THE MISSION PRAYER CALL

International Ministries, American Baptist Churches

Week of January 24, 2010

Continue to Pray for the people of Haiti and those ministering there.

American Baptist International Ministries (IM) missionaries, Christian partners and U.S. and Puerto Rico congregations are continuing to mobilize and respond at historic levels to the 7.0 earthquake that struck Haiti and devastated its capital Port-au-Prince and the surrounding area on January 12.

IM missionary Dr. Steve James and IM’s Christian partners, including the Haitian Baptist Convention and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, are collaborating to provide medical care and relief supplies at Christianville, the quake epicenter approximately 20 miles southwest of Port-au-Prince. Nancy James, a registered nurse, is in Haut Limbe in the north of Haiti, maintaining the critical communication link with her husband Steve and the outside world.

Kristy Engel, a pediatric nurse practitioner serving in the Dominican Republic (a country that boarders Haiti), has taken a 75-person team, including 30 medical personnel, into Haiti. The group, which includes Ketley and Vital Pierre, IM missionaries to Nicaragua, traveled into Haiti on January 16 to provide emergency care at three clinics and to distribute six truckloads of food and medical supplies.

In the meantime, IM missionary Madeline Flores and Dominican Republic partners are providing medical care, shelter and relief supplies to quake victims arriving at the Contreras Hospital in Santo Domingo. Madeline is also coordinating relief effort teams entering Haiti from the Dominican Republic. One such team from First Baptist Church, Greensburg, Indiana has just arrived.

Reid Trulson, IM Executive Director, states: "International Ministries will be working with our Haitian brothers and sisters both now and far into the future. American Baptists have been engaged in ministry in Haiti since 1823. In knowing and loving the people of Haiti, we are uniquely positioned to be used by God in helping them rebuild their lives.”

·  Pray for the people of Haiti and for the many who mourn for lost loved ones.

·  Pray with the president of the Haitian Baptist Convention for the members of the 12 churches in the epicenter and their 15,000 members who are directly in the disaster zone.

·  Pray for American Baptist International Ministries’ missionaries who are involved in ministering directly to the people of Haiti (see profiles below).

Ketley and Vital Pierre, Nicaragua

Ketley and Vital (who is from Haiti) work on the Atlantic coast of Nicaragua to strengthen local churches and encourage existing churches to plant new ones. The Pierres' ministry is a holistic, "hands on" endeavor in which they walk and work alongside local people, building relationships as well as work with people in local churches to educate against drug abuse and drug trafficking. They also pastor Bethel Baptist Church, a congregation which they planted in Bluefields.

Madeline Flores-Lopez, Dominican Republic and the Caribbean

Madeline serves as the coordinator of mission volunteers and groups throughout the Caribbean. She is located in the Dominican Republic. A steadily increasing number of volunteers from the USA and Puerto Rico have been serving in the Caribbean during the past few years. Madeline coordinates mission volunteers in this exciting time for ministry in the Caribbean.

Kristy Engel, Dominican Republic

Kristy, using her skills in nursing and education in medical ministry, works with the Good Samaritan Hospital in La Romana, Dominican Republic where she ministers to Haitians who are among the poorest in the country. She travels daily to batey (work camp) villages and barrios providing medical attention where so many have been unwilling or unable to offer these services. She helps to coordinate the medical and volunteer teams that visit the Good Samaritan Hospital as well as mentor individuals or university students who seek international experiences. She speaks both Spanish and Haitian Creole fluently.

Nancy and Stephen James, Haiti

Steve and Nancy are doing medical work in different clinics in Haiti under the sponsorship of the Haitian Baptist Convention.

Steve wrote on January 24: Thank you for all the love, prayers and support you have showered to all of us in Haiti at this time. I, with our medical team of six, returned last night from Port-au-Prince to the UCNH campus, our home in North Haiti. I had felt Jesus asking me to organize a medical response team to go to the earthquake area and felt Him lead us step by step to where He wanted us to go. Coming back from a national pastor’s conference in Florida where I had shared on the ministry of the church to people either with or at risk for HIV, we learned of the earthquake in Haiti. We were to return to Haiti in 2 days. I prayed and asked Jesus, “How can Nancy and I, as two people be of any help in such an overwhelming disaster?” What came to my mind in response were the 5 loaves and 2 fishes in the Bible. “Go. Start. I will lead and multiply.” Key people began to contact us. Nancy and I returned to north Haiti on 1/14. Our medical team drove to Port-au-Prince the next day with Nancy staying in our home at the university to be the communication liaison for us with all of you. (Read the rest of Steve’s Note at http://www.internationalministries.org/read/17881 .)

Pray for International Ministries Volunteers

The following are volunteers going out to serve Christ. Please keep them in your prayers.

·  All Haiti earthquake relief volunteers and teams ready to go, preparing their hearts and awaiting God’s timing.

·  Patricia and Luis Alvarez, from Washington, serving in Merida, Mexico, beginning January 30.

·  Sue Begin, leading a team of 6 from Connecticut, serving in Dominican Republic , Jan 23 – 30.

·  Vic Gordon, leading a team of 9 from Ohio, serving in Haiti, Jan 17-30.

·  Dan Vititoe, leading a team of 14 from Missouri, serving in Costa Rica, 1/ 23 – 2/ 3.

·  Bob Beaumont, leading a team of 55 from Maine, serving in Dominican Republic, 1/23 – 2/6.

*For info on prayer ministry - Contact Rev. Bob Santilli at 610-768-2187 or

*Prayer Requests for missionaries and others who serve is now available on the Web at www.internationalministries.org/. Click on PRAY at the top.