- I will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name.
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Firefighters For Christ Haiti ERT Team 1
DEBRIEFING By Dan Rodriguez
To all,
Having been home now for a couple of days, sleeping in a nice warm bed, and almost fully rested; I wanted to put down some thoughts about our trip. First off, the call to "Go".
I think most christians are familiar with the final words of Jesus to his disciples found in Matthew 28:19, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to observe all things I have commanded you...". Some on our team, probably even most, felt the definite call of the Lord to go on this trip. I've felt that calling before; beyond a simple desire, a tugging on your heart; a conviction, a need. I can't honestly say I felt that before leaving on this trip. I hemmed and hawed back and forth for a few days before I finally convinced myself that I needed to go. The deciding factor for me was, I knew that if I didn't go, I would regret it. And for me, the decisions/actions that I regret most in life, are not the things I've done, but the things I've failed to do. So I went.
Of course God knew from the beginning who would go and He put together a perfect team for this trip. Fourteen guys from several different departments, with a variety of skills, talents, and personalities. Most met for the first time but all blended in like family. There was joint leadership, no power struggles, and key positions were filled almost without thought or discussion; but simply as the need arose it was met by someone with the right talent. Firefighter ingenuity was seen throughout; adapting to our surroundings, making contacts and connecting the dots, and improvising to meet our needs. All came with a heart of compassion and desire to serve. Our goal was to share God's love to a hurting people; by tending to their physical needs and to be an ambassador of God, delivering hope to meet their spiritual needs. Many details of our trip were yet unknown upon our departure. It was a step of faith. We were reminded from the very beginning of the importance of prayer. And prayer became the theme of our trip.
We began every morning with someone leading the group in a quick devotion and prayer. Throughout each day, as we met various obstacles, they were brought to the Lord in prayer; and without exception He answered. When the "air bridge" from Dominican Republic to Haiti shut down, we were provided VIP access on a U.S. Embassy bus convoy the very next morning. When detoured and delayed at a remote airport awaiting the arrival of a Congressman, we were introduced to an amazing unsung hero, Dr. Vanderpool, from Tennessee. He was truly an inspiration and provided some valuable advice and contact information for us. When stranded in downtown Port au Prince with nightfall upon us, we were provided security transportation for us and all our gear. When we needed a surgeon to complete an amputation on one of our patients, a random surgeon came walking into our clinic with an infant needing care. We provided the care needed for the infant, he provided the skill needed on our patient. At the end of each day, we had a team meeting to share with each other the many instances of answered prayer. Too many stories to recount in this brief summary, and far too many to attribute to mere coincidence.
Another lesson learned on this trip was on whom to place our trust. Of course, we would naturally say, "Our trust is in the Lord", but because of our nationality and profession, it is very easy to place it elsewhere. Americans tend to be self-sufficient and firefighters are problem solvers. I was taught this lesson of "trust" in a couple of situations and humbled in the process. When we placed our trust for safety in the hands of the U.S. Embassy in Haiti, we were denied access and sent out on the street...at night. Not a good place to be, especially while lugging around about 2,000 pounds of medical supplies, food and water. God provided for our safety in the form of two 15-passenger vans (courtesy of Pastor Terry, our host in Carrefour) that arrived just as we were being escorted out. I also thought that as an American, and FEMA team member, that I would have better access to some of the donated supplies being flown in from around the world, and stockpiled at the airport. That was not the case. I soon learned this is a U.N. controlled event, my credentials meant nothing, and like everyone else, we would have to wait in line after line, going from one agency to the next, filling out multiple requests for basic necessities like food, water, shelters, and medicines. Again, I had mistakenly placed my trust. Fortunately, another member in our group, rose to the occasion, continued the course with enthusiasm, and was eventually able to secure some needed supplies. In the end, most of our supplies came from NGO's (Non government organizations), mostly christian organizations.
We were housed in the city of Carrefour. This was an area identified by the U.N. as a "red zone" - no access without armed escort. There were structures on every block in various stages of collapse, many with known victims/bodies inside. None of the worlds US&R resources performed any work in Carrefour. A Venezuelan recon team came walking through town our second day there to survey the area, but at this point all trapped victims were considered dead. Most of our work on this trip was medical in nature. We worked with a team of doctors and nurses from a relief organization based in Singapore, and set up a medical clinic in Carrefour. The team of doctors, nurses, paramedics, and EMT's worked together like a well oiled machine, treating an average of 350 patients a day. More serious patients were transported to a hospital in our hired "tap-tap", which is a very rudimentary form of a taxi; a colorful mini pickup truck with a raised shell and bench seats in the back. We also sent a team to set up a clinic in Leogane, a remote town about 45 minutes away (and closer to the epicenter). Each patient seen at our clinics was treated and prayed for; many received Christ.
Another important part of our work was simply "connecting the dots"; assessing the needs and finding a resource to meet that need. For example: a critical patient needs hospitalization, therefore; find a hospital, arrange transportation, obtain access, and develop rapport with those in charge. Although long lines of people were waiting at the hospital, our rapport provided almost instant access. Leogane needed water. Our assessment revealed they had contaminated well water. Samaritan's Purse had portable filtration systems available. We introduced the pastor coordinating relief work in that city to a representative of Samaritan's Purse (who just happened to be in the area that day). Clean water is on its way. Others needed food, shelter, medicine, etc. Our logistics guy stayed busy finding the resources and distributing to those in need. So many of our contacts were clearly orchestrated by God. The term "Divine Appointment" became a regular part of our vocabulary.
My most memorable experience was being able to re-enact the parable of the Good Samaritan. Our clinic was about to close for the day and five of us were walking up the main road in town, when we came upon a man sitting in the gutter with his legs extending into the street. He had no shirt or shoes, was filthy from head to toe, and had open infected wounds all over his body. He was severely dehydrated and had a death stare permanently affixed on his face. Traffic whizzed on by, narrowly missing this man's feet, and the sidewalk was equally busy with pedestrian traffic and street vendors. Nobody seemed to care, or even notice. We stopped to help. A white vehicle with a red cross on it approached, so we waived it down, thinking they could transport this man. It was two people from the Danish Red Cross. They stopped momentarily, but were late for a meeting, and left. We tried to get a police officer, standing just several feet away to help, but he said he had no resources to call. So, one of our guys ran back to the clinic, grabbed a stretcher and told the doctors not to close up shop. Another, gave this man some water and started to assess his injuries. He was soon loaded up on our stretcher and taken back to the clinic, where he was given an I.V., treated for his injuries, and transported to a hospital. As I stepped back and absorbed all that had just happened, I realized all the similarities of this event and the parable of the Good Samaritan. God had allowed us to sort of re-enact a modern day version of this parable. It was quite a humbling experience. Others on our team probably have different experiences that will forever be with them.
All our team followed the call to "Go" with the intent of sharing God's love to a hurting people. We had all planned to give of our time, energy, and resources; but like all mission trips I've experienced in the past, we received far more than we were capable of giving. We will forever have the memories etched in our minds and the lessons of faith ingrained in our hearts. Our trust is in the Lord, and God answers prayer. Now, having gone, I have no regrets.
Continue to pray for Team 2.
Dan
Click to see the article posted on dailybreeze.com about Team 1's return
UPDATE #28
Team 1 arrived to Los Angeles International Airport at roughly 4:00 pm (PST). Outside of a few colds, they all are doing great. Many family members were able to greet the team when they arrived. Please continue to pray as several of the guys now have long drives to get home.
Team 2 is ready to depart tomorrow!
Thank you for your partnership in prayer for both teams!
UPDATE #27
Team 1 is resting in Santo Domingo, DR today. They will depart tomorrow (Monday) morning for LAX via Puerto Rico. As they make their way back to Los Angeles, please pray for their safe journeys to LAX and from LAX to their homes as many members of the team live hours away from Los Angeles, and some live in other states.
Team 2 is ready to go! Please continue praying that the Lord would pour out his Holy Spirit through them as they minister not only to the Haitian community, but also to other care givers they will meet along the way. May Jesus be made known everywhere they go!
UPDATE #26
Team 1 arrived safely to their hotel in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic! They will debrief tomorrow (Sunday) and fly back to the US on Monday morning.
Please continue praying for Team 2 as they make their last preparations before departure on Tuesday, 2/2
UPDATE #25
TEAM 1 is safely over the border in the Dominican Republic...they still have several hours of driving before Santo Domingo.
UPDATE #24
The bus has arrived in Carrefour to transport the team back to Santo Domingo. This is a 30 passenger bus that has been driving the teams of doctors back and forth. They had a good final team meeting yesterday...they have a (tentative) plan in place for Team 2...I think they will be going to the Child Hope Orphange to help there. http://www.childhope.org/
They were taking pictures and saying good-byes and then packing up the bus. Please pray for a safe drive to Santo Domingo today and a good day of rest/debriefing tomorrow. Continue to pray for health and safety.
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