June 10, 2010 was the first day of our First Southern Baptist of Scottsdale youth teams mission trip. After working hard all day we spent the evening playing games on the patio. After relaxing enough I went upstairs to go to bed. Shortly after dozing off I was awakened by Julie, unusually anxious and concerned. She explained that there were men on the patio with guns. Not really sure what was going on, I jumped to my feet, fumbled with the phones that Julie put in my hands, and walked across the house to the top of the stairs. Bewildered, I looked down and saw a masked man at the bottom. Without fear, I boldly and confidently descended the stairs toward him. He backed away and retreated out of the house. When I exited after him I was met by another masked man pointing a shotgun at my chest. I noticed the group, sitting in a circle, heads down, some crying, others stunned.  I was forced to sit. One man went through the house collecting valuables while the other held us hostage at gunpoint. The potential for this to get worse was too great and this had to be stopped now. I immediately confronted the masked gunman and rebuked him with authority in the name of Jesus. After a few minutes he responded, “I didn’t know you were Christians.” The power of the name of Jesus was breaking him. He was intimidated by the spirit of God. Sensing this, without fear, I stood up and got in his face, pressing him even harder with Gods truth. With the shotgun at my chest we conversed for some time about Jesus, forgiveness, salvation and the power of God to change lives. He backed down, both physically and spiritually. His heart was softened, open, and remorseful. It was clear that these two men had walked into something that they didn’t expect. They came to instill fear. They thought that they were in control. However, that wasn’t the case. They must have thought “this isn’t how this is supposed to go”. It was clear that God was in control, and I was not afraid, and they knew it. They were the fearful ones. One man was fearing me and calling for me to be shot and killed, the other was fearing God and asking for forgiveness. One ran away. The other stayed to be prayed for, shook my hand and walked off, no doubt, in deep thought.

It is difficult to put into words the awe, the wonder, the amazement, the gratitude, the elation and the faith that followed such a monumental display of Gods presence. God knew exactly what I needed and he gave it to me. He took over and directed every move. There could not have been a more perfect ending. The name of the lord is our strong tower, our deliverer, our defender. He is always there. Jesus you are so good to us!

“Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of Heaven and earth.”  Psalm 121:1-2

One huge difference between Noah’s photo’s and the photo’s of mine and other doctors… the Haitian’s are SMILING! Obviously the Lord at work in Noah. That was a sight I rarely got to see in this setting. Enjoy the video, I know I did!

A woman worships Jesus in the middle of chaos

Because I live in the Dominican Republic I have been asked many times if I have been to Haiti. My response has always been, ” Never have, never will. Only if God calls me. ” I guess last week I received the call. I went to a border town in the DR named Jimani, then to Port au Prince, Haiti. I was constantly asking myself why I was there and what did God want to teach me.
I arrived at a Christian hospital in Jimani after a 10 hour drive from El Catey. The scene was quite impressive with a swarm of volunteers bustling with activity. There were lots of patients with severe injuries and lots of medical providers busy working on them. However, within minutes, I could tell that something was not right. Something was clearly missing. The air was filled with an attitude of pride and the need for recognition. There was an obvious struggle  for position and power.  Being new to this level of disaster relief I was quite naive. I had not considered the attraction of “disaster junkies” and the variety of motives that come with such events. I could not help but wonder, “where are all of Gods people?” and “why arent we in leadership?” We were there but I think many were like me and not sure what to do. It was probably confusion, fear and feeling a lack of authority. Finally, after 2 days of observing this, someone took a stand.
A cowboy cardiologist from Texas, wearing scrubs and a big belt buckle, stood up and bodly proclaimed the word of God and finished by leading us in prayer. I was so encouraged by this man that I needed to speak with him. He was always occupied with somebody until 2 days later when I encountered him alone on a stairway overlooking the Hatian border. At the end of our conversation he invited me to go to Haiti to help start a clinic in a church. He introduced me to his friend, Terry, who was part of the group going. I had such a blessed talk with Terry for over an hour and I knew I had to go. Terry said something that stuck with me, “God is using Haiti to save us.”
In Jimani I saw overwhelming physical injuries. I saw people literally broken, unable to stand or walk, laying in the dirt. They were going through something that almost no one could comprehend. Yet these people were raising their hands in worship, giving Jesus praise and glory in the midst of their suffering. At the same time I saw others, who thought they were helping these “poor people who have nothing”, struggle to gain power, pride and appear important. The irony was stunning.
The patients were well taken care of. The very sick were transported by helicopter, lives were saved, severe injuries and wounds were treated. But, if done without Jesus, it is only a Band Aid. Even the most minor injury or illness, if treated with Jesus, is Eternal Healing. Be encouraged. It will never be a Band Aid if whatever you do in word or deed, you do in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. ( Col 3:17 )
Christians, its time to wake up! Time is short. We have the responsibility and the authority to make an eternal impact. Ephesians 5:15-16 says “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.” I read this note on that. God commands us to redeem the time-to buy it back, to control it and not to let it control us-because the days are evil. God wants us to invest our time and energies in things that have eternal value and in people whom He created for Himself, not in things which are useless, temporal, self-centered, or destructive! No more Band Aids!