Pics of Relief!

Here are some pics that were taken of the relief efforts and work of the Manassero's.  They are doing a bang up job.  We are trying to contact them about a relief team coming from PI sometime in April/May.  Stay tuned for more details.          

 

Bill & Susette....Ari...Ashley...Brooke....Dana...
Keep up the good work.  We are doing our best to raise resources here to help you.

Why is it always the negative?

CNN Reports :

"People are becoming hostile at the missionary workers and we now find ourselves desperately trying to get them out," said Mike Maiolo, senior pastor of the volunteers' home church in Mission Viejo. He said he had received urgent messages from Haiti that everyone wanted to leave.

Bill Manassero reports :

Simply not true. The Haitian people have been wonderful and peaceful. We have NO incidents of violence and all almost we are treating are peaceful and cooperative.

CNN Reports : 

the situation had deteriorated to the extent that no one felt safe going outside the compound

Bill Manassero reports :

"All of the Mission Viejo Team members were freely walking outside of the compound up until their departure."

Bill says "It's a shame that one would have to resort to such "sensationalized" reporting to get a headline. This is not the first report i have read that portrays the Haitian people as being violent and out of control. This simply is not occuring at our facility. People have been wonderful and cooperative."

Bill goes on to say :

"The clinic is still operating and as busy as ever. Victims continue to arrive daily. We are seriously low or completely out of critical med supplies and still have had no deliveries. Here is an article that may explain why http://www.sphere.com/world/article/uss-vinsons-admiral-says-haiti-aid-distribution-stymied-by-poor-coordination/19319180. We’ve had some tough amputations in the last few days and could really use a supply of blood but we can’t even get typing or testing done. It is frustrating.
Spirits are still good with staff, volunteers and the kids but people are wearing thin, especially our med staff. We are praying that we can move the patients soon to a facility that has all the right stuff, supplies and personnel and Brooke and Ashley can rest, as well as our doctors, other nurses and volunteers. Please pray.
Praise God, no patients have passed away.
The Haitian people are incredible. They have been very strong, peaceful and completely cooperative with us under a very difficult situation. There are many stories out there to the contrary but, as always, the news tends to find the few exceptions and then portrays that information as the dominant situation.
The kids are doing well. They are still too afraid to go back into the homes to sleep and continue to sleep outdoors on our soccer field/sports area. Many are hearing reports of family members that have passed away and that has been difficult. Last night, we got our projector and had an outdoor movie. They loved it and it gave them a break from the tense atmosphere. Mother hen Cindy Ahrenzen has been wonderful overseeing the kids and keeping them busy and constructively occupied.
All our staff has been amazing. I cannot begin to name all the dedicated missionaries, employees and MDL kids that are sacrificing under such duress to help. I am humbled be their dedication and hearts.
We are scrambling to rent a home nearby to help with the relief effort and or/relocate kids, staff, patients, etc.
Pastor Dave Beck has been working aggressively to get supplies to us from the Dominican Republic. Maybe we will have something by Monday through friends at YWAM."


You can help us help the Manasseros!  They are agents of hope!
In Canada donate here
In US donate here

Manaserro Medical Clinic

Here is a raw video of the activity that is taking place at what used to be the boys home.  It is now a medical clinic.  It is these folks that we will be helping with the resources you are donating to the Haiti Relief through PI.  Everyday Philanthropists like you are making a difference!
In Canada you can donate here.
In the US you can donate here.

With all their heart!

I am sorry but I am going to get a tad "religious" on you right now.  Not very often I do...but today will be one of those days.  There is a story in the Bible about a man named Nehemiah (Nehemiah 1-5) who is called by God to go back to Jerusalem and rebuild the walls around the city.  The sight of destruction is overwhelming and there are those in the story, that for different reasons, do not want the rebuilding to take place.  Combined with incredible resistance and negativity, was the fear of the people called to help with the rebuilding as well as the overwhelming enormity of the job.

There are many parts of this story that inspire me but none more than this part, "So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart."  It screams out at me that the word is "heart" and not "hearts"...we can do more together than we could ever do alone!  It is at times like this that you see the "heart" of people and countries.  You see....although lives have been lost we can see what is now just ruins and rubble rebuilt.  The hearts that are now filled with disaster, despair, discouragement...

...can once again be filled with hope and joy.  Will it take work?  Yes.  Will there be those that say "why bother"?  Uhuh.  Will it look overwhelming for a long time?  Yup.  Will there be challenges?  Oh yeah!
"...for the people worked with all their heart" That is why here at PI we are thrilled to partner with Bill and Susette Manessaro....people of heart!  Let's stand with them...if every person connected with PI gave  $20...we could have over $10,000 to help them help others.  The truth is many could give a bit more.
No pressure from any of us here at PI...I am a freak I know...but I believe with all my heart that we can "raise the rubble" and that we can see "mourning turned into dancing".  One brick at a time.  One dollar at a time.
....for the people worked with all their heart...now you got something...

Canadian Friends can donate here
US Friends can donate here 

Raise the Rubble!

We have people in Port au Prince that are responding to needs as you read this blog post.  We need your help in helping them help others.  In the midst of pain...trouble....rubble....the people of Haiti must know there is hope.  You can help us help the Manaserro Family hand out hope like it is candy in their pockets!  May be fresh water....some food...home repair....medical clinic.  You can donate now to help us "raise the rubble".
In Canada you can donate here.
In USA you can donate here.

Christmas with our little friends...

The one thing that grips me about our work in Central Asia is... "If not you then who?" I see things and share stories, and our hearts break, but we don't always do anything about it. I think that we are conditioned in North America to believe that if we do not help, some how some way someone will step up and do the right thing. But in a land with little or now social network and so much poverty, there really not much Hope of change unless we step in ... I am reminded of this ever time I look at this photo of Violeta from the header of my blog.

I just received some Christmas reports from Larissa... Larissa knows where my heart is , and knows the concern I have for my friends who make a life for themselves at the dump... As soon as her party money arrived , one of her first stops was to bring a special Christmas meal and gifts to Violeta and Alena at there home. If you click on this photo for a close up, you will see a nice table set to the left with muffins , salads, tea and lots of other treats......

Larissa shared with me how the kids all still talk about their great day when we brought them skating and to the resteraunt... they are still excited to tell about it like it had just happened... but she finishes her letter to me by saying ..

"Ther childhood spend on the damp with her mother to find food and things.Her toys she find from dump.John maybe somebody could support her .She need normal food and warm things . Thank you for all. Larissa"

We need your help!

We are trying to raise funds for 200 family care packs while we are in Guatemala in early March.  One of the things we are trying to do is post this project on a website www.givemeaning.com.
We only need 15 more votes to have this project go live.  If you have not visited the site and voted for us I would ask for you to do that.  The link to our page is here and in the top left corner is the vote button.
Once we are up and running on "givemeaning" you can sponsor some family care packs or you can visit www.iam1ru.com and do the same.  BUT first things first....we need your vote.  Visit the site here.....vote here....help us here...