The Last of the First

Today is the last day of the first month in 2010.

Are you calling it "two thousand-ten" or "twenty-ten"?

An argument for "twenty-ten" is that we didn't say "one thousand, nine hundred-ninety-nine." But I never heard anyone say "twenty-oh-nine" either. Personally, "twenty-ten" sounds like a shotgun caliber and I'm sticking with "two thousand-ten," but it's really irrelevant.

On another New Year note, how are you doing with those resolutions?

I decided long ago that making official resolutions was too depressing. Who wants to spend all that time, during the bleakest days of winter, thinking about all one's failings? And then one spends all that time, during the bleakest days of winter, trying to overcome all those failings. And finally one is overwhelmed with the realization, still during the bleakest days of winter, that one is probably never going to overcome all those failings.

I've nixed formal resolutions, but I just can't escape the feeling that the beginning of a new year is a good time for some personal assessment.

One thing I've been praying in this first month is, "Lord, help me to stop wishing and worrying so I can start working and worshipping."

I recognize that I spend too much time wishing certain aspects of my life and my world were different (wishing for spring, for one thing!). I also spend a lot of time worrying about things that I cannot control. If I spent less time wishing for change and worrying about things I can't change, I would be better able to work and worship.

On this last day of the first month, I anticipate a day of rest and worship. And I continue my New Year's prayer for my wishing and worrying to be replaced with working and worshipping.

Matthew One leaves home

He's done it at last! My "book boy" Matthew One has left home! He's off to the windy city to try to find his place in the world.

I'm praying that he will pass his spring audition and receive a spot in the cast of next year's publishing show. If you're moved to join in that prayer, I'd appreciate it.

He's going by the name M. M. Through, which is short for the professional name he's adopted: Matthew Muddles Through.

Treasures from Haiti

[The following story will appear in the February 10 issue of Christian Renewal.]

Treasures from Haiti

by Glenda Mathes


When Les and Tracy Fuller’s church offered to begin a prayer initiative in the hope of jump-starting the couple’s stalled adoption process, the Fullers chose January 24 as the start date since that would be the birthday of one of the two Haitian children they were adopting.

They never imagined that God, in His marvelous providence, would bring those children into their homes before that birthday.

The Fullers have a daughter, Samantha, and a son, Grant, and could have had more biological children, but thought it would be wonderful to give a third-world child their love and care. Several years ago, they hoped to adopt a little girl from Romania, but when that door closed the couple put aside their adoption dream.

About two years ago, Tracy’s friend, Andrea Vanderhoff, asked if the Fullers would consider adopting children from Haiti. The Vanderhoffs were working toward adopting siblings Roselande and Carl, whose cousins were in the same small orphanage. The two cousins, Roselaure and Kenson, were siblings and the four children were close to each other. The Vanderhoffs thought it would be great to keep the children in the same community and within the same circle of friends.

Tracy says her initial thought was, “No way! I want a little girl from Romania!” But she was immediately reminded of something that she hadn’t before given much thought. When Tracy was expecting Grant, three-year-old Samantha would often say, “I want a black baby!” After Grant was born, Samantha changed her mantra to: “We need to adopt a black baby!” Samantha is now eleven, but had continued to say that to her mom on at least an annual basis.

Then Tracy remembered that Grant (now 8) has often told her, “Mom, we need more kids in this family.”

Tracy asked Andrea’s husband, Dave, to give her a picture of the children, thinking she would see the picture, there would be no emotional attachment, and that would be the end of that.

When she saw the picture of the four children, without even knowing which ones were available for adoption, she immediately felt strong love for two of them. She showed the picture to her husband and asked him what he thought.

“These two have the same look in their eyes as Samantha and Grant,” he said, pointing to the two she already loved.

Samantha, who hadn’t heard the previous conversation and knew nothing about the adoption discussion, entered the room and looked at the picture.

“Oh, they’re orphans! I want those two,” she said, pointing to the same two children her parents had chosen; the two of the four children who were available for adoption.

Realizing the addition of two children would mean huge changes for their family, the Fullers decided to pray and fast for one week before making a decision. Samantha and Grant decided to give up sugar and TV for their fast, resisting stiff temptations to stick to their commitment. The family designated the next Saturday morning for prayer and discussion to make their decision together.

Tracy explains that since her college days, she had experienced a recurring dream of trying to drive across a bridge when her vehicle plunges into an icy river. After each of her children was born, the dream included her efforts to rescue them.

The Friday night before the family’s decision day, Tracy had the dream again. Only for the first time, Les appeared in it. This time all four family members were in the vehicle, but they were pulled from the icy water by the two Haitian children!

The family began the arduous adoption process. By July of 2008, they had completed the necessary paperwork and sent it off to Haiti. For weeks that stretched into months, nothing appeared to be happening. Tracy became very discouraged, but God placed on her heart these words from Isaiah 45: “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….” (2-3, NIV).

During 2009, the Fullers visited Roselaure and Kenson twice in Haiti; once in April and again in October, when Samantha traveled with them.

In spite of those visits, the paperwork was not moving and the family grew increasingly discouraged. That’s one reason they were elated with the proffered prayer initiative at Third Reformed Church (RCA) in Pella, IA. Another reason was that the church had done the same thing about a year earlier for a family whose Haitian adoption process had been stalled, and that little boy was welcomed into his new family just two months after the church began praying.

The Fullers had celebrated Samantha’s ninth birthday with a special party and Tracy had long hoped to do the same for Roselaure’s ninth birthday. Since that now appeared impossible, the Fullers settled for choosing her birthday as the date to begin the church prayer program.

Before the formal prayer program began, however, a massive earthquake struck Haiti on January 12, 2010. The Fullers anxiously waited to hear if their children were still alive. The orphanage was in Port-au-Prince—just ten miles from the epicenter—where damage was catastrophic and the death toll horrendous.

Their friends, the Vanderhoffs, also waited for word about their children. And another Pella couple, Matt and Mandy Poulter, waited for news of the daughter they were adopting from the same orphanage.

The orphanage director was the Fuller’s usual contact person, but he was in Florida at the time of the earthquake.

That was when God threw an amazing twist into events. ABC News picked up the Poulter story. On Thursday, January 14, the Poulters were notified via Skype communications from an ABC News team that they were standing outside the orphanage. A little later, they learned that all nine children in the small orphanage were still alive.

The Pella couples went into high gear on Friday, trying to contact politicians in the hope of expediting the process and getting their children out of a dangerous situation. They felt an increasing sense of urgency as the situation in Port-au-Prince continued deteriorating. As the day wore on, pressure grew since official offices would be closed the next day, Saturday, and the next, Sunday, as well as the following day because Monday, January 18, was a national holiday. But all Friday, the couples felt as if they were drowning in what Tracy calls “an endless sea of red tape.”

On Saturday they heard that some Haitian children were receiving hand-written visas and being evacuated. On Saturday evening, the Poulters decided that they would go to Haiti. They got tickets to fly out early the next morning for the Dominican Republic.

Their early morning flight out of Des Moines was delayed until after 3:00 pm due to fog. ABC News met the Poulters at the airport in the Dominican Republic and flew them by helicopter into Haiti.

Monday morning Tracy received a call from Mandy Poulter.

“There’s someone here who wants to speak to you,” Mandy said.

Tracy heard Roselaure’s tiny voice say, “‘ello, Mama?” Then Kenson greeted her the same way. And then the line went dead. The Vanderhoffs were able to have a longer conversation with their children and learned that they had been bathed and were eating spaghetti before heading out to the US Embassy.

At 5:00 pm another call came through to Tracy. This time Mandy told her to immediately email authority for the Poulters to travel with the Fuller’s children. Tracy never had a chance to ask her many questions because that was the end of the call. In the meantime, the orphanage director called the Vanderhoffs, screaming, “Where are my kids?” But that call also was cut off.

“We had no idea what was going on,” says Tracy. “We were watching the news, just like everyone else in America, when we saw a story that five kids had received visas and were waiting at the airport to leave, but that the orphanage director was questioning their departure. We were frantic all night.”

On Tuesday morning, the Fullers received a call that the Poulters were in Florida with the five children. They were at a Red Cross unit, supplied with food and water, and were resting on cots until they could get a flight to Iowa.

A little later, Tracy received a call that Pella Corp was sending a corporate jet from Nevada to Florida and would bring the children directly to Pella’s Municipal Airport.

That evening, the little brick building at Pella’s airport was packed with adopting family members and dozens of supportive people from the community.

“They arrived just after the fog lifted and before the ice storm hit,” Tracy relates.

Aside from Iowa’s weather, the timing of the children’s arrival was providential in other ways. Haiti suffered a severe aftershock on Wednesday that caused additional damage in Port-au-Prince. Also on Wednesday, Kenson’s temperature spiked to 104.2. A lung x-ray indicated that his lungs were full of dust, causing pneumonia-like symptoms. Had he still been in Haiti, he may not have been able to obtain the medical care he urgently needed.

As I write this, little Maya Esther Poulter (4); Roselande (7) and Carl (4) Vanderhoff; and Roselaure (8) and Kenson (6) Fuller are safely sleeping in cozy beds in warm homes in Pella, IA. Four days ago, they huddled in a damaged orphanage in a very dangerous Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Tomorrow is January 24, 2010, and it will be Roselaure’s ninth birthday.

The passage God placed on Tracy’s heart so many months ago takes on new meaning in wake of the Haitian earthquake; when God leveled the mountains, broke down bronze gates, and cut through iron bars to bring the Fullers their Haitian treasures.

Providence in Port-au-Prince

[The following story will appear in the February 10, 2010, issue of Christian Renewal.]

Providence in Port-au-Prince

by Glenda Mathes


A tragedy like the January 12, 2010, earthquake in Haiti is so immense that it’s difficult to wrap one’s mind around the sheer enormity of the loss of life, destruction, and continued suffering. Focus narrows when someone you love is in it.

My niece, Rachel Roozeboom, was in Port-au-Prince when the earthquake struck. What began as an ordinary short-term mission trip to Haiti turned into an extraordinary—and sometimes traumatic—experience.

Rachel graduated from Dordt College last year and works as the Director of Youth Ministries for First Reformed Church (RCA) in Sheldon, IA. For over 20 years, members of the church have participated in short-term teams with Mission to Haiti. Rachel was the youngest of the seven people from her church serving on this year’s team.

They arrived in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, about mid-morning on Monday, January 11. Mission to Haiti organized three teams to perform different functions: construction, medical, and relief. On Tuesday the construction team worked on a building at the Mission to Haiti compound with plans to work later on a church in a nearby village. The medical team took the bus to a village to conduct a clinic. Rachel served on the Haiti Relief team, which distributed shoes, clothing, and goats that had been donated for the needy.

She was one of only six team members still away from the compound when the earthquake hit. They were on the edge of Port-au-Prince in a “tap tap,” a type of flat bed truck with sides and three benches. Although they were close to their base camp, it took them about an hour to get back to the compound, driving and then walking in the dark through confusion and chaos, destruction and death.

“Personally I was very scared and felt very vulnerable,” Rachel says. “It got dark before we got back and the traffic and the people and the destruction were all too much to take in.”

The sights, sounds, and smells were overwhelming. Buildings and vehicles were crumpled. Crowds of people with blank stares of shock milled through streets full of rubble and bodies. While the vehicle was still able to move, men kept jumping on the truck. The driver and other Haitians with the team were shouting at the men, trying to make them get off. The men were shouting angrily back.

“I had no idea what they were saying or what they might do to us to get what they wanted,” Rachel says.

When the vehicle could go no farther, team members were forced to walk and carry supplies back to camp. Because their arms were full of boxes and water containers, they could not hold onto each other as they tried to wind through the pressing crowds.

“Other Haitians would get in between us,” Rachel explains, “and if any of us got separated, we had no idea how to get back to camp or how to get in contact with anyone.”

Walking through the debris was difficult, especially for the women since they were wearing skirts and flip flops. It became more dangerous and distressing after dark.

When the small group finally reached the Mission to Haiti compound, they discovered that outer walls had collapsed. Most of the compound, however, was in remarkably good shape. Some inner walls had cracked, but none had fallen.

“It is amazing how well our buildings stood up when looking at everything around us,” Rachel says. “God had to be protecting us, there is no other explanation.”

Miraculously the compound still had internet access and late that night Rachel was able to send a brief message to her parents, who had heard about the earthquake and were anxiously waiting to hear from her.

Because the compound had a light and an open area, people flooded into it, seeking medical care and a place to sleep. Some people were able to walk and needed wounds stitched or bones set. Others needed to be carried because they were paralyzed or required amputations. Some of the injured died in the arms of team members. Team members carried away several bodies to be buried.

Providentially the team included two doctors and several nurses, but they soon ran out of medical supplies. They used broken boards as splints and torn sheets as bandages. If people could walk or had family members to care for them, the team sent them back out of the compound to make room for those with more need.

Due to the continuing aftershocks and danger of buildings collapsing, team members slept outside in short shifts. About 20 injured people spent the night at the compound. The team brought 15 of them to a hospital the next morning.

That day the team continued to provide limited medical care without supplies. Rachel emailed her parents that she had slept from 1:00-4:00 am before giving her bed to “the dentist who had been stitching up people all night.” She also wrote that four small children had died; a family claimed the body of one, the team recognized two as children from the neighborhood, but the fourth child’s body remained unknown and unclaimed.

As the crucial nature of the crisis ebbed, the Mission to Haiti team began to explore options for getting home. Since the Port-au-Prince airport was closed, they discussed the possibility of taking a bus to the Dominican Republic and flying home from there. They spent a second night sleeping outside.

The following day the team spent 12 hours at the Port-au-Prince airport, trying to work with frazzled US Embassy employees to get an evacuation flight out of the country. They saw helicopters and planes flying over, but few landed at the airport. They heard that one flight took out injured people and families with small children. Another flight, arranged by the Canadian embassy, evacuated Canadian citizens.

“We had packed a few snacks, but were not planning on needing them all day,” Rachel says. They shared their food with small children and were able to send someone to purchase water. But it was awkward to eat and drink when the people pressing around them didn’t have either food or water.

“We were also worried about the heat taking its toll on us because there were quite a few elderly on our team, and even the younger ones were feeling weak,” Rachel says. “Our thirst never felt quenched as we had to take a drink and pass it on to someone else on our team.”

At the end of the day, the Mission to Haiti bus picked them up and a discouraged team traveled back to the compound.

But God, in His providence, had already begun orchestrating their rescue through His instrument, Lt. Col Scott Patterson.

Soon after the earthquake struck, Lt. Col. Patterson volunteered for relief efforts, went on active duty, and flew to Port-au-Prince. His home church sponsored Mission to Haiti and he’d heard that it had a team stranded on the ground. Late on his second evening in Haiti, he called his pastor for information that might help him locate the team. He drove around the area, using all the clues he knew to search for the compound. Eventually he found them.

Team members were thrilled to see an American soldier in uniform. He spent over an hour with them, encouraging them and assuring them that he would meet them at the airport the next morning. Then he headed back to the airport, where he was scheduled to pick up an Air Force Division Commander about an hour later. But for some reason, the Commander’s flight was delayed another two and a half hours.

Lt. Col. Patterson wrote in an email, “I believe divine providence was involved.”

A US Air Force C-17 with a full cargo had just landed. The C-17 is a high-wing, T-tailed military transport with an international range that is capable of carrying payloads up to 169,000 lbs. and can land on small airfields. Lt. Col. Patterson boarded the aircraft and introduced himself to the crew.

He wrote that “by divine providence” and for no apparent reason, a State Department employee also came on board. Lt. Col. Patterson asked him, “Why are you bringing an airplane full of cargo and going home empty when we have so many US citizens who are stranded here?”

The request had to be sent through proper channels, but he was assured “the answer isn’t going to be no.”

“I was off with my driver like Mario Andretti to the camp,” wrote Lt. Col. Patterson.

At 2:30 am, he pounded on the compound’s dormitory doors and told the team to get on the bus because he had a plane for them.

“I think we were out in about 15 minutes,” says Rachel. “I was ready fairly quickly as I had slept in my clothes, and he told me to go help everyone else pack up.”

The bus drove through a back gate of the airport directly onto the tarmac.

“The plane seemed to be in a darkened corner of the runway,” Rachel says. “I thought back to the WWII movies of Jews being taken into hiding.”

“I was terribly afraid the airplane might have to leave,” wrote Lt. Col. Patterson. “By providence again, the crew had just finished unloading and we were able to board without much waiting.”

After passports were checked several times, the 46 team members were allowed on board. They settled into canvas seats that folded down from the sides of the aircraft, facing the center. Then the plane left Haiti.

“I was very happy to see them off and understand they were well taken care of by the Air Force,” wrote Lt. Col. Patterson, explaining that many other people had been waiting at the airport for three days. “It was a real blessing to be an instrument.”

In another stroke of providence, Cuba allowed relief aircraft to fly through its air space, which cut the flight from Haiti to McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey by 50 minutes.

The team arrived on US soil around 7:00 am. They were searched, their passports checked, and taken to a gym to sign in. They were given access to showers, food, clothes, and cots with sleeping bags and pillows. The Red Cross provided toiletries. Doctors and chaplains were available. Rachel, who was struggling with congestion, saw the doctors, who she says, “treated me very well.”

The team did not take time for showers or sleep, but quickly ate and figured out flights for home. Later in the morning, a police car escorted their bus to an airport in Newark. There they were able to eat lunch and phone home. Their airline tickets transferred with no extra fees. Since they had been evacuated from Haiti, the airline waived baggage fees.

Rachel and other team members from her church flew from Newark to Dallas that afternoon. While she was at the Dallas airport, a friend from her Dordt days (who now lives in the Dallas area) came to visit with her.

“I was able to talk to her for about an hour and she passed on hugs from other Dordt roommates,” Rachel says. “She was the first person I talked to about it who wasn’t there with me. She was very understanding and it was very helpful for me.”

When Rachel arrived in Omaha, her parents and a brother (who had driven from Manhattan, KS) were waiting to greet her.

“I had never in my life wanted to see my family so much, even though I had seen them just a few weeks earlier for Christmas,” Rachel says. “Mom and Dad just held me for so long, and I finally felt safe and protected.”

The drive back to Sheldon gave the family time to talk about some things and enjoy being together again.

Rev. David Brower, the Lead Pastor at First Reformed Church in Sheldon, arranged a Critical Incident Stress Debriefing session for returned team members. Team members spent most of Sunday afternoon sharing their experiences, feelings, and fears under the guidance of Lt. Col. Dale Ellens, who is in the Army Reserve and a professional counselor with Bethesda Christian Counseling Center in Orange City. Dr. Shawn Scholten, a female counselor with Creative Living Center in Orange City, assisted with the debriefing.

“This was not required, but strongly recommended,” Rachel says. “It was hard, but helpful.”

Rachel requests prayer for relief workers, including perseverance for those serving long-term in Haiti, and that God’s work in all of this would be seen.

In a Facebook note, she writes, “…the death, destruction, fear, and sadness that I have experienced were horrific, and though the situation is no longer before my eyes, I still see and hear and smell everything. It is only because of your prayers and God at work that we were able to leave safely…. even though I experienced things that no one should ever have to go through, I also experienced God at work in ways that are unexplainable and completely awesome.”

It’s appropriate to say that Mission to Haiti team members, the US Air Force, and Lt. Col Scott Patterson are my heroes. But this story isn’t about personal emotions or human heroes. This story is about how a sovereign God orders all events of human history and cares for each of His children, even in times of extraordinary trauma and suffering.

For more information about Mission to Haiti or to donate to its relief efforts, see its website: www.missiontohaiti.org. Pictures accompanying this article were taken by team members and found on the Mission to Haiti site. Other pictures are posted under the “Pictures from Mission Teams” link, in the “earthquake_in_haiti” folder, but be warned that some are graphic.

Matthew One: Surgery Survived

My "book-boy" Matthew One survived reconstructive surgery. He is resting comfortably, but I will wake him today for a couple of injections.

Barring a relapse, he will leave the hospital today or tomorrow. Then it won't be long before I send him off on a cyberspace wing and a prayer to his big city audition.

He has matured and his coordination has improved. He sings well at times.

Even though he's not perfect, I wouldn't be totally embarassed to see him perform. And God is great; who know what he chooses to do with Matthew?

I love the US Air Force!

My niece, Rachel, graduated from Dordt last year and works as a youth pastor in northwest Iowa. Members of her church often travel to Haiti on mission teams. This year they asked her along so she could check if this type of mission trip might be appropriate for the youth of the church.

The Mission to Haiti camp is based in a suburb of Port-au-Prince; from there, they traveled daily by bus on missions to villages. They were returning to camp on Tuesday when the earthquake struck. They had to walk back to base in the dark, surrounded by chaos and confusion, death and destruction.

They provided care to the injured and helped carry away the dead. They ran out of medical supplies and used boards for splints and torn sheets for bandages. Since two doctors were on the team, they were better able to provide care than most teams would have been. They slept outside because of the aftershocks. Rachel had about four hours of sleep and then gave her bed to a dentist who had been stitching wounds all night.

The next day the team spent twelve hours outside the Port-au-Prince airport, trying to catch an evacuation flight. They made no progress. They considered trying to get to Santo Domingo to fly out.

But in the middle of the night, a US Air Force C-17 came to get them. It flew them to an Air Force Base in New Jersey. Fox News welcomed them back to American soil. The next day police escorted their bus to Newark, where they boarded an afternoon flight to Dallas. From Dallas, they were scheduled to fly to Omaha.

Now you know why I love the good ol' USA and the United States Air Force!

Matthew One: Reconstructive Surgery

It's been some time since I've provided an update on my "book-boy" Matthew.

During the last part of 2009, I was busy with many writing projects. One of those was writing an initial draft of Matthew Three as my 2009 NaNoWriMo novel. Matthew Four remains in the gestational stage. Matthew Two is an ungainly adolescent. And Matthew One has reached maturity, but now requires some reconstructive surgery.

He's lying anesthetized on a table (see T.S. Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" here for the literary allusion).

I feel like a surgeon entering the operating theater for the first time. My heart is pounding. My hands are shaking. I am assailed by doubts and fears: Will he survive the knife? Will the operation make him a better book-boy?

My hands are poised over the keyboard...

Happiness in the New Year

Happy New Year! May it please God.

Psalm 1 seems a particularly appropriate Psalm to begin a new year.

Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the
wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
not sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the
LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and
night.

Blessing comes to the person who makes conscious and committed efforts to avoid ill-advised actions, sinful philosophies, and scornful attitudes. Blessing derives from more than merely avoiding bad behaviors; meditating on God's law brings blessing and delight.

He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
The wicked are not so,
but are like the chaff that the wind drives
away.

The blessed believer is like a deeply-rooted, fruitful tree. Its roots drink of the life-giving streams that flow beside it. At the proper time, it brings forth sound fruit. It is covered with green leaves free from pest or blight. The picture of the tree bursting into foliage and bearing its fruit through changing seasons conveys the righteous acts of the believer through the progression of time.

To say that such a man prospers in all that he does does not mean that every believer will be a successful businessman or a wealthy farmer. His adherence to biblical principles will mean that he will not gain by cheating others and that he will be neither a miser nor a spendthrift, but God—in his infinite wisdom—may chose to allow a believer to struggle for much of life under financial adversity. Even so, the believer's future is secure in Christ. His work may not always appear to prosper in this world, but all that is done for Christ counts as success in his kingdom.

In contrast to the sturdy tree, firmly rooted beside streams, unbelievers are like bits of grain husks that disappear in the blowing wind.

Therefore the wicked will not
stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation
of the righteous;
for the LORD knows the way of the
righteous,
but the way of the wicked will
perish.

Even though believers may not appear as successful as unbelievers in this world, the unbelievers will not be able to stand before the judgment seat of Christ or in the great and final gathering of the righteous. They will finally and eternally perish.

But because of Christ's finished work, believers can stand before his final judgment and join the righteous throng in eternal bliss.

And at the beginning of this new year, believers can worship joyfully with other believers in the secure conviction that God knows what has happened to them through the past year and what will happen to them in the new one. He will bring them safely through another year until he brings them to their eternal home.