Two of Morning Star’s leaders, Bob Bixby and Jeremy Scott, will be returning to Haiti on March 15-22. This time they will be taking along Jeremy’s wife Anouk Scott, Jack Bender, and Joy McCarnan.

The team’s work will be divided between crisis counseling and manual labor. Jeremy and Jack will be distributing tarps to church congregation members and helping people clean up debris. Anouk, Pastor, and Joy will focus their efforts on communicating care and lasting Hope to the Haitian students and faculty of the nursing school there in Leogane (where Pastor stayed before as a French-speaking chaplain accompanying a medical/trauma team of Haitians and Americans).

These Haitian nursing students have been working as “first responders” since 1/12 when the earthquake first hit, ministering to people with emergency medical needs in spite of their own devastating losses. What they’ve been experiencing and witnessing has been taking a toll on them, and now is a chance for us to try to minister to these people and lift them up–not just physically but emotionally and spiritually.

If you are able and willing to give financially toward the needed tarps or the team members’ travel costs (approx. $700/ticket), you can do so through Global Grace in one of two ways:
1) Donate via PayPal online; or…
2) Send a check to Morning Star, Attn: Global Grace
3430 Colony Bay Drive | Rockford, IL 61109

On his Facebook account this evening, Bob Bixby posted an album of 123 photos taken during his time in Haiti serving as a French-speaking chaplain alongside a medical/trauma team.

If you’re connected to him, check out the pictures here:

Bob Bixby’s
“Haiti Memories”

Pastor Bixby got home this past Wednesday night from his time in Haiti serving as a French-speaking chaplain with a medical trauma team. The team found they were able to accomplish their goals sooner than planned, addressing immediate overwhelming needs, laying the necessary foundation for efficient future work, etc.. With more personnel arriving (”fresh troops” as it were) and the situation stabilizing, the team decided it was time to come home. So all of Morning Star’s leadership team members are home in Rockford for the moment, safe and sound, and ready to share what they experienced.

Channel 23 News (WIFR-CBS) came out and interviewed Pastor and Jeremy about what they saw in Haiti and how it’s affected/continuing to affect them. (You can also check out the photos from their trips and Pastor’s journal entry excerpts in the righthand sidebar.)

The remaining boxes of formula and medical supplies stored in NY have been shipped out by FedEx. They are en route down to the DR then will be trucked directly to Leogane to be received by the Drs. Charles. The shipping is being graciously financed by Donna Auguste (of the Leave a Little Room Foundation), a contact of Jodel Charles who led the team on which Pastor served. You can see photos of the pallets’ preparation and those who worked hard to get them transported here.

Pictured here are Rick Bovell’s uncle - Colin Bovell; Larry Morant, a member of Jamaica-Queens Wesleyan (where the items were stored before shipping out); and Lunique Dyl, Jodel Charles’ cousin, who resides in NY. They were all very instrumental in the project’s successful completion.

This little boy whose leg was amputated will be using a pair of pediatric crutches we sent from Rockford, but it looks as though he has a little more than just crutches on his mind right now - Bob has gotten to spend some time talking with him and with many other hurting people.

Bob and Jeremy were able to hold a meeting with doctors and nurses in Leogane this morning. More photos from this morning’s order of service and from Jeremy’s time in Leogane are posted here with explanations.

Thank you for praying for Jeremy Scott’s trip to accompany the 2nd drive supplies to Haiti. His hopes were not only to be able to see the supplies safely delivered, but also to be able to spend a couple days with Pastor on-site in Leogane, Haiti at a critical time in the work there. God has made that possible! See photos here.

Pastor Bob Bixby, working in Haiti as a French-speaking chaplain with a medical team there (Jan.22-Feb.8), has had an opportunity to email some publishable excerpts from his journal entries. We would like to make them public for all the team members’ families and friends to read, as well. Hopefully these will give us a better glimpse into what Haitians are facing, and better information for how we can be helping from here and praying for the team.

Vol.I - Introduction & Day 1 (1/22/10)
Vol.II - Day 2 (1/23/10)
Vol.III - Day 3 (1/24/10)

We will keep this post updated with new links as Pastor is able to send more excerpts in the future.

Here is a small album of photos from today’s efforts to ship out as much of the collected stuff today as possible. It took both brains and brawn to combine items like baby bottles, a medical equipment sterilizer, crutches, canes, beef jerky, trail mix, and energy bars into a mere 7 boxes. Check out this album and several others on the Global Grace “fan” page on Facebook.

Jeremy Scott flew out of O’Hare with the boxes tonight (1/28) and hopes to accompany them not just to DR but on into Haiti (by Fri.pm, 1/29) and spend a couple days there with the team.

from Jennie Bixby (Tues.pm, 1/26) - “Thankful for the answers to prayer. My heart is heavy after talking to Bob this evening. Bob’s last 24 hours: he felt a large after-shock that knocked down more buildings, went to see an orphanage, a baby was born at the clinic, searched the village for a baby bottle, and another baby is fighting for her life at the clinic. He said that the team can’t believe it’s only Tuesday. He said, ‘Each day seems like a month.’“

We are so thankful once again for the great response to the need for contributions - this time for crutches, canes, and food.

612 energy bars (estimated over 67 lbs)
347 granola & treat bars (over 27 lbs)
15 lbs trail mix
30 lbs beef jerky
12 lbs beef sticks (Slim Jim type)
18 lbs nuts and dried fruit
50 pair of crutches
12 canes

Due to complications with the initial plan for getting these supplies to the Dominican Republic, we had to look into alternatives. The overall purpose is still in place - to get the supplies from the DR to Haiti and then to the team - the trick is getting them all to the DR!

After looking into USPS, UPS, and other options, we discovered that, ironically, flying the cargo down with a passenger via Delta would actually be the cheapest and quickest option! You may recall it was Delta who in the past graciously waived baggage fees for the team Pastor is with; and they have been doing this for other humanitarian aid efforts toward Haiti.

So Jeremy Scott will be flying with the supplies to the DR on Friday. He’s praying he’ll also be able to board the small plane with the supplies to fly on in to Haiti and meet up with Pastor Bob briefly as they unload the supplies.

Want to know how to help? Please pray! Pray that Delta will again waive all baggage fees, since we have between 15-20 boxes to take. Pray that Jeremy would be able to go into Haiti and see Pastor, even if only for a few hours. Pray also that both Jeremy and Pastor would get some good contacts for the future ministry we’d like to have in Haiti - maybe even this summer.

Thank you again to all you generous donors – both of materials requested for our first and second drives, and of the financial support which enables us to carry out these projects. If you are still interested in giving financially, it is possible to mail a check or donate online via PayPal/bank transfer/credit card. Global Grace will also continue to process contributions like those already collected. Ideas are welcome; different items may be needed in the future, too, as needs in Haiti shift, or as opportunities open up.