Conversation between Abe (BMH Director) and Cameron (BMH Pilot) after returning from a full day of delivering much needed medical supplies and evacuating 27 missionaries:
“Abe, you know what the best part of my day was?”
“No Cameron…tell me.”
“It’s when we got off the plane in Les Cayes (La Kai) and we heard the nearby church singing:
“Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!”
Today was a good day!”
Yes, today was a good day and God is Great!
As the 27 people that we evacuated out of Haiti today thanked me, I kept saying, “well it’s gotta be God because I have never done this before…but somehow it keeps working”
I was also reminded tonight that, “God does not call the prepared…He prepares the Called”. That’s how I feel right now, but so thankful for all those of you that have done so much behind the scenes in supporting us. Today, it has produced:
Over 17,000 pounds of medical supplies (in)
27 persons being evacuated (out)
with the help of 9 private planes from Nassau to Iowa!
It is incredible! Thank you!
Many persons keep saying, “I want to do more…but don’t know what to do”.
If you feel this way, please join us in our fundraising campaign. You too can be a critical supporting factor in our efforts!
Realize that the donated medical supplies would still be on the Nassau Airport Ramp if not for willing servants like you!
We need your support!
PleaseDonatenow.
Because more planes and supplies are coming!!
Peace and Love.
Abe
Sunday, January 17, 2010
To all our gracious friends,
We had a very successful donation drive at Queen’s College, Nassau on Saturday! Hundreds came out to donate items and volunteer. We brought our partnership with the Rotary Clubs of the Bahamas even closer. All items donated to the BCMC were transported to the gymnasium at the Western Medical Plaza (the Rotary’s staging area) by large trucks, drivers and lifters provided by Pinders Brokerage and Bahamas Waste. This move allowed our combined resources to operate more efficiently. Neither BCMC or Rotary is in it for the glory – we just want to serve the people of Haiti. The bible says one can chase 1,000 but two can put 10,000 to flight (amazingly, working together we delivered 10,000lbs of emergency items to Haiti so far)
On Saturday, the Methodist Habitat airplane was joined by Dave Spangler out of North Eleuthera. Two more volunteer planes from Alabama and Iowa flew in from the States to offer their services to Methodist Habitat. While on the airport tarmac this morning we were approached by a local pilot who too offered his plane. Odyssey Aviation has once again partnered with the BCMC and giving all our planes full access to its services and facilities. This has been such a blessing.
In all, FOUR fully loaded planes made successful trips to Haiti today and One to Inagua, Bahamas!! Added to the two flights on Friday this makes more than 10,000lbs of emergency medical supplies already delivered in Haiti.
I just got word that TWO MORE volunteer planes arrived from the Gainesville, FL tonight to join Methodist Habitat – This makes SEVEN PLANES now in our fleet!
Millionaire Aviation has volunteered to make two flights in their Caravan plane on Sunday (over 4,000lbs of cargo) and the Rotary Club has arranged for a DC-3 flight for Sunday (over 6,000lbs of cargo), each going to Cap Haitian. So on Sunday we are likely to deliver close to (or more than) 23,000lbs of emergency aid into Haiti!!! GOD IS GOOD.
Today is Sunday….that means there is a good chance you are going to church, PLEASE ask them to donate to Bahamas Methodist Habitat. All the other organizations are doing well but we are just a small fish in a big pond trying to make a difference. We just need to extract the cash out of your pocket and make sure it get’s to us.
We also GREATLY NEED Medical supplies, food and water. Email or call us to let us know where we need to pick it up from and / or ship it to Ft. Lauderdale. We need Basic Surgical Supplies!
Please spread the word. Please pray for the safety of the pilots. Please get involved. Please join in making a difference.
God bless our efforts. God bless the people of Haiti.
Henry / Abe
Saturday, January 16, 2010
BMH Sets Up In Nassau!
After two days of sitting in front of the computer at Camp Symonette it didn’t ‘feel’ like we were making much headway….but then today the pieces came together. This is a very short version but more details and stories on their way.
Cameron King (BMH Pilot) and Dave Spangler (FlyN4God Pilot) staged in Inagua, Bahamas on Thursday afternoon. I then gained them access to land in Port-au-Prince at 8:00am Friday by a US Army C-130 pilot via Facebook (of course…). Upon arrival they found out the teams of 8 and 46 missionaries that they were supposed to begin evacuating had been taken out at 4:00am, a huge blessing. So the next best thing is to grab whomever and get out. They did just that. Now a family of 5 is spending the night in North Eleuthera waiting for a flight to Miami, FL.
Steve Merritt (Bahamas Habitat Treasurer) and Charles Stites (Able Flights ED and Photojournalist) made their trek from Ft. Lauderdale to Nassau to pick up medical supplies and a Rotary supported Doctor and Nurse. Then to Inagua for fuel and off to Cap Haitian to make their drop off with our contact, Ann Jordan Reynolds of Montgomery, Alabama. She is volunteering/working with “Partners In Health” (Dr. Paul Farmer’s org). She is great and guaranteed that ALL supplies would get to the right hands and EVERY LAST band-aid would be used. “We are totally overwhelmed with people moving out of Port-au-Prince into the rural areas, Oh thank you thank you thank you for sending the supplies!” Steve and Charles then headed back to Nassau to rendezvous with myself, my parents, Matt Hansen and Cameron King. We are all staying together at Queen’s College, our Methodist School.
Meanwhile….two more planes were being loaded with medical supplies in Ft. Lauderdale (9:00pm). David Robertson arrived from Cullman, Alabama and Ken DeYoung flew straight from Northwest Iowa to join us! Our team of medical supply donors lead by Mike Sullivan and Bob Denison did an amazing job of getting the supplies donated and loaded in the plane in a VERY short time frame.
Next:
All four planes will meet in Nassau at 9:00am to pray, debrief, load up with supplies and get back down to Haiti to drop off supplies and bring back missionaries that no longer feel safe in Cap Haitian and Les Cayes.
We have great contacts on the ground in Haiti and ask that you support our efforts by either donating medical supplies in Ft. Lauderdale (mike@sullivan4irsmatters.com) or donating monetarily to cover our aviation fuel expenses.
And don’t stop praying WITH us!
If you know of any groups/individuals that can get to the Cap Haitian or Les Cayes Airport, please let us know ALL known information and we will do out best to evacuate them…..that also means we need more planes, pilots and money.
On Friday January 15th our first two flight teams made it in to Haiti from our staging base on Inagua delivering medical supplies and evacuating people. Tomorrow the process begins again with more planes on the way.
We have had a rush of requests today to help get people out and more medical supplies in. Pilots with aircraft have been volunteering today and making preparations to join the efforts. We have medical supplies in Nassau and Fort Lauderdale that need to move along with 30 doctors that are trying to get in. The list of people needing to be evacuated continues to grow.
We need more volunteers that have twin engine aircraft and high performance singles to join in.
Tomorrow two more Beechcraft Barons a Mooney Acclaim and a Bonanza join in along with a Cessna 340 and a 182. More have signed up to be able to come in the coming weeks.If you can volunteer for a mission please do so.
Our operations are focusing on getting to the airports of: Cap Haitien and Les Cayes that are north and south of Port-Au-Prince. People are moving out to these areas seeking help and evacuation.
3. Help spread the wordto help us obtain supplies, funds and additional airplanes.
4. Pray and then pray some more.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
All is fine here in the Bahamas regarding the Haitian Earthquake so we are focusing our efforts as best we can to aid in the disaster. The Bahamas and Bahamas Methodist Habitat has been blessed for years with the love and service of so many, and we now have the opportunity to “pass it on”.
As of right now, we are partnering with Dave Spangler, a long time friend and pilot here on Eleuthera to deliver roughly 1,000 lbs. of supplies. Cameron King, BMH Pilot, is assisting with the flight. They are to leave at 9:00 am from North Eleuthera and return Friday afternoon. That was “our” original plan but God had a different one. We are now not only dropping off supplies but transporting 8 missionaries from Port-au-Prince to Inagua, Bahamas for transport back to the States via Nassau.
I just received a call (8:30 am) from our Bahamas Habitat (501c3) Treasurer, Steve Merritt. He is loading our newly donated twin-engine Barron with 1,000 lbs. of supplies and will picking myself and three Bahamian Government Officials up in Nassau on Friday at 12:00 pm to make our way down to Port-au-Prince. The “plan” is to drop off the Bahamian officials so they can asses and see how the Bahamas can best respond while Steve transports 20 Missionaries from Clayton, NC to Inagua, Bahamas. They will then fly out of Inagua on Sunday afternoon (seats available).
This is all very contingent on many things so please pray that our logistics all fit together.
The Bahamas Conference of the Methodist Church, our parent ministry, is also responding by setting up a Relief Supply Collection Point at Queen’s College, Nassau on Saturday, January 16th.
Our aviation efforts aren’t cheap and we don’t have huge cash reserves to pull this off….but we know that you as our supporters will come together to take care of us.
Please make your secure donations to Bahamas Habitat. They are our registered US 501c3 and support organization.
Thank you for your CONTINUED support of BMH in the Bahamas and thank you for the support that will aid us in our assistance in Haiti. Pray WITH us as we venture into uncharted territories and continue to pray WITH all affected.
Hurricane Ike passed directly over Great Inagua, the most southern southern island of the over 700 Bahamian islands and cays. BMH was the first volunteer agency on the ground…and on the roofs to aid our Bahamian brothers and sisters.
