Bastia had a more harrowing experience. It was a huge cement building and he and TiJean were sitting in the barber chairs when the tremors began. TiJean fell on the way out, but got out before the building collapsed.

Bastia was not able to get out and a huge slab of cement fell down right above him and stopped right above his head. He saw no way to get out, but then found a hole to crawl through and escaped. This morning, when we drove by the same barber shop, it had totally collapsed, and Bastia would have died if that had happened while he was in the building. Once out, he and TiJean came immediately to find me.

We are praising God continuously for His protection and deliverance. Thank you for all who pray for us. God has a plan and nothing will stop it. The situation in PAP is severe. Many people are trapped in buildings of which almost all are made of cement. This morning there were wounded, bleeding people everywhere, and dead people on the streets who were covered with a shirt or sheet. There was little vehicle traffic and literally thousands of people walked the streets looking at the damage and searching for their loved ones.

One hospital was completely destroyed. We took a truckload of injured people to the hospital. There was hardly a place left on the hospital grounds to even put them. The hospital was full and there were no medical personnel seen outside. Schools throughout the entire country are closed till further notice.

No one here ever recalls Haiti having had a severe earthquake like this. In Caneille and Hinche, light tremors were felt, but no damage. The light tremors hit Caneille and Hinche before PAP, and the people of Caneille said they were praying for us fervently and relentlessly. We arrived back in Hinche this afternoon and are trying to stock up on food, gas, and culligan water. Everything originates from PAP and we expect prices to skyrocket and things to be unavailable.

Philly is now working with these two churches, and we are currently praying on what the best way is to help them in the long term. Regarding trips there, this will probablly be a reality in the next couple of months. Keep an eye on our website , or this site for more information on short-term trips.

You can go to these sites if you would like some more information regarding the two churches mentioned above. First Communion on Aniwa. As mentioned in my last post, I waned to write a little about John G. Paton and the impact that he had in the New Hebrides in the mid to late 's.

Instead of quoting bits and pieces from one of my favorite chapters, I figured I would just post the entire chapter - yes, it's that good! Without ruining the story because you guys have to get this book and read it , I will briefly write that John G.

Paton left Tanna after 4 years, and after a series of events landed on the island if Aniwa not to far from Tanna. There he would spend over 40 years ministering to the cannibals, and over time, basically the entire isalnd gets saved, radically saved. The following talks about the first communion that was held at the church with local Aniwa believers participating.

My prayer is that the Lord would impress on your heart those that still today have not heard about Jesus, but yet so need Him to deliver them from their bondage to sin. That we would be praying for the Lord to thrust out laborers into this harvest field of unreached peoples - all 1. And this leads me to relate the story of our First Communion on Aniwa.

It was Sabbath, 24th October, ; and surely the Angels of God and the Church of the Redeemed in Glory were amongst the gieat cloud of witnesses who eagerly " peered" down upon the scene,—when we sat around the Lord's Table and partook of His body and blood with those few souls rescued out of the Heathen World.

My Communicants' Class had occupied me now a considerable time. The conditions of attendance at this early stage were explicit, and had to be made very severe, and only twenty were admitted to the roll. At the final examination only twelve gave evidence of understanding what they were doing, and of having given their hearts to the service of the Lord Jesus. The twelve Candidates then stood up before all the inhabitants there assembled ; and, after a brief exhortation to them as Converts, I put to them the two questions that follow, and each gave an affirmative reply," Do you, in accordance with your profession of the Christian Faith, and your promises before God and the people, wish me now to baptize you?

And,—"Will you live henceforth for Jesus only, hating all sin and trying to love and serve your Saviour? Two of them had also little children, and they were at the same time baptized, and received as the lambs of the flock. Solemn prayer was then offered, and in the name of the Holy Trinity the Church of Christ on Aniwa was formally constituted. I addressed them on the words of the Holy Institution—I Corinthians xi. McNair, my wife, and myself along with six Aneityumese Teachers, communicated with the newly baptized twelve.

And I think, if ever in all my earthly experience, on that day I might truly add the blessed words—Jesus " in the midst" The whole Service occupied nearly three hours. The Islanders looked on with a wonder whose unwonted silence was almost painful to bear.

Many were led to inquire carefully about everything they saw, so new and strange. They gave it in faith that we would require it, and in such we received it And now the day had come and gone! For three years we had toiled and prayed and taught for this. At the moment when I put the bread and wine into those dark hands, once stained with the blood of Cannibalism, now stretched out to receive and partake the emblems and seals of the Redeemer's love, I had a foretaste of the joy of Glory that well nigh broke my heart to pieces.

I shall never taste a deeper bliss, till I gaze on the glorified face of Jesus Himself. On the afternoon of that Communion Day, an open-air Prayer Meeting was held under the shade of the great banyan tree in front of our Church.

Seven of the new Church members there led the people in prayer to Jesus, a hymn being sung betwixt each. My heart was so full of joy that I could do little else but weep. Oh, I wonder, I wonder, when I see so many good Ministers at home, crowding each other and treading on each other's heels, whether they would not part with all their home privileges, and go out to the Heathen World and reap a joy like this— " the joy of the Lord.

The New Year is fast approaching I'm not going to make any excuses on my blog tardiness. I will say however that I stared a Twitter account to hopefully offset my delay of long blog posts with shorter missions minded tweets. If you want to follow along, go over to the right of this blog, and click the link. I recently finished reading the autobiography of John G.

I must tell you that if you have never read it, I would consider it a must read, as well as one of my top 3 favorite missionary biography's. Around John Paton had been on the island of Tana for 4 years trying to teach the cannibals about the love of Jesus.

At that point he had lost his wife and newborn son, some of his missionary friends had been killed and eaten, and he himself was daily trying to save his life from the hands of the Tannese who waned to kill him.

One night while trying to run away from an angry mob that was chasing him, he climbed up a tall tree and hid in the darkness of the jungle. He writes, I climbed into the tree and was left there alone in the bush. The hours I spent there live all before me as if it were but yesterday. I heard the frequent discharging of muskets, and the yells of the savages.

Yet I sat there among the branches, as safe in the arms of Jesus. Never in all my sorrows, did my Lord draw nearer to me, and speak more soothingly in my soul, then when the moonlight flickered among those chestnut leaves, and the night air played on my throbbing brow, as I told all my heart to Jesus.

Alone, yet not alone! If it be to glorify my God, I will not grudge to spend many nights alone in such a tree, to feel again my Saviour's spiritual presence, to enjoy His counseling fellowship. If thus thrown back upon your own soul, alone, all, all alone, in the midnight, in the bush, in the very embrace of death itself, have you a Friend that will not fail you then?

Wow, what a quote! We are a movement of Whosoevers leading the way to reflect Christ in culture. Our stories are filled with overcoming addiction, self-doubt and hopelessness. The mission is to inspire the one with truth and purpose beyond entertainment. We are set out to encourage young people to discover and develop their unique purpose for their lives.

U-Turn for Christ exists to help people grow in the image of Jesus Christ, through the threefold process of Salvation, Sanctification and Service, to the glory of God. Meets every Monday night in the Sanctuary. Our desire is through prayer to praise, glorify, and honor our God as we seek His will in our lives individually, and corporately as the body of Christ.

The prison ministry seeks to bring the Light of Christ and the good news of salvation to those who have found themselves in lonely and seemingly hopeless situations. Some have never been married, some separated, some divorced, some foster-parents, some non-custodial moms, some widowed. All women 9th grade and older are welcome. We meet every Sunday morning and Wednesday night for Bible study, have small groups to make solid Christian friendships, and a variety of other events throughout the year.

For more information, check out jrhigh. Our focus is to be built up as a group and as individual young men and women in the ways and will of the Lord.