as they desire.

* It is our goal to open IBVT Bible Institute to full-time students in Sept. 2011 contingent upon increased financial support, and needed personnel. We hope too start with 12-15 students this fall

* Develop a clear supervisory leadership structure in all mission-assisted churches with Church-body elected leaders by the end of 2011. (moving toward development of a board of elders in each church as the spiritual growth of the men in the church gets to a point that this is possible).

* Launch a new “Young Adult” program for mission churches during this year.

* Continue the weekend leadership training for currently preaching preachers, and those that are in the church leadership structure that are working full-time or are home-makers. This will help to continue the Spiritual growth and Bible training these leaders need to advance the development of their respective churches during this year.

* Continue the emphasis on development of the ongoing Sunday school programs in mission associated churches in the coming year. This with the emphasis on logistical support (coloring papers bible themes, crayons, scissors, markers, crafts, candy etc.), helping a VBS to happen at each year at each church, and the sound teaching of Bible truths.

* The mission has plans to build or re-construct 4 church/mission buildings this coming year as the Lord provides the teams and resources we need to do this with.

3). Key Successes and Disappointments this past year:

The youth development program has been a great success this year and we have witnessed the youth leader’s ministries expanding into the evangelism of new kids with great enthusiasm and success. We have noted a lot of growth in these church memberships by baptism of youth who are then becoming directly and actively involved in the church services and church related activities.

The development of leaders in the IBVT (Instituto Biblico Vocacional Timoteo) training program has been a great success. The level of preaching, church operation, and Spiritual maturity in the churches has grown significantly over the past year. As a direct result the number of people involved in this training has almost doubled, making the training more dynamic, more interesting with a more diverse interaction amongst the students, and a growing camaraderie amongst the churches with leaders in this program. We have encouraged all mission churches to assist each other. They have initiated collaborative efforts with special events.

The Sunday school program has been a great success as well this year as the growth has been exponential as well as substantive in it’s quality of offering. The cost of offering this expanded program has gone far beyond it’s budgeted amount. These Sunday school efforts represent the future of the Dominican church, time is of the essence. As we are encouraged by this growth sadly we realize that without an ongoing flow of resources into this program, the interest of the communities around these churches is directly related to the amount of money and time we have to invest in these programs. Our concern is that without these efforts these programs will degrade just as quickly to their former levels. Without continued attention and creative inspiration flowing into them from the mission and our stateside partners providing VBS’s, and special activities throughout the year which enhance the level of interest these programs thrive on they will suffer severely.

God has blessed this mission with so many opportunities to minister here in the Dominican Republic, and with immense growth in all of our endeavors. We have lately been discouraged because apparently some of our stateside partners fail to realize the importance of their role in this ministry, and how much encouragement their presence and involvement contributes. At times we feel as if we have been abandoned on the front-lines by our “Combat-Support Units”! In the past years we have enjoyed a regular flow of visitors, who frequently brought construction money (which we have no budget line for), VBS supplies, and Bible Training supplies in quantity, as well as medicines and medical care. When airline baggage regulations were less restrictive each visitor to the mission brought in over 100 lbs. of supplies and equipment in their luggage on each visit keeping us well supplied. In past years we averaged 12-15 visiting teams a year. They came to work with us in a wide variety of Church Development or construction projects that involved all aspects of the ministry. Each group that comes provides an exponential growth to the mission. Recently that number of visitors has dropped continuously. During the 2010 ministry year we had only 7 short-term mission teams.

It is impossible for CDMM to continue to offer the same level of growth and development with less help and less resource. We need back-up! We need supplies! We need work teams of all kinds! We need your involvement in this ministry! Sending money is a good start, but God has bigger plans for you…we need workers…we need ideas…we need your creativity here working here with us in this dynamic ministry on a regular basis and in the years to come!

4). Direction /Focus/ Activity /Expansion in 2010

With the projected start-up of our Bible institute (IBVT) with live-in (Dormitory) students we are in need of the funds required to feed and maintain these students, and cover the costs of their study materials. Funds must be raised to cover these expenses in order for us to open the school in September. Please prayerfully consider partnering with us by designating a monthly donation to CDMM to fund this ministry.

An integral part of this plan to start-up the school as a full-time training facility requires the recruiting of “Dorm Parents” ( a Godly married couple) that can come and work with us. They will live at the Mucha Agua teaching facility for a 3-6 month period and rotate with a second couple to accomplish the task of cooking, and maintenance, as well as oversight of the student’s activities around school hours. We are looking for several interested couples…if interested please contact us by e-mail at cdmm@hotmail.com for more information.

We are also seeking the addition of two teachers to our staff at the Bible Institute this year…we hope to recruit two Spanish-speaking foreign nationals to teach as well, that can raise their own support for this effort. If you or anyone you know might be interested in this ministry opportunity please contact cdmm!

We have plans for a total of 4 construction projects to be accomplished this year as the Lord provides the teams, materials, and funds to complete these needed facilities. (three church buildings and a dormitory are urgently needed)! Please contact us at cdmm@hotmail.com if you are interested in helping with these construction projects.

5). Prayer needs:

Please pray for all of these planned projects and the resources to accomplish this…especially the Human resources we need to accomplish this!

I am excited to share with you my Spring speaking tour plans! I would very much like to be invited to visit your church to share all the great things the Lord has been doing thru CDMM ministries in the Dominican Republic, and our vision for the future. I am planning a month of mission reporting in the Spring of this year all over the United States and would like to offer your church an opportunity to hear me speak on the ministries of CDMM. I would really appreciate an opportunity of addressing the entire congregation. This could be from the pulpit during a church service, or perhaps a church fellowship time where I can show a video presentation of 15 min. I would also like to be invited to share the work of the mission in any Home fellowship group meeting during my visit to your area…I am planning on being in the states mid-March thru mid-April. If interested please contact the mission as soon as possible so I can firm-up my plans to include your church in my scheduled itinerary.

Those who have invested in the ministry of Christian Dominican Medical Mission here in the Dominican Republic, specifically deserve a full report on what your prayers and offerings are accomplishing . We have been so blessed and deeply grateful for your faithful partnership…you will be truly blessed by what I have to share with you!

The CDMM projected 2011 Budget is being sent as an attachment!

On behalf of all of the CDMM family of churches, their preacher’s, their families, the Bible institute student’s, all of the mission members, and especially the entire Klein family we wish to honor you with our heart-felt thanks for all of your wonderful contributions to the work here in the Dominican Republic. All of these many years of our partnership together…you have truly been a great help, a wonderful inspiration, and a great and faithful resource to CDMM and to the Klein family! May God richly bless your efforts in all of your endeavor’s this new year, and way into the future as you seek to serve Him in all you do. God has placed you in the position of not only holding-up His staff there in your ministry area, He has also entrusted your leaders with great resources to be used in the growth of His Kingdom all around the world…and you are doing a wonderful job of accomplishing this task! Thanks for keeping your focus on the most important things…God’s children and their Spiritual development! Your rewards in Heaven shall be a testimony of your great works here on earth!

God Bless you all!

In Christ, and for His sake!

Gary V. Klein CRN

Director CDMM

And the entire Klein family and staff

CDMM ACTIVITIES SINCE JANUARY 2010

-We have started 4 new youth groups:

1. Salamanca
2. Totumo
3. Gringo
4. Padre Las Casas

-Presented the “Jesus” movie in Creole in 3 different locations in Haiti, and in Spanish all over the DR

-Taken 12 separate relief trips to Haiti working in

1. An Orphanage- New Life Children’s home
2. Many different refugee camps
3. Four hospitals
4. Five villages: 1. Bethlehem, 2. Jerusalem, 3. Aztec, 4. Joey's Hill, 5. Carrefour

-We have been working with a church that had it’s building destroyed by the earthquake in Haiti where one of our graduated students Caleb is youth pastor in Carrefour.

-We have established a Library for the IBVT Bible Institute.

-The Pharmacy has been remodeled

-Construction of the security fence for the Vocational Training School has been completed.

-The Los Cazabes Church has been renovated.

-Offered 12 weekend training days for IBVT training of our 28 part-time students.

-Offered 11 weekend youth leader training days.

-Hosted teams with over 100 total members

-Offered 5 eye clinics in different locations

-Offered 14 medical clinics

-Offered 7 Dental clinics

-Held a week-long old Fashion revival in the Cazabes Church in conjunction with White Fields Missions Reggie Thomas out of Joplin, Mo. Which was great.

-Offered VBS’s in Mucha Agua, Salamanca, and Los Cazabes

-Had a week long Youth Leaders Conference in Mucha Agua.

2011 Budget

In the past some of these funds were provided by visiting short-term mission trips bringing funds with them. The number of short-term trips is decreased this year by 60% due to the world financial crisis and travel fears. CDMM must find a way to replace the funds that are not coming in as before in order to continue to provide the spectrum of ministry activities that will develop the Dominican Church into a long-term success!

Thanks everybody!

Joseph, teaching class in C.S. Lewis book "Mere Christianity" in the new library

Summer is here and I would love to express appreciation to all who helped with this first annual mission book drive! With your help this new library now has over 150+ Spanish titles! Thanks and God Bless!

For anyone that wanted to help and didn't get a chance to, I have left the book list up on Amazon:

http://amzn.com/w/2V99S5ILKJDWZ

God Bless & have a great day!

Spring update from Joseph Klein

Spring update from Joseph Klein

Youth leader (Starling Reyes) with Salamanca youth

Cindy Klein & youth leader Luis Javier at Salamanca youth meeting

Casabes youth baptism

Youth baptisms

Painting the rafters

Aranging flowers to adorn the Casabes sanctuary

IL. group repainting Casabes sanctuary

With a fresh coat of paint and rewired with new light fixtures, the Casabes church is looking sparkling & new.

The new look in the Casabes sanctuary

Evangelist Reggie Thomas & Recording artist Lydia Abbott visiting for Casabes Revival

Friends and Family of CDMM,

It has been a busy and ministry-packed spring here in the Dominican Republic.

We had the privilege of working with my brother Joseph Klein, who was here volunteering for a few months this spring and is currently planning and preparing to return to the field full-time next summer. Please pray for him as he prepares for this move and raises support to re-join the CDMM team here full time in the summer of 2011.

Joseph has prepared the following update for you:

All growth is exciting to witness, to see people mature in Christ doubly so. Like the first fruits of your very own garden or your baby who has begun to trust his legs and leave the crutch of crawling, so is the Christian who begins to contribute to the work of reconciling others to God.

I'm excited to share with you, partners and friends of Christian Dominican Medical Mission and the Christian churches in the Dominican Republic, that this spring has seen profound growth in the whole Church network and especially within the youth movement. More and more people are sharing in the joy of knowing Jesus as their Lord, as many believers are beginning to really mature in a faith that motivates participation.

A young church plant project comes to mind in Salamanca. Adopted as a little sister project by Los Casabes Church, the Way of Jesus has begun to take hold since February when a new youth group was started (lead by youth who travel from Los Casabes, over an hour away). A special combined baptism service was held two weeks ago where six youth from Los Casabes and two from Salamanca were baptized into Jesus, and each has enthusiastically continued to participate and invite friends. One of the new believers is a close friend to a youth who lives adjacent to the church building in Salamanca, Oscar (one of the first baptized of the town), is always enthusiastic to share his faith and get more youth from the neighborhood involved. He really shows leadership qualities although sill quite young. The Salamanca church has begun to hold Sunday services (held by Ernesto Javier and the ministry team of Los Casabes). God is at work through these efforts as evidenced by the welcomed response of many, both youth and adults, and of course the children. The most exciting thing of all is the glimpse of spiritual growth that is beginning to transform some of the Los Casabes youth from children into leaders and mentors.

Many of the Dominican churches have seen similar growth beginning with noticeable spiritual growth and enthusiasm within the youth groups spreading through the rest of the church. This is due to the recent focus CDMM has placed on the monthly Youth Leader Training, where youth leaders from each church meet to learn and work though the four or five lesson plans of the next month, learn new songs, games, bible verses, skits, and new techniques in growth and ministry development. Organizing and planning the materials and training is well worth the time and effort and such a blessing to begin to see true maturity sweep the youth groups willing to let God work in them. The enthusiasm these young leaders bring is contagious. The monthly Youth Leaders training has been going on for a little over a year this Spring, and has sparked the start of five new youth groups, all entirely youth led (under the leadership and direction of CDMM and adult Christians).

God is truly bringing to fruit the seeds planted in the Los Casabes neighborhood just over ten years ago, when Gary found a woman in tears on a pile of rubble, which was her house, in wake of Hurricane Georges. Rebuilding homes at the mouth of the city garbage dump led to a church plant, the church in which Ernesto Javier and his family came to know Jesus. This has grown into a congregation of believers which has begun to show maturity in Christ. Los Casabes has now become the launch pad for a whole movement with adult growth groups, healthy leadership and a strong youth group. The Casabes youth group has now decided (on their own) to start small growth groups with three Christian youth in each group to help give opportunity to evangelize and share with more non-Christians.

This week is an especially exciting one for which the church family of Los Casabes and CDMM have been doing a lot of preparation. It is a special week-long evangelistic revival with a visiting evangelist and recording Christian music artist. We set the church building up with a new paint job, flowers, new lighting, and a banner, and the church members have been bathing the event in prayer. Everyone is so excited and looking forward to the opportunity to share this revival with all of their families and neighbors. God is working though the believers here in the Dominican Republic and through CDMM. With His spirit working among us, we expect a full house for the revival this week and for weeks to come.

This growth is God at work in people's lives, transforming souls, homes, and whole communities, and it is our privilege (yours and mine) to be able to join God in His great work here in the Dominican Republic.

* in regards to CDMM assistance in Haiti, we plan to continue visits over to Haiti in response to the tragic earthquake, as funds provide. As we are able we will aid in Haiti, working though a Christian church in Carrefour. CDMM feels our example of sacrifice (of time, rest, and personal resources,) and interest in the lives of others is an essential element of Christian life for us to model to our Dominican churches what it means to love God and love others, through service.

God bless,

Joseph M. Klein

Update message from CDMM director Gary Klein

Dear Friends and mission partners,

Though we have been making frequent trips to help those in need next door in Haiti, we have been running around constantly while here in the DR. We are doing our best to continue and expand the ongoing ministry here. So far this year we have had 10 groups visit us to work with the mission both here and in Haiti, with a total of over 100 visitors to cook for, work with and provide logistical support for. Between the work here & the trips to Haiti, we have offered over 20 medical, dental, and optometry clinics since the first of the year. CDMM has had the privilege of holding VBS's, monthly Bible college training, weekly Bible studies, and monthly youth leader's training sessions. In continuation withe the ongoing ministries, we frequently visit and often preach in all of the mission churches to uplift & encourage these growing congregations. Through these efforts, we have seen over 30 people make a decision for Christ, most of whom have continued in this faith and have been baptized in Him. Over the past three months we have been joined by a missions Intern, Yvonne Goll, who was a blessing to the ministry here and received a lot of valuable training while she was here. Currently at the school we have two full-time students, as well as the 17 part-time students in the Bible College, all of whom carry out ongoing ministry and are a vital element to the growth of the Dominican church. This spring we have been setting up a mission library for the students, preachers & church workers full of Bible reference materials and other valuable study tools. The book drive is going through July; please contact us if this is a project that you would like to get involved in.

In Haiti we have delivered over 1000 tents, and tarps, and have distributed tons of baby formula, diapers, clothing, shoes, food, and medicine to the disaster victims there. These distributions took place in the neighborhoods of Carrefour, called Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Aztec, and Joey's Hill, along with 4 hospitals, and three Orphanages. Trips over into post-earthquake Haiti find us sleeping in tents on mats or in the vehicles as the need arises, and eating mostly snack food which we bring with us. We bring in our own drinking water to avoid sickness and so as not to use up the supplies needed for those living in this disaster-stricken country. I have seen more dead bodies, protruding bones, infections, gangrene, diarrhea, and dehydration than I have ever seen in my entire professional career. God has been faithful and kept us physically, mentally & spiritually healthy, throughout the process. Our vehicles continue to perform wonderfully, and the Dominican churches are growing spiritually and in number as they continue to keep these suffering neighbors before the Lord in prayer.

This has truly been a difficult first 4 months of the year like no other. The Lord continues to provide all we need, and we see no end to the pace at which we have been working. I did take my birthday off (mostly), and it was my first day off in weeks.

Please keep the mission, our family, the Haitians, and the Dominican churches in your prayers! We will try to keep you up-dated as much as we can.

We write frequently on the mission blog:

(http://christiandominicanmedicalmission.blogspot.com),

post pictures and stories on the mission Facebook page:

(www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=84808703145&ref=ts),

and try to keep our web-site (www.cdmmissions.org) up to date as good as we can.

Please look to these sites for updates and information on the Lord's work here.

We covet your prayers and look forward to an invitation to visit and report sometime this next Spring if at all possible. Please fit us into your schedule and budget for such a visit, so we can give you a full report in person after the rush slows down a bit.

God Bless!

In Christ, and for His sake!

Gary

GARY V. KLEIN

DIRECTOR CDMM

(809) 983-6640

cdmm@hotmail.com

Secure vehicle successful in delivering aid safely

Waiting in line to cross the border.

Still loaded with supplies, the mission vehicle makes a needed pit-stop for repairs.

Anything that can be salvaged or recycled in any way is carted away by hand.

Together with the community organizers, a spot is carefully selected to distribute the aid.

Make-shift shelters are pieced together with empty bags, bed sheets, anything people can find.

Many of the new tent communities, including Jerusalem, are organized into blocks & labeled with street signs.

The medical team set up under the tarps as people lined up to be treated.

With little to protect them from the elements, children & infants are vulnerable to sickness & disease.

The community of Jerusalem was eager and grateful to get any help that we could offer.

Formula, pampers and other needed items were distributed to the mothers with infants.

Out of a pull-out awning off the side of the vehicle, we were able to safely distribute aid to those needing it most.

Many who were struggling for prior to the quake, now find staying healthy to be a difficult thing.

Under the harsh conditions the displaced are exposed to, many infants are suffering from a number of sicknesses.

Concern is a moderate word to describe the feelings of uncertianty these mothers are facing.

The clinic and distribution in the center of Jerusalem, as seen from up the hill.

Under the scorching Carrefour sun, these young mothers are glad to be approaching the front of the line.

With hopes high, these mothers must know before lining up that help is not limitless and may not reach them.

As we packed up, many lingered to see if there was nothing more we might offer them.

When we reached the top of the hill in the neighborhood of "Jerusalem," it was immediately obvious to us that this was the prime location to distribute the much needed aid which we had brought. But yes, I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me start at the beginning.

After a long evening of last minute preparations, our team of 9 (6 brothers & sisters from the D.C. area, mission director Gary Klein, Hempson Lindor, a preacher & Haitian national and myself) Departed for Haiti to deliver baby formula, pampers, vitamins, and parasite meds, as well as other medical assistance. Traveling through the night, we safely crossed the border in the early morning. Throughout the night's drive, we had stopped every few miles to add fluid to the leaking clutch assembly, which despite having been "fixed" a couple of days prior to the trip, persisted in leaking fluid and loosing it's prime. Upon arrival in Port-au-Prince, we stopped at a reputable repair center to have the problem resolved. A result of January's earthquake, the dealer's showroom, waiting area, and repair center had lost an interior wall and had been joined into one large, hot, non-air-conditioned room. If it seemed a miracle that the shop was even open, the fact that they happened to have the needed seal and were able to resolve the issue in just a couple hours was even more astounding. It truly must have been a God-thing.

With mechanical problems resolved, we continued on across the wreckage that was the capital city of Port-au-Prince and into Carrefour. Upon arrival in Carrefour, after a quick lunch, we set ourselves about the task for which we had come. With the hot Caribbean sun still high in the sky, we hiked up the hill to the community leadership office. All along the way we were greeted by smiles & waves, longing stares from hungry eyes, and pleas in french creole for tents, tarps, food, or any kind of help we could offer. The neighborhood leaders were more than a little glad to see us return to make good on our offer to help their community. The last time we had attempted a distribution in this area, even with the assistance and security of several Haitian police officers, we were surrounded, about mobbed, and chased on foot and moped for miles. This is a very needy & desperate crowd. Even two and a half months after the quake, as foreign governments and international aid agencies are starting to make things look like they are coming together in the areas surrounding the airport, it is clear as day that the people of "Jerusalem" have seen very little if any of the help coming in. The hills of Jerusalem, Aztec & "Joey's hill" are dotted in and out with tarps, makeshift shelters, and a few tents here and there. These temporary residences are scattered amongst and sometimes even on top of the crumbling rubble that was once home to so many. While there were a few tents and tarps here & there, most people are living in multi-colored, makeshift shelters spliced together with bedsheets, curtains, old clothes, tin, empty rice sacks… anything the people can find to form some kind of shelter over their heads, no matter how permeable. As we approached the top of the hill in the neighborhood of "Jerusalem," it was immediately obvious to us that this was the prime location to distribute the much needed aid which we had brought. Rather then thinning, the population density seemed to thicken toward the top of the hill. Here, instead of makeshift shelters being scattered sparsely throughout the concrete rubble, there were bits of rubble scattered sparsely amidst the densely populated, very destitute yet organized plots. these hillsides are filled with rag-tag, pieced together shelters, broken down into blocks and marked with hand written address markers and street signs. This community was born out of the recent series of quakes and made-up of people displaced from their homes in the lower hillsides below it. Without outside aid or materials needed to build themselves adequate shelter from the imminent rains, winds & flash-floods that the area is prone to, this community has organized itself. They are doing their best to ready themselves for the long months and even years that it will take them to move on from this disaster.

Early the next morning, accompanied by 3 of the community organizers, we were able to drive to the top of the hill in Jerusalem, set up the distribution under an awning attached to the off-road vehicle we are using for this purpose, and distribute the meds and supplies as we treated the sick for their illnesses. With the harsh conditions that people are forced to live under, the health problems are only likely to worsen. Infants do not have the antibodies to ward off illnesses that are common under these conditions and this aid undoubtedly came none too soon for some of these struggling babies and mothers. Please continue to pray that these people will find a solution to both their spiritual and physical needs in this time of turmoil and uncertainty. Our short distribution was cut 20 minutes shorter then expected due to the fact that we had run out of medicines and things to give. Praise the Lord for a secure vehicle which has enabled us to deliver these supplies without any incidents. After packing up, we headed home, blessed with a safe visit, minimal trouble, and the privilege to help those in need, but with a pressing desire to be able to return soon to help those still struggling for existence.